“This weekend our 12AA Royals experienced the thrill of their first hockey tournament at Halloween Howl in Hersey, PA and emerged victorious, coming home Champions of the Mite C- Skeletons group. With match ups against KB Graphix (4-1), the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Black (7-1), the Royals gave up the 3rd tournament game to the Reading Independence (4-6) but were hopeful they would see them again in the Championship game. Nearly every Royals player notched goals throughout the first three games, including amazing performances by Logan Tommaso, Roy Morzan, and Luca Rotondaro. Entering the semi-finals ranked #2, they edged out the Woodbridge Wolfpack (4-3) in a great game that had everyone on their toes until the end and included key goals by Brian Valente and clutch plays by Henry Whalen. As expected, the Royals were slated for a rematch with Reading Independence in the Championship. After scoring first, the Royals dropped to 3-1 and the Royals intensity on defense kept it held at 3-1 until the 3rd period, when two Royal goals tied it up 3-3. However, the Independence weren’t done yet, scoring and regaining the lead with only a few minutes to go. But the Royals held on, playing key defense and disrupting their attempts until a breakaway in the last minute of the game led to the Royals tying it up 4-4 and heading into OT. Defensive skills shone by all, including Logan Boccard and Vinny Jacobs. Both teams fought hard throughout OT and ultimately went into a shoot out. Royals goalie Blake Benway, who played a tremendous game (and tournament), shut out their attempts while Brewer Spinella and Matthew Minervini scored two goals to secure the Championship!”
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