Green Bay, Wisconsin- It was a wild day of action at the first day of Nationals with a few upsets and a few top teams already getting their back up against the wall to win their remaining round robin games. Here is a Day 1 recap-
Team Wisconsin 4- Boston Jr. Terriers 1
Adam Larson was stellar in net and Trey LaBarge scored a pair of goals, leading Team Wisconsin to a convincing victory. This was not unexpected, as the Terriers really have not played together since November and never really faced competition outside New England. The more battle-tested host team jumped out to a 2-0 lead and never looked back.
Shattuck St. Mary’s 4 – Buffalo Regals 1
This one was a lot closer then the score reflected. After a scoreless first period, Buffalo jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a goal by Dylan Seitz early in the second period. Brannon McManus, one of the top ‘99 goal scorers, tied the game at one, which was the score headed into the third period. In the third, Shattuck took over, receiving goals from Alex Mella and Scott Reedy three minutes apart, and then sealing it late on McManus’ second goal of the game. David Tomeo played a solid game in net for Shattuck.
Belle Tire 4- Team Comcast 2
In what was an exciting game, the two teams played a very quiet first period only to explode in the second period for five goals. Hayden Rowan scored twice for Belle Tire in the second period and Cameron Babiak added a goal as well, while Matt Cassidy and Evan Barratt each scored for Comcast. The score remained 3-2 for most of the third before Josh Wildauer sealed the game for Belle Tire with a goal. Kyle Keyser was very strong in net for Belle Tire and Brandon Graf played very well for Comcast making several key saves to keep them in the game.
Thunder Hockey 2- Colorado Thunderbirds 1
In our preview of nationals, we listed Kyle Kawamura as a player to watch, and he did not disappoint in the opening round robin game. After falling behind Colorado when Ethan Mesler scored for the Thunderbirds, Kawamura took matters into his own hands, scoring twice leading the Thunder to the win. The Thunder’s goalie Erik Gordon was excellent in net stopping 25-of-26 shots that he faced.
Penguins 3- Mid Farfield Yankees 2
In a thriller, the Penguins topped the Yankees, 3-2, in a shootout. The Pens took a 1-0 lead on a Liam Walsh goal, but in the second period, Mid Fairfield scored twice on goals by William Christensen and Nick Abruzzese to take a 2-1 lead into the third period. In the third, Matt Krieger scored to tie the game and it remained that way until the Pens won it in extra time. Joe Dragonjac who faced 28 shots and made 26 saves was a big part of the story for the Penguins.
Chicago Mission 2- St. Louis Blues 0
You could not ask for a more exciting well-played game, as the Mission earned the win in their opening game. Shane Brancato stopped 21 shots to earn the shut out. Sean Dhooghe opened the scoring with a first period goal and that held up until Ben Perkins’ late goal in the third. Jake Barczewski was very impressive in net for the Blues in a losing effort.
LA Jr. Kings 4- Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 2
In what was probably the biggest upset of the first day, the Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, beating the Jr. Grizzlies, 4-2. Cole Gutman and Jake McGrew scored 40 seconds apart to extend on a 1-0 lead. The Kings did a great job of keeping Grizzlies star Andrew Andary in check, which is no easy task. Andary had an assist on a Josh Norris goal to make it a 3-1 game and the Kings battled back to cut it to 3-2 before LA sealed it late.
Syracuse Nationals 4- Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 3
The Carolina Hurricanes were 30 seconds away from an opening game win at nationals, but Reggie Buell tallied late to tie the game at three and the Nationals won the game in a shootout. Nick Wildgoose scored twice and Kyle MacLean and Riley Johnson each added two assists for the Hurricanes who fired 41 shots on Syracuse goalie Thomas Draper. Sutter Donegan and Matt Kirwan had goals for Syracuse. Hurricanes goalie Britt League was also excellent, as he racked up 31 saves in the game.
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