T1ER Moves on to Championship Monday

The 2024 T1ER Dixon Cup Playoffs continued on Sunday, February, 18th. Day three crowned Silver Division Champions at the 18U and 16U level, semifinal games for the 13U and 12U levels, plus matchups for the 2024 Dixon Cup Gold Division Championships that will be played on Monday. 

Day 3 Recaps

18U: The Madison Capitols defeated Indiana Elite after netting four goals in the second period for a 6-1 game. Jacob Barth scored a hat-trick and goalie Cooper Langley picked up the win. The Colorado Springs Tigers edged Omaha Mastery AAA by a score of 2-1. Gabe Adams and Joseph Radiff netted goals while goalie Angeo Basson won in net. Philadelphia Hockey Club snuck past the Tri State Spartans in a 4-3 game. Max Findley scored twice and Cole Wertham stopped 26 shots. The Philadelphia Little Flyers beat down the New Jersey Titans in a 6-1 final. Nikita Ushakov had two goals and goalie Henry Goossen turned away 22 shots. The Las Vegas Jr. Golden Knights added two goals in the third to take a 3-2 win over the Ontario Jr. Reign. Brandon Cabral added two points and goalie Zander Harp stopped 23 shots. CarShield AAA and Biggby Coffee AAA went down to the wire where CarShield AAA won 5-4 in a shootout. Talen Garcia and Austin Richards both recorded three points. Goaltender Branson Appelman took the win in net for CarShield to head to the 18U Championship game. The Esmark Stars edged the Maine Nordiques in a 3-2 final. Timur Naletov added two assists and goalie Landon Buterbaugh stopped 35 shots. The Seattle Jr. Kraken shutout the Northeast Generals in a 1-0 game to win the 18U Dixon Cup Silver Division Championship. Ashton Reagan scored the game's only goal and goalie Ryder Ness stopped all 36 shots he faced. 

 

18U Gold Championship Matchups: 

CarShield AAA vs. Esmark Stars

 

16U: The Philadelphia Little Flyers took care of business against Omaha Mastery AAA, 6-4. Jack Colfer had a two point game and goalie Jacob Aranda stopped 26 shots. Biggby Coffee AAA won 5-2 over Philadelphia Hockey Club. Skyler Tuttle scored two goals and Hunter Jackson took the win in net. The Tri-State Spartans took a 5-1 win over the Northeast Generals. Carter Green scored twice, Blake Daviaux had a four point game and goalie Nigel Smith took the win in net. Indiana Elite won in overtime to claim their spot in the Championship game on Monday winning 3-2 in overtime against the New Jersey Titans. Brandon Murphy added an assist and the overtime goal in the win. Indiana goalie Hudson Kutchma took the win in net. The Las Vegas Jr. Golden Knights punched their ticket to the Championship game on Monday as well. After trailing 3-0 going into the third, Vegas turned things around to win 5-3 over CarShield AAA. Finn McNabb posted a goal and the game tying assist while goalie Vincent Vitale stopped 26 shots. The Esmark Stars topped Florida Alliance by a final of 5-4. Vitalii Ulianov netted two goals and goalie Kyle McLaughlin stopped 29 shots. The Madison Capitols won 4-2 over the Seattle Jr. Kraken. Eli Hahn had a two point game and goalie Eli Graf took the win between the pipes. The Maine Nordiques defeated the Colorado Springs Tigers to claim the 16U Dixon Cup Silver Division Championship by a score of 3-1. Demetrios Camene scored two goals in the win. Goalies Indiana Billing and Brayden Nebus shared the crease in the championship win. 

 

16U Gold Championship Matchups: 

Indiana Elite vs.  Las Vegas Jr. Golden Knights

 

15U: The Tri-State Spartans beat the Maine Nordiques in a 4-3 final score. Brody Feather scored twice and goalie Branden Turpin stopped 28 shots. The Philadelphia Little Flyers won 4-3 in a shootout against the Philadelphia Hockey Club. Goalie Page Faith picked up the win in the crease. 

 

15U Championship Matchup: 

Esmark Stars vs. Madison Capitols

 

14U: Orange County Ice Dogs took an overtime win 5-4 against the Seattle Jr. Kraken. Owen Shrader scored the game winner and Mason Ollom won in net. Omaha Mastery AAA beat Biggby Coffee AAA 4-2. Sam Snyder, Charlie Barnes, and Blake Kubesa all had a two point game while goalie Isaac Pilcher won in net. CarShield AAA scored two goals in the third to win 2-1 over Indiana Elite. Colton Hrubes and Caden Clark both scored and Cameron Burle won in net. 

 

14U Championship Matchup: 

Carshield AAA vs. Omaha Mastery AAA

 

13U: Carshield AAA shutout Vegas Jr. Golden Knights in a 6-0 game. Dylan Sutter scored twice and dished out three assists and goalie Richard Whittler stopped 15 shots for the shutout win. Florida Alliance blanked Little Caesars Farmington Hills, 4-0. Gunnar Lager had a three point game that included two goals and goalie Riley Lincoln earned the shutout in net. The Sylvania North Stars kept the Tri-State Spartans off the scoresheet, 3-0. The Esmark Stars won 5-4 against the Texas Tigers. Goalie William Hanner stopped 28 shots in the contest. 

 

13U Semifinal Matchups: 

CarShield AAA vs. Sylvania North Stars

Florida Alliance vs. Esmark Stars

 

12U: The Esmark Stars Red squad topped the Esmark Stars White squad in a 6-1 final. Micah Schenk scored a hat trick plus an assist while goalie Ixander Zamias blocked 12 shots. The Sylvania North Stars edged the Seattle Jr. Kraken, 4-3. Austin Beaudoin added two goals in the win. The Windsor Spitfires added two in the third for a 4-2 win over the Tri-State Spartans. Jacob Burleigh added two goals and an assist and goaltender Adriaanna Pare stopped 17 shots. The Columbus Capitals blanked CarShield AAA, 2-0. Tyler Hall and Grady Clifford scored, and goalie Avery Amon stopped 20 shots. 

 

12U Semifinal Matchups: 

Esmark Stars Red vs. Windsor Spitfires

Sylvania North Stars vs. Columbus Capitals

 

Complete T1ER schedule can be found here

 

All games are broadcasted live on NAHLTV

 

Digital Event Program

 

The 16 and 18U divisions will be divided into a Gold & Silver Division, based on a combination of factors to enhance the competition, balance, and development of the players and teams participating in the league event. Each of those divisions will crown a champion. The 14 and 15U divisions will crown a singular champion for each age group. The 12 and 13U divisions will be getting a taste of the NAPHL for the first time this season, and have an opportunity to win a tournament-style event as well. 

Each age division will be split into brackets and will participate in a round-robin consisting of three games, taking place on Friday the 16th and Saturday the 17th. Individual bracket standings will influence the quarterfinal (12/13U), semifinal (14/15/16/18U), and consolation matchups on Sunday the 18th. Winners of the semifinals advance to Championship Monday. 

 

The NAPHL’s T1ER Playoff Championships (Dixon Cup) are named after Dean Dixon, longtime coach of the NAPHL’s Lansing Capitals, one of the charter members of the NAPHL. In the Summer of 2013, Dixon was diagnosed with brain cancer. Even though the tumor was thought to be inoperable, it was successfully removed, and Dean continued his fight through radiation and chemotherapy. On March 17, 2014, Dixon ultimately lost his battle with the disease, but his influence and legacy on the Capitals program and the NAPHL is something that will never be forgotten.

Along with the chance of winning a Dixon Cup Championship, players this weekend will have the opportunity to showcase their individual talents in front of many NAHL and NA3HL scouts. To this date, 45 T1ER players have signed NAHL tender agreements for the 2024-25 season.

Follow the action over the course of the weekend here on our website as well as on the league’s Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter).