Clayton Willis, a 17-year-old Titan hockey player on the Evansville Thunder team, recently made it to the ISHSHA 3A Finals versus the Carroll High School Hockey team on February 28. The Evansville Thunder came up short in overtime, losing the finals to Carroll, 4-3. Willis and his crew were devastated by this loss, as it prevented them from winning the State Championship game. The Thunder made the finals three years in a row without a victory, only coming home with three second-place trophies.
Willis has been a hockey player for around 14 years and gained a lot of experience, playing hockey ever since he was three years old. Willis and his team have had a record of 12-4-2, playing 18 games leading up to the State tournament. The Evansville Thunder is ranked number two in the state and faced many challenges leading up to this special event at the Kube Ice Arena in Hammond, Indiana.
Evansville Thunder has a team of eighteen players, including Nolan Rob, Kyle Ottlie, and Will Rideout, and consists of one coach, former National Hockey League player Nathan Moon. Moon has traveled the world playing hockey. Moon’s team was ranked as a low-seed coming into the tournament and had to work its way up through the bracket, beating teams like Culver Academy, to get to the finals.
“I feel like everyone contributed in their own way, and personally, I thought staying positive as a teammate was a big factor,” Willis said.
The game was close the entire duration, with a lot of anticipation leading up to overtime. The team went into sudden death, giving the Thunder a lot of anticipation for hardware to take home. Unfortunately, Willis and his team could not pull it off.
Although Willis is disappointed about this loss, he is already looking forward to next season. He is planning to build off this loss by being the best player that he can be in all aspects of the game.
“He is a very passionate player, and he always stays positive,” Rob said. “I know he will remember this loss as motivation for his senior year. You can still see him at the rink for extra practice, every chance he gets.”
The Thunder’s overall defense was a big factor in the team’s success for the season.
“Our defense played a big role in our success and helped get us to the finals,” Willis said. “Our overall mindset to win was also very important.”
Leading up to that final game, things just did not work out as expected, and the Thunder came up short, losing to Carroll.
In the end, Moon was proud of his team and how far they made it into the tournament, playing multiple teams like Crown Point and Adams, defeating three teams straight to qualify for the finals.
“I love this team, and I am proud of what they have become,” Moon said. “Although we lost, we will be back.”
The ISHSHA 3A bracket was full of eight teams, with the Thunder coming in second place, ranking 384 nationally, solidifying their place among hundreds of hockey programs within the state.
