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Esmark U16 Captures NAPHL Championship

By AK, 02/21/17, 12:00AM EST

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Stars Earn First League Championship

The Esmark Stars AAA Hockey Club captured their first North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) Championship as the 16U AAA team skated to a 1 - 0 championship game win over the Rocky Mountain Rough Riders, completing a perfect 5-0-0 run at the league's annual playoffs, and earning their first ever Dixon Cup.

The Stars opened up play in the NAPHL's Gold Division Playoffs as the number four seed (10 team bracket) and drew an opening game match on Friday, Feb. 17, with the number 5 seed Meijer AAA.

Danny Tkac got the Stars on the board first, converting a nice feed from Ty Morin at 9:40 of the first period to give the Stars a 1-0 lead. Meijer would respond later in the period with a power play goal to even the score 1-1 after one.

The Stars would then score four consecutive goals during a seven-minute stretch of the second period to open up a 5-1 lead. JT Schimizzi got the scoring binge started as he scored the second Stars goal at 7:19 of the second period with assists from Andrew Wells and Billy Rapone. Wells would then score the first of three consecutive power play goals at 10:02 as Schimizzi and Justin Adamski earned helpers. Adamski would stretch the lead to three with a power play tally at 13:07, Ethan Webb and Rapone earning assists. Sam Hrabchak completed the power play run with a goal at the 13:55 mark as Rapone, his third assist of the game, and Johnny Macdonald got the helpers.

Meijer would not go quietly into the night though, as they scored a goal late in the second and midway through the third to cut the lead to 5-3 with a little over nine minutes remaining in the game.

Drew Murphy would give the Stars some breathing room as he tallied an unassisted goal at the 10:06 mark of the third period. Meijer would quickly cut the lead back to two as they scored 22 seconds later. But the Stars would close the scoring with an empty netter at 16:11 of the third as Christian Gorscak would score off an assist from Adamski.

Nico Pidro earned the win in goal recording 10 saves.

In game two (Saturday morning), the Stars would upend the number 6 seed New Jersey Jr. Titans, with a 4-0 shutout.

The Stars scored twice in the opening frame as Nicholas Caretta found the back of the net at 3:04, with assists from Billy Rapone and Christian Gorscak, and David Spinler stretched the Stars lead to 2-0 at 6:21, with assists from Gavin Morrison and Sam Hrabchak.

Christian Gorscak would score twice in the second period, the first 36 seconds into the frame on the power play and his second of the period at 6:49. Hrabchak picked up his second assist on the first Gorscak goal and Rapone his second assist of the game on the second Gorsack tally.

Nico Pidro earned his second win in goal, and the shut-out, as he kicked out all 24 shots he saw.

The Stars returned to the ice four hours later for game three of the playoffs and skated to a 3 - 1 win over the eight seeded Thunder Bay Kings.

Justin Adamski opened the scoring as he found the back of the net at 10:58 of the opening period on the power play. Billy Rapone picked up the lone assist.

Thunder Bay would knot the score at 1-1 with the lone second period goal.

But Billy Rapone would collect a pair of power play goals in the third period, at 1:02 and 14:40, to close out the scoring and secure the Stars win. Christian Gorscak earned the lone assist on Rapone's first power play tally and JT Schimizzi the loan assist on Rapone's second power play goal.

Adam Ulan turned aside 26 of the 27 shots he faced to earn the win in goal.

Esmark and three other clubs (Omaha AAA, St. Louis Selects, and the Rocky Mountain Rough Riders) completed round-robin play undefeated and advanced to the league playoffs semi-finals.

Based on goal differential and goal quotient, the four teams were seeded 1-4 for semi-final play, and the Stars, who were seeded third, drew the St. Louis Selects for a Sunday semi-final, while number one seeded Omaha AAA squared off with number four Rocky Mountain.

The Stars would fall behind for the first time in the playoffs as Selects forward Sam Watson opened the scoring with a quick tally slipping the puck through goalie Nico Pidro just 58 seconds into the game to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead.

JT Schimizzi would even the game at 12:24 of the first period, with assists to Andrew Wells and Ethan Webb.

Both teams traded a pair of power play opportunities in the second period, but neither team could find the back of the net.

Andrew Murphy would score the game winning goal 55 seconds into the third period, with assists to Christian Gorscak and Nicholas Carretta, on a power play that continued over from the second period.

Nico Pidro earned his third win of the playoffs in goal as he stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced.

The goal would propel Esmark into the Championship game, opposite Rocky Mountain ... who had upended Omaha 1-0 in the other 16U semi-final ... and a shot at the league's Dixon Cup, awarded to the league playoff champion.

A large crowd gathered to watch the final game of the 16U playoffs at the Troy Sports Center in Troy, MI, on Monday morning (Presidents Day).

Both teams traded a couple of high quality scoring opportunities and a pair of power plays in the opening stanza, but neither team could find the back of the net as Stars goalie Nico Pidro and Rough Riders goalie Andrew Miller stopped all the pucks they saw.

The Stars, however, would solve Miller early in the second period as they converted a picture perfect three on one and Andrew Murphy would convert a Christian Gorscak feed to give the Stars a 1-0 lead, 2:47 into the second period.

The 1-0 Esmark lead would stand through the remainder of the second and third periods as both goaltenders and defenses played outstanding hockey.

As the clock wound to zero, the Esmark bench exploded onto the ice and raced to greet goalie Nico Pidro, who recorded the shutout and win, stopping all 22 shots he faced, and Esmark celebrated its first NAPHL Championship.