LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Prior to the arrival of the Golden Knights, the top youth hockey program in Southern Nevada was the Las Vegas Storm.
When the Jr. Golden Knights was formed, they combined with the Storm, but after a couple years, the two separated. The Storm had a bit of a restart. The result this year was seeing the 14-and-under AA boys team becoming the first Storm team to punch their ticket to the national tournament during the VGK era.
“It’s cool because I have so many friends on the Knights team, so I get to beat my friends to go to Nationals, it’s cool,” said Storm forward Jackson Rauch.
“I feel like it lit a little more fire under us,” explained goaltender Connor Foster. “I used to play for them, but I felt like, yeah, that was pretty nice to be the first time ever to do that from the city.”
“We’re real proud of that team,” said Storm Coaching Chief, David Glen. “It’s a program we’re proud of and I think it just speaks to how much we’ve grown here in a short time and the direction we’re headed.”
The Storm competes in the Rocky Mountain Hockey Federation, racking up 37 wins and five different championships this past season, which has catapulted them to the national tournament.
“The biggest tournament in the world for youth hockey, it’s a really cool experience,” said Rauch. “It will be great; it will be really fun.”
“It feels good, but it also feels a little bit of pressure,” said Foster. “You have the whole state relying on you, but it feels nice know we get to represent where we’re from and hopefully we get to do good.”
Pressure is a privilege. The Storm recognize that which is why they’re prepared to not just take part but take over.
“Do some damage, try to win it,” Rauch said.
“I think our goal is to compete, do our best, and try and get as far as we can,” Foster said. “We want to do some damage, we obviously want to win, we don’t want to travel that far just to lose. We want to do something; we want to make a statement for Nevada.”
“It’s an accomplishment in itself to make it there, but I know the players on that team, the coaches, the team; they want to make a name for themselves and give it their all, and like I said we’re all back here pulling for them for sure,” Glen said.
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