Weekend Preview: Massachusetts & New England Girls Nationals Berths on the Line Thanksgiving Weekend
While Thanksgiving weekend in the United States may not be quite as busy from a youth hockey perspective as it once was, some games that will be played Nov. 28-31 are as important as any that will take place prior to USA Hockey Nationals next spring.
During Thanksgiving weekend, Massachusetts is determining most of its Girls Tier 1 and Tier 2 state champions and National Championship qualifiers, while New England Girls Tier 1 teams are competing for district titles and national championship berths at the 16U and 19U age levels.
Massachusetts and Minnesota have as many or more USA Hockey-registered players than most other states and even some districts. Because of that, their state Youth and Girls champions from the 13O Boys age level through 19U Girls automatically qualify for the USA Hockey National Championships in the spring.
This also is true in Michigan and New York, but Massachusetts and Minnesota hold their state tournaments for high-school aged players 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 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 determined for the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U age groups, while Tier 2 teams competed for titles at the 14U, 16U and 18U levels.
The following teams won Massachusetts championships and qualified for Nationals (the 13O Youth champion will be determined in March):
Massachusetts 2026 USA Hockey Youth National Championship Qualifiers
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
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 Youth Tier 1 USA Hockey National Championship Qualifiers
18U Youth Tier 1 - Mid-Fairfield Rangers
16U Youth Tier 1 - Providence Capitals
15O Youth Tier 1 - Mount St. Charles
Instead of district champions, individual Boys 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 14UYouth 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:
New England 2026 USA Youth Girls USA Hockey National Championship Qualifiers
19U Girls Tier 2 - 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 is crowning 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. 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 consists of eight teams divided into a pair of four-team pools. Semifinals will held Sunday morning and include the top two teams from each pool crossing over to play a team from the opposite pool. The championship game is set for Nov. 30 at 3:50 p.m.
All eight 19U Tier 1 participants are ranked among the nation’s top 24 in the Week 10 MHR USA Girls Tier 1 Rankings. Five of the teams are in the top 10.
Participating Teams
#5 Massachusetts Spitfires
#6 Assabet Valley
#7 North American Hockey Academy White
#9 East Coast Wizards
#10 Boston Jr. Eagles
#12 Valley Jr. Warriors
#17 Lovell Academy
#24 Minuteman Lady Flames
CLICK HERE to access 19U Tier 1 Girls schedules, scores and stats
Massachusetts Girls 19U Tier 2 Division
There are 12 teams divided into two six-team pools in the Massachusetts Girls 19U Tier 2 Division. The top four finishers in each pool advance to Saturday evening’s quarterfinals, with the semifinals and championship game set for Sunday. Half of the teams in the19U Tier 2 field are ranked among the top 30 in MHR’s Week 10 USA Girls Tier 2 Rankings.
Top Participating Teams
#10 East Coast Wizards
#22 North Suburban Wings
#23 Charles River Blazers
#24 Boston Jr. Eagles
#26 Boston Americans
#29 Valley Jr. Warriors
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 consists of 12 teams divided into two six-team pools. The top four finishers in each pool advance to Saturday evening’s quarterfinals, with the semifinals and championship game scheduled for Sunday.
Nine teams in the 16U Tier 1 field are ranked among the nation’s top 27 in the Week 10 MHR USA Girls Rankings. Three participants are ranked among the top five.
Top Participating Teams
#1 Lovell Academy
#4 East Coast Wizards
#5 Boston Americans
#16 Boston Jr. Eagles
#18 Islanders Hockey Club
#19 Valley Jr. Warriors
#24 North American Hockey Academy Red
#26 Assabet Valley
#27 Bay State Breakers
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 are 12 teams divided into two six-team pools. The top four finishers in each pool advance to Saturday evening’s quarterfinals, with the semifinals and championship game set for Sunday. Seven of the teams in 16U Tier 2 field are ranked among the top 30 in MHR’s Week 10 USA Girls Tier 2 Rankings. Four of those teams are in the top 15.
Top Participating Teams
#7 Valley Jr. Warriors
#10 Lovell Academy
#11 Boston Jr. Eagles
#15 East Coast Wizards
#20 North American Hockey Academy
#23 Assabet Valley
#30 Boston Americans
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 were determined earlier this month along with the 14U Tier 1 Girls champs, the top 16U and 19U Tier 1 Girls teams are in Connecticut Thanksgiving weekend competing for the right to advance to USA Hockey Nationals.
All New England District Tournament games are being 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, are playing 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 at 2:40 p.m.
Game 2 – Nov. 29 at 4:00 p.m.
Game 3 – Nov. 30 at 3:00 p.m.
CLICK HERE to access 19U Tier 1 Girls schedules, scores and stats
New England Girls 16U Tier 1 Division
Three 16U Tier 1 teams are competing in a round-robin format to determine the district champion and National Championship representative. The team with the best record after two games will advance.
16U Division Participating Teams & Schedule
Game 1 – Nov. 28 at 2:30 p.m.
#9 CT Polar Bears vs. #59 Seacoast Spartans Gold
Game 2 – Nov. 29 at 4:10 p.m.
#59 Seacoast Spartans Gold vs. #20 Mid-Fairfield Stars
Game 3 – Nov. 30 at 12:45 p.m.
#20 Mid-Fairfield Stars vs. #9 CT Polar Bears
CLICK HERE to access 16U Tier 1 Girls schedules, scores and stats
