The Esmark Stars Midget teams (U18, U16 and U15) were in action this past weekend in Blaine, MN, for the fourth showcase of the NAPHL season.

At the event, the U15 division completed their NAPHL schedule with playoff action.

The sixth-seeded Stars open the league playoffs against the Washington Little Capitals, dropping a heart breaking 4-3 decision in overtime.  The Stars had a 3-1 lead heading into the third, but saw the Capitals battle back and tie the score in the last minute of play, before scoring the overtime winner during 3-on-3 overtime play. They returned to the ice later on Friday and dropped a second consecutive overtime decision to the Nashville Jr. Predators, 4-3.  The U15 squad finished the round-robin portion of the event dropping a 3-0 decision to the Rocky Mountain Rough Riders on Saturday.  The Rough Riders would go on to win the 15U Championship and the Dixon Cup, awarded to the NAPHL Playoff Champion. The 15U Stars concluded the event with a consolation game win over the Colorado Springs Tigers, 5-4, and finished the NAPHL season with a 6-5-0-2 league record.  Overall the15U squads record stands at 14-18-4-3.

The U16 Stars opened the event with a 3-2 overtime win over the Sioux Falls Stampede.  In the second game of the showcase, the Stars would drop a tough 4-3 decision in a game extended through 3-on-3 overtime and into a shootout. The Stars would rebound with a 3-2 win over the  Arizona Bobcats in game three.  They would close-out the event with a hard fought 2-0 shutout win over Shattuck St. Mary's. The 3-0-0-1 showing improved the Stars NAPHL record to 10-2-0-1, and their overall record to 20-12-2-1.

The U18 Stars opened the event with a 2-1 loss to the Thunder Bay Kings, despite outshooting the Kings 28-11.  The Stars rebounded in game two of the event, skating to a 2-1 win over the Madison Capitols.  The Stars would drop an overtime decision to the Tampa Scorpions in game three, as the Scorpions would score a shorthanded tally in OT to grab the win.  The Midget Major Stars closed out the event with a 4-2  win over the Connecticut-based Elite AAA Hockey club. With a 2-1-0-1 showing, Esmark's U18 squad improved their NAPHL record to 7-3-0-4, and their overall record to 17-10-0-6.

One regular season event remains on the NAPHL schedule for the U16 and U18 Stars, NAPHL V, Jan. 27 - 29, 2018, in Blaine, MN, as well as the NAPHL Playoffs, and the chase for the Dixon Cup, Feb. 17 - 20, 2018, in Troy, MI.

Meanwhile, the U12 Stars were in Lansing, MI, last weekend to participate in the Border Battle, a unique event featuring five U.S. and five Canadian clubs with each club wearing jerseys representing their home country and each nation battling in an overall win contest to determine the winning nation.  The youngest Stars would drop decisions to the Windsor Jr. Spitfires, Lambton Jr. Sting, Hamilton Huskies, and Ajax Pickering in round-robin play, and a consolation game to the Lambton Jr. Sting, as the Canadian clubs would go on to capture the 2005 Border Cup.