An Experience of a Life Time

Yo so since I've done two photog posts in a row, it's time for a hockey post! So recently, the Utah Jr. Grizzlies U14 AA made the trek off to Blaine, Minnesota (near Minneapolis-St. Paul). This tournament was a showcase for a various amount of NAHL (North American Hockey League) scouts who were looking for new talent for the upcoming seasons. This tournament was played at the Schwan Super Rink. This was not one rink, this was a massive complex with 8 separate rinks. There were hundreds of kids playing in the tournament, all of different ages and there were teams from across the nation. We played 4 teams: San Jose Jr. Sharks '00 U14 AAA, HC (Hockey Club) Dallas '00 U14 AAA, Esmark Stars '00 U14 AAA and West Coast Renegades '00 U14 AAA. So I guess I'll just go over each game and sort of analyze it.

The NAHL Showcase Tourney in Blaine, MN

Game 1:
One word: stress. We knew it was a AAA tournament (highest level of hockey) and we knew it'd be an uphill fight from the start. The first game didn't go so well because of all of our stress. We played the San Jose Jr. Sharks U14 '00 AAA and they acted like their team mascot. They were ferocious, and played incredible defense as well as offense. They used their speed like crazy and their passing was crazy compared to anything in Utah. The Shark's strategies were different from Utah and they were veryyy effective. This was an overall good team, although we didn't test the goalie very well. I played pretty well but couldn't get anything going. Final score: 8-1

Game 2:
The next game our team was completely different. We came out very hard against HC Dallas U14 '00 AAA and we really should've won. It was 1-1 for the longest time, and then 2-2 closely after. HC Dallas had a few good players, but otherwise were quite average. I'm not gonna lie, they had some pretty dope jerseys. In the last 5 minutes in the game, they scored to make it 3-2. We pulled our goalie to try and tie it back up and failed, and they scored again to make the end score 4-2. I played pretty well with a goal to tie it up 1-1. I felt like I had good speed and read the ice well too. Final score: 4-2

Game 3:
There really isn't too much to talk about in this game. The Esmark Stars U14 '00 AAA were the best kids from around Pittsburgh and Cleveland and it showed. They were very fast and had incredible mitts. They set up in the offensive zone very well and moved the puck like crazy. To put this game into a one sentence summary, it'd be "We got wrecked". I played okay but wasn't moving my feet very well so... Final score: 10-1

Game 4:
The final game we played was against the West Coast Renegades U14 '00 AAA. This team is also from Utah, (and isn't good at all to be honest). We played okay against them, scoring 3 goals and letting up 2 in the last 2 minutes. Our speed was okay, but we really played down to their level. But, a win is a win right? I played alright with an assist. Final score: 3-2

So this weekend was a lot of fun. It was a great experience and fun to play at the highest level of hockey. I hope to do it again soon.

Photo taken by Mr. Anderson (father of Ammon Anderson)