It might want to consider taking a page from California and adding “The Golden State” to that list after a trip of North Dakota natives and Minot State University alums coached the Team USA sled hockey team to its fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2026 Paralympic Games in Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in March.

Head coach David Hoff, assistant coach Corey Gorder and goaltender coach Eric Woodbeck never would have imagined three educators from North Dakota would one day become gold medal winning coaches.

That became reality on March 15 when USA defeated Canada, 6-2, in the gold medal game, finishing off an unbeaten Paralympic run and a historic fifth consecutive first-place finish for the stars and stripes in sled hockey. It was Hoff’s third gold-medal with the team – two as head coach in 2026 and 2022 and one as an assistant in 2018, while it was Gorder’s second and Woodbeck’s first.

“To know you were a part of it was very, very special,” Gorder said. “I’m very privileged to be able to do that and I’m honored to be able to be a part of that. Whether it’s a World Championship or a Paralympic gold medal, the realization of the history and when you know that your name is a part of that forever, it’s very special and it makes you really appreciate all the time and people around you, not only players and staff, but players’ families and all those things. It really makes you look around at all the people that care enough to put time in.”

Submitted Photo Members of the United States Paralympics sled hockey team celebrate winning the gold medal with a 6-2 win over rival Canada in the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, played at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on March 15. Photo from USA Hockey.

Gorder, a 2001 MSU alum with a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and sociology, was hired as an assistant coach in 2018 shortly after Hoff (MSU Class of ’90) was named the new head coach for Team USA. Just days before departing for Italy, Gorder was named the new campus dean at Dakota College at Bottineau after serving as the interim dean since July 1, 2025, making for a whirlwind two-week stretch that included a new position, a 4,700-mile flight to Milan and a gold medal representing his country.

The 2026 games served as the first Paralympics where Hoff, Gorder and Woodbeck were together on the coaching staff. Hoff joined Team USA as an assistant coach in 2016 and Gorder came aboard two years later when Hoff was promoted to head coach. Woodbeck (MSU Class of ’07) joined Team USA as the goaltending coach in November 2024.

It was a reunion of sorts, as all three had crossed paths at some point over the course of their careers, through USA Hockey and elsewhere. Hoff coached Gorder at Bottineau High School in the 1990s when Gorder played hockey for the Braves. Hoff coached against Woodbeck when Woodbeck joined the Minot Public School system and became the goaltenders coach at Minot High (now Minot United). Hoff was also one of his instructors when Woodbeck was working toward his master’s degree in mathematics. All three have worked together as part of Team USA’s development camps over the years as well.

While knowledge of the game is critical as a coach, Hoff believes his staff’s background in education and leadership helps to further get across their message to their players, leading to the success Team USA has had under this current administration.

“We all come from a little bit of an education background with Corey being an administrator,” Hoff said. “That’s a part that sometimes isn’t valued by people when it comes to coaching and I think that’s definitely a strength of this staff. Not only do we have people associated with hockey, but we have good people and we have guys that can teach and coach and they understand how to deal with people from the skills that come from teaching.”

Hoff and Gorder coached Team USA to a perfect 4-0-0-0 record in the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing, beating Canada, 5-0, in the gold medal game for the team’s fourth consecutive gold medal. Four years later, Hoff and Gorder were back behind the bench with Woodbeck in Italy chasing history in more than one way.

The country was still buzzing over the men’s and women’s Olympic hockey teams, both capturing gold medals with overtime victories against Canada. The sled hockey team had a chance to earn the United States the distinction of being the only country to win gold in all three classes in the same year.

And they did, with relative ease.

Team USA opened the preliminary round by setting a single-game record for most goals, defeating Italy, 14-1. They fell behind early, but rattled off 14 unanswered goals and outshot the Italians 53-2. Team USA was equally as dominated in their second game, shutting out Germany, 13-0. The Americans completed an undefeated run through the preliminary round with a 7-1 win against China. A 6-1 victory against Czechia in the semifinal round set up a gold-medal match against Canada. Team USA once again got the better of the Canadians to the tune of a 6-2 victory, completing the Olympic hockey sweep.

“The whole thing was such a whirlwind,” Woodbeck said. “We were over there for 2 and a half weeks, and it didn’t feel like we were there hardly three days. We were on the go a lot doing things, whether it was practices or whatever else. It was such a humbling and surreal feeling, especially in that last game. I remember standing there and watching the medal stuff get all rolled out and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and looked up and was like, ‘When did all these people get here?’ It just didn’t dawn on me until that moment and realizing what we had just accomplished.”

For Hoff and Gorder, the 2026 gold medal experience was vastly different from the previous one in 2022. That year, Team USA won gold in silence in an empty arena as strict COVID-19 restrictions in China banned spectators from any of the Olympic and Paralympic events. Athletes and coaches weren’t allowed to leave the Olympic Village when they weren’t competing.

Fans were back in the stands in 2026 and a record-breaking sellout crowd of 11,500 at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena were on hand to watch.

“It’s the best environment,” Hoff said. “The World Championship years, which are the other three years, are big years and obviously winning championships is really exciting, but all of the media attention and the platform that everything is on just gets raised up big time. It’s a chance for people around the world, especially in our country to see the sport because it’s on NBC. The opening crowd was just shy of 10,000 and the last crowd was pushing 12,000. It’s just such a cool environment. I grew up as a kid who just loves the Olympics, so this definitely fits me because I’m someone who’s always loved it.”

Along with securing the gold medal sweep of Team USA in hockey, the sled team also became the first Olympic or Paralympic hockey team to win five consecutive gold medals. The run began in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, in 2010 and continued in 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026. Team USA broke a tie with both the Canadian men and women as well as the Soviet Union. The Canadian men won the first four gold medals in hockey from 1920-1932. The Canadian women won first straight from 2002-14 and the Soviets won in 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976.

“They are very special people,” Gorder said. “Their drive and their passion to continue to grow the game is amazing. When they buy in and trust what you’re doing, the sky is the limit. They really have put a lot of trust in David and myself over the years. As time goes on you build that and when you have that relationship it just continues to grow. These guys are people first and that’s what we’re always concerned about. It’s people before hockey.”

While they were there for hockey, that didn’t keep the trio of coaches from doing some sightseeing when they had the opportunity. The team flew into Venice for the first 24 hours, allowing them to go see the channels. Once in Milan, they saw the Duomo di Milano, the city’s cathedral church that took nearly six centuries to build. Milan was already bustling with tourists, not just for the Olympics and Paralympics, but it was also the final days of fashion week.

Gorder made a vacation out of it. His wife and two kids made the trip in time to see both the semifinal and championship games, and then remained in the area for four more days, spending time in Florence. Hoff’s wife and step son also made the trip to be in attendance to see him win a second gold medal, though they did not spend any additional time in Italy. Woodbeck’s family stayed in the U.S., citing both expenses and logistics, as family is not allowed to stay in the Olympic Village.

With families and other jobs, trying to find a healthy work-life balance can be a challenge. But they are all grateful for the support that both their families and employers have provided them throughout their journey with USA Hockey.

“It’s definitely a balancing act,” Woodbeck said. “I have a really great support system at home. My wife is amazing. She has been my No. 1 supporter ever since I started doing this stuff, whether it was coaching in football or in hockey and all the stuff I do now for USA hockey, she is my No. 1 fan as I am of her. We support each other. Our kids have supported everything I’ve done. They are so proud of me and our players and what we’ve accomplished. That makes it easier that way and school has been pretty good about me having extra time to make sure I’m able to be at those things. There are tournaments I don’t go to on purpose because missing so much school is hard. My students know what I’m doing and they are proud of me and the send-off I had before, every kid in the school that was there that day and all the teachers were down the hallway cheering me on as I was walking out. It was pretty emotional for me and pretty special.”

In an Olympic year, the gold-medal game marks the end of the season for sled hockey. The typical season runs through May, giving Hoff, Gorder and Woodbeck more time to focus on their work away from the hockey rink. It also gives them a chance to reflect on how three guys from small towns in North Dakota won their country a gold medal, crediting lessons learned from Minot State as a contributor.

“I think all of us have said that their time at Minot State was so important,” Hoff said. “I learned so much about building relationships when at Minot State even though I was there for a math degree. It was about making people valued for what they do and when you’re in the performance business, if someone feels valued in the locker room it’s amazing what you can get them to do. But if they don’t know where they stand with a coach, it’s really hard to get them to give their best.”