BAYONNE – Twenty days ago, the Colonia and Bayonne ice hockey teams battled it out in a neck-and-neck affair at the Richard Korpi Ice Rink in Bayonne. The Bees’ last shot on goal in the final seconds was no good, and they settled for a tie.

But yesterday, they would not be denied again as Bayonne cruised to a 6-2 victory over the Patriots at the same venue in the championship game of the Bayonne Holiday Tournament.

“It was a 1-1 tie so we knew where we had to improve, we had to be aggressive attacking their goalie, getting as many shots as we could and get in front of them. It paid off today,” Bayonne head coach Dave McKenna said. “We made them watch the game (against Colonia) last night, so they (Bayonne) didn’t have any surprises.”

McKenna was happy to see his players lift the championship trophy after last season’s disappointing tournament run.

“This is huge, this is huge for us. Last year we didn’t even play in the championship game, we came in fourth,” the first-year head coach and former Bayonne star said. “So to be able to come in here and win our tournament again is something special for these kids, they deserve it.”

Both teams had a similar number of opportunities to score, with Bayonne recording 35 shots on goal compared to Colonia’s 33. The difference was the play of Bayonne senior goaltender Mark Orlowski, who made several critical one-on-one saves.

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Forwards Michael Frolik (Winnipeg Jets), Jimmy Hayes (Florida Panthers) and Justin Fontaine (Minnesota Wild) became the latest to avoid arbitration hearings.

The Jets signed Frolik to a one-year deal worth $3.3 million on Tuesday, while Hayes signed a one-year deal at $925,000. Fontaine’s two-year deal pays annual salaries of $950,000 and $1.05 million for a $1 million cap hit.

“We intend to re-engage with Winnipeg in January in the hopes of reaching a long-term agreement,” said Allan Walsh, Frolik’s agent.

Over the past week, Walsh said the two sides had been primarily discussing a five-year deal. Eventually, it was decided to do the one-year deal and agree to negotiate again in six months.

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It will be years before we know what the long-term effects of the weekend’s selections will be, but the early grades are in for each team.

Factoring into these letters are what the team needed heading into the draft and what they got out of it; whether or not they got an impact player, or if they were really fortunate, more than one; whether or not they turned assets into multiple assets via trade, or were smart enough to stand back and just pick the best player available at every turn.

Click ahead to see where your team ranks, and offer your own grades in the comments.

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With well over 200 friends and family in the building, South Jersey’s Anthony DeAngelo was well represented at the 2014 National Hockey League Draft.

A mere 17 miles separate DeAngelo’s birthplace of Sewell, NJ from the arena he was drafted in Friday night when the Tampa Bay Lightning made him its first round pick, 19th overall at the 52nd annual NHL draft on June 27 at The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

DeAngelo received a warm welcome from the normally raucous Flyers fan base, which took notice when the Lightning forecast its draftee’s South Jersey roots before announcing his name.

“It was unbelievable. I can’t believe it right now. It’s a dream come true,” DeAngelo, who led all OHL defensemen in scoring with 71 points in 51 games this past season, said. “I heard a lot of cheers. Most of my family was sitting on one side. I didn’t get much sleep last night that’s for sure. Today, I had a lot of nerves with so many people here supporting me.”

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A mere two-hour drive down the New Jersey Turnpike shifts the focus to The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia this season, which will play host the 2014 NHL draft, a two-day affair, beginning tomorrow, Friday, June 27 at 7 p.m.

With as many as four New Jersey players up for grabs, The Star-Ledger will be live so feel free to chime in, ask questions and post comments.

UPDATE: Here live in Philadelphia with Rich Chere and Randy Miller at the 2014 NHL Draft… Rumours abound that the host team is looking to make a splash and move into position to make the first pick of the draft… There are over 200 friends and family in attendance in support of Sewell, NJ native Anthony DeAngelo. With so much local flavor, it should be fun to see where he falls… Trade: Nashville sends Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling to Pittsburgh in exchange for James Neal… Anthony DeAngelo

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Their competitive nature came out during mini-stick hockey games at the family home in Vancouver, British Columbia, resulting in broken windows as the boys simulated playing together in the N.H.L., where their father, Paul, spent 11 seasons as a defenseman.

“I think every kid at some point plays mini-stick hockey with the two nets, and then play against each other and usually have a friend or something over to make it two-on-two or play one-on-one with one goalie,” Griffin, 20, said. “It’s a lot of fun, and I think it’s something, as you grow up, you obviously remember.”

Sam, 18, is set to become the third Reinhart selected in five drafts on Friday, after Max (64th overall in 2010 by the Calgary Flames) and Griffin (fourth overall in 2012 by the Islanders).

“I’m pretty excited for that,” Sam said. “Saw it firsthand when Griffin was able to do that in Pittsburgh, and that was probably the first time I really started to visualize that.”

Playing for the Kootenay Ice, Sam finished the 2013-14 regular season fifth in the Western Hockey League in points with 105 in 60 games. He added 23 points in 13 playoff games and won the league’s Player of the Year award.

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A move that could help the Blackhawks is signing Brad Richards. Brad Richards was bought out by the Rangers. Richards was not bought out because of his production but because of his contract. Richards was due 19 million over the next two season. The Rangers could not afford that with their current salary cap situation.

Richards was a productive player for the Rangers this season. After having a down year in 2012-13, Richards rebounded scoring 20 goals and notching 51 points. To Richards’ credit, the Rangers saw 55.1 percent unblocked shot attempts with Richards on the ice. Without Richards on the ice the Rangers were only at 51.9 percent of unblocked shots.

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