Tag: 16U girls

They’re on to Pittsburgh: 19Us & 16Us Win States, Advance to Nationals

by Matt Gajtka

AMHERST, N.Y. — Their routes were different, but their results were the same. They’re on to Pittsburgh.

The BK Selects 19U and 16U girls hockey teams both reigned victorious last weekend at the Northtown Center, claiming New York state championships and accompanying berths in the upcoming national tournament.

While the 10th-ranked 19Us (39-15-3) swept the Buffalo Bisons in a two-game series to grab another banner — outscoring their in-state foe by a combined score of 14-0 — the seventh-ranked 16Us (45-12-5) had to survive a three-game round robin and two elimination matchups before they could follow suit.

But, again, the upshot is that both girls teams will again represent Bishop Kearney at nationals, which start March 31 in western Pennsylvania. Each squad has one more mountain to climb to reach its ultimate goal.

“We relied on everyone to do their part and stick to the plan,” said 16Us forward Angelina DiGirolamo (Woburn, Mass.), who led the tournament with six goals and nine total points. “We were able to maintain our emotions, which played a big role in that.

“No matter what the score was or how much time was left we always relied on one another.”

There were several pivotal points over the weekend for the 16Us, which swept its round-robin games over Syracuse Nationals (4-0), Buffalo Bison (4-0) and Valley Eagles (4-2). In the last of those three, Finley McCarthy (Whitefish, Mont.) and Rae Mayer (Chesapeake, Va.) scored power-play goals less than a minute apart in the third period to put BK Selects ahead for good and give them the top seed for the elimination rounds.

In a semifinal matchup against Syracuse, the situation was even more dicey entering the third, with the Nationals rallying from 3-1 down to carry a 4-3 lead after two. But Angelina DiGirolamo set up her twin sister Lucia (Woburn, Mass.) for the tying power-play goal four minutes into the final period, followed by a dramatic game-winner from Peyton Palsa (Annapolis, Md.) with two minutes left in regulation, assisted by McCarthy.

“We had some awesome third periods over the weekend,” said 16Us head coach Jake Anderson. “We’re getting more mature and more confident in each other. We’re staying the course even when the game isn’t going great.”

The Selects never trailed in the state final, a 3-1 win over Valley Eagles, but it was tight all the way through. Angelina DiGiorlamo scored twice, starting with a short-handed goal in the first period and capped by an empty-netter. Forward Greta Brezenski (Waunakee, Wisc.) netted a crucial score as well, giving the Selects a 2-0 lead halfway through the third.

Brezenski’s tally was the 16Us’ seventh power-play goal of the tourney on 21 opportunities, good for a 33 percent conversion rate on the biggest weekend of the season. Brezenski and Angelina DiGirolamo each scored two of those, with the latter adding three PP assists. McCarthy had three (1g, 2a) of her seven points on the advantage, as did Lucia DiGirolamo. Defender Megan Healy (South Burlington, Vt.) recorded four assists on the weekend, all on the power play.

“I’d say our ability to move the puck” was crucial, said Angelina DiGirolamo. “It causes the opposing team to get scrambled and you can really see the ice open up. As we do that, it creates a lot of chances to get a clear shot on net and get rebounds, too.”

Michaela Hesova (Hovorčovice, Czechia) and Emeline Grennan (Washington, D.C.) split the goaltending duties, with each earning a shutout in the round robin and each backstopping a win in the elimination round. Hesova, who started the final, stopped 51 of 54 shots for a .944 save percentage that ranked third in the event.

Anderson said the team was “primed” to peak in the late stages of the season and he felt the players turned a corner in January toward more cohesive play.

“We’ve grown up a lot,” Anderson said. “We’re taking pride in our own end and getting more mature. We’re playing some of our best hockey.”

The BK Selects 19Us gather around their third banner of the season. (BK SELECTS)

The same can be said for the 19Us, who in the past month have grabbed a pair of championships, starting with the Motor City Girls Fest in early February. Hoisting the New York crown wasn’t as arduous — it took two games as opposed to six — but the reality was simply this: The season was on the line against the Buffalo Bisons.

Game 1 was scoreless after one period, but defender Kendall Butze (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Penn State) scored a power-play goal off an assist from fellow Buckeye State senior Laila Edwards (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Wisconsin) to put BK in front. Peyton Compton (Sanford, Fla./Northeastern) scored an unassisted short-handed goal, her first of two tallies on the day, followed by another PPG in the third from Edwards.

Nineteen saves from Ava McNaughton (Wexford, Pa./Wisconsin) later, and the Selects were one win from nationals.

“I think the team executed as well as we did this weekend because of all the work we put in during the season,” Edwards said. “You could see we worked much harder as the year went along and we were more bought in against our opponent.

“That really set us up for success. I’m proud of this group.”

Much like the first game against Buffalo, Game 2 was close entering the second, with the Selects up just 1-0. Three goals in the second alleviated some stress, and a six-goal third left no doubt.

Edwards scored a goal and assisted on four others, giving her a team-high seven points (2g, 5a) on the weekend. Junior forward Olivia Rubenstein (Glencoe, Ill.) scored twice in the third, both assisted by Caroline Kee (McLean, Va./Wesleyan), who finished the tournament with three helpers.

All in all, nine BK Selects players earned multiple points on the weekend, and six more wrote their names on the scoresheet once. McNaughton denied all 27 shots she faced before Chloe Lewis (Monson, Mass.) took over for the final 23 minutes of the two-game sweep.

“It was great to see everyone dialed in and contributing,” 19Us head coach Paul Colontino said, noting that his team got a much-needed “reset” after going 1-3 on an otherwise-celebratory senior weekend.

“We got some rest and got refocused,” Colontino continued. “Now we’re focused on making sure we’re healthy and getting into great shape (for nationals).”

Both girls teams will have the next three weekends off from games as they prepare for the final step of the 2021-22 season. They’ll be one of 16 teams in the running for a national title in the greater Pittsburgh area.

Fortunately for the majority of this group, it’s not the first time they’ll be exposed to this kind of tension.

“It’s still nerve-wracking, but less nerve-wracking when you’ve been there a time or two,” Edwards said. “Going in, we have a good idea of what to expect.”

The author can be reached at matt.gajtka@gmail.com.

16U Girls Sweep Home Showcase, Continuing Surge into Break

by Matt Gajtka

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — After playing six games in three days the previous weekend in Detroit, maybe taking on three in two days at home felt like a breeze for the Bishop Kearney Selects 16U girls team.

OK, maybe not, but getting a chance to host instead of travel seemed to agree with the Selects, who swept a three-game showcase at Bill Gray’s Iceplex in their final action before the midwinter break.

And while there’s no trophy or banner for the accomplishment, the performance was an encouraging development after a championship-game defeat in the grueling Motor City Girls Fest a week prior.

“Last weekend was really difficult,” said 16Us head coach Jake Anderson. “What this showed for our girls was their ability to keep their level up against a couple of top-10 teams. I was really proud of our group effort and team game.”

The seventh-ranked Selects’ grit was on display all weekend, but especially in a 2-1 overtime win over one of those top-10 teams, the North American Hockey Academy. After BK notched twin 4-1 wins against Gilmour Academy Prep and the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers to open the showcase, the battle against NAHA came down to sudden death.

First-year defender Miami Jones (Chevy Chase, Md.) delivered the game-winner during the 3-on-3 session, taking a pass from Finley McCarthy (Whitefish, Mont.) and roofing a shot from in close.

Not only was it a memorable moment for Jones, but also another key contribution for McCarthy, who is the lone third-year player on the squad.

“Everyone’s role on the team is important to achieve our common end goal of winning nationals,” McCarthy said. “I look at myself as the kid to look to when you have a question about our systems, or need support in a slump.”

Goalie Emeline Grennan (Washington, D.C.) showed out in the weekend’s final game, too, keeping BK behind by just one entering the third period, when, according to Anderson, the team’s “depth and conditioning really showed.”

Emeline Grennan helped the 16Us to a pair of wins over the weekend. (JUSTIN BERL/BK SELECTS)

“It wasn’t one person or one line getting it done,” Anderson continued. “Every game it was someone different, making plays and doing the right things and keeping us going in the right direction.”

Expanding on that, Addison Tremel (Newcastle, Wash.) had her own moment in the Friday victory over Gilmour. The first-year forward scored twice, including one short-handed off an assist from defender Alara Murphy (Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia) and another on a rebound in front of the net.

Against Philly, McCarthy opened the scoring and Paige Wallace (Huntington, N.Y.) clinched the game in the third, capping a give-and-go with Payton Palsa (Annapolis, Md.).

In between, Michaela Hesova (Hovorčovice, Czechia) stood tall in her lone action of the weekend, including a couple of saves on odd-man opportunities to hold the Flyers at arm’s length — mirroring Grennan’s effort against NAHA.

“We talk about consistency, fighting through when it’s not going our way,” Anderson said.

By the time Jones’ shot hit the net to topple NAHA, the 16Us improved to 9-1 in their past 10 and 42-12-5 for the season. If all goes according to plan, the team has a possible 11 games remaining, encompassing the upcoming state tournament and nationals.

“I am confident when saying that we on the team are all committed to each other’s success,” McCarthy said. “Our off-ice bond has contributed tremendously to our on-ice performance. The idea of playing for the girl next to you has truly resonated through our team over the past seven months.”

Anderson said the team will focus on skill development in practice this week before the team heads home for a week away from BK.

The state tournament is the next challenge, on March 4-6. It’ll be do-or-die then, with five other teams vying for the title and a trip to nationals.

“With a training-focused break, I’m sure our practices before the state tournament will be high-energy,” McCarthy said. “Seeing each other again, combined with the excitement of playoff hockey, we will surely be ready to perform in these big upcoming moments.

“We have everything it takes to finish the season on top.”

The author can be reached at matt.gajtka@gmail.com for story tips and feedback.

Masters of Motown: 19Us Claim Second Title of Season in Detroit

by Matt Gajtka

FRASER, Mich. — It’s not often a team gets a second chance at knocking off No. 1, but on Sunday afternoon at Big Boy Arena, the BK Selects 19Us had such an opportunity.

After falling 3-2 to top-ranked Little Caesars on Friday in the round-robin portion of the Motor City Girls Fest, the Selects struck back against the powerhouse Detroit-based program with a 3-0 victory in the championship game, earning their second tournament title of the 2021-22 season.

“When the chips were on the table and there was a championship at stake,” said 19Us head coach Paul Colontino, “the way our team responded was exceptional.”

Ava McNaughton (Wexford, Pa./Wisconsin) earned her fourth shutout of the weekend in the title tilt, stopping 37 Little Caesars shots. Due to an injury to Chloe Lewis (Monson, Mass.), McNaughton had to go it alone in what ended up being a six-game marathon.

“Little Caesars is always a physical, high-pressure game,” McNaughton said. “On Sunday, all I could think about was doing whatever I could for the team. I didn’t really realize how tired and sore I was until the bus ride after.”

In fact, McNaughton didn’t let a single goal in during the playoff portion of the tournament, as the eighth-ranked Selects (33-11-3) knocked out two other Michigan teams in Belle Tire (1-0 in the quarterfinals) and Honeybaked (3-0 in the semis).

“I loved how every player stepped up this weekend,” McNaughton said. “Every player put it all on the line for the team. It allowed us to come up with huge plays, whether it be penalty kills, power plays, blocked shots, big saves or outlasting an opponent’s pressure.

“It was super-exciting to see our team play better and better every game. To win the championship against a team we had lost to earlier was very fulfilling.”

Bella Vasseur (Waitsfield, Vt./Wisconsin) was similarly productive under the bright lights, scoring the Selects’ first (and only) goal against Belle Tire with a solo spinning effort, followed by a hard wrister from her off-wing against Honeybaked to put BK on top early in that one, too.

Much like the team, Vasseur rebounded from round-robin disappointment, as she was stopped on a last-minute penalty shot in the first meeting with Little Caesars.

“I was very excited,” said Vasseur about the chance to play Little Caesars with everything on the line. “It’s always a great game when we play them, and I knew the outcome was going to be different.

“It was a big revenge game.”

Vasseur also assisted on a Peyton Compton (Sanford, Fla./Northeastern) rebound goal in the championship game, pushing the 19Us on top first yet again. They would require no further offense, although insurance was certainly welcomed against the nation’s top team.

Laila Edwards (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Wisconsin) followed up her own breakaway for a 2-0 advantage, then Izzy Krause (Calabasas, Calif.) finished a two-on-one rush for the final goal, going far side after Vanessa Stamper (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) broke up a play in the neutral zone.

“The biggest thing was that we played as a team,” Vasseur said. “We worked as a team, had a lot of energy, and had a lot of fun doing it.”

Edwards scored a pair of goals on Sunday, deking around the Honeybaked goalie for a two-goal lead in the semifinal. She assisted on the victory-capper off the stick of Kendall Butze (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Penn State) as well.

But by the time the final buzzer sounded against Little Caesars, the details blurred into the background. The Selects poured off the bench to mob McNaughton and pose next to a banner that’ll look great next to the one they earned in Nashville back in the fall.

“Three days with two games per day, it’s a marathon,” Colontino said. “You need the depth of a team to do it. We were in a great position come Sunday to be fresh for the first game and then outwork our opponent in the final.”

The 19Us celebrate their Motor City Girls Fest title over Little Caesars. (RICH COMPTON/BK SELECTS)

The eighth-ranked 16Us (37-11-5) came this close to duplicating the 19Us’ feat, falling 3-2 to the Chicago Young Americans in a back-and-forth final.

Jake Anderson’s squad had outscored its first five opponents in the event by a combined total of 23-1, culminating in a 2-0 semifinal victory over Belle Tire. The highest-ranked team in the 16U bracket, No. 5 Little Caesars, had fallen to Belle Tire in the quarterfinal round

“That was probably our best game,” Anderson said of the semi. “First two periods, we came out flying, weren’t giving them anything, moving the puck and playing well in the O-zone. It was good for us to control the whole thing.

“We were able to use the depth of our team. We raised the level as the weekend went on and got through the semifinal game.”

Angela DiGiorlamo (Woburn, Mass.) scored five goals in the three-game playoff round, while Finley McCarthy (Whitefish, Mont.) piled up a handful of points over those same games.

In goal, the 16Us alternated evenly between Emeline Grennan (Washington, D.C.) and Michaela Hesova (Hovorčovice, Czechia), with each earning two shutouts. Anderson said Hesova played well in the championship despite the loss, while Grennan was “awesome” in the semifinal.

“We just tried to focus on trying to get better every game,” Anderson said. “We wanted to get into the tournament and get everyone going. Now, can we play a little bit better, tighten this up and keep working.”

Along with the 19Us, the 16Us will stay in Rochester this weekend as they host a three-game showcase.

The author can be reached at matt.gajtka@gmail.com for story tips and feedback.