Rushmore Thunder bring home National High School Championship
Rapid City, S.D. (KELO) –The Rushmore Thunder high school hockey team just returned from Nationals in California and they did so with a championship.
Tuesday after noon Central High School held a pep assembly to celebrate.
Last year this team fell short at state and had something to prove this time around.
'This year we came into the season knowing we had to get the job done. So we started off, we started earlier this season, we started in September I think.' Thunder Center Cameron Ritter Said
As soon as the first puck dropped, the students were loud supporting their peers..
'We had supporters at all of our home games, we had a student section and even when we went on the road there were a couple of guys that would get together and watch the games online, they supported us throughout the season so it was nice.' Ritter Said
'Yeah it's really cool, even though Central doesn't have a hockey team it was really cool to have all the teachers, staff and students really hype for us. It was really awesome. You know a lot of these guys come to the hockey games and they do a really good job.' Thunder Goalie Wyatt Simmons Said
The Thunder finished the season 30-1, only dropping a game in pool play at nationals this year.
'The refs ref differently than they ref here, the teams play differently than they do here. Some of the teams are more physical, less physical, more passing or less passing. But overall we just played our game and trusted in it and we came out on top with our coaching from Konrad with his fantastic coaching.' Thunder Right Wing Mason McGregor Said
Colton Merchen led the team in goals and assists at nationals, but said it was a full team effort with the depth they had.
'We had guys we weren't sure about going into the year but they played such a critical role throughout the whole year. We were able to play four lines solid all year at any game. And we didn't need to worry about getting scored on or turning the tables so it was pretty awesome. We built a family here and I love it. It was an awesome year.' Thunder Center Colton Merchen Said
This is the first time the Rushmore Thunder have won the High School 2A National Championship.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pacers' Rick Carlisle Sends OKC Thunder Message Before NBA Finals
Pacers' Rick Carlisle Sends OKC Thunder Message Before NBA Finals originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Oklahoma City Thunder made light work of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. It clinched a berth in the NBA Finals for just the second time in their young history. Advertisement The NBA Finals berth is the first since 2012 for the Thunder, when they lost to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in five games. It's a similar situation for the Indiana Pacers, as they're berth in the Finals is the first time since 2000. Like the Thunder, the Pacers fell in their last Finals appearance to the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers. Jan 2, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defends Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Pacers' Rick Carlisle sends OKC Thunder message While the on-court battle will carry much intrigue and entertainment, the battle between the two coaches will also be fun to monitor. Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is just 40 years old and has been a head coach since 2020. Advertisement On the other side is Rick Carlisle, who got his coaching start in 2001 with the Detroit Pistons before coaching the Indiana Pacers from 2003 to 2007. In 2008, he moved on to the Dallas Mavericks, where he won an NBA Title in 2011. Ahead of the Game 1 matchup, Carlisle detailed the respect he has for the Thunder on The Pat McAfee Show. "We have great respect for Oklahoma City Thunder, and we're going to look forward to the challenge," Carlisle said. "... They're a great team and they defend really well... We're gonna have to do a good job with ball security and we're gonna have to play fast." The Thunder are heavy favorites ahead of the series, and for good reason. They finished with the best record in the league and earned home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. They were also one of the best road teams in the league, and boast the league's Most Valuable Player. Advertisement The Thunder are -700, which implies a 87.5% probability that they'll be the ones lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
NBA Finals: Can the Pacers upset the favored Thunder? And what's next for the Knicks?
With the NBA Finals preparing to tip off Thursday, the Indiana Pacers will face the Oklahoma City Thunder as underdogs in the eyes of some. The Thunder finished the regular season with a league-best 68 wins and are led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Pacers' run, however, is a little more unexpected as they entered the playoffs as the Eastern Conference's No. 4 seed. Advertisement Both teams are among the league's hottest during the 2025 calendar year. Since Jan. 1, only Oklahoma City has posted more wins (53) and a higher winning percentage (80.3 percent) than Indiana (46 wins, 71.9 percent). On the latest episode of 'The Athletic NBA Daily,' Dave DuFour, Es Baraheni and Zena Keita previewed the NBA Finals matchup. They broke down what makes it so intriguing stylistically, then debated which team should be favored. They also looked at the coaching battle between Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault and Indiana's Rick Carlisle. Additionally, they discussed whether Indiana's depth could be the difference and, ultimately, gave their finals predictions. Earlier in the episode, DuFour, Baraheni and Keita recapped the Pacers' Game 6 win over the New York Knicks, which sealed the Eastern Conference crown. They discussed whether Pascal Siakam should've been named Eastern Conference finals MVP and whether the 31-year-old forward is among the best No. 2 options in the league. DuFour, Baraheni and Keita also discussed the Knicks and the lack of synergy between Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the need for the team to better involve their supporting cast offensively, whether Tom Thibodeau is the right coach to get the Knicks over the hump and whether the front office should consider trading a core piece to add more depth. Watch the full episode of 'The Athletic NBA Daily' below or on the YouTube channel, or via 'The Athletic NBA Daily' podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. (Photo of Pascal Siakam and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Jeff Dean / Getty Images)
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
2025 NBA Finals: The incredible Paul George trades that turned the Pacers and Thunder into title contenders
As it turns out, all you needed to do to reach the 2025 NBA Finals was trade Paul George. Remarkably, this year's Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers and Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder were both built from assets each team received in exchange for dealing George. How the Pacers built from trading Paul George Indiana selected George with the 10th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He made four All-Star teams for the Pacers, leading them to a pair of conference finals appearances, before informing the franchise in 2017 that he was planning to sign elsewhere — preferably with the Los Angeles Lakers — in free agency. Advertisement Not wanting to lose George for nothing, Indiana dealt him to the Thunder on July 6, 2017, in exchange for a 25-year-old Victor Oladipo and a 21-year-old Domantas Sabonis. Both Oladipo and Sabonis developed into All-Stars under Indiana's watch, though as a tandem they peaked in a pair of first-round playoff exits. (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports Illustration) By 2020, Oladipo had begun to experience the right knee problems that would ultimately end his career, so the Pacers flipped him to the Houston Rockets as part of the four-team trade that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. In return, Indiana received Caris LeVert and a pair of second-round draft picks. One of those second-rounders became the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 draft, which the Pacers packaged, along with the No. 29 overall pick in the same draft, for a 2024 first-round draft pick from ... the Thunder. That selection was one of two first-round draft picks that Indiana dealt to the Toronto Raptors in January 2024 in exchange for Pascal Siakam, this year's Eastern Conference finals MVP. Advertisement Meanwhile, the Pacers flipped LeVert to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 2022 second-round draft pick, a 2023 first-round draft pick and a 2027 second-round draft pick. The first two of those picks became Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard, a pair of rotation players for this year's conference champions. Sabonis played for the Pacers until February 2022, when at the deadline they dealt him and some ancillary assets to the Sacramento Kings for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson. Haliburton, of course, has developed into an All-NBA point guard for the Pacers and their best player. Finally, Indiana flipped Hield to the Philadelphia 76ers at the 2024 trade deadline for a pair of second-round draft picks — the first of which they traded again, turning that selection into Johnny Furphy. Advertisement In one way or another, the Pacers turned George into Haliburton, Siakam, Nembhard, Sheppard and Furphy. That is roughly a third of Indiana's entire roster, half of its rotation and both of its leaders. How the Thunder built from trading Paul George George played two seasons for the Thunder — both first-round playoff exits. In July 2019, though, the Los Angeles Clippers came calling with an offer Oklahoma City could not refuse. The Clippers were trying to sign Kawhi Leonard in free agency, but the two-time Finals MVP wanted a star partner in L.A., so the organization went about the business of trying to pry George from the Thunder. Advertisement OKC executive Sam Presti squeezed the Clippers for everything he could, acquiring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and the rights to a handful of first-round draft picks in exchange for George. As if recouping Gilgeous-Alexander, this year's MVP, were not enough, one of those picks — the No. 12 selection in 2022 — became Jalen Williams, who has developed into an All-Star for Oklahoma City. Much of the rest of the package from the Clippers is tied up in this year's draft, as the Thunder own pick Nos. 15, 24 and 44 in June, all from assets they received in the George deal. Oklahoma City can use those selections to replenish whomever they lose from their rising salary costs over the next couple of years. Between Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and whoever is still to come, the Thunder have built from George a budding dynasty. First, though, they must get through what they traded to acquire George from Indiana.
