St. Louis — Ralph and Joanne Gentile weren't able to travel to the Czech Republic when their son Brandon, now a sophomore defenseman on the MSU hockey team, was playing in the biggest event of his pre-college career.
As a member of the United States National Team Development Program out of Ann Arbor, Gentile and Team USA won a gold medal at the 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation's World Under-18 Championships in the Czech Republic.
Mom and Dad were unable to attend.
"I had been overseas, and they unfortunately couldn't make it," Brandon Gentile said.
But that just made his parents' trip to St. Louis for the Frozen Four even better. Armed with Brandon's aunt and uncle, cousins, younger brother Drake and girlfriend Ashley, the Gentile family made the trip from the Clarkston area in hopes of seeing Brandon win a national championship.
As newcomers to the Frozen Four experience, it was in St. Louis where they had the opportunity to further meet other players' parents and mingle with the hundreds of green-and-white clad supporters who made the trip.
"It's a really rewarding year because Brandon was hurt last year," Joanne Gentile said. "To come back and have the team do so well this year and have him be a part of it is very exciting. I'm really happy for him and happy for the team."
On top of capturing their third national championship in program history, the Spartans also may have scored a new recruit in 10-year-old Drake Gentile, who plays youth hockey in Lakeland, Mich.
"He's been to Spartan camps, and everyone knows him and stuff," Brandon Gentile said. "He definitely wants to be here someday."
Conference speaking
CCHA Commissioner Tom Anastos donned a Spartans sweater as a forward from 1981-85. In the locker room area following Saturday's 3-1 championship game, Anastos expressed his satisfaction with MSU's victory and what it means for the CCHA to get the recognition.
"We hadn't been here in a while, and the last couple of years, we didn't get a lot of wins in this tournament," Anastos said. "This year, we needed to make a little bit of a statement to say, 'Hey, you know our league's real strong and it's competitive.' These guys really put it together here down the stretch.
"They won that game (Saturday) against a darn good team. It's huge for the league."
Good luck charms
"You've made it this far, go all the way."
"Good luck and Go Green. Let's beat all the teams to be national champions."
It's those messages and more, handwritten by fans, lined a wall of the MSU locker room, serving as another source of motivation for the Spartans.
A champion's farewell
Following Saturday's win, a crowd of MSU fans gathered in the atrium of Scottrade Center, where they awaited the arrival of the victorious Spartans. Players were greeted with handshakes, hugs and autograph requests as they continued to celebrate the championship win.
