The Inland Empire Tournament Series, created and hosted by the Jr. Reign, presented its Memorial Day Showdown May 27-30 at Center Ice Arena and Icetown Carlsbad, with 14 teams crowned division champions.

This was the largest Inland Empire Tournament Series event of the 2021-22 season.

8U A
Champs: NXT LEVEL
Runner-up: SoCal Nordiques
NXT LEVEL scored five goals in the second period and six in the third period to win 14-4.

8U B East
Champs: Dark Side
Runner-up: SC Flyers
In a tight game, Dark Side earned the 3-2 to bring home the championship banner.

8U B South
Champs: San Diego Saints
Runner-up: San Diego Jr. Gulls
Another close game saw the Saints claim the title with a 7-5 victory.

8U B North
Champs: Pasadena Maple Leafs
Runner-up: Ventura Mariners
In a high-scoring, tightly-contested game, the Maple Leafs scored one more in a 10-9 win for the championship.

10U A/BB
Champs: CHA Lions
Runner-up: SC Flyers
Ethan Viramontes scored twice and added two assists to pace the Lions’ offense in an 11-0 win for the championship.

10U B
Champs: SDIA Oilers
Runner-up: Pasadena Maple Leafs
The Oilers’ Jayden Jiang netted a pair of goals with an assist to lead SDIA to the title with a 5-3 win. Franklin Habib had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs.

12U B
Champs: Ventura Mariners (pictured top)
Runner-up: Jr. Reign
Atticus Neet’s third-period goal was the difference in the Mariners’ 3-2 win to secure the title.

14U A/BB
Champs: Golden State Elite Eagles
Runner-up: Natty Hatty
Lucas Vivona was the hero for GSE, scoring the overtime winner to give the Eagles a 3-2 win for the championship.

14U AA
Champs: Golden State Elite Eagles
Runner-up: Bakersfield Jr. Condors
Christopher Khoury had two goals as GSE came home with a 4-1 victory. Ryan Kreuzer added a goal and two assists for the Eagles.

High School/JV North
Champs: Santa Clara Blackhawks
Runner-up: OC Crush
Santa Clara came home with the banner after a close, hard-fought 3-2 win.

High School/JV South
Champs: San Diego Selects (1)
Runner-up: San Diego Selects (2)
In a battle of teams from the same association, the Selects (1) team pitched a 2-0 shutout for the title.

Varsity/Midget North
Champs: San Diego Saints
Runner-up: Ventura Mariners
The Saints scored the lone goal in the third period to snap a 2-2 tie and defeat Ventura 3-2 for the championship.

Varsity/Midget Tier South
Champs: San Diego Selects
Runner-up: San Diego Saints
In a thriller, the Selects took the crown 2-1 in a shootout.

The next event in the Inland Empire Tournament Series is the Labor Day Classic, which is scheduled for Sept. 2-5.

For more information or to register for the Labor Day Classic or any other Inland Empire Tournament Series event, visit www.jrreign.com/tournaments.

— Matt Mackinder

(June 22, 2022)