EVANSVILLE — At night, Swander Ice Arena erupted with excitement.
Evansville Thunder Purple hockey players looked giddy as they stepped into one of the rinks to begin practice. They know a special week is coming. After an impressive postseason, the Thunder are excited to showcase their talent on the national stage.
They are one of two Indiana teams competing in this year's USA Hockey Chipotle High School National Championships, which will be held Wednesday through Sunday at Iceline Arena in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Fifty-two teams will participate in four divisions: Division I, Division II, Prep, and Girls.
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The Division II Thunder will play three games in a 52-hour period during the tournament. The first game is Wednesday at 8 a.m. against Wyoming's Gillette Grizzlies. They are looking forward to the 11-hour drive to the Philadelphia area with their families. They're going to enjoy as much downtime as they can.
“It was a lot of fun. I think we have a great team this year,” Harrison senior and captain Nolan Doan said. “We made it to the top in the state tournament, but we just fell a little short. But we kept trying and we're ready to go this weekend.”
The Thunder know they can compete with anyone. It recently proved that by defeating top-ranked Culver Academy, which also goes to Westchester, and No. 2 Carroll to advance to the Division 4A state championship. Although the Thunder lost 1-0 to Zionsville in the championship, the players still felt proud of their accomplishment.
Owensboro Catholic junior Tanner McFadden stepped up after Reitz senior and leading scorer Sam Bass missed a month and a half with a shoulder injury. Goaltenders Max Hambrick and Brycen Parker also got hot in key moments.
“Our goaltenders, they're both really good,” McFadden said. “Max played in most games of the season and put us in the rankings we needed. Brycen stepped up and played some of the best hockey he's ever played. They really respected each other. and morale is high.”
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Most importantly, all players and coaches enjoy each other's company. The Thunder has players from all over the tri-state, from Vincennes to Henderson to Owensboro. Most players are multi-sport athletes, but a few specialize in hockey.
This season, everyone is having fun achieving their goals together.
“It's great to see everyone come together during hockey season,” Thunder coach Nathan Moon said. “As soon as we come into the dressing room, we become one big family and we embrace it on the ice.”
“Never panic,” Doan added. “We've been behind a lot of close games, but we've always found a way and come out on top. A lot of us have played together our whole lives. We just trust each other and go from there. I’ll just go.”
Before participating in the national tournament, Moon's biggest message to the team is to have fun and live in the moment. He knows moments like this don't happen often. Most of these players were freshmen and sophomores when he started coaching the Thunder three years ago.
But even back then, the Thunder had plans to grow and compete for state. This year, he is achieving even more of his plans.
“What they have accomplished this year is incredible,” President Moon said. “I'm so proud of what they did for each other, what they overcame, and the adversity they faced this year. The other players continued to step up.”
Courier & Press sports reporter Treasure Washington can be reached via email at Treasure.washington@courierpress.com or via X (formerly known as Twitter) @Twashington490.
