The following is a release from Sno-King hockey:
The Sno-King 14U A2 Bantam hockey team won the Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association’s (PNAHA) State Championship in Spokane earning a spot in the USA Hockey National 14U Tier II Tournament to be hosted March 26-30 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Junior Thunderbirds went undefeated in pool play, beating Sno-King’s A3 team (4-0), the Wenatchee Jr. Wild (4-2), and the Spokane Jr. Chiefs (5-4).
The ability to work cohesively as a team ultimately helped the Junior Thunderbirds go on to beat the Tacoma Rockets (4-2) in the semi-finals. The championship game, held against Seattle Junior’s AAA Bantam team, ended in a decisive 6-0 win – earning the team its second shutout of the weekend and qualifying them for the USA Hockey National Tournament later this month.
“This team competed with a lot of heart, class, and determination,” said Doug Kirton, Sno-King’s hockey director. “We’re excited they have the chance to represent Sno-King at the national level.”
Sno-King 14U A2 is coached by Lloyd Shaw and Corey Schwab, both of whom have previous professional hockey experience. The team has amassed an impressive season record (46 wins, 14 losses, five ties) and play in both the Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association (PNAHA) and the Pacific Cascade Amateur Hockey Association (PCAHA) leagues. Their invitational tournaments have included the Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament and Phoenix Invitational.
The Sno-King 14U A2 team consists of middle school and high school players with birth years 2000 and 2001 and hail from the Seattle area including Auburn, Everett, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kent, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Renton, Sammamish, Seattle, Snohomish and Woodinville. Embracing USA Hockey’s Long-Term Development Model, the team includes many multi-sport athletes including a participant in last year’s Little League World Series, another attended USA Baseball National Development Camp, and a third is a West Coast Starz National Middle School Lacrosse athlete. Two of the Sno-King 14U A2 players will be representing Washington State hockey at the USA Hockey Nationals for a second year in a row.
