West Chester, PA- The Cape Cod Whalers emerged with a 5-2 victory over CarShield AAA Hockey to punch their ticket to the 2018 USA Hockey 18-and-under Tier 1 National Championship game.

Although the Whalers finished third in Mass Select League play, they were one of four teams from the league to advance to the State Tournament, which they won in thrilling fashion over the Little Bruins.

The Whalers started off strong with a 6-3 win over the PAL Jr. Islanders, who earned their bid by winning the New York state championship, on Thursday in their opening contest. Providence College recruit Jay O’Brien paced the Whalers with two goals and an assist, and Tristan Amonte potted two goals of his own.

Friday brought another win for the Whalers, as they knocked off the Dallas Stars Elite 5-2. After a scoreless first period, the Stars netted the game’s first goal late in the second, but Jayson Dobay responded in short order with a shorthanded goal from Aidan McDonough. Evan Googins, Jay O’Brien, and Jack Rathbone each lit the lamp to give the Whalers a 4-1 lead. Dallas got one back in the closing minutes, but McDonough effectively iced the game with a late goal to account for the final score. The win moved the Whalers to 2-0 for the tournament, and even more importantly, secured a berth in the quarterfinals.

The Whalers finished their round robin action with a loss to Selects Academy.

Sunday’s quarterfinal game saw the Whalers withstand a tremendous challenge in the form of the North Jersey Avalanche. Jack Rathbone opened the scoring to give the Whalers a 1-0 lead going into the second. The Avalanche tied it early in the second, but a penalty shot by Rathbone restored the Whalers’ lead. Early in the third, the Avalanche managed to tie the game, and later take the lead, but Aidan McDonough’s strike from Rathbone and Ian Murphy sent the game to overtime. Rathbone completed the hat trick with assists from Jay O’Brien and Jack Murphy in the extra session.

The win on Sunday set up the tilt with CarShield, and after coming away with the victory, the Whalers will have the opportunity to avenge their preliminary loss to Selects Academy. The puck will drop at 11:30 AM.