Atlantic Youth Hockey League

HACKENSACK, N.J. — The 16U division got shaken up in a big way this weekend, as multiple underdogs pulled out wins over the division's top teams in tense, nail-biting games that could go down as instant classics.

New Jersey Colonials vs. North Jersey Avalanche (Elite)

The North Jersey Avalanche stole a crucial victory from the New Jersey Colonials in a thrilling 4-3 shootout. Heading into the match, the Avalanche were just 2-17. There’s plenty of time for things to get turned around, but they’ve got to start playing their best hockey. So far, so good as they pulled out the upset against the 7-12 Colonials. The Avalanche found themselves down early, as the Colonials scored two quick goals in the first period. The two teams traded goals back and forth until they found themselves tied heading into the final minutes of the game. Finally, the Avalanche’s Colin Higgins scored his second goal of the game to put his team up and seal the much-needed win. 

North Jersey Avalanche vs. Philadelphia Little Flyers (Premier)

Over on the Premier side of things, the Avalanche fell to the Philadelphia Little Flyers in a nail-biting overtime classic. After Eddie Brown put the Avalanche up by one in the first frame, they played stellar defense to lock down the Flyers and leave them scoreless throughout the first two periods. Just when it seemed like the 1-0 score would hold, the Flyers’ Trevor Fingerhut scored a power play goal in the third to take the game into OT. Finally, Nicholas LaBuono completed the comeback and stunned the Avalanche with a clutch goal. Although the Flyers are third in the division, this still represents a huge upset. To this point, the Avalanche have only lost one game, and were four games ahead of the Flyers for second place. The Flyers proved that not only are they a threat to take second place, they’re also a threat to win the entire division. 

Washington Little Capitals vs. New York Saints (Elite)

The first place Washington Little Capitals got everything they could handle from the New York Saints, but the Caps hung on to make sure the weekend’s string of upsets ended right there. Johnnie Kracke opened the scoring for the Caps in the first period, but the Saints’ Frank Loscerbo tied it up with a goal of his own in the second. The two teams found themselves tied heading into the final minutes of the game. The Capitals were able to capitalize on a holding penalty to score a power play goal to win the game. The Caps were 20-3 heading into the weekend, and narrowly avoided a fourth loss here. The Saints are still in good shape in the division, but they’re probably kicking themselves that they missed this chance to knock off the division favorites.