New York State Championship Preview - 14U Tier I Division
- Details
- Written on Tuesday, 05 March 2013
- Written by Chris Grosso
Division I: Hamburg Hawks, Long Island Gulls, Rochester Monarchs, Syracuse Nationals
Long Island Gulls - The Gulls are the 7th-ranked team in the country and they are arguably the favorites to go all the way in the tournament. From December to January the Gulls went 11-0-2 in a 13-game span and when they are playing on top of their game they are as good as any team around. The Gulls will have to contend with the Hamburg Hawks however, who defeated them, 5-4, back in December. The Gulls also played the Syracuse Nationals on Nov. 17 and defeated them, 7-5.
Syracuse Nationals - The Nationals are 9-1-2 in their past 12 games and they are playing solid hockey down the stretch. In four out of their past five games the Nationals have scored at least six goals, and if the offense continues to play like that they’ll make a deep run. The Nationals will face a familiar foe in the Hamburg Hawks and they’ll also look to gain a little redemption on the Syracuse Nationals. The Nationals are 3-1 against the Hawks this season, while they lost their only meeting to the Long Island Gulls.
Rochester Monarchs - The Monarchs have struggled as of late, but they’ll look to turn things around this weekend. The Monarchs are 0-4 against the Hawks this season, but they put up a fight last time, outplaying them to a 3-3 tie. Don’t be deceived by the record of the Monarchs, a lot of their losses have come by one or two-goal margins and they play hard in each game.
Hamburg Hawks - The Hawks come in as the 31st-ranked team in the nation and they’ll look to improve that mark. The Hawks are the only team from this division who has defeated the Long Island Gulls, so they know they have the talent to go all the way. A couple weeks back, the Hawks started a stretch where they went 5-0-3 during an eight-game span and they allowed no more than three goals in any of those games. If the defense plays up to its capabilities they’ll do some damage.
Divison II: Buffalo Saints, CP Dynamo, Wheatfield Blades, Buffalo Regals
Buffalo Regals - The Regals are ranked No. 11 in the U.S. and they are coming into the tournament on a hot streak. They are are 10-2-1 in their past 13 games and they’ll look to ride that momentum. During that span, the Regals have only allowed more than two goals only once, as the defense has stepped up big time. The Regals have only played two games against teams in their division. They defeated the Buffalo Saints, 5-1, on Jan. 25, while they tied the Wheatfield Blades, 1-1, in December.
Clifton Park Dynamo - The Dynamo have struggled as of late, however they scored 13 goals in a two-game stretch a couple weekends back. Despite the record, they have played good games against the Buffalo Saints and the Wheatfield Blades. They tied the Saints, 1-1, back in November and split a pair of games against the Wheatfield Blades. In their most recent meeting they defeated the Blades, 2-1.
Buffalo Saints - The Saints picked up a big victory last time out, as they defeated the Wheatfield Blades, 2-0. In their past nine games, the Saints have allowed more than three goals only once and they’ll look to get a big performance out of the defense. The Saints lost to the Regals, 5-1, on Jan. 25 and their matchup against them will be pivotal.
Wheatfield Blades - The Blades (17-24-8) are a much better team than their record indicates. A lot of their losses have come by one or two-goal margins and they tied the Buffalo Regals on Dec. 5. If the Blades play up to their potential they’ll be able to make a run.
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