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Little Caps make a statement at USA Hockey Tier 1 Nationals 

By WLC staff , 04/15/17, 2:00PM EDT

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Little Caps make a statement at USA Hockey Tier 1 Nationals 

Of the 189 teams across America playing at the 15U and 14U levels, only 16 teams at each level advanced to the USA Hockey Tier 1 National Championships.  So it was a huge accomplishment for the Little Caps to send not one, but two teams to the 2017 championships in Scottsdale, Arizona.  “Having the chance to play in the National Championship was an amazing experience for our players,” said Little Caps Hockey Director Dan Jablonic. “And for two of our teams to not only make it to Nationals, but have competitive games with the top teams in the country speaks to the progress our program is making.”   

“Our players brought pride to our whole organization,” Jablonic says. “Our focus on player development is making our players better, and as our players get better our teams are getting more competitive.  We are developing our kids the right way.”  It was the first time in five seasons that the Little Caps have made it to Nationals, and the first time in memory that the organization sent not one, but two teams. 

The 15U Little Caps arrived in Scottsdale the No. 12 seed, after sweeping the Southeast District championships in Huntsville, Alabama.  Right out of the box they faced the No. 5 seed, and eventual finalist, Colorado Evolution.  Colorado scored two quick goals to start the game.  But the Caps regained their composure and responded with goals from Owen Morgan and Adam Varga to tie the game at the end of the first period.  Colorado scored in the second to go ahead 3-2, then pulled ahead 4-2 in the third.  With time running out, the Caps pulled goalie Connor Leslie (24 saves) but Colorado scored on the empty net to finish the game 5-2.  On day two, the Caps faced No. 4 seed Buffalo Jr. Sabres and played what was arguably their best game of the season. Buffalo struck first, but the Little Caps responded with a goal from Varga, assisted by defenseman Victor Hugo.  The game went back and forth, until Buffalo scored a fluke goal on a shot from the point that hit a Buffalo player and fluttered over goalie Andrew Owens’ shoulder.  With a minute left in the third, the Caps pulled their goalie in search of the equalizer but Buffalo took advantage of the empty net to put the game out of reach 3-1.  

 “That was a statement game for our program,” Jablonic says. “I told the kids after the game that, yes, we lost, but you just went toe to toe with one of the best teams in the country.  It showed that we can play with these top teams.  Other Little Caps teams coming up are going to see that.  The U15 team is paving the way for the whole organization.  This is the team that set the bar – to get to Nationals, and compete with the best team in their bracket, is a huge accomplishment.  They came up a little bit short, but at the same they put in a performance that was so respectable and played the right way.  I’m proud of the kids for that.”  The U15s were determined not to leave Arizona without a win under their belts.  And on Saturday, they had their final chance against the No. 13 seed Neponset River Rats.  Max Thiessen opened the scoring on a give-and-go goal, assisted by Michael Kramer.  Varga scored next (assisted by Mac Robertson) and Reid Liebold scored in the final seconds on the first period to put the Caps ahead 3-0.   But the River Rats stormed back in the second, scoring two goals quick to nearly even the game.  They nearly tied it on a power play, but defenseman Matthew Perryman intercepted the pick and scored a shorthanded goal (assisted by Varga) to put the Little Caps ahead 4-2 after two.  The River Rats scored at the start of the third to put it within one again.  Mark Sangster scored to make it 5-3, but the two-goal lead didn’t last long, as the River Rats scored 17 seconds later to make it a one goal game again.  The Caps held off the final barrage, winning it 5-4 on Sangster’s game winning goal.  In addition to playing great, competitive hockey against the top teams in the country, the 15Us had amazing team experiences off the ice.  The team went go-kart racing at Octane Raceway, had a team dinner at Dave and Busters, and several players hiked the Grand Canyon together on their final day in Arizona.  

The 14U Little Caps also had a strong tournament.  They opened against the No. 7 ranked Westchester Express.  Goaltender Lincoln Crosby stopped 17 of 21 shots, but the team fell behind 0-2 in the first, 0-3 in the second, and lost 0-4.   In their second game they faced the No. 2 team in the country, Little Caesar’s, with much the same result – 0-2 in the first, 0-3 in the second and 0-4 (on an empty net goal) in the third.  Goalie Aidan Rudolf stopped 22 of 26 shots on goal to keep the team in the game.  “We were able to compete with that team,” Jablonic says.  “They out played us, but 0-4 against the second ranked team in the country, where it was 0-2 after two, we can live with that.”  On day three, the Little Caps faced No. 17 ranked South Shore Kings.  They hung in it for the first two periods, ending the second period tied 1-1 on a goal by Tyler Mercier, assisted by Farrell Dinn.  But South Shore pulled away with three goals in the third to win 1-4.  “In the third game, the team really came together and played as a unit,” Jablonic said.  “That group can come back next year, learn from that experience, and take it to the next level.” 

Jablonic says both teams’ performance at Nationals experience exceeded expectations.  “Having two teams there, having that experience, showing that they can play with the best teams in the country, they’re coming back with newfound confidence,” he said.  “I think that’s invaluable for our program.  These kids can come back and say ‘We’re Southeastern District champions, we earned our way to USA Hockey Nationals, and we competed with the best teams.’   Hockey is a game of confidence, and they can build on that.”  “Now we’ve got the bug of being there, we’re not satisfied necessarily with just being there,” Jablonic says.  “We want to make it back next season, and make it to that next round -- and beyond.  That’s the goal. It’s a great motivational tool for our coaches.  They have a carrot to put in front of these kids and say ‘you got a taste of it.  Now how bad do you want it?’”  “For this group of kids, 14s and 15s, it’s a lifetime memory. Wherever their hockey careers and lives take them, they’re going to look back and say ‘Remember when we got to go to Scottsdale and play the best teams in the country?’  And for next year, we can build on that experience and make even better memories.” 

“We’re really, really proud of our kids and how they represented our program,” he said.