Tri-Valley 18AA Hockey Team Places Third At National Tournament

DUBLIN, CA – The Tri-Valley Blue Devils 18AA youth hockey team finished third at the Tier II National Championships in Green Bay, Wis., earlier this month after seeing their run at a national title come up short in a semifinal loss to the eventual champions.

The Blue Devils are made up of players ages 16-18 from around the Tri-Valley and have been playing together at Dublin Iceland since they were in elementary school. The Blue Devils, who entered the tournament ranked 12th nationally, advanced to the semifinals with a 3-2 victory over the No. 7-ranked McKinney (Texas) North Stars.

San Ramon’s Matt Ivanoff scored the game-winning goal in overtime off of an assist from Walnut Creek’s Wyatt Moore. Trailing 2-1, Matthew Lim of San Francisco tied the game off of an assist from Trieu Tran. Brendan Kim of Lafayette came up big in net to help preserve the victory.

In the semifinals, the Blue Devils matched the third-ranked Janesville (Wis.) Jets on shot but dropped a 3-2 decision to finish third in the tournament. The Blue Devils, who are coached by Mike Holmes and Vincent Heumann, who have guided the Blue Devils to eight national tournament appearances since 2009.