In the shorthand of youth hockey, players are not usually referred to by their actual age but by their birth years.
Back in the day, for instance, Scott Gomez, who went on to win two Stanley Cups and become the most prolific NHL player in Alaska history, would have been called a 1979 -- or, shorter shorthand, a '79.
Well, the country's best 2001s and 2002s are in Anchorage this week to determine a national champion
USA Hockey's Tier I U-14 boys tournament opens Thursday at the Subway Sports Centre -- just south of O'Malley between the Seward Highway and Old Seward Highway -- and features 16 teams, including some from the nation's most storied youth hockey organizations.
The U-14 nationals are among 12 national tournaments for boys and girls that open across the nation Thursday and run through Monday, when championship games are played.
There are boys' Tier I and Tier II tournaments for U-14s, U-16s and U-18s, and girls' Tier I and Tier II tournaments for U-14s, U-16s and U-19s.
Tier I is the most elite level of American youth hockey, with Tier II a rung below that.
Including the Team Alaska entry at the Tier I U-14s for boys in the Anchorage tournament, nine Alaska teams will be competing for national titles. Alaska teams have won six national championships over the years, three in Tier I and three in Tier II.
The Alaska All Stars were the first team from the state to break through at the Tier I national level -- they won the U-14s in 1990 with a team that included center David Vallieres and defenseman Todd Bethard, both of whom later played for UAA. Gomez was a linchpin for the All Stars team that seized the 1996 Tier I title in what was then the U-17s division. And the Alaska Firebirds girls team won the Tier I U-19s in 1996.
This week's U-14s tournament features many of the top organizations in youth hockey, like Shattuck-St. Mary's, which won the 2014 title in that division; Belle Tire of Michigan (2011 champ); Compuware of Michigan (2009); Little Caesars of Michigan (2008) and Mid-Fairfield (2007) of Connecticut. Also, the Chicago Mission is seeking the title after runner-up finishes each of the last two seasons.
Little Caesars, Chicago Mission, Compuware and Team Illinois, another team here this week, compete in the High Performance Hockey League. Little Caesars won the league this season and goaltender Zach Allen went 9-1-0 for them in league games, with a 1.60 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. Luke Toporowski of the Chicago Mission won the scoring title with 22-11—33 totals in 20 games.
Team Alaska is in the U-14s field as host -- each host site gets an automatic entry. Each team in the tournament, which is divided into four pools, competes in pool-play games Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Quarterfinals and semifinals are Sunday, with the championship game Monday.
Alaska's eight other entries at nationals -- five boys teams, three girls teams -- are playing at the Tier II level.
The South Anchorage Hockey Association Moose and Alaska Grizzlies will play in the boys U-14s in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Alaska Oilers and Alaska Junior Avalanche play in the U-16s in Wayne, New Jersey, and the Alaska Junior Avalanche play in the U-18s in Amherst, New York.
Among girls, the Anchorage North Stars play in the U14s in Burlington, Vermont, and the Alaska All Stars have entries in the U-16s and U-19s in Burlington.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockeyblog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr