Both the 14U UA Blue and Gold teams traveled to far-away lands to face top competition in the Freedom Cup (Philadelphia, PA) and the Rochester Fall Classic (Rochester, NY).

Freedom Cup
The 14U UA Blue team started their campaign in high style by blanking the New Jersey Freeze (Grey) 8-0. The 14U UA Blue team then stormed two teams from Long Island, NY with impressive 5-2 win over the PAL Sound Tigers and a 7-2 victory over the Long Island Ice Cats.

Moving into the elimination round as the top team from their division, UA Blue faced the #2 team from the other division, Appalachian Elite AA (Ebensburg, PA).

The Elite jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after the first period and it seemed that the UA Blue’s ship was about to sink.  However, the team showed great resilience and poise in a fabulous comeback to nip the Elite 4-3.

The final game was a tense affair against the New Jersey Freeze UA team, the #1 team from the other division.  The Freeze’s goaltender was outstanding turning away a number of great scoring opportunities.  But the UA Blue was not to be denied on this day, taking home the Freedom Cup with a 3-1 victory.
 
Rochester Fall Classic
The 14UA Gold mixed it up with AA teams from Canada, Michigan, New York and New Jersey.  The UA Gold started the tournament with a pair of strong 5-2 wins against the Caledon Hawks AA (Ontario) and the Hollydell Hurricances A (NJ).

In their third game, UA Gold punched their ticket to the elimination round by punching out the Penington Blades (NY) by a score of 9-1.

The final game of the round robin proved to be their toughest yet with a 4-4 draw against the Guelph Gryphons AA (Ontario).  The draw allowed the Gryphons to slide into the final spot of the elimination round.

In the semifinal game, UA Gold faced the Saginaw Jr Spirit (MI).  The game was a seesaw affair requiring an overtime period and eventually going to a shootout.  UA Gold prevailed 4-3 to reach the final game.  Waiting there were those same Gryphons who handed the #1 seed, Carolina Jr Hurricanes, their first defeat of the year (2-1) in the other semi-final.

Despite a valiant effort in the finals, the UA Gold could not find the net in their rematch with the Gryphons and were defeated 3-1 to take second place.
 
MYHA congratulates both 14U UA teams for their great efforts!