Nathan Sarallo scores the game-winner in Team Illinois's shootout win over the Madison Capitols.
Over the past weekend, 10 talented teams made their way to the historic Bloomington Ice Garden for the second Western States Invitational to compete in both Bantam Major and Peewee Major divisions, showcasing their skills for three days.
Teams from Arizona, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota featured players from Alaska, California, and Ukraine. The diversity of the players' hometowns transcended the assumption that the Western States means only western states.
There were special performances galore over the weekend, including the first game of the tournament, where Team Illinois snuck past the Madison Capitols in a shootout 4-3 early on Friday morning. There was the game where the 2006 Great Plains boys scored three times in 33 seconds en route to a 9-2 win over the Twin City Selects.
There was goaltender Mason McElroy doing his best Ironman imitation, playing every minute between the pipes for the Selects. There was the goaltending duo of Logan Hughes and Zack Schave, who admirably faced more than 200 shots over the weekend for the Northeast Wisconsin Jr. Gamblers.
There were 2004 Arizona Jr. Coyotes skaters Mykhailo Danylov and Danilo Dolia, both from Ukraine, giving the American skaters a taste of how the game is played in Europe. There were the Chicago Young Americans, who came to town with teams in both divisions and provided several highlights during their interviews on A Minute After. There was the Gentry Galaxy, bouncing back after starting the tournament 0-2 with a pair of gutsy victories.
There was 2004 Great Plains forward Zam Plante, who after being snakebitten by bounces and near-misses early on scored two beautiful goals in Great Plains' final game. There was Ryan Wallin and Niklas Erickson, who as '04 Great Plains goaltenders have not lost a game since August 5. The "Tan Wall" lives on.
The Youth Hockey Hub would like to thank the players, parents, coaches, volunteers, and Bloomington Ice Garden staff for helping us put on the Western States Invitational. We absolutely could not do this without you.
Charlie Pardue of the 2006 Chicago Young Americans totaled four goals and seven points over the weekend.
Player | Team | Position |
---|---|---|
Jay Fairchild | Madison Capitols | Goaltender |
Nicholas Hansen | Arizona Jr. Coyotes | Goaltender |
Kendel Geier | Chicago Young Americans | Defense |
Will Shepherd | Arizona Jr. Coyotes | Defense |
Tristan Sarsland | Great Plains | Defense |
Reed Kluender | Great Plains | Defense |
Attila Lippai | Gentry Galaxy | Forward |
Mikey DeAngelo | Team Illinois | Forward |
Marc LaFrance | Chicago Young Americans | Forward |
Jaden Lipinski | Arizona Jr. Coyotes | Forward |
Oren Shtrom | Arizona Jr. Coyotes | Forward |
Jimmy Clark | Great Plains | Forward |
Jaksen Panzer (MVP) | Great Plains | Forward |
Jaden Lipinski finished tied for second in the 2004 Division with six assists for the Arizona Jr. Coyotes.
Player | Team | Position |
---|---|---|
Logan Hughes | Northeast Wisconsin Jr. Gamblers | Goaltender |
Mason McElroy | Twin City Selects | Goaltender |
Charlie Pardue | Chicago Young Americans | Defense |
Dean Andrews | Chicago Young Americans | Defense |
Logan Hensler | Great Plains | Defense |
Tanner Henricks | Great Plains | Defense |
Ben Carey | Northeast Wisconsin Jr. Gamblers | Forward |
Charlie Arend | Chicago Young Americans | Forward |
Will Zellers | Twin City Selects | Forward |
Brendan McMorrow | Great Plains | Forward |
Ben Miller | Great Plains | Forward |
Brodie Ziemer | Great Plains | Forward |
Max Plante (MVP) | Great Plains | Forward |
Will Zellers scored six goals for the Twin City Selects.