NAPHL concludes event in Blaine with Sunday games
The NorthStar Knights were all smiles after going 4-0 in both the 18U and 16U levels at the first event in Blaine. (Photos by Hickling Images)
The action on the ice came to a close on Sunday, September 20th on the final day of the second event of the 2020-21 calendar at the Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota.
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Day 3 Recaps
18U Division: The offense-heavy hockey from earlier in the weekend carried on into Sunday’s 13 games at the 18U level, starting with a stout 8-1 win for Esmark over TRC which saw the stars net four in the third period. Carrying on, West Coast scored three in the third for a 4-3 comeback win over Florida Alliance, Northstar handled Colorado Springs with ease in a 6-1 decision, Carshield rolled right over Arizona 7-0 and Meijer used a big second period to knock off Northeast 4-1. Later, Indy shut down Minnesota in a 3-0 win, Des Moines slipped past Northwest 2-1 in OT, the Bulls held off Tri-State for a 3-2 decision and the Green Giants won a barnburner, 9-5, against the Ontario Jr. Reign. Drawing the day and the event to a close, MHA Mudbugs stymied a late comeback bid for a 6-3 win over Fairbanks, Janesville dropped the Magicians 3-2 in OT after tying it with under five minutes left in the third and the Wilderness tallied the final goal of the entire event in a 2-1 shootout victory over the Magicians Elite.
16U Division: The 16U division went out with a bang on Sunday, with 13 games spread out across the day. Ontario’s 10-0 romp past Northeast opened the day, followed up by Indy taking a narrow 3-2 win over Colorado Springs and Florida Alliance in cruise control during a 5-0 win over Madison. From there, the Walleye held off a late comeback for a 6-4 win over Des Moines, Janesville topped MHA Mudbugs 2-0, the Lakers scored four in the first en route to a 4-1 win over Tri-State and West Coast found the OT winner to beat Northwest 4-3. Later on, Northstar dealt the Green Giants a 4-1 loss, Meijer edged out Arizona 2-1 with a fast start and Esmark slipped past Blue Ox 2-1 in a shootout. Kenai River then escaped with a 3-2 win over Fairbanks in overtime, Chippewa rode a strong first forty to a 5-3 win over the Wilderness and the Magicians closed things out with a comfortable 5-2 win over Austin.
15U Division: It was another busy day with lots of offense at the 15U level on Sunday. The Green Giants opened the day with a 5-1 win over Madison, before the Polars cruised by Colorado Springs 6-0. The Moose then knocked off Carshield 5-3 with a pair of quick strikes in the middle frame, the Loons held off Janesville 4-2, the Blue Ox dropped Tri-State 5-1 and MHA found four goals in the final forty minutes for a 4-0 shutout of Des Moines. In the afternoon matchups, the Walleye struck twice in the third for a 3-1 win over Esmark, Arizona found twine early in OT to top the Magicians 4-3, the Lakers eased by Indy 5-0 and Meijer capped off the showcase with a 4-3 win over Northwest in a tense tilt.
14U Division: Just five games highlighted the 14U Sunday slate. Closing out the weekend’s action, Carshield put on a consistent effort to drop Meijer 3-1, Tri-State steamrolled Northwest 9-0, Arizona held off Colorado Springs 6-5 in a high-paced thriller, Madison posted a 9-0 whopping of West Coast and Indy eased past Des Moines 7-0.
