The first day of the U.S.A. Hockey National Tournaments kicked off with games for the Youth Tier-I divisions starting in Dallas, Texas and St. Louis, Missouri.

The very first game of the tournament featured the 14U North Jersey Avalanche, from the Atlantic District, facing off against the Rhode Island Saints. The Avalanche, who received an at-large bid into the tournament, came out strong, but ended up falling to the Saints 3-1.

In Missouri, the 18U North Jersey Avalanche skated to an easy victory against the Nashville Jr. Predators. Forward Michael Emerson picked up three points, and is currently tied for first on the 18U leaderboard.

Back in Dallas, the 14U New Jersey Colonials battled hard across two periods after letting one in during the first period. The Colonials gave it all they had against the St. Louis Blues, but ultimately gave up another empty netter in the third to post a 2-0 lost.

The Atlantic District’s at-large bid for the 16U tournament, the New Jersey Rockets, had a very strong game in Missouri against the Seacoast Spartans, posting a 5-1 victory. In the same division, the North Jersey Avalanche trailed the Nashville Jr. Predators for most of the game. They managed to bridge the gap part way through the third, but couldn’t put the final goal past the Predators, losing 4-3.

The North Jersey Avalanche started strong in the 15O tournament in Dallas, heading into the third with a 1-0 lead. They scored another one early in the period, spreading their lead to 2-0. Team Wisconsin responded, putting in two quick ones to tie the game before scoring a third. Wisconsin scored another empty netter, defeating the Avalanche 4-3.