NAPHL action heats up in Indianapolis and Blaine on Saturday
The eighth and ninth events of the 2020-21 NAPHL season continued on Saturday at the Indy Fuel Tank in Fishers, Indiana and the Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota. The weekend of January 15-18 features competition in the Tier 1 Central Conference and in the NAPHL Showcase Division with the final regular season games of the 2020-21 season.
Now in its 12th 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.
The NAPHL continues to monitor local and federal guidelines and will follow the recommendations in place. Even with everyone’s participation, the NAPHL cannot eliminate all risk associated with Covid-19. By choosing to participate, players and guests are assuming the risk of contracting Covid-19 at the event. With that said, we need everyone's cooperation and commitment to follow the Return To Play guidelines as outlined by the NAPHL and the Indy Fuel Tank and at the Super Rink. A few of those guidelines are listed below but it is important that you become familiar with all of the Return To Play guidelines: Read Here and Read Here
For those who will not be attending, all NAPHL games will be broadcast live on HockeyTV by selecting the Elite Package.
NAPHL Event Digital Program (Indy)
NAPHL Event Digital Program (Blaine)
*Schedules subject to change
Download the NAHL App to keep up to date with NAPHL scores (iOS - Google Play)
NAPHL merchandise will be on sale during the event at the Indy Fuel Tank in Fishers and at the Super Rink in Blaine. NAPHL merchandise is sold exclusively and only at NAPHL events and features the hottest and newest styles of sweatshirts, t-shirts, shorts, hats, and more!
Saturday Recaps
18U Division: The Fishers showcase saw four 18U games on Saturday. Meijer kicked things off with a 4-2 win over Gilmour Academy, thanks to a pair of third-period strikes, including one from 16U All-Star Game MVP Carter Schram. From there, Indy erupted for three goals in the final frame to knock off Carshield 5-2, and Tri-State narrowly edged out Esmark 4-3 despite a late Stars comeback bid. Capping off the 18U day in Indiana, Mercer took a 4-3 shootout win over Team Illinois, thanks to Elliott Lareau’s heroics in the breakaway contest.
Over in Blaine, 18U squads hit the ice for eight games at the Super Rink. The Texas Tigers opened the day with a bang, potting a pair in the third en route to a 5-2 win over PHA Icemen, and Cherry Creek followed with a tense 1-0 win over CDA, thanks to Aidan Tucker’s goal in the opening minutes. Tri-Valley was dominant in a 5-2 win over Rose City, outscoring the Pats 4-1 in the final two periods, and Denver East rode a Connor Hasse hat-trick to a 5-1 win over Arizona Mission. After a break in the day, the Tigers picked up where they left off with a dominant showing to drop Cherry Creek 5-0. Seth Dragojevic bagged a hat-trick in the win, and William Carney earned the 25-save shutout for Texas. The PHA Icemen made amends for their earlier loss, ousting Rose City in a 8-1 rout, and Denver East made it a perfect 2-0 on the day, tallying four in the final two periods to roll past CDA 6-2. In the last of the evening games, Tri-Valley again showed its mettle, this time taking down Monument 6-1 on the strength of four third-period strikes.
16U Division: 16U action also kicked off in both Indiana and Minnesota on Saturday. Five games highlighted the action in Fishers. Team Illinois and Florida Alliance played a classic to start the day, with Team Illinois taking. 3-2 shootout victory, thanks to Jacob Kettwig’s goal. Tri-State then managed to hold off a late charge from Meijer for a 4-2 win, and Gilmour tallied four in the first two periods to fuel a 5-3 win over Esmark. The hosting Indy Jr. Fuel took part in the final two 16U games of the day in Indiana, but fell short in both. Early on, it was Carshield taking a tight 3-2 win over the Jr. Fuel as Logan Ganz bagged the game-winner, while the final game of the day saw Florida avenge its earlier defeat with a comfortable 5-0 win over Indy.
The Super Rink 16U’s were just as busy, playing five games of their own in Minnesota.The Texas Jr. Brahmas were first in the win column as they eased past Monument Academy 6-2, followed by a rampant Affton Americans club netting four in the third for a 7-1 rout of the PHA Icemen. Madison took things to the opposite end of the scoring spectrum later on, riding Josh Miller’s second period goal to a 1-0 win over Park City. Arizona Mission then joined the fun, dealing Monument another tough loss with a 3-1 decision, and Affton closed out the day with an 5-2 win over the Jr. Brahmas, thanks in large part to an explosive, four-goal second period before holding off Texas’ late charge in the third.
15U Division: Just two games in Fishers, IN put the 15U division on the map on Saturday, as Esmark and Meijer both came away winners. The Stars ousted Tri-State 1-0 with Aiden Tarsovich’s third-period goal and a 13-save shutout from Iannico Amaranto, while Meijer capitalized on a two-goal effort from Cameron Duffany to take down Indy 6-3.
14U Division: Each event saw two 14U games on Saturday. In Fishers, it was Tri-State picking up the early win as they erased a two-goal deficit with three in the third to toppled Meijer 3-2. In the other rink, Indy ran rampant against Des Moines, riding goals from six different scorers to a 9-0 win over the Buccaneers.
Blaine saw a doubleheader between Rose City and the California Wave. The Pats easily took game one, as Joe Lawrence’s hat-trick led them to a 7-0 win. Game two, though, was much tighter despite the earlier blowout, as Jack Morentine netted a hat-trick to keep the Wave around, but Rose City proved too strong and took a 5-3 win to end the day.
