16U AAA

Tier I - 16U Midget Minor: Shattuck - 5, Alliance – 1: The Alliance 16U Midget Minor AAA Bulldogs made it as far as only 2 other Bulldog teams had previously, but the ride ended abruptly against Shattuck St. Mary's in the Semi-Finals of the 2007 USA Hockey National Championships. As a result, Alliance players will proudly take their Bronze Medals and head for home looking toward next year. Shattuck rode the strength of 2 power play goals to take a 3-1 lead after one period of play, added another man advantage tally in the 2nd for good measure, and topped it off with a even strength goal in the final frame for the win.

The 2006-2007 Alliance 16U Midget Minor AAA team becomes the 3rd Bulldog team to win a Bronze Medal at Nationals, joining the 2003-2004 12U PeeWee and 14U Bantams, and are the first Alliance 16U team to do so. These Bulldogs end an impressive season in which they won 4 tournaments and registered an outstanding 46-9-4 season record. Congratulations to Head Coach Chris Kostopoulos and the boys on a great season!

Tier I - 16U Midget Minor: Alliance – 5, Little Caesars - 0: The Alliance 16U Midget Minor AAA Bulldogs came to play early Saturday morning, and the #5 Ranked Detroit Little Caesars paid the price, as Alliance rolled to a 5-0 shutout win to advance to the Semi-Finals of the 2007 USA Hockey National Championships. After taking a 1-0 lead in the first minute of the contest, the Bulldogs opened it up with 3 more in the 2nd period to take a commanding 4-0 lead into the final frame. Alliance will now face Shattuck St. Mary's, a 2-1 winner over the LA Selects in their Quarter-Final match-up. Semi-Final game time is Saturday afternoon at 4:45pm EST.

After 7 months of thousands of teams playing hockey all across the United States and North Texas, it’s the last weekend of the season, and there are still 4 Alliance Bulldog squads playing, each with a chance to bring home a title.

To see the times, locations, opponents, and results as they become available, you can go to the “Weekend Games” tab at the top of the Alliance web site, or click HERE…

Tier I - 16U Midget Minor: Starting off with 2 good wins in Games 1 & 2, the Bulldogs were reminded in Game 3 how good the competition is as they move into the playoffs at the 2007 USA Hockey National Championships. With a National Ranking of #6 by USHSHO, the Bulldogs still know that 4 of the 5 teams ranked above them are also playing in the Quarter-Finals, including Detroit Little Caesars, who they play at 10:00am on Saturday.

Tier I - 16U Midget Minor: LA Select - 2, Alliance – 1: The Alliance 16U Midget Minor AAA Bulldogs played the LA Selects for the 4th time this year, and again it was a tight one, with the Selects coming out on top this time. With both teams already assured of a berth into the Quarter-Finals of the 2007 USA Hockey National Championships, the only thing at stake was who would get the #1 Seed. The Bulldogs will go into Saturday's 10:00am game as the #3 Seed from the National Conference, and will play the #2 Seed from the American Conference, Detroit Little Caesars.

Alliance 16UAAA forward Dylan Rupar represented the Bulldogs in the Easton Skills Competition, and came away as the winner in the 16U Tier I Division in the Fastest Skater event with a time of 15.03 seconds. Congratulations Dylan!

Tier I - 16U Midget Minor: Alliance – 5, S. Conn. Stars - 2: The Alliance 16U Midget Minor AAA Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one period, extended it to 3-0 before the Southern Connecticut Stars closed the gap to 3-2 after 2 periods, and then put the game away with 2 more goals in the final frame for a 5-2 win in Game 2 of pool play today at the 2007 USA Hockey National Championships in Fraser, Michigan.

It looked like Alliance might just cruise to their 2nd straight win, but the Stars battled back in the 2nd period to keep it a game. Both teams battled close in the 3rd period, before the Bulldogs would put the game away with 2 goals 12 seconds apart late in the final period to go to 2 regulation wins, no losses, and 6 points in the National Conference Liberty Division standings.

The Bulldogs play Game 3 tomorrow at 12:30pm against the LA Selects, the Pacific District Champions. The 2 teams have played 3 times this year, resulting in a 1-1-1 record for both teams.

Tier I - 16U Midget Minor: Alliance – 6, Team Wisconsin - 4: After a tight opening frame that ended tied 2-2, the Alliance 16U Midget Minor AAA Bulldogs opened it up on Team Wisconsin and then held off a late rally to come away with the win in Game 1 of pool play today at the 2007 USA Hockey National Championships in Fraser, Michigan.

Alliance dominated the second period, out-shooting the Central District Champions 14 to 2, and took a 4-2 lead into the final period. After Wisconsin closed a 5-3 Bulldog lead to within 1 with just over 3 minutes left, Alliance would add an empty-netter in the final minute for the 6-4 final score.

The Bulldogs play Game 2 tomorrow at 10:15am against the Southern Connecticut Stars, the New England District Champions.

The Major Preps will start off at 12:30pm with the Phoenix Force from Milwaukee, Wisconsin - also Central District Champions. The Force is a program that offers players committed to their Wisconsin high school teams a competitive AAA fall schedule prior to the HS season. Force players come from 15 different high school teams in southeast Wisconsin.

Results from Alliance games this week and weekend will be posted to the Alliance "Weekend Games" page (see tab at top of page). Box scores, standings, and results will be posted continuously at the USA Hockey National Championships web site.

The Alliance 16U Midget Minor AAA and 18U Midget Major Prep teams are headed to Fraser, Michigan today, to compete in the 2007 USA Hockey National Championships which begin tomorrow March 28th. Alliance returns to the National Championships after a 1 year absence, making this the 3rd Nationals appearance for the Alliance organization in the last 4 years, including a total of seven (7) Bulldog teams.

This year, the format will be a "Super" National, as all midgets 16U & 18U, both Tier I and II, will all be playing at the same venue. This will allow for all the junior, college, and professional scouts & coaches to see all the prospective players in one location.

In addition to some really good hockey teams playing some great competition, there are also other activities happening during the Championships, including Opening Ceremonies, Host Hospitality Events, and the popular Easton Skills Competition. The 2007 Championships are presented by Easton Sports, will feature a range of competition to test the skill of players from teams participating in this year's tournaments. Individual skaters and goaltenders will compete in four events at various times throughout the tournament. For information about the events, click HERE...

Tell your friends and family at home who couldn’t make the trip to LISTEN LIVE ONLINE. Select games of the 2007 Nationals will be streamed live on usahockey.com.

All the selected game action from the Great Lakes Sports City facility in Fraser, Michigan will be brought to you live by USA Hockey announcer Dave Collins.

16U Midget Minor AAA: After battling to a 2-2 tie after 2 periods of play, the Alliance Bulldogs 16U AAA scored the game winner early on the final frame and held on to capture the Tier I 16U Title at the 2007 Rocky Mountain District Championships on Sunday morning in Frisco. The final game preview contest against these same PF Changs on Saturday was also exciting, with the Bulldogs taking the final pool game by a score of 6-5 with a late goal.

The win sends the Bulldogs to the 2007 USA Hockey National Championships in Fraser, Michigan March 28th - April 1st. These Bulldogs become the 6th Alliance team to qualify for the National Championships, and this will be the second visit to the 16U Tier I National Championships, as the 2005 team won the RMD Championships as well.

16U Tier I Midget Minor AAA: The Alliance 16U Midget Minor AAA team defeated the Texas Attack 16UAAA in Games 1 & 2 of the Texas State Championships to take the 3-game series 2-0, and take their 3rd straight 16U Tier I title Saturday at the StarCenter in Grapevine. After scoring late in the 3rd period to win Game 1 by the score of 1-0, the Bulldogs opened up a close game in the 3rd period to win Game 2 by a score of 7-3. The Bulldogs now advance to the 2007 Rocky Mountain District Championships in Dallas March 1st- 4th.

Alliance – 6, LA Jr. Kings - 0: Alliance earned a spot in the Consolation Championship game of the Nike/Bauer AAA International Invite on Sunday, by beating the LA Jr. Kings in their fourth and final round-robin game. The Bulldogs started strong once again, as the Kings spent most of the first period trying to clear Alliance from their own zone.

Some nice work in front of the net by Alliance quickly brought the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead, and the Jr Kings were never in this one from the end of the first period. Some pressure fore-checking and a nice 2 on 1 pass to a one-timer gave Alliance a 6-0 victory and a 3-1-0 round-robin record, while outscoring their 4 opponents by a combined 16 to 5 margin.

The Bulldog’s opponent in Sunday’s consolation championship game will be the New Jersey Rockets, whose only loss came to the Rochester Americans, who face Honeybaked in the Section Championship Sunday morning.

Alliance – 4, Philadelphia Jr. Flyers - 1: After relying on skill and speed early on, the Bulldogs turned to good ol' physical, in-your-face, hockey to beat the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers early Saturday morning in Game 3 of the Nike/Bauer AAA International Invite. Alliance would pounce on the Flyers early to build a 4-0 lead in the opening period of play, on some tough work in front of the Philly goaltender, and slick passing through the crease.

The game soon took on an old timer feel, as players were finishing checks and hitting everything that tried to move. Philly was able to sneak in a goal from a screened wrist shot from the high slot in the second period, but that was all the offense they would manage, as the Bulldogs pounded out a 4-1 victory. A win this afternoon over the LA Jr. Kings puts the Bulldogs in the consolation Championship game.

Alliance – 6, Team Carolina - 0: Game two of the Nike/Bauer AAA International Invite was just what the Bulldogs wanted....a convincing victory! Although allowing an early goal to the overmatched Team Carolina AAA team, the Bulldogs quickly tied it at 1-1 when they scored on a quick wrist shot from just inside the high slot, and that is how the opening period ended.

Goals two and three were quick to follow in the second period, as Alliance poured on an all out assault of their tournament opponent. When the dust settled, the Bulldogs had scored 6 unanswered goals, coasted to a relatively easy 6-1 victory, and earned their first two points of the tournament. Alliance spread the offensive up and down the lineup, as the Bulldogs got goals from six different players. Two wins on Saturday will send Alliance to the Consolation Championship, unless powerful Honeybaked can be beaten in the round-robin.

Honeybaked – 3, Alliance – 0: The Alliance Bulldogs began the Nike/Bauer AAA International Invite this year against the #1 ranked team in the country early Friday morning. Honeybaked came into the tournament undefeated, and was the returning tournament champion. Alliance started the game on the attack, as they pressured Honeybaked early and often. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on two early power plays and spent the end of the first period killing penalties.

The first score would come early in the second period, as inside the first minute, Honeybaked took a 1-0 lead on a nice feed from behind the Bulldog goal. Honeybaked then added a powerplay goal midway through the second period, and had a 2-0 lead. Alliance threatened to halve the deficit, but an apparent goal was waived off after it was determined the net had become dislodged prior to the puck crossing the line.

Late in the middle frame, an errant pass which was redirected by a linesman, gave Honeybaked an easy pass to the net for a 3-0 lead as the second period ended. The third period was a back and forth struggle, as both teams relied on solid goaltending to keep the score at 3-0 for a Honeybaked victory. Alliance showed that they can skate with the best in the country, and look forward to the rematch in a few weeks at the USHN Challenge Cup over Thanksgiving in Dallas. The Bulldogs next round-robin foe is Team Carolina later today.

Alliance - 4, Attack 16UAAA – 2: After a furious, fast-paced, and high scoring first period, the game settled down into a defensive battle, and the Bulldogs kept the Texas Attack 16UAAA off the board the final two frames for an exhibition win Saturday in Valley Ranch. Alliance opened the wild first period with a nice low shot from the left point that was re-directed at the hash marks through the 5-hole for a 1-0 Bulldog lead.

Alliance was looking to increase their lead a few minutes later with a 5 on 3 power play advantage, but it was the Attack that struck paydirt. An Attack fore-checker stole the puck at the Alliance blueline, broke in alone on the Bulldog net-minder, and after a nice move, the score was quickly knotted at 1-1.

After the Bulldogs failed to capitalize on their first few man advantage opportunities, the Attack got their chance. With an Alliance player in the box, the Attack got a nice pass to the left face-off circle where a nice off-hand one-timer gave the Attack its first and only lead of the day at 2-1.

A little irritated, the Bulldogs came out with some purpose. After buzzing the Attack zone, Alliance tied the game on a pass from the right wing half-boards to the high slot where a hard one-timer was rifled five-hole to tie it up again at 2-2. Just when it looked like the opening period would finally end the way it started, with the score equal, the Bulldogs played all the way to the end of the frame, and knocked home a rebound over a downed Attack net-minder for a 3-2 lead with only 0.5 seconds left in the opening period.

The second period was not as furious as the first, and both teams tightened up the defense, leaving scoring chances few and far between, with the goalies handling the chances that were had. The final period was more of the same, but the Bulldogs appeared to take a slight possession advantage as the game wore down, and eventually got an insurance goal late in the period on another 5-hole shot, this time from the right wing face-off circle for the final 4-2 score.

Alliance - 6, California Northstars - 0: The Alliance 16UAAA Bulldogs completed a 3-0-1 weekend with a solid shutout win over the California Northstars in their final game of the PF Chang's Invitational Cup in Phoenix to extend their unbeaten streak to 11. Alliance - 4, Las Vegas Outlaws - 2: The Bulldogs bounced back from their disappointing tie with PF Changs to beat the Las Vegas Outlaws in Game 3. Alliance - 3, PF Changs - 3: The only blemish on the Alliance mark for the weekend series was a 3-3 tie on Saturday with the host PF Chang's.

Alliance - 3, LA Selects - 2: A big win for the 'Dogs came in their 3-2 opening victory against the No. 2 Nationally Ranked LA Selects team which has 14 returning players from last season's Tier I 14U National Championship Bantam AAA team. The Selects had handed the Bulldogs one of their only two losses in the season opener during the Labor Day Holiday in the Jr. Sharks Labor Day Kick-Off in San Jose, CA. The Bulldogs have now returned the favor, handing the Selects one of their only two losses as well.

Alliance - 6, Long Island Gulls - 1: The Alliance 16UAAA team completed a 6-game Columbus Day Weekend sweep with a Final Game victory over the Long Island Gulls to win the Championship of the Senators' Columbus Day Shootout in Boston Monday morning. With the win, the Bulldogs finished the tournament outscoring their opponents by a 35 to 7 margin, and extended their overall season record to 10-2-1. More on this game later...

Alliance - 7, Pikes Peak Miners - 2: The Bulldogs won their 6th straight game of the season, including the last 5 in the Senators' Columbus Day Shootout, beating the Pikes Peak Miners to advance to the Championship game in Boston on Monday. More on this game later...

Alliance - 3, Western Mass Blades - 2: The Alliance 16UAAA boys continued their fine play while in Massachusetts, scoring once in each of the 3 periods while keeping the Western Mass. Blades out of the net for a solid 3-0 shutout win in Game 3 of the Senators' Columbus Day Shootout in Boston Saturday morning. The Bulldogs will attempt to go to 4 and 0 when they will square off against the 495 Stars later Sunday night.

Alliance - 8, NH Jr. Monarchs - 2: After allowing the first goal and falling behind 1-0, Alliance picked up where they left of from Friday night and recovered to skate by the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs in Game 2 of the Senators' Columbus Day Shootout in Boston Saturday morning. The Bulldogs would tie it up at 1-1 before the first period ended, then opened up a 5-2 lead with four more tallies in the second frame. Alliance would then pull away for good in the final period, adding 3 more goals and shutting down the Monarch attack completely for another solid win.

Alliance - 6, Eastern Mass Senators - 1: Facing a team ranked as high as 3rd in the nation by one poll, the Bulldogs showed they are to be reckoned with themselves, as they cruised past the host Eastern Mass Senators in Game 1 of the Senators' Columbus Day Shootout in Boston Friday night. Alliance started strong, taking a 2-0 lead at the end of the opening period, then added 2 more in each of the final two frames to take the win. A lone Senators goal in the middle period would ruin a Bulldog shutout bid.

Alliance - 4 Colorado Thunderbirds - 1: Both teams met again on Sunday afternoon for the rubber game of the season series. Once again, little of the game was played five on five hockey. Sixteen hooking or holding calls were made as both teams were forced to limit close contact and kill penalties. One thing is for certain, 4 on 4 hockey will be a common element for a while as referees and players adjust to the new rules enforcement.

Alliance scored first midway through the first period as some tough play in front of the Colorado Thunderbirds U16 goal was rewarded with a nifty tip in over the goalies pads. The Thunderbirds would answer six minutes into the second period as the Alliance defense got trapped on an offensive push. The 1-1 tie was short-lived though as the Bulldogs used some nifty passing to take a 2-1 lead into the third period.

Oxygen deprivation would not keep the Bulldogs from an up tempo and energy filled final period as much of the weekend's five on five action generated numerous scoring chances. Another goal from close in and a nice wrap around tip-in on a delayed penalty put the Bulldogs up 4-1 with five minutes remaining in the game and there was no looking back. Outshooting their opponents 31-26 for the game and 65-51 for the weekend, the Bulldogs took a 2-1 advantage in the season series.

The Bulldogs will return home today to prepare for a Columbus Day Tournament in Boston in a few weeks.

Colorado Thunderbirds - 2 Alliance - 1: The U16AAA Bulldogs team traveled to Denver this weekend for a pair of friendship games with their Rocky Mountain District foes the Colorado Thunderbirds U16. Saturday afternoon’s game followed a trip to the NHL Colorado Avalanche training camp and a morning practice. Both teams were anxious to test each other once again after their initial meeting, a 9-3 Bulldog victory, this year in a San Jose Labor Day tournament.

Once again, both teams suffered from the new USA hockey crackdown on physical play. It seemed "interference" became the name of the game as both teams were whistled for eight interference penalties within the first two periods. Amazingly, after 22 penalties and two periods the score remained tied at 0-0 as both teams showed tenacity on defense and stellar goaltending. Forwards could not buy a break...until the third period when the Thunderbirds tallied first. Alliance would answer that goal shortly thereafter on a slapshot from the point which was deflected through the Thunderbird goalie's pads to tie the score at 1-1.

The Bulldogs would go on to outshoot the Thunderbirds 34-25 but a behind the net pass directed into the Alliance goal would be the score the Thunderbirds needed to wrap up a 2-1 victory and even the season series at a game a piece.

Alliance - 7, LA Kings – 1: Alliance ended their opening weekend with a decisive victory over the LA Jr. Kings. Once again, the Bulldogs showed that they have the ability to score in big numbers against a weaker team.

After finishing the weekend tournament with a 3-1-1 record, and having defeated two Rocky Mountain district opponents, the Bulldogs will be on the road again in mid-September as they travel to Colorado to meet the Thunderbirds.

Alliance - 5, Anaheim Wildcats– 5: After battling two Rocky Mountain District foes and skating to a big lead against the over-matched Anaheim Wildcats, the Bulldogs let complacency and a lack luster performance allow Anaheim to score four unanswered goals to tie the game late in the third period. Anaheim scored their final goal with just a few seconds left after pulling their goalie for an extra attacker.

Alliance - 3, PF Changs – 1: The newly named and sponsored Phoenix AAA team demonstrated that they will be a major force within district play this year. The Tier 2 National Champions two years ago, PF Chang's (formerly VOSHA Mustangs) have moved onto Tier 1 play with speed and discipline as a major component of their game. The Bulldogs matched their disciplined style in this game and produced their finest effort of the year. Team play and solid goaltending was enough to defeat this district foe.

Alliance - 9, Colorado Thunderbirds – 3: In their first meeting since the Rocky Mountain District Tournament, the Bulldogs showed that this team can score and score often. With defenseman and forwards contributing at the offensive end, a solid defense limited the Colorado Thunderbirds U16 attack. Once again, penalties were a major theme of this contest. The new USA Hockey enforcement limiting physical play will prove to be a major adjustment during the next few months.

LA Selects - 3, Alliance – 1: Alliance started the season with about as tough an opponent as you could find, as they faced an LA Selects team that has 14 returning players from last season's Tier I 14U National Championship Bantam AAA team. The Bulldogs battled them close, but eventually fell in Game 1 of the San Jose Jr. Sharks AAA Invitational in San Jose on Saturday morning.

Friday, August 11, 2006

U16 AAA Roster & Preliminary Schedule Released...

The Alliance U16 Minor Midget AAA Roster and Preliminary Schedule for the 2006-2007 season was released today, and this looks to be another quality team that should compete for Regionals and Nationals again this season. This group of Bulldogs will once again play an independent schedule, starting by heading to the west coast for the Labor Day Holiday to play in the Jr. Sharks Labor Day Kick-Off in San Jose, CA.

In addition to other events later in the fall, the Bulldogs will once again spend their Thanksgiving at home in Dallas for the 2006 EHK Sports USHN Challenge Cup. Alliance will also be hosting the 2007 Dallas Cup again this year in January, and will be going for their 3rd consecutive U16 AAA Championship in that tournament.

The Bulldogs will attempt to return to the USA Hockey National Championships after falling in the Regional Semi-Finals last season, ending a fine campaign ranked 10th in the Nation. Alliance was the 2005 Rocky Mountain District Champions and competed in the 2005 National Championships, finishing that season ranked 5th overall in the country..