4 Team DC Players in Quarterfinals at Nationals
Four members of the Team DC hockey club that will be competing in Pittsburgh at the USA Hockey America's High School Showcase April 14-18 have advanced to the quarterfinals of the USA Hockey National Tier 2 Championships with their respective club teams and will be competing today for the chance to at least come home with a bronze medal.
Defenseman Jimmy Zinter and his Ashburn Xtreme 16U teammates, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, take on eighth-ranked St. Lawrence at noon in Wayne, NJ, while forward Devin Lowe and defensemen Tiger Lindsay and Matt Cremen of the 29th-ranked Howard Huskies 18U team take on the No. 19 Delaware Ducks at 8 a.m. in Amherst, NY. Both games can be seen on www.FastHockey.com.
Other Team DC players who competed in Nationals this weekend include forwards Trevor Dixon and Phil Satin, defenseman Austin Kelly and goalie Charlie O'Mara of the 18U Tri-City Eagles as well as forward Kevin Polak of the 18U Reston Raiders. Tri-City had an extremely difficult draw, facing the No.5, No. 8 and No. 45 teams in pool play in the 3A division. Reston went 2-1 in the 2A division, but failed to advance because of a goal-differential tiebreaker.
Ashburn defeated the 10th-ranked Chicago Blues, 5-1, Thursday, No. 3 Team Wisconsin, 6-4, Friday and the 12th-ranked Skylands Kings, 3-2, Saturday to win its pool. Howard dropped its opener against the New England Edge, 3-1, Thursday despite holding a 1-0 lead after two periods and then rallied to knock off the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes, 7-2, and the Boise Hawks, 6-3. Howard trailed Boise, 2-1, entering the final frame before exploding for five goals.
Several Team DC players have been leading offensive and defensive contributors for each of their teams in the tournament. Lowe leads Howard and is second in the 2A division with five goals and eight points, while Cremen is third in 2A with four assists.
Satin led Tri-City with two goals and an assist, with Dixon contributing a goal and an assist and Kelly adding an assist. O'Mara saw time in goal in all three games for the Eagles, making 55 saves.
Quarterfinals and semifinals are set for today in both the 16U and 18U tournaments, with the championship games slated for Monday Morning.