A total of six DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Penguins Elite teams won Mid AM Districts punching their ticket to USA Hockey Nationals. The 13O, 14U, 15O and 16U boys will be joined by the 14U and 16U girls teams at their respective Nationals competitions this April. 

The 13O boys team began a dominant performance at the District Playoffs with a 9-1 victory over the Esmark Stars, a 2-0 shutout of the Columbus Blue Jackets and a 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Predators. In the championship game, the Pens Elite boys scored three goals in the third period to defeat Indiana Elite 4-1 and clinch a spot at Nationals. Cameron Evans led the tournament in scoring with 7 points in 4 games and Luca Filiaggi and Jackson Gostic were tied for second place with 6 points each. The boys will compete at Nationals in Plymouth, Michigan from April 2-7.

The 14U boys were also dominant in their MidAm District tournament. They opened the tournament with a 8-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Vengeance and a 8-1 win over the Pittsburgh Predators on the same day. Then, following a 7-1 win over the South Hills Panthers, the 14U boys defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2 in the championship game to qualify for Nationals. Mark Pape, Nolan Snyder and Max Branton combined for 43 points in four games . Anthony Sargo finished with 8 points to round out the top four in scoring for the tournament with a sweep of Pens Elite players. The Nationals tournament for the 14U age division will take place in Plymouth, Michigan from April 2-7.

The 15O boys continued the winning trend for the Pens Elite program with another undefeated run at Districts. They opened with a 8-3 win over the Cleveland Barons before winning a narrow 5-4 overtime thriller against the Ohio Blue Jackets. The final preliminary round game was a dominant 9-4 victory over the Esmark Stars. In the championship matchup to earn their spot at Nationals, the 15O boys faced a rematch with the Esmark Stars and came away with their first shutout of the tournament in a 2-0 win. Caden Harvey led the tournament with 9 points in 4 games. Brody George finished tied for second with 7 points thanks to his 6 assists in the tournament. The boys will travel to Fargo, North Dakota for their Nationals tournament from April 2-7.

The 16U boys also found success at Districts thanks to a perfect 4-0 record. In preliminary round action, they defeated the Cleveland Barons 4-1, Gilmour Academy 7-2 and the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-0. In the championship game, they faced the Cleveland Barons again and this time claimed a 5-1 victory to advance to Nationals. Quinn McKenzie was the top scorer in the tournament with 10 points and the top six scorers were all members of the Pens Elite squad. Nicholas Snyder, Justin Vlassis, Mark Evans, Reese Lantz and Jakeb Lynch rounded out the top scorers at Districts. The 16U boys will head to Las Vegas, Nevada for Nationals from April 2-7.

The 14U girls impressed at their District tournament. In a three team group, they defeated the Cleveland Lady Barons 5-1 and the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-1 to emerge victorious with two dominant wins. Amanda King and Berkeley Whitehead each had 4 points to lead the tournament in scoring. Rylee Allison and Brelyn Smith also played well in net with one start each and each only allowed 1 goal in their victories. The girls will travel to Wesley Chapel, Florida to compete in Nationals from April 2-7.

The 16U girls team was equally impressive in their District Tournament, which they won to earn their spot at Nationals. In a three team tournament, the Pens Elite girls posted a perfect record with a 9-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and a 7-3 victory over Culver Academy. Natalia Disora led her team in points for the tournament with 1 goal and three assists for a total of 4 points. Anastasia Makrogiannis and Erin Judge were strong in goal to each earn a victory for their team. The 16U girls will compete in Nationals in Wesley Chapel, Florida from April 2-7.

Congrats to all six Pens Elite teams on winning Districts and good luck at Nationals!