The CMA Prep and U16 hockey teams will be heading to the USA Hockey National Championships in San Jose, Calif., March 31-April 4. This will be the U16 team’s first trip to the tournament while Prep will be making its third straight visit.
Schedule details on the national tournament have not been finalized by USA Hockey at this time. Both teams advanced through the Mid Am District Championships, played in Columbus, Ohio, over March 11-13.
The Prep team, No. 4 nationally in the Tier I U18 rankings, advanced to the finals with 2-1 victory over the Ohio Blue Jackets. Prep got to the final game with pool-play wins over the Cleveland Jr. Jacks (10-2), the Cleveland Barons (4-2), and the Esmark Stars (7-3). The team is now 31-7-6.
The U16 squad also played the Ohio Blue Jackets in the finals, winning 4-1. The team advanced with a pool-play wins over the Pittsburgh Predators (13-1), the Pittsburgh Vengeance 6-1), and the Pittsburgh Pens Elite (4-3 in an eight-man shootout). After getting off to a 1-7-1 start, the U16 team is now 21-14-6.
The Culver Girls Academy team also played in the U19 women’s division, winning its first game against the Pens Elite, 3-0, but dropped the next two games, 3-1 to the Blue Jackets, and 3-1 to Gilmour Academy. The girls finished the season 12-17-6.
Photos of Prep and U16 hockey teams included.
