FARGO — Goaltender Jake Windbeer soaked up the dimly lit atmosphere Sunday at Seals Arena, spending a few more minutes on the ice with some of his remaining teammates.
His Chicago Mission team had just won the USA Hockey Tier I 15O Championship by defeating the Long Island Gulls 4-1. While Robin Kuzma came off the ice with a hat trick, Windbeer was trying to collect his emotions and enjoy the victory.
“I’m very happy, especially after coming this far last year and losing,” said the 6-foot-4 Windbeer. “It's unreal. I can't stop crying just remembering it.”
Kuzma scored in each period, capping it off with an empty-net goal with 2:18 left. Matthew Portes scored Long Island's only goal.
“It's a really big moment,” Kuzma said. “We've been working on this all year. It's a really tight group this year. It's unreal.”
Rob Beer / The Link Live
Last season, Windbeer was in the net when the Buffalo (N.Y.) Saints overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat Mission 2-1 in the 14U National Championship game in Plymouth, Michigan. swayed. This time, Windbeer prevailed in a nearly identical scenario with Chicago leading 1-0 and the Gulls tied 1-1 in the second.
“It was a good game for him,” Mission head coach Gino Cavallini said. “That's what we expected from both goalies (including Donovan Danley) all year. For the most part, they, I couldn't be happier this year.”
Kuzma defeated Shattuck St. Louis to keep his mission on track. In Saturday's semifinal, Mary tipped in a clean pass to the top of the crease from Aurelio Garcia with 5:06 left in her first period to make it 7-4.
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“I feel like he's been struggling the last seven, eight weeks not putting the puck in the net as much,” Cavallini said of Kuzma. “For players who play 200-foot hockey, you always have to remind yourself that good things will come and just keep trying. You'll never be asked why you scored a goal. I always wonder, “Can't you decide?”
“Just let it happen and play the right way. And this is just a great example of hard work. You know, that's how hard work pays off.”
Midway through the second period, Ports found the seam between Windbeer's right pad and the post to tie the score, but about three minutes later Kuzma's shot from a tight angle sailed past Jordan Varsic for the final goal. became.
Garcia, who finished second in the tournament with nine points behind teammate Victor Plante and the New Jersey Rockets' Nicolas Desiderio, made it 3-1 with an odd-man rush and glove-side snipe in the third inning.
Rob Beer / The Link Live
Plante celebrated on the same ice that his brother Zam calls home. Zam Plante is a forward for the Fargo Force. Force defenseman Finn McLaughlin watched his younger brother Will play for Little Caesars (Mich.) earlier this week. Easton, the younger brother of former force forward Tanner Walos, also played in the tournament with the Rhode Island Saints.
“It's amazing,” Victor Plante said of the win at Seals Arena. “Incredibly, the team played great. The boys were buzzing.”
Coach Cavallini said his team pulled themselves together after the Gulls tied the game and praised all the effort his team has put in during the season.
“It's a talented group, so we'll give it to them,” he said. “But talent is not recognized without effort, and for these kids, effort comes first.”
long island 0-1-0–1
Chicago 1-1-2–4
First period: 1, CH, Robin Kuzma (Aurelio Garcia), 5:06. Penalty: None.
Second period: 1, LI, Matthew Portes (William Leonard, La Scala, Rome), 8:53. 2, CH, Kuzma, 5:51. Penalties: 1, LI, Matthew Portes (stumbling), 3:10.
Third period: 3, CH, Aurelio Garcia (Calder Varga, Ryan Hecker), 4:10, 4, CH, Kuzma (Lincoln Krizike), 2:18. Penalties: 1, CH, Cody Powells (hook), 16:15.
Number of shots on goal: CH 10-22-13–45, LI 8-8-13–29. Power play: CH 0 is 1, LI 0 is 1.
