U16 AND U18 CLUBS COMBINE FOR 8-2-0 RECORD IN 2012 NAPHL PLAYOFFS

The Indiana Junior Ice program received a big boost this weekend as the U16 team finished the NAPHL Playoffs with a 4-1-0 record en route to the 2012 NAPHL National Championship.

Chase Munroe was a wall in all three starts, allowing only one goal over the course of the weekend.

The U16 crew was led offensively by forward Drew Doyon with seven points (4G, 3A) while Jason Tackett and Joe Chitwood both notched five-point weekends in five games.

The Junior Ice struck pay dirt first with a 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Storm on Friday.  Evan Okeley scored midway through the first period off a pass from Brock James and Cole Street to give Indy the early 1-0 lead.  David Drake followed suit with an unassisted goal four minutes later to take a 2-0 lead in the closing minutes of the third period.  Stephen Pack redirected a Grant Hutton and Jason Tackett pass 1:45 into the second period, finalizing the score at 3-0.

Patrick Lawson stopped all 31 Pittsburgh Viper Stars shots en route to a 4-0 win on Friday afternoon.  Jason Tackett finished the night with two quick goals in the first period.  Ryan Cason (G,A), Doyon (2A) and David Drake (2A) also finished the contest with multiple points while Ryan Murphy added another goal for the Ice.

The only setback of the weekend came from a 4-2 loss to the Omaha AAA Lancers on Saturday afternoon.  Ryan Ward and Murphy both logged late goals in the contest while Chitwood added two assists in the contest.

Sunday saw the Junior Ice getting back on track as the team scored a solid 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Jr. Titans.  Munroe equaled 40 of 41 shots while Chitwood (G, 2A) and Doyon (2G, A) both tallied three point games.

Indy completed their NAPHL U16 Championship run on Monday as the Junior Ice exploded for three goals in the third period to win the gold.  Munroe stopped all 36 shots to earn his second shutout of the tournament.  Doyon led Indy offensively with two goals while Pack (G,A) and Benjamin Lau (2A) both added multiple point games.

The Indiana Junior Ice U18 squad also had a strong showing in the 2012 NAPHL Playoffs.  In the Silver Bracket, the U18 squad finished the weekend with a 4-1-0 record while outscoring opponents 18-8 in the process.  Five different Junior Icemen logged five points across the five games while Cam Lerner earned a 3-1-0 record with a 1.75 GAA and a .920 save percentage.