18U Division thrills on Day 2 of NAPHL event

Day 2 of the NAPHL event at the St. Peters Rec Plex in St. Louis, Missouri was highlighted by some more close and tense games, especially at the 18U level. One thing is clear this season in the Tier 1 conferences, and that is parity is abundant. This weekend features the NAPHL Tier 1 Central Conference teams at the 18U, 16U, and 15U levels.

Now in its 12^th season, no other USA Hockey youth league does more for its players than the NAPHL. Operated by the full-time staff of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), who make it their mission to outperform others both on and off the ice in promoting its players. The NAPHL has proved over the years that the league is a great stepping-stone for development and training for young hockey players looking to gain experience and knowledge to work their way up to the National level.

If you are attending the event this weekend, there are several reminders and policies that are designed to keep everyone safe and on the ice:

• There is no admission fee for this event
• Only one (1) spectator per player per game
• Masks are very strongly encouraged at all times
• Maintain social distancing
• Players are to come dressed and may enter 15 minutes prior to game time
• Spectators allowed to enter facility only at the posted game time
• Merchandise will be on sale at the arena
• Concessions will be open limitedly each day at the South Arena ONLY
• No lingering and please leave the facility at the end of the game
• Wash and sanitize hands

For those who will not be attending, all NAPHL games will be broadcast live on HockeyTV. Note... the NAPHL is part of the ELITE package.

NAPHL Event Digital Program

18U Schedule

16U Schedule

15U Schedule

Download the NAHL App to keep up to date with NAPHL scores (iOS - Google Play)

Day 2 Recaps

18U Division: Day two started off much like day one — a competitive and tense opening game went Esmark’s way, 2-1, over the St. Louis AAA Blues to kick off a slate of close contacts. Carshield bucked that trend, however, in their opening tilt, with a 6-1 win over Florida Alliance. From there, NorthStar picked up a narrow 2-1 win over Tri-State and Des Moines won another OT battle 3-2 against Meijer. In the day’s second slate of games, Tri-State picked up a split on the day with a 3-2 win over St. Louis, Florida did the same by dropping Des Moines 3-2, Meijer trounced Carshield 6-0 and NorthStar gutted out another close win — this time over Esmark in a 4-3 thriller. 

16U Division: A plethora of goals underlined an action-packed day two in St. Louis. Opening the day, Meijer knocked off Indy in a tight one 3-2, followed by Esmark scoring twice in the third for a 5-3 win over Carshield, NorthStar flexing its muscles in a 4-0 decision over Tai-state and Florida outpacing Des Moines 7-4 in a high-paced duel. In the afternoon matchups, Indy made up for its earlier loss by topping Tri-State 2-1, NorthStar won comfortably again, this time 7-2 over Meijer, Esmark scored early and often in a 7-1 rout of Des Moines and Carshield edged out Florida Alliance in a 4-3 contest that saw Florida strike twice in the final 20 to make things interesting, but in the end the hosts would hand Florida their first NAPHL loss of the season.

15U Division: The 15U level saw just three games on Saturday. First up, Indy looked down and out, facing a 2-0 deficit through 40 minutes, but tallied three in the third for a 3-2 win over Tri-State. Carshield looked dominant against Meijer, featuring five different scorers and a Nicholas Puricelli hat-trick in an 8-0 rout. Finally, Des Moines outclassed Esmark to close out the day, breaking open a 3-2 contest in the third to win