York head coach Matt Boeing is taking a page from pro wrestling legend Ric Flair for Wednesday’s Illinois High School Hockey State Championship Game (Red Division) against New Trier Green at the United Center.

            Flair, ironically, has been a Chicago Blackhawks fan, particularly of former forward Bob Probert, and one of his most famous sayings was: “To be the man, you gotta beat the man!”

            For the No. 7-seed Dukes, they must beat the No. 1-ranked Trevians to be the 2024 State Champions.

            “We just have to show up and play our game,” Boeing said. “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best – and they are the No. 1 seed in the state. We’re gonna give it everything we’ve got. It’s our time now.

            “We believe 110 percent that we’re in this game to win it, and we can – and (then) will be playing for a national title.

            “The key will be managing emotions and playing our game.”

Boeing also reached into the world of poet Jacob Riis for motivation:

“When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it – but all that had gone before,” Riis said.

York, you see, is the ultimate underdog on the grandest stage of the season. The Dukes are 0-5 against the powerhouse Trevians and have been outscored 26-8 by Green.

“The key will be being opportunistic and making the most of our opportunities,” Boeing said. “We have to play with confidence, and we will. We’ve upset a lot of teams this year, and we’re just looking to keep that trend going.

“The kids are buying in. We’ve created this culture of family … once a Duke, always a Duke.”

The Dukes advanced to the finals with a 2-1 overtime win March 8 over Saint Ignatius, marking York’s second straight upset in the state tournament. York stopped No. 2 Loyola Gold 5-2 on March 3.

Matthew Soehn scored the semifinal game-winner unassisted in overtime after Tyler Peiffle tied the game, 1-1, with 1:23 remaining in the third period, assisted by Noah Hughes and Luke Composono.

“That was absolutely electric,” Boeing said of the win over the Wolfpack. “We weathered the storm and, well, Soehn is a lethal goal-scorer. That was an electrifying goal, an incredible goal.

“That ranks right up there with the top three wins all-time from my (coaching) career.”

Now the Dukes are returning to the United Center, focused on better results this time. New Trier won 2-0 last year for its 15th state title. New Trier East and New Trier West also won titles in the early years of the AHAI Red playoffs.

“Our only goal now is to go out there and pound them,” said New Trier Green head coach Adam Cheris, seeking his second state championship in his second season leading the Trevians. “Everything we’ve been doing, we want to carry over into this game. We’ve been playing the best hockey of our season – for the last 12 or 15 games. We’re going great two-ways; we’re a tough team to score on; we’re scoring a lot of goals; everyone has bought in on our side.

“We know York will make us earn everything we get, and we’re going to do the same thing to them.”

The Dukes are led offensively by Nicholas Sanfilippo, Luke Composono and Ethan Maurer. Defensively, York features Frank Rosa and Drew Gami.

Jack Brown will start in goal for the Dukes.

“They are a bought-in group that is incredibly bound; they hold each other accountable and will do anything to win. They will block shots; they will take the hits,” Cheris said of York. “This is not the same team that we faced early in the season.”

The Trevians won the first game this season between the teams, 4-3, but needed overtime. The next two games were convincing W’s for the Trevians: 5-1 and 6-0.

In the opening round of the SHL playoffs, Green swept the best-of-3 series, winning 6-1 and 5-3. Game two, though, will be one the Dukes will lean on for motivation in the state finals.

On Feb. 4, the Dukes led 2-1 after two periods before Green broke it open with three goals in a near-5-minute stretch in the third period.

“York is the type of team that, if you give them opportunities, you’re going to be trailing, and who knows what happens then,” said Cheris, who noted that the Dukes’ win over Gold in the quarterfinals was “an eye-opener.”

Cheris added: “Everyone is dialed in against Green, whether it’s Loyola Gold, Barrington or anyone else. It’s an advantage for us to know that we’ve battled through those games. We’ve been tested and we’re stronger for it.

“This is a revenge game for York, and we know that.”

The Trevians bring a loaded lineup, period. The offense features Ashton Freel, Aidan Nolan, Garrett Chong and Brendan Heneghan, among others, Green’s defense revolves around Shane Randle.

Drew Durdov will start in goal.

“Our team is so different from last year’s team,” Cheris said. “We are a big team, with incredible defense and goaltending. We’re getting scoring from multiple lines.

“There’s a certain swagger that the team now has, a confident, not cocky, attitude.”