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will never forget.
“It is amazing because it’s
like you’re actually in the
Olympics playing for USA.
Having all the other teams
play together trying to win
it [Nations Cup]. It was fun.
I like playing against Can-
mokenamessenger.com sports
the Mokena Messenger | February 15, 2018 | 39
fastbreak
Youth hockey team prepares for national title defense
22nd Century Media File
Photo
1st-and-3
LW Central Nat’l
Signing day (above)
1. Football
Mike Morgan, South
Dakota State University;
Peyton Nigro,
Concordia University
(Minnesota); and
Brett Widule, University
of Wisconsin-
Platteville
2. Baseball/Softball
Ryan Vice, Western
Michigan University;
Andrew Hancock,
University of Evansville
(Indiana); Sarah
Wilson, Cardinal
Stritch University
(Wisconsin); Trey Korbel,
Triton College;
and Matt Helwig,
University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
3. Volleyball
Kylie Kulinski, University
of Pennsylvania;
Cassidy Wyman,
St. Xavier University;
Hannah Stacey,
St. Mary’s College,
Notre Dame.
Craig McCarthy
Freelance Reporter
On Monday and Wednesday
nights the Arctic Ice
Arena in Orland Park is
where you’ll find the Pee
Wee hockey team known
as the Vikings. This team
of children aged 12 years
and younger consists of 17
players from the surrounding
area.
While the team is preparing
for the end of their
season, with the upcoming
Northern Illinois Hockey
League tournament and
state playoffs, they’re still
reveling in a win that goes
back to Nov. 24-26. It was
then that this group of
young skaters were not only
playing for themselves,
their team and their families,
but also playing for an
entire nation.
“It was just a bunch of
little 11- and 12-year-olds
chanting for their country.
There were American flags
going through [the arena]. It
was crazy. Usually it’s just
the parents that watch the
game, but this game we had
a crowd,” said team manager
Kristen Bruns.
Bruns, whose son is one
of the goalies on the team,
is referring to the final
game of the annual Nations
Cup. The tournament,
held in Detroit, had teams
from the U.S. and Canada
competing not only for the
cup but for national pride.
The Vikings played in the
championship game and
beat Canada 4-1 to cap off
an amazing run.
Pictured are the members of the Orland Park Vikings 12-and-under youth hockey team. The team has its sights set on
defending its Nations Cup title, which it won this past Thanksgiving 4-1 against Canada. Craig McCarthy/22nd Century Media
“The last game came
down to if we win the game
we win the Nations Cup for
all the teams in our division.
The whole stadium was
packed with USA fans,”
said assistant coach Tim
Rieman.
“It was pretty rewarding
to see them work as hard
as they did and to win everything.
To see them smiling
and happy, it was pretty
great,” said assistant coach
John Gannon.
“The experience can be
summed up in two words:
simply amazing. The kids
had a blast, the coaches
had a blast,” recalled head
coach Ryan Holke.
Approximately 300 people
were in the arena during
the championship game
running around with flags,
according to Holke. It’s
something he and his coaches
said they had never experienced
at that level. For the
players, it’s something they
Please see hockey, 34
Listen Up
“[N]ow that we’ve [made it to state] we’ll continue to push
ourselves to get better, because we know it’s not going to
be easy competition.”
Una Farrell – Lincoln-Way co-op gymnast, on what to expect in state competition
TUNE IN
Girls Basketball
6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 19
Lincoln-Way East opens sectional title
week.
Index
35 – Athlete of the Week
34 – High School Highlights
FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor T.J. Kremer III, tj@
mokenamessenger.com.