Team USA’s Charles McAvoy was on the ice as Finland scored a “deflating” goal just 18 seconds into the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship final.

That never deterred him.

“We knew we had almost a full 60 minutes left to come back to tie the game,” the National Team Development Program defenseman said. “On the bench, we didn’t seem to worry, we just wanted to refocus.”

The U.S. indeed battled back to tie the game, and in overtime, McAvoy helped set up the game-winning goal.

“I got the puck in the neutral zone and was able to get the puck up to Jeremy [Bracco],” he said. “I went to back check, and I just remember Jeremy moving to the middle and making a great play to find Colin [White]. I didn’t see it go in right away. I just saw Jeremy, who was behind the net, throw his arms out.

“I just remember thinking, ‘We did it.’ I think I skated as hard as I could to the pile to join the celebration. I was so tired by the end of the game, but I never felt so much joy in my life.”

After a grueling season and grueling tournament for Team USA, McAvoy said Finland presented the team’s biggest challenge yet.

“Finland was big and physical,” he said. “It was our ninth game in a two-and-a-half week timespan. Personally, I was fatigued, but I had to find a way to fight through it. I knew what was a stake.

“In my U17 year, all the hard work and struggles we went through. Last spring, our workouts and early treadmill sessions were geared towards one thing — winning the U18 championship.”

All of that hard work paid off when McAvoy and his teammates stood together to sing the national anthem with gold medals around their necks.

“There was so much pride as I sang the national anthem with my brothers,” McAvoy said. “There was so much pride. We have that legacy, leaving with a gold medal and going out on top.

“Without a doubt with this team, they are truly my brothers. We have gone to war together. The relationships you make on this team are something I have never been a part of. It’s something you just can’t describe.”

When things got tough at the world championships, McAvoy was confident that his two years with the NTDP had prepared him to push on.

“The program gives you all the tools,” he said. “From the physical training with Darryl [Nelson, the strength & conditioning coach] to training with Kirk [Culik, the crossing training coach] to the two-hour practices. It prepares you for that overtime game or that ninth game in the tournament.

“Mentally, all the visualization sessions. We never gave up on the bench, even though we were down for almost 50 minutes. We just kept pushing. Even in the locker room between periods, there was never a time we acted desperate. It’s a huge credit, as their goalie stood on his head, but our persistence finally paid off.”

Now that his NTDP career is wrapped up, McAvoy can look back at his time in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and reflect on how much he’s grown.

“When I first got here as a 15-year-old, I was smaller, underdeveloped and a little immature,” he said. “With the workouts and training, I grew physical and mentally. Every facet of my game developed. From the first time I got here to when I leave, everything we have worked towards, it has become 100 percent full circle to the end. I will leave the program developed and mature. I came in here as a teenager and will leave as a young adult.”

The next step for McAvoy is playing college hockey at Boston University.

“After a few visits, I felt at home,” the Long Beach, New York, native said. “I always thought Boston was the second best city behind New York. The location is great. My parents can come watch me play, as it’s only 3 ½ hours from home.

“The coaching staff is great. I have been told that I will never play for a better coach than David Quinn. Everyone I had spoken to about him speaks very highly of him. He was a defenseman, and I’m a defenseman. Development is huge. It was a no brainer.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

Favorite U.S. Player
Brian Leetch

Favorite Movie
Happy Gilmore

Favorite TV Show
Lost

Favorite Actor
Will Ferrell

Favorite Actress
Mila Kunis

Favorite Music
Imagine Dragons, Zac Brown Band

Favorite Book
Now You See Her by James Patterson

Favorite Home-Cooked Meal
Chicken Parm