U15 Nationals - Round Robin Recap & Playoff Predictions
U15 USA Hockey National Championships
Round Robin Recap and Playoff Predictions
A tremendous set of round robin games gave us some initial surprise winners and some intriguing matchups headed into the quarterfinals.
Division Recaps
Liberty Division
Round Robin Standings
1st – #5 St. Louis AAA Blues
2nd – #4 Chicago Reapers
3rd – #12 Cleveland Barons
4th – #13 Florida Alliance South
Where we scored – We nailed the top two (just in reverse order), although the Barons did push to advance until the last minute (literally) in their 3rd round robin game against St. Louis.
Questions answered – The Reapers had the biggest goal differential in the group as they were able to keep up with the scoring pace of their divisional opponents. Their only loss coming to St. Louis in a tight 1-0 defensive battle. The Blues showed they can play any style and went undefeated in round robin play. The Barons gave up 11 goals in 3 games, the most in the division and ultimately, that was their downfall. The Alliance were competitive in every game and Brindley did the job in net, but they could not generate enough scoring as they tallied only 4 goals in 3 games.
NHL Division
Round Robin Standings
1st – #6 Chicago Mission
2nd – #3 Detroit Little Caesars
3rd – #11 Anaheim Jr Ducks
4th – #14 Okanagan Hockey
Where we scored - Correctly selected the Mission to win the division
Where we were robbed - Missed on Okanagan as they needed a win against Little Caesars in the last game of the round robin but fell short in a 5-3 loss.
Questions answered -
In the most tightly contested division where there was a 3-way tie for first and where the goal-differential for each team was either +1 or -1, the Mission got off to a slow start but found a way to win their final two games to secure the division. Although Okanagan started strong with a 3-1 win over the Mission, they could not get by Little Caesars in their round robin finale. Little Caesars was a bit sluggish early on, needing overtime against Anaheim, they found their groove offensively scoring 9 goals over their final 2 games to secure 2nd place. Finally, we were correct in saying that the Jr Ducks would keep games close as each of their contests were decided by one goal, however, it was not enough to advance as they finished 3rd in the 3-way tie with a -1-goal differential.
Olympic Division
Round Robin Standings
1st - #10 Long Island Gulls
2nd - #2 Jr Mounties
3rd - #15 North Jersey Avalanche
4th - #7 Boston Jr Eagles
Where we scored - After a small upset in game 1 against the Gulls, the Mount found that extra gear and notched 15 goals including an 11-3 win over the Avs in a must-win game.
Where we were robbed - We completely missed on the Jr Eagles. They never really got going until it was too late in the tournament, and at that time they were only trying to be the spoiler.
Questions answered - We said the Gulls were sneaky good and they showed why. Upsetting the Jr Mounties in the tournament opener and then coming back from a 6-3 deficit to the Jr Eagles to score 4 in 4:30 (including the game-winner just over a minute into overtime) to win the division. The Jr Mounties turned it up and after dropping the opener, easily won their next two to secure their spot in the quarterfinals. The Avs had a great first two games, dictating play and getting excellent goaltending. They end up falling short as they were completed dismantled 11-3 against the Jr Mounties in their 3rd game. The Jr Eagles looked out of sync and looked unprepared for the battles they faced all week.
USA Division
Round Robin Standings
1st - #9 Mid-Fairfield
2nd - #1 Shattuck St. Mary’s
3rd - #8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite
4th – #16 Sioux Falls Power
Where we scored – We correctly had Mid-Fairfield and Shattuck advancing (in reverse order). Mid-Fairfield stunned Shattuck in the opener with an overtime win allowing them to go undefeated in the division and earning the division title.
Questions answered – Mid-Fairfield played well defensively and got timely saves from their goaltenders in all three games. After going up 3-0 in their first game only to see the lead evaporate into a loss, Shattuck dominated their next two and appear to be firing on all cylinders as they move into the quarterfinals. Pittsburgh’s goaltending ended up being solid, it was their offense that floundered as they only scored 7 goals in 3 games. Sioux Falls were shutout twice and although they were close with Mid-Fairfield for the first half, they ended up surrendering 7 goals (18 total) in 3 games.
Playoff Predictions
Quarterfinals
QF #1 – #2 Jr Mounties v #9 Mid-Fairfield
QF #2 - #3 Detroit Little Caesars v #5 St. Louis AAA Blues
QF #3 - #1 Shattuck St. Mary’s v #10 Long Island Gulls
QF #4 - #4 Chicago Reapers v #6 Chicago Mission
Predictions
QF #1 - In a re-match of the New England District Final, will we see the same result? We do not. The Jr Mounties advance with a 4-2 win.
QF #2 – In what should be a very close hockey game, we expect a physical, hard-fought contest between these two teams. The Blues win a close one in overtime 2-1.
QF #3 – What looks like a mismatch on paper, will be so on the ice. The Gulls run comes to an end with Shattuck advancing in a 5-1 win.
QF #4 – The battle of Chicago renews. The last time these two played in the Central District Tournament, the Reapers won 4-1. We expect the same this time around but a little closer, Reapers win 3-2.
Semifinals
SF #1 - #2 Jr Mounties v #5 St. Louis AAA Blues
SF #2 - #1 Shattuck St. Mary’s v #4 Chicago Reapers
Predictions
SF #1 – Both teams are deep and will play their lines. It’s offense v defense. We see the better defensive team emerging. St. Louis advances to the final with a 3-2 win.
SF #2 – Shattuck has a deeper lineup than the Reapers but the Reapers have shown they can win tight games all year. We believe Shattuck’s offense will prove too much for Chicago to handle and they make a return trip to the final with a 4-2 win.
Final
#1 Shattuck St. Mary’s v #5 St. Louis AAA Blues
Prediction
Both teams are deep, both teams have solid goaltending, and both teams have had timely scoring all year. In a nail-bitter, 3-2 in overtime, your 2025 National Champion will be the St. Louis AAA Blues.
