18U AA BLUE WIN NJYHL CHAMPIONSHIP

The New Jersey Colonials 18U AA Blue entered the NJYHL playoff weekend as the #1 North Division seed by the slimmest of margins over the Red Bank Generals.  The highly competitive division would throw all it had at the boys in red, white and blue but they managed to stay the course and achieve the goal:  NJYHL Champions!

The Blue took the first game 4-2 over Woodbridge on Friday, November 17 and quickly turned around the next morning to face the Ramapo Saints.  This is where the team found it’s first last-minute magic.  The game was tied 3-3 and as the last seconds of regulation ticked away, Drew George fired towards the net and found Michael Good in front of the net.  A deke and a pass to twin brother John Good who redirected the puck past the goalie for the win.  The team was headed to the championship game to face-off with the Red Bank Generals.

The final was a tight, defensive battle that saw Red Bank break through for the 1-0 lead.  With Red Bank holding on into the last minute, the Colonials found a new trio of last second heroes.  After a key faceoff win in the offensive zone, the puck found Hudson Rocheville at the point.  Rocheville quickly moved it to Ryan Zales.  Zales fired it towards the net where Zach Silva deflected the shot into the twine with 14.3 seconds remaining in regulation.  Carrying the adrenaline rush into overtime, Egor Tarasyuk found a lane and rushed from the defensive blue line past everyone and fired the winner.

The 18U AA Blue team are NJYHL Champions!  The team has qualified for the Atlantic District Tournament to be held in March 2024.  Keep your seatbelts on as it is sure to be a thrilling ride!