Day 1 of T1ER West Showcase full of action in New Mexico
Look for the special event t-shirts on sale at the Outpost Ice Arenas pro shop this weekend!
The North American Prospects Hockey League’s (NAPHL) T1ER League West Showcase and NAHL Experience began on Friday, November 17th with 16 games on the schedule. The event is being hosted by the NAHL/NA3HL' s New Mexico Ice Wolves and runs at the Outpost Ice Arenas from November 17-19.
This is the sixth overall event of the 2023-24 season for the NAPHL, which is made up of the T1ER, SHOW, and FALL Leagues.
Watch all the games live on NAHLTV
Day 1 recaps
18U T1ER: In the first game of the event, the Colorado Springs Tigers edged the Rose City Pats, 3-2 in overtime. Jackson Albano and Reese Bynan scored in regulation for the Tigers, while Alex Sackett and Jayden Hitt scored for Rose City. Gabriel Adams scored the overtime-winner for the Tigers. The next game of the day would also go to overtime as the Northeast Generals topped the Arizona Bobcats, 6-5. Trevor Riggs had two goals in the Generals win, including the overtime-winner on a one-timer slap shot. Ryan Jim had two goals for the Bobcats in the loss. In the third game, five different players scored for Team Alaska as they beat the Wasatch Renegades, 5-3. Logan Mese, Mason Holler, Daniel Matveev, Blake Yawit, and Zidane Dietz all scored in the win. Cole Schmidt made 16 saves in the winning effort. Paxton Blake, Wyatt Hanna, and Lincoln Kearney scored for Wasatch in the loss. In the final game of the day, Ryan Pavlinsky scored two goals in the 3rd period to lead the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights to a 3-2 win over the Seattle Jr. Kraken. Jordan Khoury-Yacoub had the other goal for Vegas, while Dante Aurilio and Eldar Muratdinov scored in the Seattle loss.
16U T1ER: In the opening game of the morning, Lincoln Stars defenseman had the overtime-winning goal and an assist as the Stars beat the California Golden Bears in overtime, 3-2. Aaron Sachs made 26 saves in the win. In the next game, the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights got two goals apiece from Zayne Maragh and Ryan Oloughlin and three points from Fin McNabb in a 7-1 win over Team Alaska. In the third game of the day, the Arizona Bobcats got 27 saves from Logan Gibbs and goals from Nicholas Nunez, Jackson McCutcheon, and Edward Adams in a 3-1 win over the Colorado Springs Tigers. In the final game of the morning, seven different players scored for the Seattle Jr. Kraken in a 7-0 win over the Northeast Generals. Jaedin Mulvaney made 12 saves in the shutout win. In the afternoon set of games, the Colorado Springs Tiger bounced back with a 9-0 win over the Northeast Generals. Josh Schmitz made 22 saves in the shutout win and Charles McClinton III and Charlie Gage had five points apiece. The California Golden Bears won their first game of the day as Harout Arutyunyan had a hat-trick and an assist in a 6-4 win over Team Alaska. The Lincoln Stars stayed undefeated in T1ER play as they beat the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights in a shootout, 3-2. Isaiah Castro Villegas and Griffin Brown scored in regulation for the Stars and Grant Gatliff had the shootout winner. In the final game of the day, the Seattle Jr. Kraken got a 14-save shutout from Ezekiel Jenrich and goals from Ethan Rubio, Matthew Bombino, and David Han in a 3-0 win over Arizona.
The NAPHL T1ER League West Showcase event in Albuquerque will feature 16 teams comprised of 18U and 16U players who along with coaches will also have access to Outpost Ice Arenas full suite of hockey facilities used by the NM Ice Wolves NAHL and NA3HL teams including the Speed Gym, training rinks, full-service hockey and skate shop, team lounge, video room and locker rooms.
“This will be the biggest hockey weekend to ever hit New Mexico and it’s an excellent opportunity for hockey fans to watch some of the best young players in the nation as they play and experience the culture of the New Mexico Ice Wolves organization and all of what the Outpost Ice Arenas has to offer,” said Stan E. Hubbard, owner of the NM Ice Wolves and Outpost Ice Arenas. “We are proud to host this important event and highlight the growth of hockey in New Mexico and beyond. The impact and scope of what we’re building here as a premiere destination for hockey’s ladder of development.”
NAHL Games: In addition to the weekend NAPHL T1ER League West Showcase and NAHL Experience, Outpost Ice Arenas also plays host to NM Ice Wolves NAHL team as they welcome South Division rival the Colorado Grit for a three-game homestand over the weekend with Friday and Saturday games at 7:30pm MT and Sunday’s game starting at 5pm MT.
Things do to in New Mexico
- The Sandia Tram is 5 minutes from the arena. The ride up or down is about 15 minutes. It’s cooler up there but it is spectacular! https://sandiapeak.com
- There is something for everyone to eat at the Sawmill Market. Sawmill is very close to Old Town, so about 20 mintues from the arena. If someone is looking for a place for lunch or dinner but can’t agree on what anyone wants, definitely go to the Sawmill Market: https://www.sawmillmarket.com
- Visit Albuquerque is a decent resource for ideas: https://www.visitalbuquerque.or
- Old Town Albuquerque is about 20 minutes from the arena and a fun place to walk around and shop in a 400 year old square:https://www.albuquerqueoldtown.co
- Some of the best art museums are in Santa Fe, which is about an hour north, but the Albuquerque Museum is a good one locally:https://www.cabq.gov/artsculture/albuquerque-museum
- The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is a favorite. Anyone who watched the movie Opperman or likes history will find it fascinating: https://www.nuclearmuseum.org
- Not far from Old Town and also about 20 minutes from the arena is the Turquoise Museum. https://turquoisemuseum.com
- Acoma Sky City is about an hour from Albuquerque and requires at least a couple hours to see: https://www.acomaskycity.org/page/home
- Finally, remember that Albuquerque is where Breaking Bad was based and made. There are all kinds of fun tours around that TV series:https://www.albuquerqueoldtown.com/tours/breaking-bad-rv-tours/ https://www.travelmag.com/articles/albuquerque-breaking-bad-tours/ https://www.tourabq.com/page/abqtrolley
