MU19WFCQ Recap!

USA faced Canada at the MU19WFCQ in Chicago the 19^th-21^st of June and here is a recap of the event.

The three game North American Qualifier series between the US and Canada for a place at the 2027 MU19 World Championships in Riga, Latvia, was an incredible display of floorball.

Played in Chicago at the Blackhawks Ice Center, a brand new, state-of-the-art arena, complete with 1,500 seats, a restaurant and bar, the excitement was palpable throughout the entire week. Despite losing all three games in the competition, it was a fantastic week for the U.S. team, and they laid the foundation for a program that’s only going to get stronger in the coming years.
The U.S. Team gathered on Monday, prior to Friday’s first game, to practice and get to know each other better, as players hailed from Chicago, Minnesota, Texas, Utah, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, while some of the others comprised of dual citizens living in Switzerland, China, Singapore, Sweden, and Germany.

Head Coach Derek Moser held a team meeting immediately when players arrived, along with General Manager Keene Addington III, assistant coaches Trent Kling, Doug Kimball, Case Connor, Asst. GM/Business Bryan Bagley, Asst. GM/Development Cole Connor and head of media Hilda Siri. After Addington went over some logistical things, he announced Oliver Parent as team captain. Parent then proceeded to give an inspiring speech to the team. The meeting wrapped up with Moser asking players for definitions for these 3 words: Accountability, Resilience, and Grit. When they were finished, Moser had the entire team sign a poster with these words on it, and it acted as a team contract. The poster followed them around for the rest of the week, reminding the players what they agreed to, and how to act both on and off the court.

The days leading up to Game 1 on Friday were filled with various activities. The team set up the Gerflor for U.S. Youth and Adult Nationals on Tuesday, giving them their first sense of accomplishment as a team. They practiced twice every day except for Thursday, where they replaced their practice with an exhibition game against the Finnish Falcons, a top tier U18 select team from Finland. Even though they lost, the exhibition gave the team a better understanding of the speed and physicality of international floorball, and it gave them confidence going into their first game.

Arguably the highlight of the week was when one of the Chicago Blackhawks youth hockey camps came for a floorball training. Led by national team player and U19 alumnus Keene Addington IV, Team USA aided in teaching and exposing over 100 kids to floorball, and they ended the session with a group photo with all the campers. The campers adored the US MU19 players and approached many of them for autographs and pictures.

When the team wasn’t playing floorball, they were out and about in Chicago. They went to the Merchandise Mart, Marshall’s Landing, and a boat cruise along the Chicago River, all major tourist destinations. A trip to Millenium Park and THE BEAN had to be cancelled due to rain. In addition, they attended the USA U19 Alumni Dinner at Gussie’s Handmade Italian, owned by GM Addington, with U19 alumni from many different cycles. They also ate at famous Chicago chain, Portillos, and the other restaurant owned by Addington, Tortoise Supper Club. And to top it all off, Chicago players Nu Nu Addington and Konrad Grum, along with captain Ollie Parent, appeared on WGN Morning News, the #1 morning news show in Chicago in terms of ratings, for live interviews to promote the event. By Friday, the team was ready to play.

The excitement leading up to Game one was almost unbearable for fans. Over 700 people of all ages packed into the seats well before face-off. The game was being televised by CHSN, the regional sports network that carries the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox. The lights fully dimmed and the music quieted as the rowdy US crowd settled into their seats with their food and beverages. As the PA announcer introduced each US player, with their picture on the Jumbotron, a huge roar followed. Both teams took their benches, the starting lineups took the floor, and the game was underway.

It was obvious to everyone in the stadium that Team USA was jittery and playing a little nervous. The US had only three players returning from last cycle, the aforementioned Oliver Parent, defender Max Trybom, and starting goaltender Kaleb Winder. The U.S. had 17 players making their international debut. In addition, less than half of the US team was aged 17 or 18, while all except two players of Canada were aged 17 or older. The Canadians were definitely more experienced, and it showed as they took an early 1-0 lead. However, that goal seemed to calm the nerves of Winder, as he was lights out for the rest period, making crucial saves and bringing some energy into the building. The U.S. built on this momentum and answered back with a powerplay goal from their captain, Ollie Parent. The game remained knotted until midway through the second period, with both teams trading opportunities. Canada had more possession, but it was the US who had the better chances, with several key breakaways not converted. Inexperience caught up with them, as the Canadians scored off a turnover to make it 2-1, and while the US clawed back to make it 2-2 off a brilliant play by Adrian Sawatzke, the Canadians went into the 3rd up 4-2. Team USA didn’t come out with enough energy at the beginning of the 3rd, as another turnover made it 5-2 Canada. However, the crowd remained loud despite the deficit, and a few saves from Winder gave the team and the fans life again. Nu Nu scored right in front of the net off a fantastic pass from Konrad Grum, and then 40 seconds later Gavin Stone buried a rebound off a brilliant rush from Nathanel Boenheim. All of a sudden, the US were only down one with plenty of time left, and the building was rocking. The U.S. had a few chances to even it up, but it was Canada who got the next goal off a fluky deflection from the point.

The crowd was still energetic, and the USA got a few more chances, but just couldn’t find the net. Unfortunately, inexperience caught up with them. The U.S. ended up taking three avoidable penalties in the span of three minutes, and the Canadians capitalized twice, making the score 8-4 and giving the chances for a comeback very slim. Eric Chen scored with the goaltender pulled, but the Canadians added an empty netter to take game one of the series 9-5. Local boy Nu Nu Addington won player of the match for the Americans in front of friends and family, and the crowd boisterously displayed their appreciation for the team’s effort in game one.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for game two. The U.S. simply did not come out with the fire and energy needed to compete in an international competition. Again, the team’s inexperience came back to bite them. Moser made the decision to move Harrison Tan into the crease, and made a few other lineup adjustments, giving more minutes to Mathieu Bertrand and the line of Grum, Ferry, and Nu Nu, while giving a look to Owen Dummeldinger and Karl Szepvolgyi. Ultimately, any combination Moser would have tried would have failed, because the entire team started slow.

Canada scored on the powerplay to make it 1-0 early, but the U.S. responded with a powerplay goal of their own from Nathanel Boenheim. They went into the second tied, but that was largely due to the outstanding goaltending of Tan. The U.S. played tired and poorly in the second, and Canada pumped in 5 goals past the beleaguered Tan to make it 6-1 by the end of the second. The Canadians got another one early, and even though Grum and Nu Nu linked up for another goal, the Canadian put two more past them to make it 9-2.

Knowing a loss here would mean the team would not qualify for the 2027 World Championships, Moser, in an act of desperation, pulled Tan for a sixth attacker for the last 5 minutes of the game. It didn’t work as the Canadians put in two empty netters for a final of 11-2 for the Canadians, meaning the US would be staying home from the World Championships. Nathaniel Boenheim won player of the match, but at the end of the day it was a sad ending for a team that put in so much work over the past week and had bonded so well.

Game three held no significance for qualification, but both the Canadians and the Americans played fiercely, and it resulted in the closest game of the series. Adrian Sawatzke’s twin, Olivier, was inserted into the lineup and both Winder and Tan got time in the net. The U.S. started slow again, down 2-0 in the first three minutes, but Addington answered back, and A. Sawatzke from Parent tied the game at two, before Canada got a late goal to take the lead going into the third. The U.S. responded immediately in the third, with A. Sawatzke and Parent linking up for two goals, and then the Chicago boys, Dummeldinger, Addington, Merritt, and Grum combined for a goal, to give the U.S. a 5-3 lead, their first in the series.

However, the inexperienced Americans couldn’t maintain the lead, as the Canadians tied it up on long range shots, and then grabbed the lead 6-5 off a shorthanded goal, and went into the third period ahead. The Canadians again took advantage of the inexperience of the Americans, by scoring a shorty followed by another quick goal and just like that, the Americans were down 8-5. Unlike Game 2 however, the US responded well, played hard, and got it back to 8-7 game, with A. Sawatzke and Parent linking up again, and then Max Trybom sneaking one in off a cheeky free hit.

Unfortunately, the Canadians got the dagger on the Powerplay on an extremely unlucky own goal from Maurin Engel, who had been a brilliant defender the entire weekend. Moser pulled Tan to try and tie it up, but the Canadians grabbed an empty netter, and the game ended 10-7. Despite the loss and the reminder of non-qualification, the US held their heads high, as it was the closest game of the series, and the crowd was very appreciative of their effort. Adrian Sawatzke won player of the match, and captain Oliver Parent was named MVP for the US. They left the floor feeling disappointed, but hungry and determined.

Even though they did not qualify, Moser and Addington have a lot to look forward to for the future of the program. Firstly, due to changes in the IFF’s schedule, the next qualifier will be held in one year, instead of the standard two year cycle, so the Americans will have a chance to get their revenge on Canada very soon. Secondly, the team has 17 returning players, including star player and captain Ollie Parent.

Thirdly, and most importantly, the team will have some experience under their belt, which was arguably the major reason why Canada was able to surge ahead in each game. The Canadians didn’t make mistakes nearly as often or of the same magnitude as the Americans, and a lot of that came down to experience.

Not only was it the first qualifier for most of the U.S. players, but the first qualifier for this coaching staff as well. Finally, there were plenty of fantastic performances up and down the lineup. Adrian Sawatzke and Ollie Parent showed fantastic chemistry. Tan and Winder both stood on their head for periods of time. Max Trybom and Taavi Salmela were the best pairing on either team. The third line of Grum, Ferry, and Nu Nu caused a lot of problems for the Canadians with their scrappiness. Maurin Engel proved to be a lockdown defenseman, and Owen Dummeldinger completely revitalized his game into a ball moving defenseman.

These were just some of the individual highlights that took place over the weekend, and with a qualifier under their belt, another year of training and competing as a team, the U.S. is looking strong to qualify next year.