ROCHESTER, Mich. — It was a busy day as the 2022 USA Hockey Tier 1 National Championship for the 16-U division opened at Suburban Ice Center here Wednesday.
Among the games, Mount Saint Charles overcame a three-goal deficit but fell to their Northeast Pack rival New Jersey Rockets 4-3 in an extended shootout. The Yale Jr. Bulldogs lost 2-1 in overtime to BK Selects, and the Boston Jr. Eagles fell to the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes by a 3-2 score.
Yale goaltender Aiden Hopewell had a superb showing in net, while Joe Connor scored the team’s lone goal. Teddy Stiga and Jack Sadowski tallied for the Eagles, but couldn’t find the tying score in the final minutes. Captain Jake Gutwirth (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied twice to get his Rhode Island Saints back into their game against the Rockets, with Harvard recruit Michael Hagens (Hauppauge, N.Y.) getting the equalizer where it would eventually be decided via shootout, before Kristofers Krumins ended it in the 11th round.
The three-game round robin phase will determine which four teams make the semifinals this weekend, so regulation wins and goal differential are major factors.
Here’s a roundup of which teams and players made a positive impression on Day 1.
