Arrows 16U National Championship Bound
The Armstrong Arrows 16U team will play in the Tier II Midget National Championships in two weeks after five straight victories in the state championship over the weekend (submitted photo by Paul Kanish)
by Jonathan Weaver
With a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Predators Sunday in the 16U finals, a team of local skaters is on its way to the National Championship.
The Armstrong Arrows 16U team will be going to the Tier II Midget 16U National Championships in Wayne, New Jersey Thursday, March 31 through Monday, April 4.
During the four-day weekend series, Armstrong also beat the Erie Lions 6-2 in the semi-finals, won 5-2 vs Southpointe in Quarterfinals and 3-2 in overtime Friday night to become the No. 2 seed.
Armstrong also won 3-0 in the first game over North Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Predators called the Ice Castle Arena in Castle Shannon home during the regular season
The New Jersey site at Ice Vault Arena - home of the New Jersey Bandits - was announced in November 2014. It will be the fourth time New Jersey hosted a national tournament
According to the facilities website, officials expect to have 40 teams from around the United States competing at the three levels.
In the past two Nationals, the Bandits lost in the semis in 2012 and the finals in 2014.
USA Hockey has been conducting national championships since 1938 with teams from 35 states being crowned champions in various classifications over the course of the 76-year history of the event.
The Arrows U16 team ranked fifth in Class AA in the state after the regular season before playing at Ice Castle in Castle Shannon.
First-Year Head Coach Lee Grafton said during the regular season the team – made up of 14, 15 and 16 year old male athletes from Armstrong, Butler and Westmoreland Counties – traveled for tournaments in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Cleveland, Buffalo and Erie.
During the regular season, the U16 team had a winning season, with a record of 30-18-3.
Grafton was also a former Arrows and Kittanning High School hockey coach and hockey player, as well as with the Pittsburgh Amateur Penguins.
He also hopes to coach next season as well as establishing a U14 team.
Members on the U16 team were also part of the Armstrong River Hawks varsity team this past season – including forwards Jace Rearic (who scored during the semi-final playoff loss to Mars) and registered more than 30 points during the season, Giovanni Romeo, Easton Hooks and Nick Benvenuti, and defensemen Kooltyn Livengood and Henrik Milliron.
Coach Grafton said other U16 athletes were on the Butler and Freeport junior varsity and varsity teams as well.
Local Sports | jweaver March 16, 2016
By ktown_kid, March 17, 2016 @ 8:42 AM
Congrats!!