Ice Hockey: Ashburn Extreme Hosts USA Hockey National Pee Wee Championships Through Sunday

(March 30, 2012) – Hundreds of the best 11 and 12-year-old hockey players from across the country have been in Northern Virginia since Wednesday competing in the USA Hockey 12 & Under Tier II National Championships which run through Sunday, April 1, at the twin rink Ashburn Ice House and SkateQuest Reston facilities. Three local squads – the Ashburn Xtreme (host team), Reston Raiders and Montgomery (MD) Blue Devils – are among the 38 teams, representing 36 different states, in the five-day tournament.


Each team qualified for the national championships by having won their own respective league, state championships or qualifying tournaments. The 38 teams are then divided into three conference groups based on geographic location but play they will “across the board” to avoid facing the same teams they normally encounter.

With preliminary round games played on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the excitement builds as the top clubs advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals and semifinals with championship games scheduled for Sunday. Clearly the most prestigious and highest-profile of any tournament these young athletes have experienced, three teams will emerge from Northern Virginia as champions of their respective divisions.

While Ashburn received an automatic berth as the official host team, the Xtreme 99 Pee Wee squad is well deserving of the honor, having compiled a 23-1 mark during the 2011-12 Chesapeake Bay Hockey League (CBHL) regular season and playoffs, including a two-game sweep at the Virginia State Championships (7-0, 13-3) over local rivals Reston, who will represent Virginia as the state runners-up. Montgomery, meanwhile, captured the Maryland State Championships and their entry into Nationals by sweeping the Howard Huskies (4-3 and 8-1).

All games are open to the public. Tickets are available for purchase at both rinks throughout the course of the five-day tournament. Week-long tournament passes cost $35 (ages 13 and older) or $25 (kids ages 5 to 12). Single day passes are $15 (ages 13 and older) and $7 (kids ages 5 to 12). Admission is free for children ages four and under.

For more information on the USA Hockey National Championships, please visit www.usahockey.com or contact Brian Bishop at 703-533-4830 or brian.bishop@aboutbwf.com.