Kalamazoo, MI – South Dakota’s team of 14-and-under hockey players defeated the Alaska Oilers 6-3 to win the 2022 USA Hockey Tier II 14U National Championship on Monday, April 4 in Kalamazoo, MI. This is the first ever national championship for a 14U team from South Dakota.
Team South Dakota (Team SD) struck first again, just as they had in every game of the tournament. With 9:49 remaining in the first period, Rapid City forward Cameron Ritter scored on a feed from Pierre forward Carter Sanderson to put Team SD up 1-0. Ritter recalls the goal…
Later in the first, Sanderson ripped a shot off the crossbar that dropped in the blue paint behind the Oilers goalie, where Aberdeen forward Carson Myhre knocked it in to give Team SD a two goal lead.
Alaska answered just 20 seconds into the second period, and then again with 5:15 remaining to tie the game 2 to 2. But Team SD regained the lead with 32 seconds left in the period, as Ritter found the short side of the net. Team SD went into the locker room holding a narrow 3-2 lead.
Team SD came out strong in the third, with Myhre scoring at 13:29 to extend the lead back to two. But the Oilers wouldn’t go away, tipping in a goal with 6:44 remaining to pull within one.
For the rest of the game, solid defense by Beckett Rothrock of Sioux Falls and Jaxson Danielson of Aberdeen held the Oilers in check. Rothrock says they played their best in Michgian…
Myhre says it feels great to get the championship…
Later in the period, Team SD showed the kind of offense they had displayed all tournament. With 5:21 remaining Rapid City Forward Colton Merchen scored on a pass from Brookings forward Riley Linstad to extend Team SD’s lead back to two.
As time slipped away the Oilers pulled their goalie, and with 52 seconds to go, Sanderson pumped in an empty net goal to seal the win. Merchen spoke about their approach to the tournament and the championship game…
Sanderson says he wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of guys..
Team South Dakota finished with a +18 goal differential, 11 more than the next closest team. Team SD also had six of the top 10 guys in points including the top four. Sanderson finished with 12 points in the tournament scoring six goals and six assists in six games.