From a championship game in Flagstaff, to a lopsided win in Tucson, it was a busy weekend for Jr. Sun Devils teams across the state. With Thanksgiving and holiday tournaments just around the corner, all but three DYHA teams took advantage of some preparatory tune-up games.

U18 AA
Last week: Off
Next game: November 20 vs. Flagstaff Northstars U18 AA, 12:40 PM at Oceanside Ice Arena

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U16 AA (Whyte)
Last week: 2-0 Win vs. Jr. Sun Devils U16 Combo
Sean Whyte’s squad won their intra-association game against the U16 Combo team behind two third period goals from Anthony Smith and Mason Parker. The two late goals masked what was an otherwise tight game between the two U16 Jr. Sun Devil’s teams, who played to a 1-1 tie in their last meeting back in September. The U16 AA’s used Saturday’s victory to bounce back from a winless showing in the Bauer Invitational in Chicago two weeks ago. The victory also sets the stage for a run of games against in-state rivals in the coming weeks; the Jr. Devil’s will face CAHA-U16 and Mission-U16 each twice in their next four games.

Next game: November 18 vs. CAHA-U16, 8:40 PM at Ice Den Scottsdale

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U16 Combo (Collins)
Last week: 0-2 Loss vs. Jr. Sun Devils U16 AA; 3-1 Win vs. CAHA-Chandler
On the flip side, Todd Collin’s U16 Combo team recovered from Saturday’s loss by snatching a 3-1 win on the road against CAHA-Chandler. After a scoreless 1st period, the Jr. Devils struck twice in the 2nd, getting goals from Skyler Sanchez and Matt Peterson. Jacob Schneider added an insurance tally in the 3rd, ensuring a stifling defensive effort from the Jr. Devils didn’t go to waste. The Jr. Coyotes were only able to generate 16 total shots on net in the game, and saw 15 of them saved by goalie Matt Sigrist.

Next game: November 20 vs. AHU Knights, 9:50 AM at AZ Ice Gilbert

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U14 AA (Damyanovich)
Last week: 0-2 Loss vs. CAHA-Scottsdale 02
The Jr. Sun Devils fell to one of their in-state rivals at Ice Den Scottsdale Saturday morning, as they were unable to take advantage of a solid defensive effort. The low-scoring affair was up for grabs early, with the best chance of the 1st period falling the Jr. Devil’s way; CAHA was assessed a 5-minute major penalty with 5:20 to go in the period, but where able to kill it off. The Jr. Coyotes turned the game around in the 2nd and 3rd, scoring in each of those periods, while relying on goalie Nate Flores to keep DYHA off the board. Flores finished the game with 20 saves, the same amount Jr. Devil’s goalie Kalie Howard made in the losing effort.

Next game: November 17 vs. Mission-Red, 7:30 PM at AZ Ice Peoria

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U14AA 03 (Fryer)
Last week: Off

Next game: November 15 vs. Mission-Red, 7:30 PM at Oceanside Ice Arena

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U14 Combo (Collins)
Last week: 4-6 Loss vs. CAHA-Chandler 02
The U14 Combo Jr. Sun Devils faced off against the CAHA-Chandler 02 Jr Coyotes on Saturday for the second time in nine days. The Jr. Devil’s however lost to the Jr. Coyotes again, despite improving upon their previous performance from days earlier. After losing on November 3rd 6-2 against the Chandler Coyotes, the Jr. Devils kept the rematch tight, and trailed only 4-3 going into the third period. Despite giving up another goal in the early in the 3rd, DYHA clawed back to within one later in the period, trailing just 5-4, before a late empty netter by the Coyotes clinched a win for the visitors at Oceanside.

Next game: November 25 vs. AHU-Black, 8:25 AM at AZ Ice Gilbert (Thanksgiving Shootout Tournament)

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U12 04
Last week: Off
Next game: November 17 vs. Jr. Coyotes 04 AAA, 7:20 PM at Ice Den Scottsdale

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U12 05
Last week: 2-7 Loss vs. CAHA-Scottsdale 05; 7-3 Win vs. Flagstaff Northstars
The Jr. Devils U12 05 team needed a resilient mentality to get back in the win column last weekend. After losing to CAHA on Saturday morning by five goals, the Jr. Devils faced a Flagstaff team that beat DYHA 7-0 a week earlier. However, the Jr. Devils steadied the ship, and came from behind to win the rematch 7-3. Despite conceding the opening goal of the game, the U12 05s answered with four goals of their own in the 1st, and never looked back. It was their first win since October 22nd, and their third in four games against Flagstaff.

Next game: November 19 vs. Nevada Storm, 3:15 PM in Las Vegas

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 U12 Combo (Sehring)

Last week: 10-1 Win vs. Tucson; 11-2 Win vs. Tucson
The U12 Combo team made easy work of a double-header against the Tucson Wildcats over the weekend, winning both legs of the home-and-home comfortably. On Saturday at Oceanside, Weston Eby led the way offensively, scoring a hat trick in the 10-1 victory. Goalie Chase Ebeyer saved 10 of the 11 shots he faced, none of which coming in a first period dominated by the Devils.

On Sunday in Tucson, Eby again scored a hat trick, while Thomas Hickey chipped in two goals of his own. The defense repeated their impressive performance on Sunday, only letting 8 total shots get to goalie Aaron Mittendorf; in the two games combined, Tucson got just 19 shots on target.

Next game: November 20 vs. El Paso, 9:50 AM at Oceanside Ice Arena

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U10 Squirts
Last week: Runners Up at Red, White, & Blue Classic in Flagstaff, AZ; 2-2 record
The U10 Squirts took a big step forward in Flagstaff over the weekend, advancing to the championship game of the Red, White & Blue Classic. In their tournament opener, the Jr. Devils were buoyed by Wilson Gray’s hat trick, and defeated the CAHA Jr Coyotes 4-2.

Kyle Ensley’s 2nd star-worthy performance was not enough in Saturday’s night cap however, as the Jr. Devils struggled against Mission in a 9-0 loss.

Sunday morning’s meeting with the Flagstaff Northstars became a de facto semi-final, with DYHA needing a win to advance to the title game. After a tight 1st period that saw the Devils take a 2-1 lead, Alyssa Wilson and company exploded for five goals in the 2nd. Wilson scored twice in the frame, and helped give the Jr. Devil’s an insurmountable 6 goal lead. Micah Schreckengost recorded ten saves, while Andrew Schneidmiller (3 goals, 1 assist) and Nolan Christensen (1 goal, 2 assists) were named 1st and 3rd stars of the game, respectively.

The win against the hosts ensured the U10s of a spot in the championship game, giving them a second chance against Mission. Kyle Ensley scored early in the first period to keep DYHA within striking distance, but the Jr. Devils were eventually over-ran by Mission, who scored six times in the opening frame. Despite the eventual 9-2 loss, the Squirts walked away from the tournament being able to take positives away from their two wins, and from their 2nd place finish.

Next game: November 19 vs. Nevada Storm, 12:40 PM at Oceanside Ice Arena