A former Omaha Maverick hockey player helped Team USA knock off Canada in Sunday’s thrilling gold medal win in Milan, Italy.
Jake Guentzel competed for the Americans as they defeated the neighbors up north, 2-1. It was Team USA’s first gold since 1980’s “Miracle on Ice,” when the U.S. upset a heavily favored Soviet Union team in the semifinals on the way to a gold medal. Guentzel was born in Omaha and grew up in Woodbury, Minn. He played for the Mavericks from 2013-2016.
Guentzel found the back of the net during an early round, 6-3 win for the U.S. over Denmark. The U.S. forward attempted a total of 13 shots on goal and scored once across six games in Milan. He was on the ice for more than 17 minutes in Sunday’s gold medal match.
Guentzel is no stranger to the big stage. He scored Omaha’s only goal in a Frozen Four loss to Providence in 2015. That was one of Guentzel’s 14 goals during his sophomore season. The former Maverick followed that up with 19 goals his junior season before heading off to the National Hockey League. He played for the Pittsburgh Penguins for more than seven seasons, which included a Stanley Cup win during his rookie season in 2017 and has competed for the Tampa Bay Lightning for two years. Guentzel has scored 294 goals and 631 total points (goals and assists combined) in nearly 10 seasons in the NHL. The Lightning are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference.
Former Maverick coach David Quinn also helped Team USA, serving as an assistant coach. Quinn was a member of the first hockey coaching staff for Omaha under head coach Mike Kemp who was hired in 1996, according to the athletic department.