Tampa Bay Crunch win program's first national title

TAMPA, Fla. - John Scoby has been a lifelong hockey fan and grew up playing around the Bay Area back when the sport was a bit of an afterthought. 

"When I was growing up here there were three rinks, so everyone knew each other," joked Scoby.

That, however, isn't the case anymore. 

"There were a couple of hundred kids in the area playing hockey. Now, there's several thousand," Scoby shared. 

Proof of that growth is the Tampa Bay Crunch 16U hockey team. Scoby is the head coach. 

John Scoby is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Crunch. 

For the last few years, the Tampa Bay Crunch hockey program has been growing and its players along with it.

Many have been a part of the program and risen through the ranks since day one. 

READ: Lightning, NHL continue to grow hockey across Tampa Bay area

"We have chemistry on and off the ice and build off of energy," said forward Paul Johnson.

It may be a team made up of players from around the Bay Area but together, they have always reached for a common goal. 

The Crunch say they have chemistry on and off the ice. 

"Winning nationals is something that not a lot of people experience," explained goalie Brody Levering.

That is a goal the Crunch finally got to score this season, however. 

READ: Kucherov is 5th player in NHL to reach 100 assists as Tampa Bay Lighting beat Maple Leafs 6-4

At the USA Hockey National Championships in Texas, the Crunch managed to bring home the 16UAA Tier II national title thanks to an overtime game winning goal in the championship game. 

"If you would've told us at the beginning of the year that we would be national champions, I would be like 'Wow!'" Levering exclaimed. 

The Crunch brought home the 16UAA Tier II national title. 

For the Crunch, this banner-raising moment was the first national title in the program's history and just the fourth time a team from Florida had skated away as national champs. 

"It's massive. Not a lot of people know Tampa Bay, or Florida, for hockey in general," said defenseman Jack Bedell. "For a state, that's a big thing for a team from down South to win nationals on that stage."

Now, the Crunch officially joined an elite group of teams from the Sunshine State. 

"It's unbelievable," stated Scoby. "It's a moment that is going to be with these kids forever. Even with the coaching staff, it just makes memories."

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