By Jack Brooks
Staff Writer
On April 3, sophomores Stevie Grumley, Kyle Jones, Ben Kevan, Timofei Runtso, and Tyler Russell took first place in the National Tier 1 hockey championship in New Jersey, representing Costa as members of the L.A. Jr. Kings 15O AAA team.
According to Grumley, the USA Hockey Tier 1 National Tournament invites only the top 16 teams in the country for thier 15s age group. Each team competed against other club teams from all over the country.
“It is the biggest and most challenging tournament of the year since we, as a team, have to play
to the best of our abilities,” Grumley said. “Not only is the tournament challenging, but qualifying for the actual tournament is very difficult.”
According to Grumley, the L.A. Jr. Kings is the club team that operates out of the L.A. Kings’ practice facility. The organization is dedicated to the development of young individuals into outstanding athletes, according to Grumley.
“Ever since making the AAA team, I have realized this team is something special,” Grumley said. “We aren’t just a hockey team, but every day we are here to help each other improve. The AAA team is the highest team in rankings, so making it was a huge accomplishment.”
The L.A. Jr. Kings qualified for the tournament in the Pacific region. According to Russell, all 16 teams must qualify by winning smaller tournaments in their districts, and if they qualify, they play a total of six games in the national tournament.
“We played three round-robin games and three elimination games over the span of six days,” Russell said. “The hardest team we played was in the finals, which was a team called Shattuck-St. Mary’s from Minnesota. They had discipline and poise, which helped guide them to success, but we managed to win that game which resulted in us finishing with a 5-1 record in the tournament.”
According to Runtso, he has always appreciated the sport, and the five boys have been playing together for six years.
“Being part of the L.A. Jr. Kings is like family, and being able to share this experience with them was special,” Runtso said. “We have had a strong bond for over six years, and having the opportunity to go out on the ice with these guys is incredible.”
Even though the L.A. Jr. Kings won the tournament, the team had to overcome obstacles throughout the games they played. According to Russell, they lacked success around the net and on defense against Shattuck-St. Marys.
“We were down by two goals against St. Mary’s for the majority of the game, but we tied it up and were able to bounce back and win in overtime,” Russell said. “The game of hockey is really difficult; you never know who you’re up against or the skills your opponents may have.”
The boys have developed a very strong chemistry as teammates over the past six years, according to Grumley. Most of their success has come from their 2022-23 Costa season as they finished with a 54-16-2 record.
“We always have a really good mindset going into the games knowing that we could beat any team if we played our style of hockey,” Grumley said. “Being on the same high school team with four other guys on your club teams is rare, so being able to have that strong bond and knowing their playing style helps a lot.”
According to Runtso, each player is ranked the highest in his age group. According to Runtso, competing at the AAA level prepares them for competition in the future.
“Winning this tournament means the world to me, and I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group,” Russell said. “We can confidently say we are the best 15O team in the country, and no one is better than us.”
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