16U Quick Facts

 League/Schedule: 

• The Beast Hockey League - www.beast.hockey Located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, the BEAST Tournament Series celebrates its 4th season this Fall 2020 having established itself is the top showcase league for U18, U16, U15 & U14. Simply put, in just three seasons, the BEAST league has set a new standard, and this is proven through both NCAA Commitments and National Championships.
  
  The BEAST Tournament Series has seen over 215 players make their NCAA Commitments, with over 95% of these players advancing to Division I colleges and universities.
   
• NAPHL (www.naphl.com) Arguably the top league in the Nation with a direct path to the NAHL. 5 Showcases plus regular season schedule that gives you 32 games against top competition.

Professional Coaching Staff:

• The team will be coached by returning head coach Justin Soryal.  This will be Justin's 8th year of coaching 16U hockey and during that time he has advanced players to the USHL, EHL, Prep School and 18U Full Season.
   
• Junior Advancement:
  Along with moving our players up to our EHL Junior A team we also promote players onto the USHL Tier 1, NAHL Tier 2, BCHL as well as New England Prep School Hockey.
   
• College Placement Advisement:
  Will be provided by EHL Junior Coach Chris Cerrella. The New Hampshire Avalanche is a one stop shop where you can go all the way through from Mites to the Eastern Hockey League Junior A Team and on to NCAA college hockey. Every year Chris is among the leaders in National College Placements
   

Practices:

• 3-4 On Ice Sessions Per Week. There will be a combination of skill and structured team play development

Travel:

• The NH Avalanche will cover the expense of bus and hotel for 2 trips throughout the season

Off Ice Workouts:

• Will be provided twice a week (approx. 50 total) at the new facility Roots Athletes. More info can be found at www.rootsathletes.com

Goalie Training

• Goalie Receive weekly on ice goalie training through PuckStoppers 

Captains Nicholas Fontaine and Matthew Hale and Assistant Captains Ryan Dann and Colby Lyons have been on the ice since they could walk (playing with and against each other) for more than half of their lives. Voted by their teammates and coaches, these four young men bring their individual personalities and love of hockey to define the leadership team of the U16 Full Season NH Avalanche for the 2020/2021 season. 

When asked what a leader means to him, Matthew shared that "being a captain means being a role model on and off the ice." Ryan added that he wants to "lead by example" and "be someone the other players can look up to." Nicholas offered that a captain "helps my team achieve success." Colby described leadership as "not being a follower in the line but taking that first step to lead the line." He went on to say that leadership is about "building people up and bringing the team together to create a stronger bond."

The Captains and Assistant Captains were asked about future aspirations. Matthew is ready to help the Avs "gain success as a team moving forward throughout the season." Ryan added "I want to inspire my teammates to be the best players they can be by always giving it their all and not worrying about making mistakes." Colby explained his goal is to always win games but that there is a "time to be serious and a time to have fun" and in the end, he wants to enjoy a season where everyone is "getting better at the game and making lasting friendships." Nicholas is committed to "show respect and determination" to "help my teammates excel on and off the ice" and "in the end to win as a team and be successful." 

The U16 FS band of brothers are improving their on-ice skills, making gains in the gym, growing as a team and enjoying playing a game they love. While this season is one for the history books, so are the Captains and Assistant Captains - we're excited to see what's in store for #88, #93, #17 and #4 and the entire U16 FS roster in the weeks and months ahead. The season has much more to offer and the guys are ready for whatever comes next. 

The boys traveled to Canton, MA, and Woonsocket, RI, to participate in the Columbus Day Showcase.  

Friday night the 16s faced the Boston Jr. Huskies.  After a tightly-played first half, the Avs dominated the ice and took the lead in the second half.  The ice tilted toward the Avs and then an unfortunate penalty, combined with the Huskies pulling their goalie, led to the game tying goal in the last minute of play. 

Saturday's head-to-head was a rematch with the Boston Hockey Academy - the Avs came out strong and scored in the first minute of play.  A second goal was scored and at the half, the Avs were up 2/1.  The Avs went up 3/1 and held the lead up to the final three minutes where a penalty was called and BHA scored a second goal and then a questionable high-stick goal evened out the momentum. Final score 3/3.

On Sunday  the team headed to RI to play the RI Hitmen.  The Avs ended up taking the 3/1 win.  Owen Cross scored the hat trick with Malik Johnson strong in the pipes seeing 26 shots!  

The entire team put forth a great effort and learned valuable lessons along the way.  It's a mental game, too! Props to the boys for changing up their game to comply with out-of-state guidelines while still battling on the ice!

All in all - any weekend is a great weekend for hockey!

U16 FS traveled to Connecticut knowing the draw had them facing off with top Beast League teams.  The guys battled on Friday but took a hard-fought 5-2 loss to the NJ Titans.  Saturday's competition got us back in the win column with a 3-2 victory over the CT Chiefs.  This game was a nail biter as they Avs were down  2-0 at the end of the first and rallied to come from behind with a 3-2 win.  Saturday night's rematch against the Boston Hockey Academy was a gritty 60 minutes of play and the guys took a 1-1 tie to finish off the weekend. 

The team of brothers are bonding, enjoying cellys, learning from mistakes, gaining skills and playing for the love of the game!  There's a lot of hockey - a lot of memories - a lot of growing in store!  October, here we come!

#rollavsroll

The team is a month into the season with a 7-5-1 record. 

We've been holding our own on the ice with all  four lines stacking up the stats. Our top line of Hale, Cross, and Fontaine have accumulated  27 points.  All six defensemen have contributed points from the blue line.  Maccioli and Johnson have split the time between the pipes and are getting their games on.

We're taking a road trip to New Haven this weekend to play in the Beast League Jr. Bulldogs Showcase. We've got a tough draw playing the CT Chiefs, NJ Titans and a rematch with the Boston Hockey Academy to avenge a 3/0 loss during our first meeting. 

Stay tuned for updates!  

#rollavsroll

The U16s had a successful second week of the season with wins over the East Coast Spartans and the New England Wolves. The boys tied the Boston Imperials for the final game of the weekend.  The season should prove to be a good one with strong competition and opportunities for development.  #rollavsroll 

Two weeks in and the guys are going strong!

The U16s participated in the River Rats Jamboree ousting the CT Chiefs and The Mass Edge to get two checks in the win column.  The East Coast Militia was a formidable opponent giving the guys the first loss of the season.

The Labor Day Tournament brought excitement to the stands as the guys won games vs the Northern Cyclones and the Islanders.  The Seacoast Performance Academy took the win for the final game of the weekend.  It's all just beginning! #rollavsroll