Week 12: 18U division heating up

WEST ORANGE, N.J — Having had their full of turkey and stuffing, the 18U division is back out on the ice this weekend for more exciting AYHL action. Who will come out on top? 

Washington Little Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils Youth (Epic)

The Washington Little Capitals have been on a tear of epic proportions. They are 13-3 and have scored the most goals of any team in the entire division. Furthermore, they’ve scored 18 more goals than the next closest team. That’s a wider gap than the one between the third and seventh place teams. They’ll take on the New Jersey Devils Youth, who haven’t had the best of starts this year, as they’re currently sitting at the bottom of the standings at 0-13. They’ve scored 21 goals while allowing 72. This would certainly be a monumental upset, but if you’re going to try to build some positive momentum, there’s no better team to do it against than the top team in the division. 

Long Island Royals vs. Philadelphia Hockey Club (Elite)

The second ranked Long Island Royals will also be in action this weekend against the Philadelphia Hockey Club. Despite being ranked second, they have a better record than the Capitals at 13-1 — they are only in second place because two of the Capitals’ losses came in overtime, which awarded them additional points in the standings. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Hockey Club are currently on a middling trajectory, but there’s a lot to suggest that this team could be a sleeping giant. For example, despite being 5-6, they actually have a positive GF-GA ratio. They’ve also only played 12 games, meaning their best hockey could still be ahead of them. We’ll see if they can start to make the long climb to the top of the standings against this stiff competition. 

New York Saints vs. New Jersey Jr. Titans (Elite)

In what should be a tightly contested bout, the New York Saints take on the New Jersey Jr. Titans. This match should be highly consequential for the division standings, as the two teams are within one point of each other. The Titans sit at 4-7 while the Saints are 4-9. One key difference is that while the Saints have scored more goals than the Titans, they’ve also allowed twice as many goals. The Titans will look to exploit that advantage as they look to work their way up in the standings.