Hockey youths chase national title
This threesome is hoping three's a charm.
Ronan Miller of Butler, Jace Rearic of Armstrong and Greg Smith of Freeport are joining the Armstrong Arrows U16 team at USA Hockey Nationals for the third consecutive year.
The four-day event begins Thursday in Wayne, N.J. The Arrows placed second at nationals there two years ago, then placed third in the event at Frisco, Texas, last year.
Miller, Rearic and Smith are the only three Arrows players who have been on the team for all three trips to nationals. The Arrows compete in the U16 Tier 2 National Championships, a 36-team tourney.
“We're all pretty serious about it this year,” Miller said. “I feel like this is our best chance to win the whole thing.
“Every guy on our team is 16. We know it's our shot and nobody's joking around or taking this lightly.”
The Arrows are 56-13-3 this season. They played in the Pittsburgh Amateur Hiockey League (PAHL) and the National Junior Prospects Hockey League (NJPHL).
Miller, a leftv wing, scored 22 goals in the team's first 60 games and is pushing a 30-goal season. Smith is a goaltender and sports a 36-4-1 record for the Arrows this season.
He has a 1.72 goals-against average, six shutouts and a .950 save percentage. Smith stands 6-foot-3.
“My height is my biggest advantage,” he said. “But I move well in the net, too. Quickness is a big plus.
“My key in these tournaments is to keep my emotions in check. If I let in a goal ... I have to just let it go and get ready for the next puck.”
Lee Grafton has been coach of the Arrows the past three years. He agrees that this year may be the team's best shot at a national championship.
“This is the first year I've been coaching where every single kid on the roster is 16,” Grafton said. “This is a focused group and the team chemistry is off the charts.
“Nobody has missed a practice. Nobody has missed a game. These guys are all in.”
The Arrows practice twice a week at the Belmont Complex in Kittanning, along with playing a heavy schedule. There are players on the team from Conneaut Lake, Moon, Penn-Traffoird, Pine-Richland, etc.
“Ronan is one of our top forwards and Greg is a tall, athletic goaltender,” Grafton said. “All of these guys are team players. They are seriously into hockey and their families support them.”
The Arrows did fund-raisers to prepare to finance their trip to nationals. Area businesses sponsor the team as well.
Armstrong was scheduled to play the Ashburn (Va.) Xtreme Thursday morning, take on Littleton (Colo,.) on Friday and Neponset Valley out of Massachusetts on Saturday.
“Everybody is giving 100 percent all the time,” Miller said. “That's what makes this so much fun.”
Miller will be a senior at Butler next year. Smith would be a senior at Freeport, but is likely leaving the area to pursue his hockey interests further.
He hopes to play for a junior league in Vancouver, or for the Gilmore Academy in Ohio next year.
“My ultimate goals are to play Division I college hockey and then get to the NHL,” Smith said. “If that means leaving home for my senior year, that's what I'll do.
“A lot of us on this team are talking about going to juniors next year. We know this is our last tournament playing together and we want to make it count.”
