'WHAT WE DO WORKS': 14U BOYS KEEP ROLLING, CLAIM USHL AMERICAN CUP TITLE

 

So all the better to put together a fantastic performance on a blessedly suitcase-free weekend, like the BK Selects 14U boys did Dec. 6-8 in greater Rochester, winning the annual USHL American Cup powered by Wegmans.

 

In going 4-0 over the weekend, Head Coach Greg Collins’ team not only grabbed a banner in its first true tournament of the season, it also extended an impressive streak: Since Nov. 1, the 14Us have gone 12-2, with their only two losses occurring in overtime.

 

“The season’s been really good so far, really fun,” said Collins, whose team boasts a record of 17-8-1 and a national ranking of No. 7. 

 

“The biggest thing (last weekend) was it was our first tournament setting of the year. These kids play competitive games at the showcases, but there’s no winner at those events.”

 

It can’t necessarily be a surprise to see the 14Us sweep the American Cup, considering they went 2-1 in an NE Pack weekend in Pittsburgh prior to the Thanksgiving break. 

 

There, BK beat No. 2-ranked Shattuck-St. Mary’s and rival Long Island Gulls — the latter of which they also defeated, 6-3, in the American Cup semifinal Sunday morning. A few hours later, BK doubled down with a 6-3 victory over Hill Academy of Toronto, scoring three of the last four goals to close it out convincingly. 

 

“Boys just stepped up,” Collins said. “We had some players down due to injury, so we had to move some forwards back to ‘D.’ It was good to beat Hill (Academy) in the final … They’re a lot like us with the hockey academy model.”

 

“We talked before (the American Cup) about what it takes to win: Game management, puck management, not taking penalties. Good to do all that now and prepare for later in the season.”

 

On the offensive side of things, Matthew Lynn (Collegeville, Pa.) continued his outstanding BK debut by putting up a team-best seven goals and 10 total points in the American Cup, giving him 30 goals and 56 points in his first 26 games at the 14U level. 

 

Bobby Spang (Blackwood, N.J.) — a former Philadelphia Jr. Flyer like Lynn — lifted his season total to 55 points after posting nine (5g, 4a) in the tourney. Riley McLaughlin (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Ty Sullivan (Suffern, N.Y.) added five goals apiece to the cause. 

 

“I liked that we kept an even keel, worked hard, kept it positive and had high energy,” said forward Mason Maley (Ilion, N.Y.). “It felt rewarding (to win the tournament), because we worked up to this. It showed what we do works.”

 

Collins said Maley is one of the players he looks to in order to keep the vibes around the team productive. The coach commended Maley for still being willing to play aggressively despite recently returning from a broken collarbone. 

 

“I love having him on the team,” Collins said. “He’s here to be an energy guy, a character guy. He’s always positive.”

 

For his part, Maley said his attitude is a “key factor” in what he tries to bring to the program. 

 

“I think that if a team has a good attitude, it makes people feel comfortable to be themselves,” he said. “If people are comfortable they are more focused on working hard and not what other people think which (leads to) success on the ice.”

 

In goal for the American Cup, the 14Us split the duties three ways, with Garrett Rupp (Warrenton, Va.) and Xavier LeBlanc (Dieppe, New Brunswick) getting two starts apiece and Kingston DeLisle (Kahnawake, Quebec) one. Rupp led the 14U tournament with an .880 save percentage and a 1.59 goals-against average.

 

“At the start of the season we didn’t really know each other, but after a little bit we became one big family,” Rupp said. “I think that all of us having the same mindset to win really has been helping us succeed.”

 

Rupp, who was initially inspired to play the position by watching NHL legend Marc-André Fleury, said he embraces the emotional side of tending goal.

 

“The thrill of playing the position and that feeling when you make a big save to get the boys going really appeals to me,” he said.

 

Collins said that, in general, he’s been focused on building culture during his three seasons in charge of the 14Us. After all, out of the four boys squads, it’s the one that’s always going to be comprised mainly of newcomers.

 

“If the locker room isn’t a good locker room, you can’t create a good team,” Collins said. “The schedule we play is so intense that, if you don’t have buy-in, it doesn’t go well. We talk about leadership all the time.”

 

In addition to that conversation, the coaching staff instituted several postgame rituals that help to build motivation and togetherness. Things like awarding a cowbell to the player of the game — the one who ‘answered the bell’ — and playing the victory song in the locker room all can add up to a cohesive team culture.

 

“It makes it enjoyable,” Collins said. “It creates an environment where kids want to be at the rink. 

 

“If that’s there, the positivity’s there, and that shows up on the ice.”

 

BK nearly pulled off an American Cup double, as the 18U team also defeated NE Pack rival Long Island Gulls in the semifinal round, but fell to New Jersey Rockets in the championship game.

 

Konner Powell (Nashville, Ind.) paced the 18Us in points in the event with four (2g, 2a). Jason Simons (Webster, N.Y.) and first-year BK Select Lucas Marshall (Inisfil, Ontario) also scored two goals apiece.

 

The time at home for all four boys teams was short-lived, as the 14Us head to Edmonton, Alberta for the Canadian Crown event, while the 15Os, 16Us and 18Us head to New Jersey for more NE Pack action.