Mass. State 14U Tier I Championship: Top Prospects

The South Shore Kings earned the state’s bid to USA Hockey’s National Championship. (Elizabeth Cohen/Mass. Hockey)

The South Shore Kings won the Massachusetts State 14U Tier I Championship with a perfect record of 5-0, including wins over Boston Advantage and Neponset Valley River Rats in the semifinals and final, respectively.

With the tournament victory, the South Shore Kings earned the state’s bid to USA Hockey’s National Championship April 3-8 at the UPMC Lemieux Complex in Cranberry Township, Pa.

Sunday’s final was an entertaining tilt that could have been far from it after the South Shore Kings took a 3-0 lead. However, the River Rats fought back to cut the deficit to 3-2. A shot from the right point in the waning minutes whistled just wide, or the game could have headed to overtime.

The South Shore Kings were by far the deepest team of any of the eight that were competing over the weekend. The team still won, despite missing three of its better players who are still competing for their respective high schools. BC High’s Chris Romaine, Bishop Hendricken’s Brady Berard, and Lasalle’s Austin Tasca were the three missing players.