The Weekend Wrap: Massachusetts & New England Nationals Berths Determined Nov. 6-9

With the prep and high school hockey seasons on the horizon for many players in the United States hockey hotbeds of Minnesota and New England, most of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 USA Hockey National Championship berths for those areas now have been determined.

Massachusetts crowned Boys Tier 1 and Tier 2 state champions at various age levels Nov. 9 following a weekend of tournament action. Those champions earned the right to compete at USA Hockey Nationals in the spring.

Meanwhile, some Boys and Girls Tier 1 and 2 automatic bids to Nationals also were determined for the New Egland District, which held the first of its regional tournaments from Nov. 6-9.

State champions from Massachusetts and Minnesota automatically earn USA Hockey National Championship berths. New York and Michigan are the only other states afforded that opportunity at the Tier 1 level; in other parts the United States, the district champions earn the trip to Tier 1 Youth and Girls as well as Tier 2 Girls Nationals.

This is because the USA hockey registered-participant numbers in those states are equal to or exceed the number of registered players from the other USA Hockey districts, which are comprised of teams from multiple states. USA Hockey divides the country into 12 districts: Atlantic, Central, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mid-Am, Minnesota, New England, New York, Northern Plains, Pacific, Rocky Mountain and Southeast.

Tier 1 USA Hockey National Championships are held at the 13O, 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U levels for Youth (or boys) teams, while on the Girls side Tier 1 national champs are crowned at the 14U, 16U and 19U levels. Tier 2 Youth national tournaments are held for 14U, 16U and 18U teams, while the girls compete for 14U, 16U and 19U titles. Because there are so many more Tier 2 Youth teams in the U.S., the national championships at that level include state champions from around the country. The Girls Tier 2 National Championships feature only district champs. 

Massachusetts, the New England District and Minnesota are unique in that those are areas of the country where high school and prep hockey are played at high levels and have the most participants. Because of that, the club teams in those states mostly compete in what is known as a split-season format. 

While the structure is a little bit different in each location, the concept is similar: Most players in New England and Minnesota play for split-season club teams between September and early November before heading off to compete for their high school or prep school teams from November through March. 

Because of the popularity and intensity of the school seasons in these hockey hotbeds, Massachusetts, the New England District and Minnesota crown their state or district champions and award their National Championship bids in the fall, with the winning teams getting back together once school play concludes to practice and prepare for Nationals.

In Minnesota, this an ongoing process that began in October and recently concluded.

 

Minnesota 2026 USA Hockey National Championship Qualifiers

Youth (Boys) Divisions

13O Tier 1 - Minnesota Lakers

14U Tier 1 - Shattuck-St. Mary’s

14U Tier 2 - Minnesota Green Giants

15O Tier 1 - Shattuck-St. Mary’s

16U Tier 1 - Shattuck-St. Mary’s

16U Tier 2 - Minnesota Lakers

18U Tier 1 - Shattuck-St. Mary’s

18U Tier 2 - Minnesota Lakers

 

Girls Divisions

14U Tier 1 - Minnesota Lakers

14U Tier 2 - Minnesota Polars

16UTier 1 - Shattuck-St. Mary’s

16U Tier 2 - Minnesota Polars

19U Tier 1 - Minnesota Elite (Vegas)

19U Tier 2 - Minnesota Premier Prep

 

While New York and Michigan will wait until the spring to determine their National Championship qualifiers, all eyes were on the Northeast as various Youth and Girls Tier 1 and 2 state and district champs were determined Nov. 6-9.

In Massachusetts, Youth Tier 1 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U state championships were played, while Tier 2 tournaments were held for the 14U 16U and 18U Youth divisions. The Massachusetts Girls Tier 1 and Tier 2 tournaments will be played during Thanksgiving weekend. Massachusetts Youth and Girls State tournaments are played at the sprawling New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass. 

Meanwhile, teams from the states surrounding Massachusetts also competed for the opportunity to advance to play for national championships as the New England District held Youth Tier 1 15O, 16U and 18U tournaments while also determining Girls champions at the 14U Tier 1 and the 14U, 16U and 19U Tier 2 levels.

New England District Tournaments were held Nov. 6-9 for Tier 1 Youth teams in New Hampshire, with the 16U and 19U Tier 1 Girls scheduled to compete in Connecticut during Thanksgiving weekend. Girls 14U Tier 2 games took place Nov. 7-9 in Rhode Island, while the 16U and 19U Tier 2 Girls tournaments were contested in Maine at the same time.  

Nov. 7-9 also was a huge tournament weekend for our friends at MYHockey Tournaments as they hosted nearly 400 teams in 12 different United States destinations as part of the Veterans Cup Series. 

Tournament host locations included Boise, Charleston, Fort Collins, Hampton Roads, Holland (Michigan), Madison, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tacoma, Tampa and Washington, D.C. The three-day events featured approximately 850 games at 25 rinks, with teams representing 44 states and from Canada competing. Each location hosted between 60 and 100 games.

 

The two largest tournaments were:

The Congressional Veterans Cup in Washington DC with 13 divisions (10U through 16U)

The Great Lakes Veterans Cup in Holland, Mich., with 9 total divisions (10U through HS Varsity)

 

Massachusetts Youth Tier 1 & Tier 2 State Championship

The Massachusetts Youth Tier 1 and 2 State Championship began the afternoon of Nov. 7 and ran through the evening of Nov. 9.

Tier 1 Youth champions were crowned and USA Hockey National Championship berths determined for the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U age groups, while Tier 2 teams competed at the 14U, 16U and 18U levels. There were eight teams in each division competing in a single-elimination format. Semifinals were Saturday, Nov. 8, and championship games took place Sunday, Nov. 9. 

All games were played at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass.

CLICK HERE for the tournament program with rosters & schedules

 

Massachusetts 18U Tier 1 State Championship

The Massachusetts 18U Tier 1 field was stacked as usual, with seven of the eight teams ranked among the nation’s top 17, according to the Week 7 MHR Tier 1 USA Boys 18U rankings, and all eight residing in the top 24.

CLICK HERE for Youth 18U Tier 1 results, standings and stats

 

18U Tier 1 Participating Teams in Seeded Order

#3 Boston Jr. Eagles (3-0-0; 12GF, 4GA)

#5 Neponset Valley River Rats (0-1-0; 3GF, 4GA)

#11 Brookline Whalers (2-1-0; 16FG, 13GA)

#13 Islanders HC East (0-1-0; 4GF, 5GA)

#14 Springfield Jr. Thunderbirds (1-1-0; 6GF, 10GA)

#15 Boston Little Bruins (0-1-0; 0GF, 6GA)

#17 East Coast Militia (1-1-0; 8GF, 10GA)

#24 Islanders HC West (0-1-0; 2GF, 3GA)

The Boston Jr. Eagles defeated the Brookline Whalers, 3-1, Nov. 9, to capture the state title and advance to Nationals. Trailing, 1-0, after two periods, Boston got third-period goals from Brendan Matthews, William MacAusland and Patrick Woods. MacAusland also contributed an assist, while Thomas Saulnier earned the win in goal.

  

Massachusetts 18U Tier 2 State Championship

Considering the hundreds of 18U Tier 2 teams registered around the United States, this division was just about as deep as the Tier 1 group, with six teams ranked among the top 44 in the nation competing. Two of the eight participating teams were in the top 20.

CLICK HERE for Youth 18U Tier 2 results, standings and stats

 

18U Tier 2 Participating Teams in Seeded Order

#7 Central Mass Penguins (2-1-0; 9GF, 7GA)

#18 Boston Jr. Huskies (1-1-0; 11GF, 7GA)

#26 South Shore Kings (3-0-0; 16GF, 10GA)

#30 Neponset Valley River Rats (1-1-0; 4GF, 3GA)

#43 Boston Jr. Eagles (0-1-0; 1GF, 3GA)

#44 Boston Global Jr. Terriers (0-1-0; 5GF, 6GA)

#68 Bay State Breakers (0-1-0; 3GF, 8GA)

#80 Boston Jr. Terriers (0-1-0; 0GF, 5GA)

The South Shore Kings turned a 1-1 game into what appeared to be an easy 6-2 champonship-game win by scoring five third-period goals Nov. 9 to earn a trip to Nationals. Nicholas Chiaradonna scored two of the decisive five goals, with Jameson Young, Thomas Calvino and William Hulbig also tallying. Preston Casassa had the other South Shore goal, while Max Rosnfeld earned the victory in goal.

 

Massachusetts 16U Tier 1 State Championship

Every team in the 16U Tier 1 tournament was ranked among the nation’s top 65 teams in the MHR Week 7 Rankings. Five teams were in the top 50, with four of those ranking among the top 33.

CLICK HERE for Youth 16U Tier 1 results, stats and standings

 

16U Tier 1 Participating Teams in Seeded Order

#14 Neponset Valley River Rats (2-1-0; 13GF, 6GA)

#23 Boston Jr. Eagles (3-0-0; 14GF, 5GA)

#31 Cape Cod Whalers (1-1-0; 5GF, 6GA)

#33 Islanders HC East (0-1-0; 1GF, 4GA)

#48 South Shore Kings (1-1-0; 5GF, 5GA)

#51 East Coast Militia (0-1-0; 2GF, 2GA)

#58 Springfield Jr. Thunderbirds (0-1-0; 2GF, 7GA)

#65 American Hockey Academy (0-1-0; 2GF, 7GA)

It took overtime and a shootout to determine the Massachusetts Youth 16U Tier 1 state champion, and Ryder Bisson finally scored in the fourth shootout round to send the Jr. Eagles to USA Hockey Nationals with a 3-2 title-game victory. The other seven shooters either were stopped or missed as Boston goalie Justin Lee outdueled hard-luck loser Zihang Wng. Bisson scored the second Jr. Eagle first-period goal on the power play with 33 seconds left to give Boston a 2-1 lead only to see Troy Hamelin tie the game for the River Rats in the middle frame. Liao Zhu scored the other goal for Neponset, while Cade Noonan scored the first goal of the game for Boston.

  

Massachusetts 16U Tier 2 State Championship

There were more than 200 teams listed in the Week 7 MHR 16U Tier 2 rankings, and every team in the Massachusetts State Championship field was ranked among the top third of that group. The tournament featured three teams ranked among the top 40, and all eight were in the top 91. 

CLICK HERE for the Youth 16U Tier 2 results, stats and standings

 

16U Tier 2 Participating Teams in Seeded Order

#8 Boston Jr. Huskies (3-0-0; 19GF, 3GA)

#35 Worcester Jr. Railers (2-1-0; 10GF, 11GA)

#36 East Coast Militia (1-1-0; 5GF, 4GA)

#65 Central Mass Penguins (0-1-0; 3GF, 5GA)

#73 North Shore Shamrocks (1-1-0; 7GF, 8GA)

#77 Boston Jr. Eagles (0-1-0; 1GF, 3GA)

#81 Neponset Valley River Rats (0-1-0; 2GF, 7GA)

#91 North Suburban Wings (0-1-0; 1GF, 7GA)

The Jr. Huskies scored three times in the opening period of the 16U Tier 2 championship game and never looked back in claiming the title with a 7-0 victory. Cameron Guerschuny led the offensive onslaught with a hat trick, while Quinn Taylor scored once and assisted on two of his teammate’s three goals. Andrew O’Malley, William Iantosca and Mathew Puopolo also scored for the champs, with Connor Harris earning the win in goal.

 

Massachusetts 15O Tier 1 State Championship

No team in the 15O Tier 1 Massachusetts State Tournament field was ranked lower than No. 72 in a group that included a pair of top 10 teams, three teams ranked among the. MHR Week 7 top 30 and seven teams that were in the top 44.

CLICK HERE for 15O Tier 1 results, standings and stats

 

15O Tier 1 Participating Teams in Seeded Order

#4 Minuteman Flames (1-1-0; 10GF, 7GA)

#9 Neponset Valley River Rats (3-0-0; 15GF, 4GA)

#19 Islanders HC East (1-1-0; 8GF, 6GA)

#27 East Coast Militia (2-1-0; 12GF, 12GA)

#37 Cape Cod Whalers (0-1-0; 4GF, 5GA)

#39 Boston Americans (0-1-0; 2GF, 6GA)

#44 South Shore Kings (0-1-0; 2GF, 7GA)

#72 American Hockey Academy (0-1-0; 0GF, 6GA)

Neponset Valley scored four times in the game’s final 20 minutes, overlapping the second and third periods, to break a scoreless tie and skate away with the 15O state championship, 4-0, in the Nov. 9 title game. Carter Felt, John Queally, Jake Guerriero and Nicholas Tulipano scored for the winners, with Cater Heise recording the win in goal. Felt also picked up an assist.

 

Massachusetts 14U Tier 1 State Championship

Each 14U Tier 1 team was ranked among MHR’s Week 7 top 55, with six of the teams ranked among the top 40. Islanders Hockey Club East, the Boston Jr. Eagles and the Cape Cod Whalers all were among the nation’s top 20. 

CLICK HERE for 14U Tier 1 scores, stats and standings

 

14U Tier 1 Participating Teams in Seeded Order

#5 Islanders HC East (3-0-0; 11GF, 5GA)

#9 Boston Jr. Eagles (1-1-0; 13GF, 9GA)

#20 Cape Cod Whalers (2-1-0; 15GF, 12GA)

#26 Neponset Valley River Rats (1-1-0; 10GF, 6GA)

#38 Boston Jr. Terriers (0-1-0; 1GF, 8GA)

#52 Northeast Generals (0-1-0; 4GF, 6GA)

#55 Boston Americans (0-1-0; 2GF, 9GA)

#55 East Coast Militia (0-1-0; 1GF, 3GA)

IHC East sprinted to a 3-0 lead in the fgame’s opening 30 minutes only to see Max Colley score twice to cut the margin to 3-2 entering the third period of the 14U Youth Tier 1 championship game Nov. 9. Matthew Heath scored an insurance goal with 8:53 left in the final frame, however, as IHC captured the title and earned a trip to Nationals. Chris Welby, Mason McGovern and Brayden Campanale also scored for the champs, while netminder Brody Dickinson backstopped the win.

 

Massachusetts 14U Tier 2 State Championship

With 342 14U Tier 2 teams currently ranked by MHR, the entire Massachusetts State Championship field in that division ranked among the top 24 percent of teams in the United States. Four teams in the 14U T2 group were ranked among the top 30.

CLICK HERE for 14U Tier 2 results, stats and standings

 

14U Tier 2 Participating Teams in Seeded Order

#12 South Shore Dynamos (3-0-0; 11GF, 2GA)

#14 Greater Boston Jr. Bruins (2-1-0; 13GF, 5GA)

#19 Walpole Express (1-1-0; (5GF, 7GA)

#29 Bay State Breakers (1-1-0; 5 GF, 6GA)

#57 95 Giants (0-1-0; 3GF, 4GA)

#68 Boston Jr. Huskies (0-1-0; 1GF, 4GA)

#73 East Coast Militia (0-1-0; 1GF, 6GA)

#82 Islanders Hockey Club East (0-1-0; 0GF, 5GA)

South Shore continued its defensive dominance, surrendering just its third goal against of the weekend, in earning the state 14U Youth Tier 2 title with a 3-1 championship-game victory against the Greater Boston Jr. Bruins Nov. 9. Donnie Caliacco led the defensive effort, earning the victory in goal, while Michael and Max Vinitsky scored all three Dynamo goals. Max potted two of the three markers, with Michael tallying once while Bernard Anderson, Nicholas Mazzini and Ryan Gibbons dished out assists.

 

 

New England District Youth & Girls Tournaments

The New England District of USA Hockey includes Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. District champions and USA Hockey National Championship berths were determined Nov. 6-9 for the following divisions.

 

New England Tier 1 Boys 15O, 16U and 18U (New Hampshire)

In the Boys 15O Tier 1 Division, six teams were placed in two three-team pools. Round-robin play determined which teams advanced. National-powerhouse Mount St. Charles was ranked 10th and faced stiff competition from the No. 26 Mid-Fairfield Rangers as well as the No. 41 Yale Bulldogs.

Mount St. Charles won all five of its games during the weekend, capping the tournament with a 4-0 championship-game victory against Mid-Fairfield Nov. 9. MJ Campbell, Anthony Foyt V, Cruise Armstrong and Drayden Demas scored for the Jr. Mounties, with winning goalie Elias Hopeman standing on his head in a 50-save shutout.

 

The 16U Division had a similar format, with No. 13 Seacoast Performance Academy, the No. 16 Providence Capitals and 19th-ranked Mount St. Charles leading the charge. The No. 22 Yale Jr. Bulldogs also presented a formidable challenge for those three.

SPA and Providence each went 4-1-0 on the weekend, but the Capitals won the most important game, defeating Seacoast, 4-2, Nov. 9 to advance to Nationals. Caiden Pellegrino broke a 2-2 tie late in the second period, and Anthony Oliveri provided the insurance goal in the game’s final minute. Owen LaCamera and Anthony Brunetti also scored for Providence, while winning goalie Aaron Alves-Thomas stopped 47 shots.

 

In the 18U Tier 1 Boys Division, the fourth-ranked Northern CT Nor'Easter and No. 7 Yale Junior Bulldogs were in the same pool, while No. 27 Mount St. Charles and No. 28 Mid-Fairfield hoped to challenge them for the New England championship.

Yale and Mid-Fairfield concluded he weekend with identical 4-1-0 records, but the Rangers captured the title with a 6-3 championship-game victory against the Jr. Bulldogs Nov. 9. Mid-Fairfield scored four straight goals during a 15-minute span of the second and third periods to seemingly take control in the finals, but Michael Dossier and William Schlechtweg scored less than a minute apart to pull Yale within two before Owen Burke provided a late insurance marker for the champs. Zal Isaiah Ferraro stopped 38 shots to earn the victory in goal.  

 

New England Boys TIer 1 Tournament games were played in Exeter and Hudson, N.H. Games that were played in Hudson should be available for on-demand viewing on LiveBarn.

CLICK HERE for links to New England District Tier 1 Boys scores, stats and standings

 

 

New England Tier 1 Girls 14U (Connecticut)

The New England Tier 1 Girls 14U District Tournament was played Nov. 7-9 at Northford Ice Pavilion in Connecticut. Four teams competed, led by the 37th-ranked Hartford Lady Wolfpack and No. 42 Darien Ice Cats. The Mid-Fairfield Stars were ranked 51st and the Vermont Ice Cats were No. 55. 

Hartford and Mid-Fairfield each went 3-1-0 on the weekend and split their two matchups, but the Stars earned the trip to Nationals with a 3-1 championship-game victory Nov. 9. Brooke Guyer, Ava Oliva and Charlotte Toon scored for Mid-Fairfield in the finals, while goalies Anja Turenius-Bell and Rylee DeSanto teamed up on the win.

Games should be available for on-demand viewing via LiveBarn. 

CLICK HERE for links to the New England District Tier 1 14U Girls scores, stats and standings

  

New England Tier 2 Girls 14U (Rhode Island)

There were six teams divided into two pools competing for the New England 14U Tier 2 Girls championship. The 23rd-ranked Central Vermont Black Bears, No. 22 Mid-Fairfield Stars, No. 39 Rhode Island Sting, No. 43 Connecticut Polar Bears and No. 45 Seacoast Spartans Gold were the top competing teams hoping to earn a trip to Nationals.  

Seacoast Gold and Mid-Fairfield played in the Nov. 9 championship game, with the Spartans earning the 3-1 victory to conclude the weekend 4-1-0 and advance to Nationals. The Stars also finished 4-1-0. Maybelle Hopkins, Sierra Dutton and Kayla Kavanagh each scored for Seacoast, and netminder Lyda Zavas backstopped the victory. 

Games were played at West Warwick Civic Center and should be available for viewing on-demand via LiveBarn. 

CLICK HERE for links to the New England District Tier 2 14U Girls scores, stats and standings

 

New England Tier 2 Girls 16U (Maine)

Six teams competed in the New England 16U Tier 2 Girls tourney, led by the 11th- and 12th-ranked Mid-Fairfield Stars and Connecticut Polar Bears. They figured to be challenged by the No. 30 Rhode Island Sting and No. 33 Vermont Jr. Catamounts.

The CT Polar Bears wrapped up a 4-1-0 weekend Nov. 9 with a 4-1 championship-game victory against the Jr. Catamounts. Connecticut scored twice in the first period and once each in the final two frames, with four different players notching goals. Cailyn Walfield, Emma Gross, Dakota Boyle and Abygail Petersen were the goal-scorers, and Grace Kepler was the winning netminder. 

Games were played at Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn, Maine, and should be available for on-demand viewing on LiveBarn. 

CLICK HERE for links to the New England District Tier 2 16U Girls scores, stats and standings

 

New England Tier 2 Girls 19U (Maine)

There were six teams in the New England 16U Tier 2 Girls District Tournament, with the 12th-ranked Connecticut Polar Bears and No. 16 Mid-Fairfield Stars entering the weekend as the favorites. They were joined by the No. 25 Rhode Island Sting and No. 33 Shoreline Sharks.

After dropping their opening game of the tournament, 1-0, to Mid-Fairfield, the CT Polar Bears reeled off four straight victories, allowing just six total goals in those wins, to earn a trip to USA Hockey Nationals. They avenged the earlier loss to the Stars with a 1-0 semifinal victory Nov. 9 before capturing the championship later that day with a 4-0 win against the Maine Moose. Goalie Sydney Kelm recorded shutout victories in the semis and finals, and Jane Curtiss scored twice in the championship game. Julianna Picard and Piper Chaisson also scored in the finals for the Polar Bears. 

Games were played at Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn, Maine and should be available for on-demand viewing on LiveBarn.  

CLICK HERE for links to the New England District Tier 2 19U Girls scores, stats and standings