The 14u Pens Elite Team traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to compete in the Premier Ice Prospects Ft Laudy Daudy Showcase January 13-15, 2023.  The team faced well-prepared competition from Little Caesars, Team Illinois, Evolve Hockey, Connecticut Jr Rangers, and Philadelphia Jr Flyers, but emerged victorious, going undefeated the entire weekend.

Attacking speed and strong puck possession from #82 Kirsch and #77 Raypholtz kept the competition off balance and frantically defending their zone all weekend.  A solid defensive core of #31 Hervert, #58 Monaco, #11 Relyea, #25 Suisham, and #23 Tarasovich stood strong in front of goaltender #27 Makrogiannis, who posted 2 shutouts and only allowed 3 goals in 5 games.  With 13 total goals it was an absolute team effort.   Near every player obtained goals and point assists as the team swept the showcase with a 5-0 record and improved to 34-4-2 on the season.

The showcase began with a 4-1 win over the familiar Philadelphia Jr Flyers.  #38 Ligda started the weekend with an early unassisted goal in the first minutes of the game.  Then #92 Garner connected from #22 Whitehead pulling ahead 2-0. Goal number three came from #64 Webster assisted by #58 Monaco.  #23 Tarasovich netted the fourth unassisted goal.  The game ended with 4 goals and 2 assists from 5 different players

On Friday evening, the team secured a 2-1 win over Team Illinois. In this hard-fought game, the first goal was scored by #30 McCarthy with assists from #64 Webster and #17 Mertens. The second goal was scored by #97 Garner with an assist from #82 Kirsch and #31 Hervert.

The team continued their winning streak on Saturday morning with a 1-0 win over Evolve Hockey.  The game-winning goal came late in the game.   Following a face-off in Evolve’s end, #28 Lundy picked up a loose puck and sauced it to the top of the circle where #58 Monaco took a slap shot that deflected off an opponent and into the net.

In the Saturday evening game, the Pens Elite team secured a convincing 4-0 win over Connecticut Jr Rangers.   As #38 Ligda circled looking for a shooting lane, she released a wrister that was blocked by the goaltender and then immediately poked in by #9 Howe.  Then midway through the game #20 Pilarski found the net with help from #82 Kirsch and #64 Webster.   Both #30 McCarthy and #64 Webster each netted goals with assists from #17 Mertens.

On Sunday afternoon, the team secured a 2-1 win over Little Caesars. In this showdown, Little Caesars scored first.   Then #25 Suisham connected on a pass from #17 Mertens to slip the puck through the five-hole of the Caesars goaltender to tie the game 1-1. The game-winning goal was scored by #20 Pilarski and assisted by #28 Lundy and #31 Hervert.

The team's assistant coach, Rich Lundy praised the girls for their hard work and dedication, saying, "I am incredibly proud of these young women. They have worked so hard to get to this point and their hard work paid off. They represented our organization and our city with class and dignity. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this team."

Overall, it was another successful weekend for the 14u Pens Elite girls hockey team who are currently nationally ranked 3rd in the USA Girls 14u Tier 1 My Hockey Rankings.  The 14u Pens Elite girls hockey team will compete in the Motor City Girls Fest tournament in Detroit, MI on February 3-5.  The team is looking forward to continue their success and improve their game in the Michigan tournament. With an overall record of 34-4-2 they have set the bar high for themselves and it will be exciting to see what they will accomplish in the months to come.

Congratulations to the 14u Pens Elite girls hockey team for their outstanding performance in the Premier Ice Prospects Ft Laudy Daudy Showcase.