Montana wins 14U hockey national title

The Montana Thunderblades 14U hockey team returned from USA Hockey Tier II Youth National Championships last week in New Jersey with a national title in tow.

The Thunderblades defeated Team South Dakota 3-1 in the finals behind strong defensive play and a few key goals. Whitefish players Joel Craven and Ryan Thompson are members of the team.

The Thunderblades made it to the national championship semifinals two years ago at the 12U level.

“When we came back this year, we had high expectations we were going to do well,” coach Mike Hass said.

He called their run to the national title “a true team effort.”

“It is a championship for the players and the program,” he said.

The Thunderbirds rolled though round-robin play, defeating Maryland 5-2, Delaware 2-0 and Oklahoma 15-0. Montana topped the Charleston Stingrays 8-2 in the semifinals.

During the season, team members play with their local organizations across the state. They get together for practice about 15 times a season.

At 13 years old, Craven is the youngest member of the team. Hass called the defenseman a special talent.

“He has incredible vision, playmaking skills and utilization of the ice — maybe the best on the team,” Hass said.

Thompson tore his ACL while skiing in February and was unable to play in the championship. Hass said the forward was an instrumental player leading up to the championship.

“He was a huge part of our team,” Hass said.

Highlights from the championship game are online at www.nationals.usahockey.com