For the past few years, Team Wyoming Hockey Club has been lacking. At this tournament, they had a record of 2 wins and 2 losses for the second year in a row, but fell short of their goal.
This year's team was different. They were a close-knit group, largely due to the number of games they played together and the three-day bus trip to Pennsylvania. Wyoming won the Tier II 18U 1A national title with a 5-0 victory over four local teams from Gillette.
“We won the bronze medal for the second year in a row, which was a great experience, but we just came up short,” Patrick Lynch said of his experience at the past few national championships. “I’m glad we finally won there.”
Lynch, Leo Eiland, Peyton Marty and Kyler Clouston were the four Gillette representatives on the team, which continued where they left off in the Wyoming Amateur Hockey League championship season and won another title.
Lynch tied for the team lead with seven points. He had two goals and five assists. Clouston had three goals and two assists. Eiland had two assists and played in all five games in each.
Clouston said it was the closest team he has ever been on. Despite having teams from all over the state, the boys put their rivalry aside except for the WAHL season. It took three days on a bumpy bus with no power outlets or air conditioning. The boys played a lot of card games, and by the time they got to Pennsylvania they were all together.
“We played 45 regular season games, which was a lot of games, and we played each other in the WAHL,” Lynch said of the team's closeness. “There was no one on the team that was kind, so everyone respected each other.”
The team started with a 6-4 win over Oregon Pacific Ridge. Oregon State took an early lead, but Wyoming scored twice in the first period. Oregon's Seth Sween tied the score with an unassisted goal, but Wyoming scored four goals in the final period, including two by Clouston, ending in an empty net goal.
Wyoming faced the Idaho Junior Steelheads in the next round and got off to a much faster start. The team scored two goals, including a power-play goal with just over two minutes left in the first half. After a quiet second period, Idaho scored two power-play goals at the beginning of the third period, but Wyoming scored the winning goal with five minutes remaining.
The team improved to 3-0 with a 5-3 win over the Delaware Junior Blue Hens. Lynch led the way with a power-play goal, but Delaware scored two consecutive goals to take a 2-1 lead into the first period. Wyoming tied the game 3-3 after two periods, then the team scored two power-play goals in the final period for the win.
The Utah Junior Mustangs are a team they have faced many times in tournaments throughout the season. Therefore, the matchup between both teams in the semifinals will be tough.
“It was a war,” Lynch said of the match.
The Mustangs scored their only goal of the first period with three minutes remaining, but Clouston tied it late in the second period. Utah took the lead with just over a minute left in the middle.
It took most of the time for Wyoming to score the tying goal, but the team got its second point with 1:31 left in regulation time. Neither team was able to score until the end of the period, sending both teams into overtime.
There, Wyoming scored the winner with a power-play goal. This victory earned the team a spot in the championship game against the Junior Steelheads, whom they had previously defeated.
This time, Wyoming won easily. The team scored one goal in the first period, but three in the second. Lynch scored his third goal of the period with a minute left. Wyoming held Idaho scoreless with 23 shots on goal.
“It was strange to me that we won the championship so easily,” Eiland said. “I've been to a few championships and they've always been stressful matches, so it was strange to have an easier match.”
Two of Gillette's representatives are seniors. Clouston and Eiland played their final games as a team, and Lynch will likely play junior hockey instead of high school next season.
“It was the best way to go out,” Clouston said. “We definitely faced a lot of adversity with the fact that we can't actually practice together. But we were able to pull through.”
This leaves Marty, the group's only junior, to lead the team next year.
“I have to step up and take on some leadership role,” he said. “We have a lot of players, so I think it's going to go well. We're definitely thinking about repeating.”
