They say a 2-0 lead is the worst lead in hockey.
When Team Wisconsin scored 1:26 into the third period on a goal from Sam Stange to cut the Chicago Mission's lead in half, the age-old adage looked like it was set to claim another victim.
But Landon Slaggert's second goal of the game with 5:06 left restored the two-goal cushion for the Mission, who went on to defeat Team Wisconsin 3-1 and capture the 2018 Chipotle-USA Hockey Youth Tier II 16U National Championship.
Slaggert opened the scoring in the first period on a two-on-one feed from teammate Cam Thiesing, who also found the back of the net for Chicago on a tremendous shorthanded effort just less than four minutes later.
For both Slaggert and Thiesing, winning the national title was the perfect way to end a long year.
USA Hockey