Jr. Bandits Go 10-0, Capture Two Titles at USBOXLA Championships

U15 and U17 Jr. Bandits Elite teams both finish perfect weekends in program’s first trip to national tournament

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Jr. Bandits couldn’t have asked for much more from their first trip to the USBOXLA Championships.

The program sent two Jr. Bandits Elite teams to Columbus for the national tournament, and both came home as champions. The U15 and U17 teams each posted perfect 5-0 records, combining to go 10-0 while capturing the first USBOXLA Championships titles in program history.

The two teams outscored their opponents by a combined 86-29 over the course of the weekend.

U15 Jr. Bandits Finish Perfect Weekend

The U15 Jr. Bandits opened tournament play with a 13-2 win over the Louisville Monarchs before defeating Resolute 8-3 to finish the opening day at 2-0.

They continued their run with an 8-2 victory over the Shadow Cats to close out round-robin play before meeting Louisville for a second time in the semifinals. The Jr. Bandits earned a 10-3 win in the rematch to advance to the championship game against Resolute.

The championship proved to be the closest test of the weekend. After battling back and forth with Resolute throughout the game, the Jr. Bandits came away with a 7-5 victory to complete their 5-0 run and claim the championship.

Marty Jimerson helped lead the U15 offense throughout the tournament, while goaltenders Bentley Cuthbertson and Griffin Jonathan provided strong play in net. Luka Perry, Kyle Madden and Evin Sweeney were among those who helped anchor the Jr. Bandits defensively.

U17 Jr. Bandits Capture AA Championship

The U17 Jr. Bandits put together a dominant run of their own on the way to the AA Championship.

They began the weekend with an 8-2 victory over the Louisville Monarchs and followed it with an 8-3 win over PACBOX. An 8-1 victory over ADVNC OK completed an unbeaten run through round-robin play and sent the Jr. Bandits into the AA playoff bracket.

The U17s defeated Resolute 10-4 in the semifinals to earn a spot in the championship game against Cali-Lax All Stars.

One final win completed the perfect weekend, as the Jr. Bandits defeated Cali-Lax 6-4 to capture the AA Championship and finish the tournament with a 5-0 record.

Hihte Printup, Ryan Rizzo and Anthony Abrams helped lead the Jr. Bandits offense during the championship run. At the other end of the floor, Connor Bishop and Hunter Oakes provided strong goaltending throughout the weekend, while Rory Callaghan helped lead the defensive effort.

A Championship Debut

The two titles capped a memorable debut at the USBOXLA Championships for the Jr. Bandits program.

Coaches Zack Belter and Nico Capron guided both teams through the weekend as the Jr. Bandits went a combined 10-0, with each team leaving Columbus with a championship in its first appearance at the event.

The U15 team finished the weekend having outscored its opponents 46-15, while the U17 team held a 40-14 advantage over its five games.

Ten games. Ten wins. Two championships.

Not a bad way to introduce the Jr. Bandits to the USBOXLA Championships.