SPRINGFIELD – Nathan Vila, of West Springfield, went viral after famously winning a Mercedes-Benz during a Thunderbirds game on Dec. 22. A week later, he stepped into his brand-new car.

A small crowd gathered around the 22-year old on Dec. 28 as he shook hands with Springfield Mercedes-Benz dealership owners Michelle and Peter Wirth. The owners, who recently opened the dealership in October, handed him the keys to his $35,000 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC.

“I’m still on cloud nine – I still can’t believe it,” said Vila. “It feels like one giant dream, I’m just waiting for me to wake up.”

Vila won the Mercedes in a “shoot-to-win” competition hosted by the dealership during the second intermission of the Thunderbirds game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

The goal of the challenge is to shoot a hockey puck into a small hole – not much bigger than the puck itself – from over 100-feet away. The hole is located in the middle of the goal, while the rest of the space is covered up.

The Wirths agreed to give away the black SUV to anyone capable of making the shot, as part of their new partnership with the Thunderbirds.

“It was pretty much just like a random drawing. Steve [Kunsey, Manager of Thunderbirds office] came up to me and another buddy and just asked, ‘Hey do you want to shoot for the car?’” said Vila. “So, I thought, ‘Hey, why not?’ It’ll get me walking around and all that.”

Vila, who played hockey up until his freshman year of high school, stepped out onto the rink and fired a lucky shot down the ice – straight into the hole.

ESPN’s SportsCenter later posted a video capturing the iconic moment onto their Twitter page with the caption, “Threading the needle for a Benz.”  It has more than 25,000 likes.

“I watched the video so many times and I still can’t believe it went in,” Vila said. “It’s all over, I’m getting tagged in posts that I didn’t even know were out there.”

He said his newfound fame has been a lot to process, especially because he is leaving for the army on Jan 2.

He will be reporting to Ft. Benning, GA, for at least a four-year enlistment.  

“These past couple of weeks have been pretty much like training – running for the army,” said Vila. “That night helped me clear my mind because I was just so stressed out about it coming up. It just really helped clear my mind and it was good.”

The soon-to-be soldier, who lives with his mom and grandmother, said he plans on leaving his new car at home for his family to drive while he’s gone.

Vila’s mother, Lesley Vila, said she is extremely proud of how her son has handled the situation.

“I’m really excited for Nate, it’s been unbelievable. He’s gotten lot of exposure and everything is just well deserved,” she said. “He’s grabbing hold of his life – he’s a good kid.”