48 Hours

by Alex Morrison

The past 2 days at the NARCh Finals have been memorable.  From the ridiculous amount of kids on the rink for the Mite Silver/Club skills competition, to the intense Junior Platinum 2OT semifinal thriller, we have had a plethora of action here in San Jose.  Here are a few noteworthy moments:

Both Junior Platinum semifinals played out in different ways...

The first one saw Konixx Pure take on Verbero Voltage, a rematch of a game that took place at the end of the day Tuesday, in which Konixx ended the game early by mercy rule, winning 8-0.  The Verbero boys came into the game with a chip on their shoulder, and things ended up getting physical.  Konixx used their speed and skill to go up by a few goals in this one, and things ended on a sour note, as Cody Page was injured severely by a high stick, sending him to the hospital.  Thank goodness he is back at the rink today, with quite a few stitches and a concussion, but in decent spirits all things considered.

The second game was both intense and dull at the same time.  While things were close, there wasn’t much action in this one.  The teams were jockeying behind their own nets, and time was ticking off the clock.  Pama scored in the 2^nd half, and held on to the 1-0 lead for quite a while.  Vanquish was able to tie late it in that half.  The teams played a relatively uneventful overtime period, with a couple scoring opportunities each way.  The 2^nd overtime had a bit more action, with shots taking place by both teams.  Pama was able to break the tie, with Delfino Varela netting the game winner a couple minutes in.

Today started off with a bang, as the Jokers and Pama Cyclones had a barnburner playoff game to determine who would go to the Mite Platinum final against the Renegades.  The Jokers were able to squeak through that one, and kept that momentum going, as they jumped on the #1 seed, going up by as many as 3 goals en route to a 4-3 win and a Platinum title.

The Mite Silver/Club skills competition had about 100 kids on the floor vying for the skills trophy and Labeda wheels that were being presented to the winners.  The atmosphere was great in the building for more than an hour and a half (yes, that’s how long it took), as we whittled it down.

Tonight, we are seeding teams into playoffs for tomorrow, and we prepare ourselves for the men’s divisions that will begin.  Keep checking the website, Facebook and Instagram for updates on this great event!