U16 Arrows Fall Short of National Championship

 

by Jonathan Weaver

The Armstrong Arrows U16 team came one win short of a Tier II 2A national championship yesterday.

The Arrows lost in the national championship to the Maine Moose 7-4 Monday morning in Wayne, New Jersey.

Jace Rearic, Justin Strobel and Easton Hooks scored three third-period goals for the Arrows, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.

Still, the Arrows’ team bus came back last night with cheers from parents and fans and hugs among players and coaches.

James Grasinger, of Sarver, was the starting goaltender for the Arrows in the championship game and Sunday’s overtime victory against the Sylvania North Stars (Ohio).

“It was the best hockey we played all year, honestly,” Grasinger said. “We played the No. 1 team in the country – the shots were coming hard, quick. You had to stand on your head if you wanted to get a win.

“Everyone wrote us off at the beginning of the year – they said we couldn’t put a couple 14 year olds on a U16 team. I think our goal from the start was to prove everyone wrong and I think we did that.”

Grasinger hopes to return to the U16 team next season. He credited Coach Lee Grafton with “pushing the team every time (they) stepped on the ice.”

“I’m not trying out anywhere else – best coaching staff I’ve ever had,” Grasinger concluded.

However, a half-dozen skaters will not be eligible to return to the U16 team due to age.

Easton Hooks, of Kittanning, registered five points throughout the tournament. He played for the Steel City Renegades before this season with the Arrows.

“Playing with these guys was the best team I’ve ever played on – no doubt. I love this team,” Hooks said. “All we had to do was (secure) one more win. I wish it would have ended different, but I’m glad that we made it that far.

“Just think about it: two teams get to make it there out of the whole country and we were lucky enough to be one of those two teams. The experience was great.”

Hooks was also an Armstrong River Hawk this past season and hopes to be one this Fall as a junior in high school.

Benjamin Drzemiecki, of Freeport, also tried out this year as a defensemen.

A starter this past season also for the Freeport Yellowjackets ice hockey team, Drzemiecki said his time on the ice with the varsity team helped him practice for the Arrows season – and prepare for Nationals.

“Usually when you played teams there, every kid on that team knows how to skate as well as possible – especially since its Nationals, everyone’s giving it everything they’ve got,” Drzemiecki said.

Armstrong was the team that personified that trait in the 4-3 quarterfinals victory, scoring with about five minutes left in regulation before scoring the lone overtime goal to move on to Sunday’s competition.

“It was just wild,” Drzemiecki recalled.

Coach Lee Grafton said the Arrows were one of the youngest teams in the tournament, including compared to the national champions.

“They worked really hard all season long and they put themselves in a position to succeed in the tournament,” Coach Grafton said. “The team we lost to (the Maine Moose) had all 16 year olds and one 15 year old.”

He agreed with Hooks’ underdog mentality.

“We believed in ourselves, accomplished (the goal of making it to Nationals) and made it farther after that,”

Each player received a medal and the Arrows received a trophy for finishing the season ranked among the best in the country.

After losing in their first championship tournament game Thursday afternoon, the Arrows won four straight games to qualify for the national title – Friday, Saturday, and twice on Sunday.