Plenty of action on Day 1 of NAPHL event in Minnesota
The NAPHL kicked off its first T1ER event of the 2021-22 season on Thursday in addition to the second event of the FALL League season as over 100 teams took to the ice on Day 1 of the event in Minnesota, which is in cooperation with the NAHL Showcase.
Entering its 13th season in 2021-22, the NAPHL is made up of USA Hockey-sanctioned teams that compete in the 18U, 16U, 15U and 14U levels. NAPHL teams will compete at the NAHL Showcase from September 16-19.
Traditionally, the NAHL Showcase attracts close to 9,000 people in overall attendance, including more than 300 junior, NCAA and professional scouts. Over 250+ scouts checked in on Day 2 of the event, which began on Wednesday.
All games will be broadcast live through HockeyTV, the official broadcast provider of the NAPHL.
Helpful Showcase Links:
Arenas (Super Rink - Fogerty - Plymouth Ice Center)
Important Note: The Fall Showcase September 16th-19th in Blaine, MN is the only NAPHL Event during the season that is ticketed. This is due to the fact that it is held in conjunction with the NAHL Showcase featuring all 29 NAHL teams as well as the US National Development Team. Please be sure to review the ticket prices and policies.
Day 1 recaps
18U Division: The 18U division was busy on Thursday with 20 games on the docket. In the morning games, Walleye, Colorado Springs, New Jersey Jr. Titans and Northwest Stars got off to flying starts with comfortable wins in their games. The Walleye topped East Coast 7-5, the Tigers ousted the Lakers 3-2, New Jersey knocked off Biggby Coffee AAA and Northwest hammered 95 Giants 7-1. Later on, New Hampshire edged out Tahoe Prep 3-2 in a shootout, Des Moines took down Philadelphia 5-3 in a heavyweight clash, Northstar flexed its muscle in an 11-1 decision over Team Alaska, Indy shut down the Arizona Bobcats for a 6-0 win and Reapers made a statement with an 8-0 shutout of the Maine Nordiques. The Green Giants then roared past West Coast 5-1, while New Hampshire made it two wins on the day behind another two-goal outing from Louis Demanche as they took down the Jersey Whalers 7-6. Esmark eased past the Moose 6-1, Blue Ox knocked off Ontario 4-0 and Carshield slipped past Voyageurs 3-2 in a shootout.
Capping off the day, the Fall League joined the fray as Fairbanks tallied four in the third period for a wild 8-4 win over Chippewa, Kenai River outlasted the Wilderness for a 5-4 shootout win, Austin rode a two-goal third to a 5-4 win over Janesville and the Magicians handled Texas for a 4-1 win. Back in T1ER action, Shattuck St. Mary’s toppled Tri-State 4-2 and the Gray Ducks closed out the evening with a 4-1 win over Madison.
16U Division: It was a busy day for 16U squads as well, with 16 games between T1ER and Fall League teams. New Hampshire Avalanche, Des Moines Buccaneers AAA, Esmark Stars and Biggby Coffee AAA earned the first honors of the day with respective wins over Tri-State, Tahoe Prep, Philadelphia and Colorado Springs. From there, the Alaska Wolverines opened their stay with a 4-3 SO win over Northwest, while East Coast topped Madison 4-2 in their tilt. Northstar continued its winning tradition with a 5-2 win over New Jersey, and Ontario eased past Janesville 5-1. Later on, the Green Giants rolled past Vegas for a 7-1 win, while the Walleye toppled Arizona 8-4, the Moose notched a 2-1 comeback win over Indy and the Blue Ox rode three second-period tallies to a 5-2 win over Reapers.
Finally, Carshield AAA and the Lakers closed out T1ER action with a 5-0 win over the Minnesota Magicians and a 13-1 win over West Coast, respectively, while Austin ousted Chippewa 4-2 and the Wilderness hammered Fairbanks 7-1 in Fall League play.
15U Division: Opening up 15U action, Janesville and Biggby Coffee AAA picked up wins in the first two games of the day as they took down Colorado Springs and Philadelphia. The Lakers rolled past Ontario 8-1 a bit later, and the Walleye followed with a comfortable 5-1 win over Indy. Afterward, it was more of the same from the local clubs, with the Moose, Polars and Loons each taking wins on day one. Carshield AAA took an 8-2 decision over New Jersey over at Fogerty Arena, where Reapers and the Blue Ox also collected big wins to close out the 15U day.
14U Division: Over at Plymouth Ice Center, A pair of Minnesota teams got 14U day one started with wins, as the Walleye and Green Giants knocked off Northwest and Madison, respectively during the early slate. Carshield AAA rode a Brady Price game-winner to a 3-2 win over the Lakers, while Indy hung on for a wild 6-5 win over the Loons and the Moose tallied twice in the third to knock off Arizona 3-1. Elsewhere, Biggby Coffee AAA’s Owen Boucher netted a hat-trick in his team’s 5-2 win over the Polars, the Walleye were in cruise control to knock off Des Moines 14-1 and the Green Giants feature more of the same in an 8-0 win over Ontario. Bringing the day to a close, Esmark held off a late comeback bid to defeat the Lakers 4-3, Reapers overwhelmed New Jersey late in the contest to win 5-2 and Tri-State was at its best in a 5-0 shutout of Colorado Springs.
