Boccardi and the St. Louis Blues would certainly like to leave Pennsylvania this week with their own national title, and Boccardi helped the Blues keep that dream alive by scoring the game-winning goal for the Blues with 1:27 remaining in a 6-5 victory over the Sioux Falls Power (SD).

“It’s awesome,” Boccardi said. “It’s really exciting when it is a close game like that. The boys are really fired up on the bench and just positive all around. Wearing the nationals patch, it’s just so fun and so fun to be here.

“I saw their defenseman fumble the puck a little bit, and one of my forwards forechecked hard, came out of the corner with it. I saw nobody was really around me and I jumped into play there, and (Cole Heffington) just found me and I had all the time in the world to shoot that one.”

The victory sets the Blues up for a win-and-in situation on Thursday night. The winner of the Blues (1-1) vs. Central Mass. Penguins (1-1) would advance to the quarterfinals as the No. 2 team to advance out of the USA Division. Shattuck-St. Mary’s has already clinched the USA Division victory with its 6 points.

Jake McDonald leads the Blues in scoring through two games with a goal and three assists. Meanwhile, Ryland Randle leads Central Mass. with three assists in two games.

Boccardi, who is tendered by the NAHL's New Hampshire Mountain Kings, was a member of the Blues 16U squad that lost in the quarterfinals last year, and he is excited for the opportunity for the Blues to get another crack at chasing a national title.  

“Tomorrow's win or go home for us,” Boccardi concluded. “So winner-takes-all against the team we play tomorrow. We're going to bring everything we got and hope we get the outcome we want.”