DETROIT – Spencer Sova’s still trying to catch his breath.

It was quite the hockey season for the TPH Detroit Center of Excellence student-athlete.

Sova captured both a state and national title with his Little Caesars ’04 squad in a magical 14U season.

The Southfield, Mich., resident credited the bonds formed with his teammates for all the success his team had this season.

“At the beginning, we had a lot of new faces in our room, but we all bonded pretty quick and became a really close team. That’s pretty much what won us nationals, just everyone being so close and listening to each other.”

On March 10, Sova and the Little Caesars squad captured the 2019 MAHA 14U Tier 1 state title with a sweep of Honeybaked in the best-of-three final round. That secured their spot at the 2019 USA Hockey Nationals in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Little Caesars squad marched through the field in Penguins country, eventually beating Florida Alliance 4-0 in the 2019 USA Hockey 14U Tier 1 national championship game.

“It was great. Some of the games we had there, especially against Pittsburgh, was like a junior hockey game atmosphere. Our fans were nuts and it was just a lot of fun.”

Hearing the buzzer sound to officially declare LC as national champions was a surreal moment for the CoE student-athlete.

“Honestly, it was the best feeling I’ve had in hockey my whole career. Everyone was just happy for each other. The way we put in work this year, it was just amazing.”

Sova was one of the anchors on the blue line for the LC squad; they allowed only six goals over the course of six games at the national tournament.

It was Sova’s first experience at nationals, and he said he loved every minute of it. He also appreciated the flexibility offered by his online classes through Edmentum – Sova was able to get ahead in some classes before making the trek to Pennsylvania, then catch up on his studies after.

“When I was at nationals, I focused mainly on hockey,” Sova said. “Other kids had to work on homework and stuff. I was just focused on hockey the whole time… The flexibility we had was great.”

Sova thanked his TPH coaches for helping him build on his fundamental hockey skills and his understanding of the game throughout the season.

“A lot of my skills and stuff have improved a lot since I started attending the CoE. Just my mental game, too, on the ice – like where to be, when to make my moves and stuff.”

For more information about the TPH CoE, click here.

About Total Package Hockey: Founded in 2001, it is TPH’s vision to become the world leader in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes through the game of hockey. Through academics, mentorship and athletics, TPH prides itself on operating at a standard that exceeds expectations of student-athletes, families, coaches, advisors and all other entities of the hockey world. With platforms that include association management, elite prospects programs, tournaments and showcases, camps and clinics and its hallmark Center of Excellence academy model, Total Package Hockey has assisted in the academic, athletic and hockey development of over 600 players who have advanced to junior, collegiate and professional hockey. Since inception, 45 #TPHTrained student-athletes have been selected in the NHL Draft, while 280 have committed to the NCAA level – 189 of which are Division I. In addition, 99 players have been selected in the OHL Priority Selection and 353 have signed tenders or been drafted in the USHL and NAHL. While TPH is proud of its student-athletes who have achieved success on-the ice, it is the process of developing young men and women as people, first and foremost, that our world-class team of coaches and mentors take the most amount of pride in. While it is our responsibility to prepare each individual for success on the ice, it is our mission to prepare each and every individual for success in the ultimate game – the game of life! To learn more about TPH, visit www.totalpackagehockey.com.