ASTON, Penn. — It was championship Sunday at the DVHL Playoffs. Competition led to unforgettable games, with winning teams carving their names into the league history book of champions.

18U AA Division

In what can only be described as a miracle on ice, Snider Hockey overcame a four-goal deficit to defeat the Quakers, 6-5. The game looked to be over in the first period as the Quakers scored four unanswered goals; however, Snider Hockey is no stranger to adversity. They lost their very first match of this tournament and had to battle back to reach the finals. They weren’t going down without a fight — they scored three goals in the second period to give a fighting chance in the game’s decisive period. The Quakers’ Bryce Derstine scored his second goal of the day to cap off the second period, giving his team a smaller, yet still sizable, two-goal lead. There Snider Hockey went to work once again, scoring two goals to tie the game with nine minutes remaining. Then, Benjamin Williams punched in the final goal to put Snider up 6-5 and complete the incredible comeback. 

It was a surreal and emotional moment for both teams, but they had to reset quickly. This is a double-elimination tournament, meaning Snider had to beat the Quakers in two straight games to be crowned champions. If the Quakers were shaken or demoralized after blowing their lead, they certainly didn’t show it. They battled hard, and after they fell behind early, Jack Wolf hit the tying goal to send the game to overtime. It all came down to this. Next goal wins, for the 18U AA division championship. A few furious minutes into the overtime period, Snider’s Vladimir Hartman delivered his club a championship when he scored the decisive goal. After starting as the third seed, coming back from a four-goal deficit and going into overtime, Snider Hockey finally stood at the top of the mountain as the 18U AA division champions. 

14U AA Division

After suffering their first loss of the season in the opening contest of the playoffs, Genesis Hockey Club was able to claw their way to the finals against Snider Hockey. Snider got on the board first with a Gavin Gallagher goal in the first period. When they scored again in the opening minutes of the third, it appeared that victory was all but assured. Unfortunately for them, they awoke a sleeping giant. Genesis promptly scored three goals within four minutes to take the lead, and added another goal with one second left to make the final score, 4-2. That third period was all Genesis needed to get warmed up, as they blew Snider away in the second game. They scored three goals in the first period and never looked back, ultimately winning the game, and the 14U AA championship, 6-1. 

14U A National Division

Genesis Hockey Club gave Central Penn Panthers their biggest challenge of the entire tournament in the 14U A National championship game, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. The Panthers scored two goals in the first period and a third in the second to take a 3-0 lead. Genesis was able to make the Panthers sweat towards the end, as they scored twice to bring the score to 3-2 in the closing minutes of the game, but the Panthers hung on to win. Due to Genesis’s loss in the opening round of the tournament, the Panthers only needed to beat them once to secure the 14U A National crown. Thus, the Panthers capped off an utterly dominant postseason — sweeping their way through the playoffs en route to the championship.