U18 Chicago Hawks were not going to let a 2nd Place Central States standing get in the way of their State Title and National goals! The team headed straight to the State Round Robin in West Dundee where they started their weekend with a 2-1 OT win against the Chargers! The Vikings didn't make it any easier as both teams battled til the end! Ultimately, the Hawks skated away with a 3-2 victory.  The Sabres came out ready to play Sunday. However, the team was determined to leave the weekend with a clean sweep, defeating the Sabres with an amazing 2-0 shutout and a trip to the State Championship!

With standing room only and shoulder-to-shoulder fans, the U18 Hawks showed up at Mount Prospect Ice Arena to take on the West Dundee Leafs. The team had some struggles this season against the Leafs with a 0-1-2 season record.  They were determined to walk away victors. The first period ended with no score. Forward Liam Lecauchois found the back of the net in the 2nd period to put the Hawks on the board! The battle continued into the 3rd period when the Leafs came back and tied the game off a fluky deflection.  Teamwork, drive, and being determined to continue their season, Ryan Good was given the opportunity to give the Hawks the go-ahead power play goal!

The entire Hawks team continued to play amazing defensive hockey, battling the Leafs right down to the last few seconds of the game to walk away State Champions and punch their ticket to the USA Hockey National Championships in Maple Grove, Minnesota!

The team would like to thank all the fans, family, coaches and the Hawks/Phantoms organization for their support! Congratulations to every team on a successful season, and let's watch these U18's continue their ride!

#NattysBound #BeAHawk