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Pittsburgh Penguins Elite National Championships Recap

04/10/2018, 4:45pm EDT
By Alex Roessler

Four different Pittsburgh Penguins Elite teams clinched their spots in the USA Hockey National Championships representing the MidAm district. The right to travel out of state to represent the entire region is an honor for any program but to have four teams competing for a national championship speaks to the quality of the Pens Elite organization.

The 14U Girls team made the trip to Marlborough, Massachusetts for their national championship. The team was victorious over Detroit Honeybaked and Team Wisconsin in pool play but fell to the East Coast Wizards in the last game of the preliminary round. In the playoffs, the girls battled the Chicago Young Americans to a scoreless draw through regulation but lost a heartbreaker in double overtime. The 14U Girls finish the season as the 9th ranked team in the country thanks to a 19-16-2 record. A strong showing at the National Championships should give the team confidence for a bright future!

The 16U Girls team also made the trip to Marlborough for the National Championships. In pool play, the Pens Elite squad defeated the Anaheim Lady Ducks, St. Louis Lady Blues and Detroit Little Caesars before facing the East Coast Wizards in the playoff round. In a close game, the Pens Elite girls came up on the wrong end of a 3-2 score line. After an incredible 31-7-4 record on the season, the 16U Girls team is ranked 8th in the country. The future is also bright for the girls on the current 16U Pens Elite team!

The 19U Girls team joined the previously mentioned Pens Elite teams in Marlborough as they competed in the National Championship for their age group. In pool play, the 19U girls lost close games to the Chicago Young Americans, East Coast Wizards and Washington Pride. The team will return home as the 14th ranked 19U girls team in the country.

The 2003 Elites were the final team to head to the USA Hockey National Championships and they made the trip to Charlotte, North Carolina for the tournament. After sweeping pool play with wins over Victory Honda, the Boston Junior Terriers and the Mid Fairfield Junior Rangers, the team advanced to the playoff round with an unblemished record. In their first playoff matchup, the team knocked off Perinton Youth Hockey with a resounding 5-0 victory. The next day, the 2003 Elites sealed their spot in the final with a 3-1 win over the Boston Junior Eagles for the second time in the tournament. In the championship game, the Pens Elite team ran into Compuware, the number one ranked team in the country and suffered a 3-0 defeat. Reaching the title game of the USA Hockey National Championships is no small feat and the future is looking bright for members of the 2003 Elite team.

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