In the 2017 Men's Bandy World Championships in Sandviken a quarterfinal match takes place between Finland and the USA. Finland takes a commanding lead in the second half. A Finnish victory is assured, together with their advancement to the semifinals. Finland has already scored twice on long bomb goals, where the Finnish fullback or halfback launches a 50 to 60 meter pass in the air, behind the US defenders,  to a teammate streaking in who, using his stick, takes the ball down from the air, onto the ice. He then is alone with the USA goaltender, with a very high potential of scoring. The long bomb is a magnificent bandy play when executed properly. It requires the skill to pass the ball 50 plus meters in the air, the speed of the attacker to get to the ball, together with exceptional eye hand skill to take control of the ball while it is still in the air, all combined with perfect timing between the two players.

USA goaltender Gavin Ancheta recognizes the play as it unfolds. He steps up to near the top of the circle so that he can get to the ball before the Finnish player, Mikko Lukkarila, does. The ball, Ancheta and Lukkarila each simultaneously arrive at the exact same spot. Lukkarila, a big, powerful, fast  player gets the tip of his stick on the ball and deflects it wide of the goal. He then looks up, only to see the goalie mask of Ancheta about to make direct contact with his face. Just before contact occurs a single word comes from Ancheta's mouth "Boom"! Lukkarila may be big but Ancheta, at 6'4 inches tall and 255 lbs, is much bigger. The collision resembles that of an insect hitting the windshield of a car being driven at 60 miles per hour. Unfortunately for Lukkarila, he is the insect and Ancheta is the car. Ancheta does not move an inch, although his mask is knocked sideways on his head. Lukkarila, however, turns to liquid as he slides down the front of Ancheta, and turns into a puddle on the ice, writhing and gurgling, until he is ultimately helped off the ice. Mikko Lukkarila has just learned that sometimes when you play with long bombs you are the one who gets blown up. Ironically, Lukkarila could have received a red card for running into USA goalie Ancheta. The referees, however, apparently decide that he has received punishment enough for his transgression and no penalty is given. They do ask Ancheta if he is ok. Yes, he most definitely is.

Gavin Ancheta played goalie in hockey growing up but he made his mark as a college athlete playing Lacrosse for St Olaf. His teammate was Greg Olson, who would ultimately become USA national bandy team Libero. After graduating from St Olaf, Ancheta returned to being a hockey goalie in the Minnesota senior men's league.  Olson encouraged Ancheta to give bandy goalie a shot and in 2015 he began his bandy career. He has played for the US in 4 World Championships, his debut in Ulyanovsk in 2016, Sandviken in 2017, Khabarovsk in 2018 and Vanersborg in 2019. It was in Vanersborg that he accomplished something no other goalie in the the 62 year history of the bandy world championships had ever accomplished. In the US vs Germany game the score was tied after regulation. The winner of the game would be decided in a shootout. The US won the shootout as Ancheta saved every single one of the German shots. Not a single German shooter missed the net yet not a one of them scored. Ancheta stopped every shot. No goalie in a world championship game had ever accomplished this before. Ancheta's accomplishment is even more impressive considering the fact that two of the German shooters were veterans of the Russian Super League, and one was a standout in the Swedish Elite League. Ancheta stopped, stone cold, the penalty shots of world class bandy shooters. After each save by Ancheta, the entire US team, players and coaches, were shouting in unison, "HE'S TOO BIG, HE'S TOO BIG"!

Yes, Gavin Ancheta is a physically large man. He is also a very good guy, with a kind heart as big as his body. He and his wife Sasha have 2 children, Gage, who is 12, and Graham, 5 months. Like every other USA bandy player, past and present, Gavin Ancheta knows he is very fortunate to be a part of USA bandy, both on and off the ice. He also knows that the phrase when directed at him by his US teammates,  "He's too big" is both a sign of respect and a term of endearment.