WEST CHESTER, Pa. \u2014 The Carolina Jr. Hurricanes (CA) defeated the Greenville Rage (SC) on Sunday to win the 1A title for the 2026 Chipotle-USA Hockey Youth Tier II 18U National Championship at Ice Line Quad Rinks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A solid collective effort by\u00a0the Jr.\u00a0Hurricanes\u00a0on all fronts allowed the team to capture the title.\u00a0Goalie Gavin\u00a0Lowry\u00a0made 20 saves to anchor the defense, while\u00a0Alexander Ribar scored the game\u2019s final two goals to secure the win for Carolina. <\/p>\n
Jr. Hurricanes coach Derek Mazepa felt this was the perfect way to celebrate this group of kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis win is massive. We\u00a0have five guys who have been to\u00a0the nationals\u00a0three times. It\u00a0feels good to bring one home for them and the\u00a0team,\u201d Mazepa said.\u00a0\u201cWe have 12 kids that aren\u2019t coming back and may never play again,\u00a0to send them off like this,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0honestly no better way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Carolina opened the scoring 4:10 into the matchup when Cooper Macdonell found the back of the net for a finish off a behind-the-net pass from Oliver Cowan. <\/p>\n
Greenville\u00a0answered\u00a0with 5:21 left in the first\u00a0period on a power play.\u00a0Derek Baldassara\u00a0found\u00a0the puck in a cluster,\u00a0broke away from the\u00a0traffic,\u00a0and snapped off a\u00a0shot\u00a0to tie the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Jr. Hurricanes\u00a0regained the lead\u00a013:41 into the second.\u00a0Cowan broke toward the net, weaving through defenders and sending a backhand pass to\u00a0teammate Bradyn Evans,\u00a0who made a move on the keeper and\u00a0snuck it in\u00a0to put Carolina up 2-1.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Rage\u00a0retaliated,\u00a0tying the game\u00a0with 8:23 left in the second.\u00a0Travis Anderson\u00a0needled his way to the net, cutting past defenders and\u00a0firing a shot\u00a0into the net.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Rage\u00a0picked up a penalty just 20 seconds later. Cowan\u00a0took advantage of the open ice. He weaved past defenders to create space for a shot,\u00a0which Greenville goalie Cameron MacDonald deflected wide. However, Ribar\u00a0who tapped in the rebounds to give the Jr. Hurricanes the lead only 66 seconds after they conceded. <\/p>\n
Cowan continued his stellar playmaking performance in the third period when he picked up his fourth assist of the game. During a five-on-three power play for Carolina, Cowan sent a pass to Riber in front of the net and he netted his second goal of the game to secure the 4-2 win. <\/p>\n
Lowry made several key saves, including stopping a breakaway late in the second\u00a0period.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m\u00a0happy to have played well and\u00a0represented\u00a0the 07\u2019s and my brother who\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0be here\u00a0today,\u201d Lowry said.\u00a0\u201cI love all the guys apart of the team;\u00a0we knew that this one was going to be ours.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n