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The Tri-Valley Blue Devils 14-and-under A team earned a spot to compete in Port Huron, Mich. this month by winning the 2017 International SilverStick Regional Tournament in San Jose.
The 14U A squad battled through a tough championship game against the host San Jose Jr. Sharks before scoring the tournament-winning goal in overtime to clinch victory in the Thanksgiving weekend event.
“I am very proud of my team,” head coach Joseph Carranza said in a statement after the tourney. “The success of the Blue Devils was the result of a complete team effort.”
“Different players rose in each game,” he added. “Every skater either had at least one point, made a key defensive play or helped set up an offensive score. Both goalies were outstanding. It was a complete team effort and success. This win wouldn’t be possible without all the tireless work and dedication of Tri-Valley coaches who help train this team.”
The 14U A team’s win was the second championship for that age of Tri-Valley Blue Devils in San Jose. The 14U B team was victorious in its division at the SilverStick regional over the Thanksgiving break as well.
The competition started slowly for the 14U A team, which gave up two power-play goals in the final six minutes of its opening game of round-robin play, a 2-1 loss to San Jose.
The Tri-Valley players then reeled off three wins in a row — against the Arizona Jr. Sun Devils, California Wave and Redwood City Black Stars — to earn a spot in the championship, outscoring those opponents 23-2 on the strength of solid goal-tending, strong defense and efficient offense.
Finishing round-robin play with a 3-1 record set Tri-Valley up for a rematch against the San Jose Jr. Sharks for the tournament title.
The Blue Devils found themselves down 1-0 while being outshot 16-11 after two periods, but they turned the tide on the Jr. Sharks in the third frame, outshooting them 10-5 and scoring the game-tying goal with 1:40 left in regulation.
Tri-Valley netted the game-winner with 1:59 left in sudden-death overtime to win the finale 2-1.
The 14U A team featured Matthew Braunbach, Jeffrey Brugaletta, Tanner Curtis, Mitchell Evans, Nicholas Franzwa, Jackson Gurule, Richard Harris, Hanna Huska, Matvey Ivanov, Neil Johnson, Cade Llewellyn, Wyatt Moore, Nicolas Poland, Joshua Purpura, Jeffrey Redding, Kyle Rodgers and Eric Zheng.
Carranza’s coaching staff also included Gordon Moore, Mark Redding and Richard Rodgers.
Congrats to the Blue Devil players, coaches and families. Beating the junior Sharks was a great win. Maybe someday we will see one of you in the big club in teal.