The Montana Thunderblades will arrive in Plano, Texas, for the Toyota-USA Hockey Youth Tier II 16U National Championships as one of the youngest teams in their division.
They will also be one of the most accomplished.
The Thunderblades, made up entirely of 1999 birth-year players, are almost completely intact from the group that won the national Tier II 14U title a year ago.
“We’re actually a U15 team,” Thunderblades team manager Rob Gagnon said. “We don’t have any kids who were born in ’98.”
The group has remained together since going to nationals in San Jose, Calif., in 2012 and winning one game there as a 12U team. With just two or three players changing each year, the team also made a nationals appearance in Reston, Va. in 2013, reaching the semifinals, before winning its title in Hackensack, N.J. last year.
One player from the national champions left to pursue other opportunities and another left during this season for personal reasons. Collin Sessano and Eric Ipsen were added as skaters; Christian Drab joined on as the back-up goalie the squad lacked in 2014; and Ryan Thompson, who missed the 2014 nationals with a torn ACL, returned to the lineup.
The Thunderblades defeated Team South Dakota 3-1 in the 2014 Tier II 14U A national championship game, a battle between two teams from the Northern Plains District.
Kaden Lindberg, Chase Wesen and Cody Gagnon all tied for second in the national tournament with 10 points last season and return this year, along with Kody Chamberlin and Dawson Smith, who added nine points to tie for fifth.
Playing as the young team in a new two-year cycle, the Thunderblades still managed to go 8-7-2 with a second-place finish at the Grizz Cup in Salt Lake City and a third-place finish in the Littleton, Colo. Presidents’ Day Tournament.
Thompson and Gagnon shared the team scoring lead with 15 points in 17 games. Dysen Skinner, who had two shutouts at last year’s nationals, posted a .922 save percentage in goal while Drab went 3-2 with a 2.13 goals-against average.
Similar to many Northern Plains teams that play on the national level, the Thunderblades are made up of players that make up the seven-team league in Montana. They get together a few weekends each season to play a Tier II schedule. The team has five players from Bozeman and three or less from each of the other cities.
The respectable results have the Thunderblades hopeful of their competitive level this season while looking forward to what could be ahead in a potential fifth nationals appearance next year.
“We talk about it quite a bit just because the U16 age group in Montana, there’s not a lot of opportunity for the kids to advance on,” Gagnon said. “So, the U16 age group will be a pretty important year to us, then the kids will start going on to other Triple-A programs and things like that.
“The plan is to stay together next year and give it one more year.”
More Montana
The Montana Badgers won the state’s only national-qualifying playoff to make it to the Tier II 14U nationals in Salt Lake City.
Wyoming
Wyoming is sending one team in each age group to the three Tier II national championships. Team Wyoming is headed to the 14U and 16U tournaments while the Casper Oilers will play in the 18U national championships in Troy, Mich.
Team Wyoming has a similar make-up to the Montana Thunderblades. Put together from open tryouts in August, the 14U team has players from Rock Springs, Laramie, Casper, Sheridan, Cheyenne, Gillette and Cody.
“This makes it very difficult for us because, unlike 99 percent of the teams we play, we do not get to practice together every day,” coach Tim Brownell said. “Because we are a select tournament team, we do not play on weekends that league games could be scheduled, which leaves us only the holidays to get together and play.”
Team Wyoming played in four 14U tournaments — traveling out of state to Boise, Littleton, Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs — and reached the semifinals in three.
“The goal for the season was to play in tournaments that would benefit us for nationals,” Brownell said. “Playing in states with more numbers and better talent really pushes the boys to want to get better and to compete on that next level.”
The Casper Oilers replaced the usual Team Wyoming approach this year at the 18U level. The Oilers won the Wyoming Amateur Hockey League title for the third straight season and played a tournament schedule, going 27-18-2 overall.
Goalie Garret Grant, forwards Laurence Olsen and Jeremy Miller and defensemen Branson Taheri and Wes Richner were named all-state in voting by WAHL coaches. Taheri and Jeremy Solko have nationals experience with Team Wyoming.
South Dakota
After reaching the national championship game against the Thunderblades last season on the 14U level, Team South Dakota is again headed to nationals, this time around as a 16U team.
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.