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For Third Consecutive Year, Three Steel City Selects Teams Will Represent the Mid American District at the USA Hockey National Championships

By Webmaster, 03/26/18, 10:30PM EDT

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Each team records a shutout in the District Championships

Steel City Selects (SCS) Girls Tier II 14U, 16U and 19U hockey teams will represent the Mid American District at the 2018 USA Hockey National Championships for the third consecutive year, showcasing the depth of women’s hockey talent to be found in Western Pennsylvania. The three teams qualified by winning their age levels at the Mid American District Championships, hosted by Steel City Selects, March 9-11th in Warrendale, PA. Each team will compete against the other district champions from across the United States for the national crown in Marlbourgh, Massachusetts, April 5-9th. 

The 19U Selects return to Nationals after winning the bronze medal at last year’s National Championships. Olivia Cindrich scored short-handed against the Mid State Mustangs, igniting her team which skated to a 5-0 victory to begin the tournament. Goalie Katie Hill posted the shutout.  After trailing 1-0 against the Armstrong Arrows in their second game, Grace Johnson scored two goals and SCS won 2-1 to punch their ticket to Nationals. The 19U Selects are graduating approximately half their team at the end of this season and Nationals will be the final ride for this group of players; they are hoping to go out on top!  The team played nearly 40 games this season, mostly against the top teams in the U.S. and Canada.

The 16U Selects are making their fifth consecutive trip to Nationals; the past two years, the team advanced to the quarterfinals at Nationals. The 16U team secured the 2018 MidAm championship by shutting-out the Gilmour Gladiators 4-0. Goalie Hannah Vogel earned the shutout but the entire team executed stifling defense and held Gilmour to 13 total shots in the game. The 16U Selects team played over 40 games throughout the season, and they are currently ranked #25 in the country (http://myhockeyrankings.com/rank.php?y=2017&a=d&v=2006 ).

The 14U Selects team returns to Nationals for the third straight season. This year, the team battled through two tight games to earn their way to Nationals. In their first game, they faced the Columbus Blue Jackets and it looked like the game was headed to overtime, until Cami Evans scored with less than two minutes remaining to give SCS a 1-0 victory. Goalie Karri Albertini earned the shutout for SCS. The team faced-off against the Cleveland Lady Barons in their second game and due to a Lady Barons loss to the Blue Jackets earlier in the tournament, all SCS needed to advance to Nationals was to make it to overtime.  SCS took an early lead in the game, but the Lady Barons rallied with two goals in the third period to tie the game sending it to overtime, but also sending SCS to Nationals.