Steel Division Summer '25 Championship: Reapers Crank the Metal and Crush OT For Back-2-Back

Back-to-back champs don’t tiptoe into a final—they stomp in with Metallica blaring. The Reapers set the tone early with Jon Ashley’s warmup playlist rattling the boards and maybe a few souls. By the time the puck dropped, you knew it was going to be loud, chippy, and decided by whoever blinked last.

The Bandits looked ready to play spoiler, jumping out to a 2-0 lead off goals from Marek Fries and Jesse Dillon. Fries celebrated like he’d cured world hunger, and Dillon’s awkward celly looked like he hit the wrong dance emote IRL. For a while, it felt like the Reapers’ encore tour might be cancelled.

But Captain Jacob Murphy doesn’t do quiet exits. He buried one in the second, reminding everyone why his name keeps showing up on the scoresheet and not in the penalty box.

In the third, Robert McNair tied it with help from Andy Hall—the team’s motivator/part-time life coach. Hall was likely yelling instructions while also chirping Patrick Wolfe for his textbook tripping penalty. Meanwhile, Thomas Maginnis somehow managed to stay upright long enough to grab an assist.

The game turned chippy late—sticks swinging, words exchanged, and at least one Bandit who tried a hit but ended up checking himself into the bench. Regulation couldn’t contain the drama.

Overtime felt inevitable, and so did the ending. Just 2:41 into OT, Murphy struck again for the game-winner. McNair assisted, Hall likely delivered a TED Talk in celebration, and the Reapers officially went back-to-back.

Final score: 3-2 Reapers in OT. Same result, louder soundtrack. The Bandits fought hard, but when the heavy metal hits and Murphy’s locked in, you either survive or you get steamrolled.