By now you’ve heard that the United States won gold at the 2021 World Junior Championships. It was a bit of a surprise to some but none more than team Canada. Throughout the tournament, Canada looked as if it was going to walk away with gold and be THE most dominant world junior team that’s ever played.
Leading up to the gold medal game, Canada had not trailed for one second, scored 41 goals, and allowed four. They also had not allowed a goal at even strength. The team was absolutely dominant in their first six games. The United States entered the final round with a first-round loss to Russia, 36 goals scored and 10 allowed. However, that’s the beauty of sports. Anything can happen on any given day.
Spencer Knight was an absolute unit against Canada saving all 34 shots he faced to record his third shutout of the tournament. Alex Turcotte, fifth overall pick by LA Kings, broke the 0-0 score in the first period. In the second, Trevor Zegras added to his points total to put the US up 2-0. Canada dominated the second period aside from the Zegras goal but couldn’t find the back of the net despite their efforts. Team USA won its first gold since 2017 and first medal since 2019.
USPHL News
Hershey, Pennsylvania is getting a USPHL team. Former NHL head coach, Bruce Boudreau, purchased a junior team who will participate in Tier III Junior A in the USPHL for the 2021-22 season. Bruce was a longtime coach for the Washington Capitals and Hershey Bears and his deep roots in Hershey led to this new chapter.
“Crystal and I moved back to Hershey because we love the people, the town, and the history. We started the Blue Ox in Minnesota, it went really well, and was a great addition to the community. We love working with the young men and the fans, and growing the game of hockey. We’re hoping to do the same in Hershey. The only thing missing in the Hershey hockey landscape is a junior team. We hope to give back to the community, continue to grow the game, and share in the history of hockey in Hershey,” said Bruce on this decision.
The team has yet to be named but will play at Hersheypark Arena. Junior hockey fans in Pennsylvania, the USPHL, and across the United States are thrilled to see Bruce get involved in Hersehy and can’t wait to see what the future holds in store.
If you’re local to Hershey or are excited about this new USPHL team, let us know! To keep your junior hockey thirst quenched, check us out on Twitter @TJHP and @Nwinansw. We’ll see you next week.
NA3HL Weekend Preview
The NA3HL returns to action this weekend with a busy slate of 25 games from Friday through Sunday, including the return of West Division action.
There are several storylines this weekend, which includes the return of the Louisiana Drillers, who last played a game on November 1st. Fans in El Paso get to see the Rhinos at home for the first time this season in the NA3HL. The West Division returns to action after an extended hiatus as all five teams are in action this weekend. Granite City enters the weekend on a four-game winning streak as they face New Ulm. The Sheridan Hawks are running away with the Frontier Division thanks to their current 18-game winning streak as Great Falls comes to town trying to slow them down. Missoula puts their 6-game winning streak on the line on Saturday in Helena. In the Central Division, the Rochester Grizzlies, who have won four straight games, return home to host the St. Louis Jr. Blues. The Peoria Mustangs, who have also won four straight, host the Oregon Tradesmen.
EHL Update
Kicking things off in the EHL, the Boston Jr Rangers remain the top-ranked team in the league, following a pair of wins over the Railers Jr Hockey Club (Tuesday) and Western Mass Chiefs (Wednesday). The Rangers outscored their opponents 16-5 in their first two games out of the holiday break, extending the team’s winning streak out to 10 games. Coming up this week, the Rangers battle the Chiefs again this afternoon, and then travel to take on the Seahawks Hockey Club on Thursday and Friday.
Right behind the Rangers, the #2 New Jersey 87s maintained the one-point gap with the team at the top of the league standings. New Jersey also played two games in their return from the holiday break, beating the Protec Jr Ducks 6-4 on Wednesday and the Connecticut RoughRiders by the score of 6-2 on Friday. Looking forward, the 87’s opponents don’t change quite yet, with two more matchups this week against the RoughRiders (Wednesday and Friday), and a Sunday night showdown with the Ducks.
Despite dropping a 2-1 contest to the Seacoast Spartans yesterday afternoon, the New Hampshire Avalanche remained locked in at #3 with an overall record of 19-3-1. The Avalanche’s lone victory of the week also featured a one-goal affair, with New Hampshire picking up a 4-3 overtime win against the New England Wolves on Wednesday.
Following suit at #4, the Walpole Express also suffered a loss this past week, by the score of 4-2 at the hands of the Chiefs on Friday night. However, Walpole quickly rebounded with a 6-4 comeback victory the very next day against the Chiefs. The Express sit in 2nd place in the Central Division, but more importantly, are ranked 4th overall in the league standings, which could prove to be very beneficial towards the at-large selection that will be added to the group of teams going to the EHL Frozen Finals.
Wrapping up the top-five, the Spartans victory over the Avalanche was their 5th in a row to start the 2nd half, propelling them back inside the top-five. Despite a sub-500 record at 12-13-3, Seacoast has quickly turned heads as a team primed to make some noise down the stretch and into the postseason.
