Maine Hockey Journal

Junior Pirates claim pair of national champions

The Portland Junior Pirates are bringing home some hardware from the USA Hockey National Championship Tournament after claiming the national title in both the U19 Tier II Girls and U18 Tier II Boys.

It is the first national championship of any kind for the Junior Pirates program which had been in existence since 2003 when Jay Pecora co-founded it, now head coach at Wentworth College, along with Sean O’Brien.

The Girls’ U19 squad claimed its national championship after defeating the East Coast Wizards of Bedford, MA, 2-1, Monday afternoon in Lansing, Michigan.

Aimely Michaud-Nolan and Danita Storey each scored a goal, and Paige Fontaine stopped 20 of 21 shots to secure the victory for the Junior Pirates.

The roster for the Girls’ U19 squad has some of the top talents from girls’ high school programs around the state. Danita Story played for Greely. Elizabeth Gross and Alyssa Hulst suited up for Scarborough and it was less than two months ago when Paige Fontaine, Allison Frechette, and Lauren DeBlois capped off an undefeated season for Lewiston by winning the State Championship against Martina St. Angelo’s Falmouth Yachtsmen.

That was likely Fontaine’s final game in net in any sort of competitive hockey. Currently a senior at Lewiston, she plans on attending Unity College in the fall to study Conservation Law Enforcement and become a game warden.

To get to the National Tournament, the Junior Pirates needed to win its regional tournament which they did in convincing fashion by sweeping all five games at the tournament held in Rhode Island. It is the Jr. Pirates second trip to the National Tournament after earning a spot in last year’s National Championship.

This season the Junior Pirates were on a mission.

Alyssa Hulst, daughter of former Portland Pirate Capt. Kent Hulst, led the 12-team round robin tournament in scoring with 17 points in four games. Fontaine posted two shutouts during pool play. Seeded second in the Championship round, the PJP’s defeated Big Sky (MT), 9-1, and Marquette (MI), 6-1, to earn a berth in the championship game.

The Girls’ U19 squad will have to share its trophy cabinet with the U18 Tier II boys after they won their championship in epic fashion with a come from behind victory over the Charlotte Jr. Checkers.

Matthew Brooks finished with two goals including the game-winning goal at 12:53 into the overtime, giving the PJP’s a 3-2 victory in Troy Michigan.

The Junior Pirates had trailed Charlotte, 2-0, in the third period before Brooks scored his first of the game. With 12 seconds left in regulation, the Junior Pirates tied the game on a power play goal from Kyle Woodruff.

Brooks intercepted the puck along the board, creating an odd-man rush where he shot the puck past Checkers’ goalie Tanner Bain for the winner.

Brooks, who played for Brunswick High School, led all players in scoring with eight goals, four assists for 12 points in five games.

The U18’s finished the round robin, 3-0, beating Casper (WY), 7-0, Golden Eagles (UT), 7-0, and Atlanta Phoenix (GA), 9-2, to advance to the championship round.

The U18’s took down the TVHA Hawks (ID), 7-0 to advance to the final game on Monday against the Charlotte Checkers.

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