Thunderblades win national title

Montana Thunderblades goalie Taylor Hulslander, of Whitefish, snagged 19 saves in the USA Hockey Tier II U-16 national championship game, and forward Dylan Gamble, also of Whitefish, tallied two assists to help lead the Midget Minor team to a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Fire.

It's the first time a Montana hockey team has won the national title.

Hulslander went 3-0 and grabbed 45 saves with a 4.00 goals-against average for the tournament.

Gamble accumulated eight points in the tourney, including four goals and four assists. His first assist in the title game came in the opening period when he set up a power-play goal to teammate Kyle Stone, of Billings, to tie the score 1-1. With five minutes left in the second period, Gamble again set up a goal to Stone on a power play to put the Thunderblades up 4-2.

Atlanta tacked on two goals in the final minutes of the second period to knot up the score at 4-4, but Montana's Jason Smith found the net on a power play with less than a minute left in regulation to seal a one-goal win in dramatic fashion.

"It was huge," Gamble said about the last-second win. "It was amazing, but we couldn't dwell on it too long because there was still 50 seconds left."

The victory avenged a 7-2 loss to the Fire in the first round, Montana's only loss in the tourney.

"The first game we were jittery," Gamble said. "That's usually how we are at the beginning of tournaments."

After the opening round loss, Montana went on a tear, beating some of the best teams in the country, despite being considered an underdog in the tourney due to their small size. They were the youngest team in the event and garnered the least respect from opposing coaches who were overheard saying, "They play hockey in Montana?"

"Our main game is speed and annoying people with the puck," Gamble said. "We have a lot of heart and desire, which helps us a lot. It was fun to be the underdog and have the big upsets."

The Thunderblades edged Phoenix in an overtime thriller before defeating the Florida Jr. Everblades in the semi-finals to reach the championship game.

The Montana team, which has played together for eight years, is made up of select players from across the state, including Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Helena, Havre, Missoula and Whitefish. They practice as a team about once a month, far less than most all-star teams due to the difficulty of traveling across a state the size of Montana. The team is currently trying to move everyone on the squad to the same town.

Gamble and Hulslander both play here for the Glacier Avalanche during the winter.

The tourney, held in West Chester, Pa., featured eight all-star teams from across the country, with each team having to qualify regionally to play in the event.

"It was the best competition I've played in. It was a really fast paced, fun and good hockey event," Gamble said.

The championship banner will hang at the Stumptown Ice Den.