Meijer AAA 18U headed to Nationals after winning State Championship
The Meijer AAA Hockey Club 18U team of the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) are headed to 2021 USA Hockey Tier 1 Nationals thanks to winning the Michigan State Hockey Championship.
The pathway to the Championship was winning the round-robin, followed by a win in the Semi-Finals, followed by the championship series.
In the round-robin, Meijer went 3-0 defeating Belle Tire, 2-1 in Game 1. The they defeated the Soo Indians in Game 2, 8-1. In Game 3, Meijer defeated Compuware, 5-3.
In the Semi-Finals, Meijer faced the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies with goaltender Nolan Suggs stopping all the shots he faced in a 4-0 win.
In the Championship series, Meijer AAA would face Belle Tire. In Game 1, in was back and forth with Meijer going up 1-0. Belle Tire would score twice to take a 2-1 lead. Meijer would tie the game at 2-2 late in regulation, but Belle Tire would win :20 seconds into overtime.
The loss meant that Meijer had to face Belle Tire again in the double elimination tournament. In the final game, Meijer scored early to take a 1-0 lead. Belle Tire would tie the game late in the 3rd period. In the 3rd overtime, Evan Burkle scored the game-winner on a rebound with Nolan Suggs in net.
Meijer AAA joins CarShield AAA and the Esmark Stars as NAPHL representatives at USA Hockey Nationals this season.
