They played a hockey game in Michigan last Saturday night...and almost into Sunday morning. It was the Michigan high school Division I championship, played by Orchard Lake St. Mary's and Marquette at Compuware Arena in Plymouth Township, MI. 109 minutes of hockey, 64 of which were played in overtime, ended at 11:45 p.m. Saturday night. There were 91 saves, 53 of them on the overtime sessions. Needless to say, St. Mary's goaltender Ryan Morley-Stockton and Marquette netminder Jon Nezich were the stars of the game.
Shane Halaas, a forward for St. Mary's, was no stranger to the events that unfolded. Last November, he played in the longest football game in state history in the finals (five overtimes).
The Detroit Free Press has articles on the marathon that you can find here and here. They also have a photo gallery you can see here.
Meanwhile, the Detroit News has a look here.
Randy Allen, the Michigan High School Athletic Association assistant director in charge of hockey, in an interview with ESPN Radio, indicated that one team was awarded the trophy, the other the medals, and each of the schools will receive the other shortly to complete the well-deserved acknowledgments.
We'll leave it to young Mr. Halaas for the final word...
"Everyone will get a ring and everyone is happy. After eight overtimes, there is no loser. It ended the right way."
They're all champs...
photo: Ankur Dholakia/The Detroit News
Those guys should be proud about every minute they played. Few players in any sport will ever play close to perfection, but eight overtimes is an envious feat.
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