SEASON-LONG BUILD-UP PAYS OFF IN STATE TITLE FOR 16U BOYS

AMHERST, N.Y. — The most pressure a hockey team can face is a must-win.

 

To be clear, we’re not talking about just any big game. We’re talking about a literal ‘must-win.’ As in: win, or the season is over.

 

While there’s no guarantee of a positive result, if a team has put in the work over the previous months to build the proper habits, it gives itself the best opportunity to execute in those biggest of games.

 

For the BK Selects boys 16U team, that season-defining moment arrived on March 16, in the New York state championship game against the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. 

 

While their brethren with the 18U and 14U teams were already assured of making the USA Hockey Nationals by virtue of at-large bids, the 16Us (36-22-1, ninth in the nation) would’ve had to pack up their equipment if they didn’t claim the automatic Nationals berth that comes with an Empire State crown.

 

That wasn’t a reality until the top-seeded Long Island Gulls lost to the Jr. Sabres in the semifinal round, but everyone on the 16Us knew they had to deliver by the time the puck dropped for the state final March 17 at Northtown Center. 

 

“We understood that this was different from what we thought it was going to be,” said 16U Head Coach Dan Collins. “Ultimately, it wasn’t a bad spot for our team, because they found that extra push when they needed it.”

 

Boosted by a pair of power-play goals from defenseman Dominic D’Eletto (Quakertown, Pa.), the BK Selects rallied from an early 1-0 hole for a 4-1 victory over the Jr. Sabres in the state final, thus joining the 18Us and 14Us in extending their season into April.

 

Collins indicated that he could sense the team’s form was cresting over the previous several weeks, a feeling that D’Eletto echoed.

 

“We as a team worked our (butts) off everyday, on and off the ice, for two months before the tournament started,” said D’Eletto, a third-year BK Select. “We as a group knew we would be in that (championship) game and we would have to go through and face adversity and accept the new challenges along the way.

 

“What made the difference in the state championship game against the Sabres was how hard our coaches preached the little details and habits at the beginning of the year, and continued to hold us to a high standard all year long.”

 

Toronto-born forward Bodhi Ryan just joined BK Selects this season, producing 52 points (13g, 39a) in 54 games — including a hat trick against the Jr. Sabres in the tournament’s round-robin opener.

 

Ryan speculated that perhaps the added pressure of the state tournament was enough to put the team over the top, since they had hung with top competition all year, even though they didn’t pile up as many wins as they’d hoped.

 

“I think we have really been right there all along, and have been in some close games against some top teams,” Ryan said. “But I think as we’ve gone on we’re starting to understand the small intangibles it takes to win hockey games versus losing them.”

 

D’Elleto also mentioned that improved attention to detail was a difference-maker, listing off things like increased focus throughout games and even off-ice matters like being on time for team events.

 

But even when considering a promising build-up, it’s tough to know exactly how a team is going to react to the entire season being at stake.

 

“I think that we really became tighter and closer as a group,” Ryan said. “I can’t explain if it’s just the presence of the playoffs or just the fact that we had to fight our way into Nationals and we all knew our season was on the line. 

 

“But we just really came together and did it for each other. I ultimately think that’s why we won and that is why we will surprise a lot of people heading into Nationals.”

 

While it helps that the 16Us will have the moral support of two other BK Selects squads also preparing for Nationals, all three will be carrying out their championship quests in different locations. The 16Us will be in Madison, Wisconsin, while the 18Us (42-24-2, eighth in the nation) head to Pittsburgh and the 14Us (38-14-1, sixth) wheel to greater Detroit. 

 

The BK boys have claimed two USA Hockey national titles in program history, with the 16Us winning it all in 2022 and the 14Us following in ’23. D’Eletto was on the latter of those teams, skating as a defender for the first time in his life.

 

“I remember going through adversity that whole season and the different obstacles we got through together as a group,” D’Eletto said. “We knew we were a top team at Nationals, but I think most people saw us as underdogs, so that gave us as a team more motivation to go all the way and get the job done.”

 

Of course, previous championship experience is always welcomed, but it’s not required. More relevant is the journey this year’s team is undertaking. Unlike a lot of teams headed to Nationals, the BK Selects 16Us know what it’s like to come through with all of its chips laying on the table.

 

“There were glimpses all year that we could be ‘that team,’ but we didn’t really tighten everything up,” said Collins, who is aiming for his second national championship behind the bench. 

 

“They came together now, which is the right time to peak. We’ve been through the ups and downs, so we just trust each other to play our game.” 

 

USA Hockey Nationals run from April 1-6, which means the players and coaches will end up with about two weeks to prepare for the next biggest games of the season.

 

“I’m just looking forward to competing for this championship,” said Ryan. “It will take everything we have. The preparation has already started in the way we prepare our bodies off the ice, and in practice to be ready right from the get-go.”