Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Stars AAA Hockey Program, proud members of the Tier I Hockey Federation (T1HF) and the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAT1HL) will turn the calendar to 2026 and return to action post-New Year’s Day, Jan 2 – 4, 2026, for exciting AAA hockey action as they continue to celebrate the program's 41st season.

The Pittsburgh Stars Bantam Major (U14), Midget Minor (U16) and Midget Major U18 squads will take to the ice in Pittsburgh as the Elite Prospects Cup Series – Pittsburgh rolls into the ‘burgh for three-days of exciting AAA action.

The U14 AAA Bantam Major Pittsburgh Stars will open the EPCS – Pittsburgh event with a pair of games on Friday, Jan 2. First up will be an 8:15 a.m. game with the Connecticut Jr Rangers. They will then face the Tri-State Spartans at 6:30 p.m. Both games will be at the Alpha Ice Complex in Harmar, PA. On Saturday, Jan 3, the Bantam Major Stars will return to the ice for two more round-robin games. At 8:15 a.m., they will square-off with the New Jersey Devils, back at Alpha Ice. Then at 4:00 p.m., they will hook-up with the Tri-Valley Bulls at 4:00 p.m. at Pittsburgh Ice Arena in New Kensington, PA. Round-robin play wraps up on Sunday, Jan 4, with a 7:00 a.m. game against the Pittsburgh Predators back at the Pittsburgh Ice Arena. The U14 Division Championship Game is set for Sunday afternoon and will be played at 12:20 p.m. back at Alpha Ice.

The U16 AAA Midget Minor Pittsburgh Stars will open the EPCS – Pittsburgh event with a 2:00 p.m. game on Friday, Jan 2, against the Valley Forge Minutemen at Pittsburgh Ice Arena. On Saturday, Jan 3, the Midget Minor Stars Stars will take to the ice twice. At 11:15 a.m., they will square-off with the Philadelphia Jr Revolution, at Alpha Ice. Then at 7:40 p.m., they will conclude round-robin play with a faceoff against the Wilkes-Barre Jr Knights back at Pittsburgh Ice Arena. The EPCS Midget Minor semi-finals will take place at 8:40 a.m. on Sunday, Jan 4, at Alpha Ice. And the EPCS U16 Division Championship Game is set for Sunday at 2:30 p.m., also at Alpha Ice.

The U18 AAA Midget Minor Pittsburgh Stars will open the EPCS – Pittsburgh event with a 12:00 p.m. game on Friday, Jan 2, against St Andrews College Prep at Pittsburgh Ice Arena. On Saturday, Jan 3, the Midget Major Stars Major Stars will take to the ice twice. At 9:50 a.m., they will square-off with the Keystone Wild, at Alpha Ice. Then at 5:40 p.m., they will conclude round-robin play with a faceoff against the Queen City Royals back at Pittsburgh Ice Arena. The EPCS Midget Major semi-finals will take place on Sunday, Jan 4, site to be determined. And the EPCS U18 Division Championship Game is set for Sunday at 2:30 p.m., also at Alpha Ice.

Meanwhile, the U15 AAA Midget Minor Pittsburgh Stars are scheduled to travel I-79 and I-90 north to Buffalo, NY, to face the Buffalo Jr Sabres in a pair of games on Saturday, Jan 3. Opening faceoffs are set for 12:00 and 7:00 p.m., with both games to be played at the LECOM Center in downtown Buffalo.

The U13 Bantam Minor Stars will enjoy a scheduled weekend off.

Complete game schedules for the 2025-26 season, as well as full team rosters, are available on the Pittsburgh Stars AAA Hockey website: www.pittsburghstarshockey.com.

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