Guliford, Conn. - This weekend the Labor Day Cup took place in eleven different locations from Salem, New Hampshire to Canton, Massachusetts with over 160 teams!  Overall, four age groups 14U, 15U, 16U and 18U took part in this tournament and it was a resounding success. 

At the 14U level, The Minutmen Flames captured the title with a 6-2 win over the River Rats.  The Canton Bulldogs proved to be the top dog with 6-3 win over the LI Rebels. 

Meanwhile, at the 15U level, it featured two groups in the Red Division and a group in the White Division. Within the Red Division Pool A, you saw well-regarded programs such as the New Jersey Rockets, South Kent, Philadelphia Jr Flyers, YALE, and the North Jersey Avalanche. However, the team that stood out from this group was South Kent as they went 6-1 throughout the weekend and won the cup!

The White Division had a very heavy Connecticut feel in this division. The group featured the CT Chiefs, Yale Showcase, and the West Haven Blue Devils. The CT Chiefs were the best team in this group as they went 6-1 over the weekend and were crowned champions!

At the U16 level, there were three divisions Blue, Red, and White. In the Blue Division, they had three pools and the best team out these three pools were in Pool C, and that was the Boston Jr Huskies. They went 7-0 overall and were dominant throughout the weekend. They scored 32 goals and only allowed eight goals throughout the weekend. 

In the White Division, the NE Generals were the winners and went undefeated. They went 6-0 throughout the weekend.

In the Red Division, this is where all of the big dogs came out to play. Teams such as North Jersey Avalanche, NJ Titans, South Kent Selects, NJ Rockets, and Pittsburgh Penguins Elite all took part in this division. The Florida Alliance won  the Labor Day Cup in an exiting 4-3 finish over the mighty NJ Avalanche.

At the U18 level, we again saw three divisions and had 56 teams partaking in these divisions. 

In the U18 Red Division, teams that stood out were the NJ Titans, Yale U18, North Jersey Avalanche, and Jersey Rats as they each went onto win their groups.  The final team standing was the NJ Avalanche as they skated past YALE 4-1 in the championship game!

Within, the Blue Division two teams stood out from the rest and that was Adirondack Thunder 18U and the Igloo Jaguars.  The Thunder had the edge and with an exciting 1-0 win over the Jaguars.

The White Division, saw two teams stand out from the rest of the field. River Rats Showcase W and the NE Generals each won their groups respectively. These teams combined to go 16-4-2 throughout the weekend but the NE Generals were able to capture the championship with a 2-1 overtime win in the finals over the River Rats!

Throughout this weekend, this event was receiving praise from people in the hockey world. USHL Scout, Jeff Cox, tweeted: "The 2019 ECC Labor Day Cup was a great tournament for players, coaches and scouts. A lot of talent on the ice, good pace, and plenty of suspense in the playoff games. Kudos to the organizers for a well run event. A lot of time goes in behind the scenes."

This year at the Labor Day Cup, we saw teams from all over the country come to Massachusetts and play in this event. The games were spread out over 11 rinks across Mass., and New Hampshire. 

We look forward to more growth in this event. Follow our Instagram @ecc.tournaments to stay up to date, and go to our website www.eastcoastclassictournaments.com for more information about upcoming tournaments.