April 3, 2005

Thirteen USA Hockey National Champions Crowned; Youth, Girls' Tournaments Conclude In Seven Cities Nationwide

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Thirteen champions were crowned today at the 2005 USA Hockey National Championships, presented by Easton and Labatt. The Youth and Girls' competitions concluded by awarding a national title to teams in 12 age classifications in seven cities throughout the United States, while the Adult division awarded its first of seven national championships.

The Youth Tier I and Tier II divisions included competition in 12 & Under, 14 & Under, 16 & Under and 18 & Under age classifications. Girls' age levels included 12 & Under, 14 & Under, 16 & Under and 19 & Under. Further, Adult Elite Non-Checking play concluded today to kick off the Labatt Blue USAdult Hockey National Championships, which take place in a total of five U.S. cities.

The USA Hockey Youth Tier I National Championships, presented by Easton, were hosted in Fairbanks, Alaska (12 & Under), and Bensenville, Ill. (14 & Under, 16 & Under and 18 & Under). Two of the four championship games went into overtime, with the St. Louis Blues beating Shattuck St. Mary's (Minn.) 3-2 in the extra session to win the 14 & Under championship and Mid Fairfield (Conn.) topping the California Wave 4-3 in overtime for the 16 & Under title. The North Jersey Avalanche (N.J.) and Shattuck St. Mary's won the 12 & Under and 18 & Under championships, respectively.

2005 USA Hockey Youth Tier I National Championships
Division Champion Runner-Up Score
12U N. Jersey Avalanche (N.J.) LA Hockey Club (Calif.) 8-2
14U St. Louis Blues Shattuck St. Mary's (Minn.) 3-2 (OT)
16U Mid Fairfield (Conn.) California Wave 4-3 (OT)
18U Shattuck St. Mary's (Minn.) LA Selects (Calif.) 7-0

In the Youth Tier II division, presented by Easton, championships were hosted in Voorhees, N.J. (12 & Under); West Chester, Pa. (14 & Under); Richmond, Va. (16 & Under); and Springfield, Mo. (18 & Under). The Littleton Hawks (Colo.), the 2003 winner in the 12 & Under division, shutout the USA Eagles (Mich.), 6-0, for the 2005 championship. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Mustangs won the 14 & Under title and the Green Mountain Glades (Vt.) took the 16 & Under championship. South Boston regained the 18 & Under title (previously 17 & Under) that it held it 2001, 2002 and 2003.

2005 USA Hockey Youth Tier II National Championships
Division Champion Runner-Up Score
12U Littleton Hawks (Colo.) USA Eagles (Mich.) 6-0
14U Phoenix Mustangs North Dakota Starz 5-2
16U Green Mtn. Glades (Vt.) Darien Huskies (Conn.) 4-3
18U South Boston Mid Fairfield (Conn.) 5-2

All of the four age classifications for the girls' competition (12 & Under, 14 & Under, 16 & Under, 19 Under), presented by Easton, were held in Centennial, Colo. Assabet Valley (Mass.) won the 12 & Under championship for the fourth consecutive year with a 2-1 overtime win against the Wisconsin Wild. The Chicago Young Americans won the 14 & Under title in overtime, while Cal Selects (Calif.) and Shattuck St. Mary's (Minn.) took the 16 & Under and 19 & Under championships, respectively.

2005 USA Hockey Girls' National Championships
Division Champion Runner-Up Score
12U Assabet Valley (Mass.) Wisconsin WIld 2-1 (3OT)
14U Chicago Young Americans Connecticut Stars 5-4 (2OT)
16U Cal Selects (Calif.) Team Illinois 2-1
19U Shattuck St. Mary's (Minn.) Syracuse Stars (N.Y.) 6-2

Finally, the first of seven adult national championships was held in Estero, Fla., in the Elite Non-Checking division. Lucent (Mich.) defended the title it has held for the last two years with an 8-6 win over PASI (Mich.).

2005 Labatt Blue USAdult Hockey National Championships
Division Champion Runner-Up Score
Elite Lucent (Mich.) PASI (Mich.) 8-6

USAHockey.com is the online destination for live scores, stats and standings from the USA Hockey National Championships. Every game from each tournament location will be posted on the website, with real-time scoring, updated standings and in-depth features.

Below is a schedule of the remaining 12 USA Hockey National Championships.

Dates Division Site

April 1-5 Junior B Tier II Blaine, Minn.
April 7-10 Junior C Tier II Invitational Philadelphia, Pa.
April 7-10 Adult Elite Checking Fond du Lac, Wis.
April 7-10 Adult U.S. Checking Fond du Lac, Wis.
April 7-10 Adult 40 & Over Non-Checking Ellenton, Fla.
April 8-10 Women's Senior A Green Bay, Wis.
April 8-10 Women's Senior B Green Bay, Wis.
April 8-10 Women's Senior C Green Bay, Wis.
April 14-17 Adult 30 & Over Non-Checking Brandon, Fla.
April 14-17 Adult 50 & Over Non-Checking Brandon, Fla.
April 26-30 Junior A Tier II Bismarck/Mandan, N.D.
May 19-22 Adult Recreational Non-Checking Chicago, Ill.

NOTES: Approximately 276 teams and more than 4,500 players are participating in the 2005 USA Hockey National Championships, which conclude on Sunday, May 22, with the Adult Recreational division ... By May 22, national champions will have been crowned in 25 different divisions in 16 cities throughout the United States.