Blaine, Minnesota was the site as both the 15U and 16U Boys Pittsburgh Penguins Elite teams captured the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1HL) championships in their respective divisions this week.

The T1HL is the premier amateur youth hockey league in the United States and develops many of the top players that move on to play at the Major Junior, NCAA and NHL level.

The 15Us got off to a strong start in Blaine as they defeated the San Jose Jr. Sharks, LA Jr. Kings and Thunder AAA Hockey by scoring a combined 19 goals and only surrendering 2 in the process. They then moved on to fact the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the in the semi-final and thanks to Teddy Sawyer’s 2nd period goal, were able to emerge as 2-1 victors by the slimmest of margins. The 15U’s played the North Jersey Avalanche in the championship game and Justin Gibson’s powerplay goal early in the third period proved to be the game winner as the Pens Elite squad won 4-3 and was able to lift the trophy.

The 16Us also got off to a strong start in Blaine as they shutout the Anaheim Jr. Ducks 4-0 and followed that up with a 4-1 win over the Boston Advantage and a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. The North Jersey Avalanche were the opponent for the semi-final matchup but the Penguins Elite team scored 3 goals in the 2nd period on their way to a 6-2 victory. The championship game was a matchup between the Pens Elite 16Us and Fox Motors. The game was tight checking and entered overtime with the score line still even at 0-0. Tyler Kennedy’s played hero as he scored the championship clinching goal for the 16Us with 4:15 remaining in the first overtime.

Congrats to both teams on their victories!