The Northern Vermont Wildcats sent their talented Junior A team to the Hub Cup Showcase in Bridgewater, MA, this past weekend. The team made an incredible run on Playoff Sunday but fell short in the Championship Game to a talented East Coast Militia team.

On Friday, the Junior A team started off the tournament against a short benched but very talented AP Selects team from New Jersey. The 'Cats had a 4-1 lead at half time, but the Selects battled back to make it a 4-3 game with minutes left to play. Christian Thomas (Corpus Christi NAHL) buried an empty netter to secure the win for the 'Cats, 5-3.

Saturday morning featured a back and forth match-up against AB Hockey. After the half, the 'Cats were tied 1-1. A second half surge led by Nate Walker (Syracuse Stampede) and the 'Cats led to a 6 goal half, with 4 goals coming from Walker. The 'Cats would prevail to a 7-1 win.

Saturday night featured two undefeated power houses, featuring the 'Cats and the All-American Prospects (who won the showcase last year in 2015). A great hockey game had the 'Cats finish short in a 5-3 loss after a late empty netter by the Prospects. Kam Silvia (Diman HS) scored later in the 2nd half to tie the game, but it wasn't enough as the Prospects prevailed to finish the round robin portion of the shocase undefeated.

For the 2nd weekend in a row, the NVW program advanced to Sunday's Playoff Round at the showcase. This weekend, the Junior A team snagged the #5 seed heading into the Quarter Finals. Only 8 out of 20 teams advanced to the Playoff Round.

In the Quarter Finals, the #4 seeded New England Freezers battled the 'Cats hard, but it wasn't enough as the defensive minded Junior A squad was able to win 3-2 in a tight battle. Jestin Somero (Northern Cyclones U18) tied the game with 10 minutes left in the half and Walker scored the game winning goal with 8 minutes to play.

The Junior A team lived to fight another game, as they advanced to the Showcase Semi Finals againt the Natick Chill. A goal a piece from Walker and Scott Shorrock (Dartmouth HS) would be all they would need, as the team defeated the Chill by a score of 2-1 and advanced to their 1st ever Hub Cup Showcase Championship Game.

The team ran out of gas and ran into a strong East Coast Miltia team in the Finals. The Militia defeated the 'Cats 6-1 after a failed pulled goalie attempt lifted the Militia to the final goal of the game. Connor Berry (St. Mark's School) scored the only goal for the Junior A team.

Jake Horoho (Portsmouth Abbey School) was incredible in net all weekend for the team as he recorded a .950 save percentage and a 4-0-0 record in net, while Mark Stocker (undecided) did well in relief. 

On the defensive end, Austin Violette (Northeast College Prep) stood out to many scouts in the stands with his great defensive play and ability to create offensive from the defensive end. Alex LePage (Somerset HS) played strong shut down defense with David Piela (Durfee HS). Cam Speck (Phillips Exeter Academy) chipped in with three goals from the blue line, while Jake Pasquini (CP Dynamo) also played tough to round out the team's defense.

The entire NVW program is incredibly proud of the team for finishing 2nd out of 20 of the most competitive teams from all over the Northeastern and Southeastern United States. Well done by the players and coaches for a great weekend of Wildcat Hockey!