Atlantic Youth Hockey League

MONSEY, NY —This past weekend saw some scintillating action in the 18U Elite Division. The top teams continued to roll, but we also had some bracket-busting upsets.

The Long Island Royals continued to live up to their name as the kings of the division. Against the New York Saints, the Royals padded their record to 6-0, which includes an impressive 4-0 on the road.  The Royals were led by Benjamin Bajzeth, who scored three of their six goals en route to a hat-trick. Remarkably, the Royals were able to secure their 6-2 victory despite committing a whopping eight penalties, including six in the third period (one of which was a ten-minute misconduct penalty). Of course, it helps when you can score two shorthanded goals. The Royals are absolutely dominating their competition and are currently three games ahead of the second-place Washington Little Capitals. 

Speaking of the Capitals, they got a fright from the fifth-place New Jersey Devils Youth in a 7-4 shootout. The Devils jumped out to a huge lead against their favored opponents with three quick goals in the first period. However, right when it seemed like the Devils were poised for an upset, one thing led to their undoing: penalties. The Devils committed a staggering FOURTEEN penalties: four in the first period, five in the second, and five in the third. What’s worse, of the Capitals’ seven points, five of them came off power-play goals. The Devils are no doubt disappointed with their implosion, but can take heart in the fact that they were still able to give the division’s second ranked team a fight despite all the adversity. You have to give the Devils their due. 

This weekend wasn’t totally free of upsets though. The last place Philadelphia Little Flyers, previously 0-3, were able to knock off the fourth place North Jersey Avalanche. The Flyers took the lead off two Richard Podulka goals and never looked back. They were able to seal the deal after Colin Helkowski chipped in an assist and goal of his own, ultimately winning 4-1…an impressive margin of victory. This win should shake up the standings a bit, and may help the Flyers build some much needed momentum.