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TW U16 wins National Championship!

By Michael Trzinski, 04/06/14, 5:45PM CDT

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Stillwell nets game-winner in 4th overtime (Photos added 4/7/2014)

It took four overtimes, but on Sunday afternoon Team Wisconsin grabbed a USA Hockey National Championship after a grueling 87 minutes of hockey as they outlasted third-ranked Colorado Thunderbirds 2-1 in the multi-overtime game held at the Cornerstone in Ashwaubenon.

The game was close from the beginning and neither team was able to score in the first period, although the T-Birds had two power play chances.

TW got on the board first when they did take advantage of a power play chance past the halfway mark in the middle stanza.

Tony Stillwell slid the puck across to Kevin Conley, who moved in to the left circle and ripped a shot that snuck under the crossbar to give TW the 1-0 lead on the power play goal.

Three minutes later, Colorado got a power play goal from Max Gerlach to tie the game at one, a score that would not change for nearly an hour of playing time.

In the third period, a TW goal was waved off when the officials determined the puck was kicked in.

At the end of regulation, each team had about 20 shots on goal.

After 51 minutes of play, what was the message in the TW locker room?

"Stay the course," said head coach Brad Byce, who was also on the bench in 2002 when TW U18 won a National Championship. "We switched forechecks a couple of times, switching to a 1-2-2 and staying back. There weren't very many good scoring chances."

Three overtime periods of ten minutes each came and went with neither team getting on the board.

"Colorado had better scoring chances in OT, but (Henry) Cutting kept us in it," said Byce of his goaltender. "He played out of his mind and stopped a couple 1-on-goalie chances."

Finally in the fourth extra period, TW put the puck in the net to send the home crowd into giddy celebration.

Stillwell walked into the middle from the right point and fired a wrister from the top of the circle that beat T-Bird goalie Kristofer Carlson for the game-winner with just over three minutes left in the period. Ty Pelton-Byce and Alec Broetzman earned helpers on the goal that gave the Team Wisconsin organization its first title in twelve years.

Byce had high praise for the whole team, but two in particular earned accolades from the coach.

"Henry (Cutting) came to the forefront and played great. He had an unbelievable glove save in the second or third OT that kept us out there. And Stillwell was unbelievebale in overtime. He seemed fresher than anyone else and played like it."

Cutting finished with 33 saves, while Carlson stopped 29 for the T-Birds.

Team Wisconsin finished the season with an unofficial record of 34-9-2, but more importantly, grabbed a banner that a few other teams were hoping for.

Well done, boys, well done!

Photos by Chris Paskus