The Tier I Hockey Federation returned to the ice for another full weekend of regular-season action on September 19-20, with 78 games featuring 81 teams across all nine age divisions from 9U through 18U. Saturday carried the bulk of the schedule, but competitive hockey was the story throughout both days, as 25 games were decided by a single goal or finished in a tie.
From perfect weekends at the younger levels to tightly contested matchups in the Midget divisions, teams continued to build momentum as the 2026-27 season moves forward.
Squirt Divisions
9U
The 9U division was one of the busiest of the weekend, with 12 teams combining for 14 games. Jersey Hitmen led the way with a perfect 3-0 record, while the Piney Pirates and Rockets Hockey Club each went 2-0.
The division also provided an early example of just how close the weekend would be. Mercer Chiefs and PBK battled to a 5-5 tie on Saturday, one of several games across the THF that came down to the final moments.
10U
At 10U, the CT Jr. Rangers and Team Maryland both swept Saturday doubleheaders to finish their weekends 2-0. One of the division’s closest games came between Mid-Fairfield and NYC Hockey Club, with Mid-Fairfield escaping with a 6-5 victory.
Flyers Elite closed its weekend on a positive note Sunday with a victory over Mercer Chiefs.
Pee Wee Divisions
11U
With 14 games, 11U featured one of the deepest fields of the weekend—and plenty of drama.
Flyers Elite went 2-0, highlighted by a 4-3 overtime victory over Mid-Fairfield on Saturday. Rockets Hockey Club was also perfect at 2-0, and both of its victories over Team Maryland came by a single goal, 3-2 on Saturday and 1-0 on Sunday. Jr. Mounties joined them with an undefeated 2-0 weekend.
NYC Hockey Club and PBK also produced a competitive Sunday series. PBK won the opener 2-1 before the teams battled to a 2-2 tie in their second meeting.
12U
Few divisions produced more close finishes than 12U. Six of the division’s 13 games were decided by a single goal, beginning with a wild Saturday matchup between Hartford Wolfpack and CT Jr Rangers. Hartford won the opener 7-6 in overtime before the Rangers responded with a 3-2 victory later in the day.
The CT Jr Rangers then defeated the New York Saints 5-4 on Sunday to finish 2-1. Springfield Aces edged Hartford 5-4, Team Maryland beat Rockets 5-4 and Mid-Fairfield defeated NYC Hockey Club 3-2.
Through all the close games, Team Maryland and Mercer Chiefs emerged with perfect 2-0 records.
Bantam Divisions
13U
The 13U division was another showcase of tightly contested hockey.
Dynamo opened Saturday with a 5-5 tie against Hartford Jr. Wolfpack before Hartford took the second meeting 4-3. On Sunday, Dynamo flipped the script against NYC Hockey Club, winning 4-3 before the teams closed their weekend with another 5-5 tie.
Hartford finished unbeaten at 1-0-1, while Jersey Shore Lightning earned a 1-0 shutout over Flyers Elite. Philadelphia Revolution Elite and Mid-Fairfield also won their only games of the weekend.
14U
Red Bank Generals and NYC Hockey Club set the pace at 14U, with both teams finishing 2-0.
Red Bank’s weekend began with a 6-5 victory over the Mercer Chiefs on Saturday, while Flyers Elite and Rockets Hockey Club Elite engaged in a defensive battle that ended with Flyers Elite earning a 1-0 victory.
Midget Divisions
15U
At 15U, Red Bank Generals put together a 2-0 weekend to lead a six-team division. Jersey Hitmen and Mercer Chiefs supplied the division’s closest result Sunday, with the Hitmen taking a 4-3 victory.
Flyers Elite – BBNA and Rockets Hockey Club Premier also made the most of their limited schedules, winning their only games of the weekend.
16U
Jersey Shore Lightning turned in one of the strongest weekends anywhere in the THF, going 3-0 at 16U level. The Pittsburgh Stars were also perfect, finishing 2-0.
Mercer Chiefs Premier and Red Bank Generals both escaped the weekend unbeaten as well. Mercer defeated the New York Saints 2-1 Saturday before playing Red Bank to a 1-1 tie Sunday, leaving both teams at 1-0-1.
18U
The 18U division featured the lightest schedule of the weekend with four teams playing three games. Elmira Jr Aviators swept a two-game weekend series against Pittsburgh Stars to finish 2-0, while Mercer Chiefs earned a 2-1 victory over Philadelphia Revolution on Saturday.
Game of the Week: Elmira Jr. Aviators – 3, Pittsburgh Stars – 1
The Elmira Jr. Aviators 18U earned a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Stars 18U on Saturday night in the THF Game of the Week. Prior to the action, KRACH predicted a tight game, slightly favoring Elmira 55/45 over Pittsburgh.
Callum Biers opened the scoring for Elmira in the first period before Pittsburgh’s Anthony Torrance tied the game in the second. The Aviators broke the tie in the third when Andrew Sheehan scored the eventual game-winner on the power play, and Rich Phillips added another goal to secure the 3-1 win for Elmira.
A Weekend Decided by the Details
The numbers tell the story of just how competitive the weekend was. Across 78 games, 25 were decided by one goal or finished tied, meaning nearly a third of the THF schedule came down to the smallest of margins.
Jersey Hitmen 9U and Jersey Shore Lightning 16U each put together 3-0 weekends, while a long list of teams finished 2-0 across the federation. At the same time, overtime games, one-goal finishes and ties were found throughout nearly every age group.
With another weekend in the books, the early-season picture continues to develop across the THF as teams look to turn strong starts into sustained momentum and close results into valuable lessons for the weeks ahead.
The post THF Weekend Recap: Close Games Define a… first appeared on Tier 1 Hockey.
The post THF Weekend Recap: Close Games Define a… appeared first on Tier 1 Hockey.
