Chill 18U National Team Captures Back-to-Back Mid-Am State Championships, Advances to Nationals
Columbus Chill 18U National Team Captures Back-to-Back Mid-Am State Championships, Advances to USA Hockey Nationals
COLUMBUS, OH (October 2025) — The Columbus Chill 18U National Team clinched the Mid-Am Ohio State Championship for the second consecutive year, earning a berth to the USA Hockey Tier II National Championships in West Chester, Pennsylvania, March 25–29.
Entering the tournament as the #1 seed with an impressive 18-5-1 overall record, the Chill proved why they were the team to beat. In round-robin play, they posted dominant wins over #5 Team Ohio (4-1), #4 Cleveland Crusaders (5-0), and #6 Georgi’s Hockey Academy (5-0), setting up a championship showdown with the high-scoring Toledo Jr. Mobsters.
The Mobsters entered the final averaging over seven goals per game since September, but the Chill’s disciplined defensive structure quickly neutralized their attack. Employing a patient and calculated 1-2-2 system, which often looked like a 1-4 neutral zone trap, the Chill stifled Toledo’s rush chances from the opening puck drop.
The offense took over from there. Tate Rook opened the scoring midway through the first period, and in the second, Nicholas Greco doubled the lead, finishing a long breakout pass from Theo Makrogiannis with a top-shelf goal. The Chill extended their lead in the third as Eli Hall fired home from the blue line, followed by a power-play goal from Ben Spence. Moments later, Michael Wozniak buried a rebound off a Donovan Roen shot to close out the scoring putting an exclamation mark on a dominant championship performance.
Goaltender Dylan Bell was outstanding between the pipes, stopping all 25 shots he faced to record the shutout against one of the top offenses in the nation.
This marks the second 18U State Championship and fourth overall title for the Columbus Chill program. It also represents an impressive personal milestone — the third straight state championship for forwards Nick Meyers, Tate Rook, and defensemen Thomas Scharfenberger and Parker Schlade, dating back to their 16U seasons.
The Chill will now prepare to represent the Mid-American District at Nationals this March in West Chester, Pennsylvania.