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Western States Invite: Day 1

By Peter Odney, 09/08/17, 9:30PM CDT

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Triston Tabucal finished the first day with five points for Great Plains.


Noah Serdachny scores for Rink Hockey Academy in Friday's first win over the Colorado Thunderbirds.

Rink Hockey Academy, Great Plains Start 2-0

One day into the Western States Invitational, and already two teams have managed to separate themselves from the field. 

Rink Hockey Academy of Winnipeg (MB) thumped the Colorado Thunderbirds 7-0 on Friday morning before skating to a 5-2 win over Gentry Academy, paced by defenseman Carson Lambos' two goals and four points. The Nationals' depth played a key role in the wins, with Keenan Allan, Aiden Litke, and Owen Weihs joining Lambos in the four-point club. 

A pair of victories was also the outcome for Great Plains, which surrendered just one goal on Friday after shutting out Dallas Stars Elite 6-0 and downing Colorado 4-1. Leading Great Plains in scoring was Triston Tabucol with five points, which ties him for second-most among all skaters. 

Gentry Academy and the Anaheim Jr. Ducks each split on Friday, with Gentry's win coming against the Jr. Ducks and the loss being handed to the Galaxy by RHA. Chaz Lucius sits atop the scoring leaderoard with six points, while brother Cruz is tied for second with the aforementioned Tabucol with five.

The Jr. Ducks salvaged their day with a 3-1 win over Dallas Stars Elite in the nightcap, with Joshua Hyden leading the way with two goals. Leon Lee added a goal in the win for the Jr. Ducks, while Drake Hamilton tallied the lone score for the Stars.  

Dallas Stars Elite and Colorado find themselves in the winless column after the first day of compeition. Dallas was stifled offensively games the Stars played, losing 6-0 to Great Plains and 3-1 to the Anaheim Jr. Ducks. Despite the loss to Great Plains, goaltender Alexander Opalacz made a valiant effort, making several impressive saves in the loss. 

The physical Thunderbirds played both of the undefeates teams to start the showcase, with losses coming against RHA 7-0 and Great Plains 4-1. Kelsen Eevenson scored the lone goal on the day for the Thunderbirds. 


Despite two losses on Friday, Kelsen Evensen of the Colorado Thunderbirds was impossible to ignore.

Saturday's Schedule

Team Team Time Arena
Gentry Academy Colorado Thunderbirds 9:30 A.M. BIG 1
Great Plains Anaheim Jr. Ducks 11:15 A.M. BIG 1
Dallas Stars Elite Rink Hockey Academy 1:00 P.M. BIG 1
Anaheim Jr. Ducks Colorado Thunderbirds 4:00 P.M. BIG 1
Dallas Stars Elite Gentry Academy 5:45 P.m. BIG 1
Rink Hockey Academy Great Plains 7:30 P.M. BIG 1

Vincent Morinello of the Anaheim Jr. Ducks celebrates a goal in a tough loss to Gentry Academy on Friday morning.

Friday's Top Players

Carson Lambos, Rink Hockey Academy 

Excellent skating ability fused with a rocket shot and bruising physicality, Lambos racked up four points from the blueline on Friday. 

Ben Palmersheim, Anaheim Jr. Ducks

Solid on faceoffs, Palmersheim is menace below the dots in the opponent's zone. 

Triston Tabucol, Great Plains

Tied for second in the scoring race with five points, Tabucol showed off his speed and craftiness in Great Plains' two wins on Friday.

Jackson Borst, Great Plains

Lengthy forward scored twice in Great Plains' win over Colorado on Friday. Manages to create scoring chances from the most remote of places on the ice. 

Eric Alarie, Rink Hockey Academy

Power forward who can either bully opponents off the puck or accelerate around them with efficient speed. 

Chaz Lucius, Gentry Academy 

Totaled six points on the day, showcasing soft hands and an arsenal of attacking moves. 


Carson Lambos (7) notches a goal for RHA in Friday's first victory.

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