Weekend Wrap: Massachusetts State & New England District Titles Gobbled Up During Thanksgiving Weekend
Massachusetts Hockey Photo
With the conclusion of the Massachusetts Girls Tier 1 and 2 state tournaments and the New England District Girls Tier 1 Championship during Thanksgiving weekend, we now will wait until February for more USA Hockey National Championship participants to be determined in other parts of the United States.
Massachusetts crowned most of its Girls Tier 1 and Tier 2 state champions and National Championship qualifiers, while New England Girls Tier 1 teams competed for district titles and national championship berths at the 16U and 19U age levels Nov. 28-30.
The state Youth and Girls champions from the 13O Boys age level through 19U Girls automatically qualify for USA Hockey Nationals in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan and New York, the states with the most USA Hockey-registered players. Massachusetts and Minnesota hold their state tournaments for high-school aged teams in October or November because so many players in those states compete for high school and prep teams during the winter months. Michigan and New York wait until March to crown their champions.
Minnesota’s state champs and Nationals qualifiers already were determined before high school play started there a few weeks ago.
Here is a look at the Minnesota teams that have qualified for Nationals:
Minnesota 2026 USA Hockey National Championship Qualifiers
Youth Divisions
13O Tier 1 - Minnesota Lakers
14U Tier 1 - Shattuck-St. Mary’s
14U Tier 2 - Minnesota Green Giants
15O Tier 1 - Shattuck-St. Mary’s
16U Tier 1 - Shattuck-St. Mary’s
16U Tier 2 - Minnesota Lakers
18U Tier 1 - Shattuck-St. Mary’s
18U Tier 2 - Minnesota Lakers
Girls Divisions
14U Tier 1 - Minnesota Lakers
14U Tier 2 - Minnesota Polars
16UTier 1 - Shattuck-St. Mary’s
16U Tier 2 - Minnesota Polars
19U Tier 1 - Minnesota Elite (Vegas)
19U Tier 2 - Minnesota Premier Prep
In Massachusetts, Youth Tier 1 and 2 state championship play began Nov. 7 and ran through Nov. 9. Tier 1 Youth champions were crowned and USA Hockey National Championship berths awarded for the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U age groups, while Tier 2 teams competed for titles at the 14U, 16U and 18U levels. Girls Tier 1 and 2 state champions were decided Thanksgiving weekend.
The following teams won Massachusetts championships and qualified for Nationals (the 13O Youth and14U Tier 1 and 2 Girls champions will be determined in March):
Massachusetts 2026 USA Hockey National Championship Qualifiers
Youth Divisions
14U Tier 1 - Islanders Hockey Club
14U Tier 2 - South Shore Dynamos
15O Tier 1 - Neponset Valley River Rats
16U Tier 1 - Boston Jr. Eagles
16U Tier 2 - Boston Jr. Huskies
18U Tier 1 - Boston Jr. Eagles
18U Tier 2 - South Shore Kings
Girls Divisions
16U Tier 1 - Boston Americans
16U Tier 2 - East Coast Wizards
19U Tier 1 - Assabet Valley
19U Tier 2 - East Coast Wizards
The New England District of USA Hockey includes Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
New England Youth Tier 1 District champions and USA Hockey National Championship berths were determined Nov. 6-9 for the following divisions:
New England 2026 USA Hockey National Championship Qualifiers
Youth Tier 1 Divisions
18U Youth Tier 1 - Mid-Fairfield Rangers
16U Youth Tier 1 - Providence Capitals
15O Youth Tier 1 - Mount St. Charles
Instead of district champions, Youth state champions advance to Tier 2 Nationals in all districts, so those teams were not part of the New England District Tournament. In locations other than the states mentioned previously, only district champions advance to Tier 2 Girls Nationals.
The New England Youth Tier 1 13O and 14U Youth tournaments will be held in March, while the Tier 2 Girls 14U, 16U and 19U district winners were determined Nov. 6-9 along with the Tier 1 14U New England champion. The Tier 1 16U and 19U Girls district champions were crowned Thanksgiving weekend:
New England Girls Divisions
19U Girls Tier 1 - Mid-Fairfield Stars
19U Girls Tier 2 - Connecticut Polar Bears
16U Girls Tier 1 - Connecticut Polar Bears
16U Girls Tier 2 - Connecticut Polar Bears
14U Girls Tier 1 - Mid-Fairfield Stars
14U Girls Tier 2 - Seacoast Spartans Gold
Massachusetts Girls Tier 1 & 2 State Championship
Massachusetts crowned its Girls Tier 1 and Tier 2 champions and National Championship qualifiers for the 16U and 19U age groups Nov. 28-30 at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass.
Pool play started Friday, Nov. 28, with playoff rounds beginning Saturday evening and champions being determined Sunday, Nov. 30. The 14U Girls Massachusetts State Tournament will be held in March.
CLICK HERE for the Massachusetts Girls State Championship program
Massachusetts Girls 19U Tier 1 Division
The Girls 19U Tier 1 tournament consisted of eight teams divided into a pair of four-team pools. Semifinals were held Sunday morning and included the top two teams from each pool crossing over to play a team from the opposite pool. The championship game was played the afternoon of Nov. 30.
All eight 19U Tier 1 participants were ranked among the nation’s top 24 in the Week 10 MHR USA Girls Tier 1 Rankings. Five of the teams were in the top 10.
Participating Team Records
#5 Massachusetts Spitfires (4-1-0; 17GF, 6GA)
#6 Assabet Valley (5-0-0; 23GF, 6GA)
#7 North American Hockey Academy White (2-2-0; 15GF, 13GA)
#9 East Coast Wizards (1-2-0; 4GF, 6GA)
#10 Boston Jr. Eagles (1-2-0; 7GF, 13GA)
#12 Valley Jr. Warriors (1-2-0; 10GF, 13GA)
#17 Lovell Academy (1-2-0; 3GF, 7GA)
#24 Minuteman Lady Flames (0-3-0; 3GF, 16GA)
Assabet Valley 2, Massachusetts Spitfires 0
Elizabeth Allen and Kimberly Duplessis scored second-period goals and Annika Jonas recorded the shutout as Assabet captured the state title and earned a trip to nationals. Caroline Averill, Madelyn Soderquist and Julia Lambert contributed assists for the winners.
CLICK HERE to access 19U Tier 1 Girls schedules, scores and stats
Massachusetts Girls 19U Tier 2 Division
There were 12 teams divided into two six-team pools in the Massachusetts Girls 19U Tier 2 Division. The top four finishers in each pool advanced to Saturday evening’s quarterfinals, and the semifinals and championship games were played Sunday. Half of the teams in the19U Tier 2 field were ranked among the top 30 in MHR’s Week 10 USA Girls Tier 2 Rankings.
Top Participating Team Records
#10 East Coast Wizards (6-0-0; 27GF, 3GA)
#22 North Suburban Wings (2-2-0; 8GF, 8GA)
#23 Charles River Blazers (2-2-0; 10GF, 9GA)
#24 Boston Jr. Eagles (1-2-0; 11GF, 12GA)
#26 Boston Americans (4-2-0; 18GF, 8GA)
#29 Valley Jr. Warriors (4-1-0; 19GF, 11GA)
East Coast Wizards 3, Valley Jr. Warriors 1
Kayleigh Norton and Ella McDonald scored to give the Wizards a 2-1 lead after the opening period, and Clara Cary provided an insurance goal in the middle stanza to lead their team to the state championship and a Nationals berth. Katherine Geswell was the only VJW player to figure out winning netminder Lucy Holliday, scoring to tie the game midway through the first period. McDonald also dished out two assists for the winners, with Cary contributing a helper of her own.
CLICK HERE to access 19U Tier 2 Girls schedules, scores and stats
Massachusetts Girls 16U Tier 1 Division
The Massachusetts Girls 16U Tier 1 tournament consisted of 12 teams divided into two six-team pools. The top four finishers in each pool advanced to Saturday evening’s quarterfinals, with the semifinals and championship games being played Sunday.
Nine teams in the 16U Tier 1 field were ranked among the nation’s top 27 in the Week 10 MHR USA Girls Rankings. Three participants were ranked among the top five.
Top Participating Team Records
#1 Lovell Academy (5-1-0; 34GF, 6GA)
#4 East Coast Wizards (3-2-0; 19GF, 9GA)
#5 Boston Americans (6-0-0; 26GF, 10GA)
#16 Boston Jr. Eagles (1-2-0; 9GF, 14GA)
#18 Islanders Hockey Club (3-1-0; 21GF, 10GA)
#19 Valley Jr. Warriors (1-3-0; 10GF, 20GA)
#24 North American Hockey Academy Red (3-2-0; 12GF, 13GA)
#26 Assabet Valley (2-2-0; 9GF, 8GA)
#27 Bay State Breakers (0-3-0; 4GF, 13GA)
Boston Americans 4, Lovell Academy 3 (OT)
It was a long road back for Boston after Remi Karsh and Aubryn Monter staked Lovell to a 2-0 first-period lead, but Frances Ames scored in the second period and Mia MacDonald tied the game early in the final frame before Annabelle Lovel pushed the Lions back in front with 4:01 remaining. The Americans forced overtime on Catherine McCool’s goal with just seven seconds left in regulation and won it in a shootout after a scoreless extra period. Winning goalie Marie Lee and Lovell netminder Peyton Scott stopped nine of the 10 shootout attempts they faced, but Madeline Call finally beat Scott on the Americans’ fifth shot to send Boston on to Nationals.
CLICK HERE to access 16U Tier 1 Girls schedules, scores and stats
Massachusetts Girls 16U Tier 2 Division
In the 16U Tier 2 Division, there were 12 teams divided into two six-team pools. The top four finishers in each pool advanced to Saturday evening’s quarterfinals, and the semifinals and championship games were played Sunday. Seven of the teams in 16U Tier 2 field were ranked among the top 30 in MHR’s Week 10 USA Girls Tier 2 Rankings. Four of those teams were in the top 15.
Top Participating Team Records
#7 Valley Jr. Warriors (5-1-0; 23GF, 8GA)
#10 Lovell Academy (1-3-0; 13GF, 14GA)
#11 Boston Jr. Eagles (3-2-0; 15GF, 11GA)
#15 East Coast Wizards (6-0-0; 21GF, 4GA)
#20 North American Hockey Academy (1-3-0; 12GF, 10GA)
#23 Assabet Valley (4-1-0; 15GF, 7GA)
#30 Boston Americans (0-3-0; 3GF, 12GA)
East Coast Wizards 2, Valley Jr. Warriors 1
Madelyn Perkins and Elisabeth Melly staked the Wizards to a 2-0 lead in the first period, and winning goalie Chloe Scott held off the Warriors after Emily Poirier cut the margin to 2-1 early in the final frame. Perkins also assisted on Melly’s goal, with Mia Smith contributing an assist for the winners.
CLICK HERE to access 16U Tier 2 Girls schedules, scores and stats
New England District Girls Tier 1 Championship
With the New England District Tier 2 Girls Champions determined earlier in November, along with the 14U Tier 1 Girls champs, the top 16U and 19U Tier 1 Girls teams were in Connecticut Thanksgiving weekend competing for the right to advance to USA Hockey Nationals.
All New England District Tournament games were played at Northford Ice Pavilion and should be streamed via LiveBarn.
New England Girls 19U Tier 1 Division
A pair of top 15 teams, according to the MHR Week 10 USA Girls 19U Tier 1 rankings, played a best-of-three series to determine the 19U Tier 1 champion.
#8 Mid-Fairfield Stars vs. #13 CT Polar Bears
Game 1, Nov. 28 – Stars 2, Polar Bears 1
Game 2, Nov. 29 – Polar Bears 3, Stars 0
Game 3, Nov. 30 – Stars 4, Polar Bears 0
Easton Pramuka scored her second and third goals of the series, with Sophie Frost and Olivia Machan also tallying, to lift Mid-Fairfield to a Game 3 win, the New England championship and a Nationals bid. Winning goalie Adeline Roper stopped all 25 shots she faced to record the clean sheet.
CLICK HERE to access 19U Tier 1 Girls schedules, scores and stats
New England Girls 16U Tier 1 Division
Three 16U Tier 1 teams competed in a round-robin format to determine the district champion and National Championship representative. The team with the best record after two games was crowned champion.
16U Division Participating Teams & Schedule
Game 1 – Nov. 28 at 2:30 p.m.
#9 CT Polar Bears 6, #59 Seacoast Spartans Gold 0
Game 2 – Nov. 29 at 4:10 p.m.
#20 Mid-Fairfield Stars 6, #59 Seacoast Spartans Gold 0
Game 3 – Nov. 30 at 12:45 p.m.
#9 CT Polar Bears 2, #20 Mid-Fairfield Stars 0
In what turned out to be the de facto district championship game Nov. 30, Selkie Brown scored in the first period and Amaya McNeil extended the Connecticut lead to 2-0 in the middle frame to provide more than enough cushion for winning goalie Moira Landsverk. Landsverk stopped all 17 shots she faced to earn the shutout and help her team advance to Nationals.
CLICK HERE to access 16U Tier 1 Girls schedules, scores and stats
