Northern Elite Wins Silver, Beats Regency but Loses to Shores A

In a game that started out a defensive battle, the Northern Elite Lions fought tooth and nail for every possession and stopped three consecutive 6-5 attempts by Regency in the first 3 minutes. With multiple exclusions called on Trevor Raisch in the first two possessions, the Lions had to switch up their defense to a more dynamic approach which forced Peter Berquist to be prepared for shots from all over. He was ready for them all. With the scored tied 0-0 at the end of the first, Regency was first to strike on a counter attack from the left side that was fired cross cage high that left nothing to be desired. A terrific shot. On the ensuing possession, Brandon Plihal found Jace Blazensky on the cross court pass and Jace mimicked a hesitation shot then buried a skip shot and it was perfectly placed underneath the goalies arm on the near side to even the score 1-1. Almost the exact same shot from the lefty side occurred for Regency two possessions later to put them up 2-1 with a few minutes left in the half. Again, on the very next possession, Berquist threw the ball deep down the lefty flat and Matt Baszucki picked it up and fired across the pool to hit Brandon Plihal on a back door drive and all he had to do was redirect the ball into the open net to even the score again 2-2. The half ended 2-2 and the Lions were beginning to gain momentum. It was not until the start of third that Northern Elite really started to push the defense. With Peter Berquist blocking just about everything coming his way, the Lions were able to press the perimeter and counter out hard which allowed for a multitude of ejections and man advantages for Northern Elite. Led by George Archbold drawing four ejections, on counters and the Lions converting on all but one of them. The nail in the coffin for Regency was when Brandon Plihal posted up inside and manage to flip the ball right over the goalie's head and into the back of the net. From there, the game was close, 5-2, but felt more like 10-2 as Regency stopped countering and their defense seemed to crack. Northern Elite pressed on in the fourth quarter with goals from Jed Rosen and Quinn Vitakis highlighting the depth of the team and their ability to continue to press the issue. The final score ended with a 10-2 victory for the Lions, sending them to the finals against a fierce Shores A team. While Northern Elite kept the game close for a period of time, much closer than any game Shores had encountered yet, but the size, speed and fundamental prowess that Shores displayed proved to be too much for the Northern Elite Lions to handle. Never the less the Lions fought to the very end and showed a lot perseverance to just stay in the game mentally. Could not be more impressed with the results and overall performance of the Northern Elite team. A number of parents and referees alike complimented them on their style, the respectfulness and approach to the game as they wore their uniforms proudly to every match. Go Lions!

Northern Elite A Advances to Top Four on Back of Wayne, Archbold and Berquist

In a day where Northern Elite had to play three games and the most important coming in the later hours of the evening, the Lions showed why they fared well in Winterfest. On the back of Ari Wayne's four goals, including an 8 meter bar down shot which became the game winner, Northern Elite pushed the envelope against a team who had only played one game during that day, which happened to allow them to play their subs the majority of the time. The Lions took on Xtreme with a lackluster first quarter, giving up 3 straight goals. While the defense was somewhat in question, Peter Berquist looked over at the bench and yelled "We're not losing this game!" Shortly after, the team settled down. George Archbold found the back of the net on three straight possessions with a counter attack goal, a beautiful layout goal from set and an absolutely mind blowing backhand that sailed right past the head of the goalie. The first quarter ended 4-3 with the Lions on top. From then on, Northern Elite would not relent, but neither would Xtreme. The Corona based club continued to push the envelope and counter hard after every missed shot that the Lions took, keeping the game within reach until the waning moments of the fourth quarter when Jace Blazensky linked up with Brandon Plihal who in turn flipped an incredibly aware pass to George Archbold who fired and hit the bar only to fall 3 feet from Matt Baszucki who would not miss despite a man on his back as he shifted from left to right hand and found a gap just above the shoulder of the Xtreme goalie. It was Matt's first and only goal of the tournament thus far. With :12 seconds left, the Northern Elite Lions stole the ball and the victory was theirs as was a guaranteed top four finish. While Ari Wayne and George Archbold led the team on the offensive end, it should be well noted that Trevor Raisch, Brandon Plihal, Jed Rosen and Matt Baszucki played tremendous defense to keep their opponents at bay on a number of possessions. Finally, After the three goals were allowed so quickly in the first quarter, Peter Berquist stopped numerous 1 on nobody attacks and even blocked two in the same possession. It took great defense to fuel the offense. Something that Northern Elite truly prides itself on. Northern Elite will face Regency tomorrow morning at 940am to decide who advances to top 2 or 3rd and 4th. Go Lions!

Northern Elite B Drops Shores B on the back of Matt Suever

In a game that started in similar fashion with the Northern Elite Gold team going up 3-1 at the end of the first quarter and up 5-3 at the end of the first half. The Northern Elite Lions were determined to not let fatigue set in and fiercely combatted the San Diego Shores B team in the third quarter. Quickly, the Lions attacked with a high corner shot from Cade Curry that proved that Northern Elite would not go away. Then, with a number of great drives, passes and tremendous defense, Matt Suever showed he was not about to let the Lions stumble late in the game. The Lions went down 8-7 with 2:20 left but had earned a man advantage. The coach called a time out and drew up a play, it didnt work. The shot taken was well off target and bounced well right of the goal. All but one of the players on both teams gave up on the ball and began to counter, but Matt Suever, who was originally out of position, drove ambitiously to the ball and immediately made a cross pass to a rising and aware Luca Pagano who caught and shot a beautiful cross cage, high corner finish, to record his first goal of the game and tournament. Then, after a tremendous stop by Logan Whalen, Matt Suever took off early and received an on point pass, again from Logan, and was able to draw a 5 meter shot with :18 seconds left in the game. He converted the shot with a perfectly placed skip shot into the high corner. The crowd went wild and so did the boys. In a tournament where the Lions B team is playing much larger and more experienced players, their will and desire have kept them in every single game until just after half. The flow of their game, their ability to work hard and make plays despite being oversized and their desire to succeed is overwhelming and they have inspired a ton of people during their trip to San Diego. I could not be more proud of this group.

Northern Elite A Handles Shores C, NE B Shocks Newport A in First Half

Northern Elite A In a game against a home team in a distant pool, you dont typically like seeing the last ref who nearly ejected your entire team in the last tournament show up. However, regardless of who the referee was, the Northern Elite Lions played a maturing first quarter as they were not at their sharpest. Yielding 1 goal to Shores C in the first was enough to put them behind 1-0 at the end of the quarter. However, once the team settled down, found their rhythm and got into their flow in the second quarter, the game quickly turned from 1-0 to 3-1, Northern Elite leading at half. As the game continued to come together, so did their continuity. While Peter Berquist found numerous counter attackers at the far end with perfect passes, a somewhat contrast to the first quarter, the team found ways to finish. Fortunately, Northern Elite proved to be too fast and too much for Shores C and the final rounded out to be 13-3 as the Lions found a way to win. Their next match will be against Shores A, a team that watched the entire game, at 11:20am. Northern Elite B While underdogs would mildy describe what the Lions B team is viewed as, Newport A found them to be grittier than expected. Matt Suever pocketed two early goals to put the Lions on top and Cade Curry added a pair of his own. Logan Whalen played stellar defense in the goal in the first half and the Northern Elite team found a way to play tremendous team defense and put themselves ahead of Newport A 6-4 at halftime. This not only shocked the Newport coach, but the Newport parents as well. As the sun began to set and the night began to creep in, the switch for the lights were nowhere to be found. And, instead of sending a search committee to find them, the referees asked that play continue in the pitch dark. While it was nearly impossible to see the other end of the pool, no less which team each player was on, the players fought valiantly against a continued counter attack and physical defense by the Newport Sailors. Without being able to see the ball, players had trouble finding the open man which ultimately led to a number of strong counter attacks by Newport. In the first instance, Alec Berquist now in goal, came out and stuffed a 1 on Nobody attack and set a strong tone for the rest of the Newport team to keep away from his cage. And they did just that. Newport began taking shots from nearly half and putting them away, using the darkness to their advantage and ultimately taking over the game in deciding fashion. While this game may have been a loss in the score books, the amount of courage and desire the Northern Elite Gold team displayed was truly tremendous to watch and be a part of. The coach of the Newport squad gave a very sincere compliment to the players saying that they were one heck of a team for being mostly younger players. Northern Elite Gold plays tomorrow morning at 10:30am. Take care and Go Lions!