The 12U Juneau Capitals took first place in the Sno-King Amateur Hockey Association MLK Day tournament earlier this month.
The Capitals battled for wins in the semifinal and championship game, respectively, after outscoring its first three opponents 26-3 in the Jan. 12-15 tournament in Kirkland and Renton, Washington.
Facing the Vancouver Thunderbirds in the championship, Jaeger Dostal’s three goals and Busby West’s single goal led the team to a 4-1 win.
It was the only game in the tournament less than three different Capitals players recorded goals. Coach Jason Kohlhase said his players have bought into a selfless style of play this season that involves lots of puck movement.
“The selfless part is the intangible that we’ve been talking with these kids all season long,” Kohlhase said. “And it’s starting to materialize itself in their game. And a huge reason why we had found success in Seattle was because of that. I can’t emphasize that selfless play more — it’s dominating the way this team plays.”
In its semifinal game against a different Vancouver, British Columbia, team, the Capitals trailed by two goals at the beginning of the third period.
After a goal by Sonny Monsef, Karter Kohlhase tied the game at 3-3 to send the game to overtime. In the overtime period, Caden Johns scored the game-winner.
“That game right there probably represented the most adversity that this team faced in the tournament,” Kohlhase said. “The kids were completely dysfunctional in the first period and they were able to recognize it, respond to it and overcome it. That was our biggest learning experience.”
Jaxson White was awarded the tournament MVP.
The Capitals were made up of players in the Juneau-Douglas Ice Association Pee Wee (12U) age group.
A different contingent of JDIA Pee Wee’s played in the Moose Fest tournament in Anchorage over the same dates.
A group of JDIA Pee Wees will be playing in tournaments in each of the next three months.
