skip navigation

Defense Key to Junior Thunderbirds’ Offensive Explosion

By Bill Kiser - Special to USAHockey.com, 04/08/16, 9:15AM MDT

Share

14U 2A champs allowed just five goals in six games, with three shutouts

INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. -- The Seattle Sno-King (Wash.) Junior Thunderbirds score a lot of goals en route to winning the Class 2A title at the Toyota-USA Hockey Youth Tier II 14U National Championships. But Junior Thunderbirds coach Lloyd Shaw gave credit to the team’s defense for its offensive explosion this week at the Extreme Ice Center.

The Junior Thunderbirds allowed just five goals in six games, with three shutouts — including Monday’s 9-0 victory over the Wonderland (Conn.) Wizards in the 2A final.

“That’s happened all season,” said Shaw, a former American Hockey League defenseman. “We pride ourselves on defense. That’s just my mindset. Our forwards better be back-checking just as hard as they forecheck, or they’re not going to be playing as much.

“You’re not going to win a game if you don’t play defense. You may score goals, but if you don’t play D … I want the guys to go for the shutout.”

The Junior Thunderbirds’ shutouts included a 10-0 victory over the North Carolina Junior Hurricanes on Friday and an 11-0 victory over the CBS (Vermont) Hawks on Saturday.

“A good defense has good gap control, and they have good gap control,” Wizards coach Carl Larouche said.

That defense gives the Junior Thunderbirds’ offense the confidence to be more aggressive at the opponent’s net, said forward Eric Prigodich.

It led to the Junior Thunderbirds scoring a tournament-best 46 goals — nearly double that of the second-best team, 3A Hockey Club Dallas — with 55 assists and 101 points, both also tournament bests.

“Everything starts with the defense,” said Prigodich, who had four goals (including two in the final) and four assists in six games. “You can’t have offense without the defense. When we know we’ve got protection back, we can do other things out of our comfort zone, knowing we won’t turn the puck over in their zone.”

Stat Leaders

Kevin McGuire of the Class 1A New Hampshire Junior Monarchs led the Tier II 14U tournament with eight goals, one better than Jackson Whitney of the 3A Houston Wild and Junior Monarchs’ Alonzo Colburn.

Beau Donelan of 1A champ Team Wyoming was tops in assists with 10, just ahead of Cade Helmer of the 3A Hershey (Pa.) Junior Bears (eight), and three players with seven each — 2A leader Nathan Konovalov of the Junior Thunderbirds, Emmanuel Sanchez of the 3A St. Lawrence (N.Y.) Thunder, and Cam Wuesthoff of the 3A Chesterfield (Mo.) Falcons.

Donelan also led in total points with 14, scoring four goals to go with 10 assists. He edged Sanchez by one point. Four others had 10 points — McGuire, Junior Thunderbirds players Miles Seguin and Cole Dubicki, and Ryan Meyer of the 2A Atlanta Phoenix.

Nationals Racing Connection

This year’s Toyota-USA Hockey Youth Tier II 14U National Championships also has a connection to the world of stock car racing, one of the most-popular sports (and one of the biggest businesses) in the region.

The Extreme Ice Center, which hosted most of the tournament’s pool-play matches and championship games, is co-owned by Tom Logano, whose son is NASCAR driver Joey Logano.

The younger Logano, who also played hockey growing up in Connecticut, is in his eighth full season on NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, and his fourth with Penske Racing, headquartered in Mooresville, approximately 45 miles north of Indian Trail.

By The Numbers

4,326 – Miles the SAHA Moose traveled from Anchorage, Alaska, to Charlotte to compete in the 14U national championships.

4,210 – Miles the Alaska Grizzlies traveled from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Charlotte for nationals.

33 – States that had teams competing in the 14U nationals.

5 – States that had more than one team competing in the 14U nationals: Alaska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

 

More Nationals News