Denver native sophomore Troy Terry left the DU Pioneers mid-December to represent Team U.S.A. in the 2017 World Junior Hockey Championship in Montreal, but he returned to campus on Jan. 6 an American hero.
In the U.S.A’s semifinal game against Russia on Jan. 4, a shootout lasting seven rounds would determine which team would advance to play for gold. In an instant, Terry stunned the nation, scoring three shootout goals in a row to secure the victory for the United States. Going 3-for-3 in a shootout is a feat on its own, but the manner in which Terry scored the goals created instant reactions and coined him the nickname “Five-hole Terry.” Terry deceived Russian goaltender Ilya Samsonov on all three accounts, sneaking the puck between his pads, thus scoring the victorious five-hole goal.
After the momentous win, Terry became a top trend on Twitter for the night, receiving reactions from Terry’s personal idols like TJ Oshie, Auston Matthews and even Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, whom Terry was named after.
But Terry’s run didn’t stop there.
The championship game against Canada took place on Jan. 5. The game was sent to the familiar shootout format once more after U.S.A. rallied back from a pair of two-goal deficits to tie the game 4-4.
In the fourth round of the shootout, Terry confidently fired his shot, beating Canada’s goalie Carter Hart between the pads. U.S.A goaltender Tyler Parsons denied Canada on the next two shootout attempts, delivering the 5-4 victory and gold medal for Team U.S.A.
Terry finished an epic 4-4 in shootout attempts, crowning himself a new legend among U.S.A hockey and even earning the nickname, “legenTerry.”
“It was amazing,” Terry said. “I get a lot of attention for the shootouts, some people just kind of remember that. But we played such a good team game in both of those [games against Russia and Canada]. The amount of tweets I’ve gotten and support just shows how many people were behind us.”
Terry’s success with Team U.S.A. was an experience the 19-year old will never forget, but as much as he enjoyed representing the Red White and Blue, he was eager to wear Crimson and Gold again.
The Anaheim Ducks prospect rested on Friday, Jan. 6. The newly ranked-No. 1 Pioneers (14-4-4) returned to Magness for the second half of the 2016-17 campaign against the University of Arizona State Sun Devils.
Terry suited up the following night, where he was honored during the first period and received a standing ovation by the 5,980 fans in attendance. Terry, a Denver local, grew up a season-ticket holder to Denver hockey and even graduated high school a year early to play with the Pioneers during the 2015-16 season. His welcome back was “…a surreal experience and pretty special. To see how much support I have back here [Denver] for what happened over there [Montreal] was pretty awesome.”
Terry’s return to Magness Arena was one for the books. The forward record a career-high five points (2G-3A) to lead the Pioneers to the 6-1 victory and secure the weekend sweep.
While Terry’s goals weren’t finished in five-hole fashion, he enjoyed being back on the ice with his college teammates.
“Those guys are my best friends,” Terry said.” I was obviously in the moment up there [in Montreal], but as soon as we won that game, I was looking forward to getting back with these guys and playing. There’s really nothing like putting on a Pioneer jersey and playing with these guys.”
