Having helped the United States under-18 national hockey team win a gold medal at the IIHF world hockey championships in Plzen, Czech Republic on April 24, Brandon Gentile has enough memories to last a lifetime.
‘When I talked to him for the first time after the tournament, I told him, ‘No matter what you do in the future, you will always be a world champion,?? said Joanne Gentile, Brandon’s mother.
Gentile’s play at defense helped team USA run the table, finishing a perfect 6-0 in tournament play. In the semifinals, the U.S. beat Sweden 6-2 on April 22, and followed up with a gold medal winning 5-1 victory against Canada in the finals.
One of the toughest matches of the tournament came in pool play as the USA outlasted host nation Czech Republic, 4-3.
‘There were 7,500 people in the stadium and they were by far the craziest crowd we saw. They whistle instead of boo over there. (My) eardrums would just be ringing out on the ice,? said Gentile.
The adjustments to the crowd were not the first that Gentile and his teammates made over the course of the nearly three weeks they spent abroad. Team USA arrived early to ensure that any jetlag abated before they hit the ice.
Also, prior to flying abroad, the team trained at their Ann Arbor-based training facility, on an olympic sized rink, which is much larger than North American ice surfaces.
‘You have to adjust (to the larger ice). It’s harder for me as a defenseman. The forwards have it easy because they get so much more room to operate,? said Gentile.
Gentile recorded one assist and had a plus/minus rating of four for the tournament.
In the finals, Team USA went up against another team forced to adjust to the international ice, perennial hockey power Canada. Gentile and his mates proved victorious, with a 5-1 win over the country that invented hockey.
‘It was awesome to see the Canadians standing across from us during the medal ceremony,? said Gentile.
While Team USA were well conditioned physically and mentally for the pressures of international competition, Gentile’s family nervously followed the action from across the ocean.
‘It was pretty exciting, even listening on the internet,? said Joanna, who added she felt the grand scale of the tournament affected her more than her son.
Now Brandon has returned home, where he and his teammates, who have trained together throughout high school, are moving on to new conquests on the ice. All but two members of the under 18 team will be playing division I NCAA hockey. Gentile will ply his skills at Michigan State University in the fall.
‘If I ever get the chance to play for a national championship, the experience of (winning a gold medal) will help me a lot,? said Gentile.