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3/15/07-Hockey
Big finish
Strong third period gives St. Mary's its second state crown in 3 years
By Mike Rosenbaum of The West Bloomfield Eccentric
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PLYMOUTH--After winning the state Division 3 hockey championship in 2005, Orchard Lake St. Mary's took the unusual step of moving up two levels, voluntarily, to Division 1. That's a big mountain to climb, but Saturday the Eaglets completed their quest by winning the D-1 championship with a 4-2 victory over Marquette .
The contest was played at Plymouth 's Compuware Arena.
Billy Balent was the individual hero, breaking a 2-2 tie with a pair of third period goals to give St. Mary's its winning margin.
Balent modestly deflected credit for his achievement, which made him a fitting standout for a team that was solid from top-to-bottom, featuring three strong scoring lines, four standout defensemen and the all-important hot goaltender.
Balent's game-winning goal, at 8:19 of the period, followed strong St. Mary's pressure in Marquette 's zone. Kasper Bryniczka's shot from the left faceoff circle was stopped by Redmen goalie Jon Nezich, but the Eaglets kept the puck in the Marquette end. Moments later, Balent skated in from the left circle and fired a high shot from a sharp angle that found the top corner of the net, on the short side. Mac Watts earned the assist.
"We hadn't scored since the first period and we wanted the next one," Balent said. "So I was just trying to get everything toward the net...I was just hoping. I shot and got lucky."
With just over two minutes remaining in the period, Balent picked up the puck at center ice, skated over the blueline and, remembering his previous effort, fired another high wrister that beat Nezich and secured the Eaglets' victory.
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Nezich, Balent explained, "was strong down low, so I was hoping, maybe, it worked one time, and hopefully it'll work again. And it went in."
The third period actually began inauspiciously for the Eaglets when the red light went on behind goalie Joe Savona 17 seconds into the period. But Savona had the puck covered when the officials whistled the play dead.
After Balent's first goal, the Redmen almost responded when Allen Lancour tried a wraparound that Savona deflected. The Eaglets netminder then looked behind him, unaware of the puck's location. But St. Mary's quickly cleared it out of danger.
Despite Balent's third-period heroics, St. Mary's coach Brian Klanow said his team's defensive effort was just as important.
"We held them to (five) shots in the third period," Klanow said. "I think we stepped it up and really took control of the game."
The victory followed St. Mary's emotional 1-0 double-overtime win over East Kentwood the previous night. After playing 53:29 before anyone scored Friday night, the pucks found the net early and often Saturday.
Colin Bloor jumped on a loose puck on the edge of the Marquette crease and banged it home to open the scoring just 27 seconds into the game, with assists going to Charlie Semaan and Dan Stanisz.
St. Mary's then went on a power play when Marquette 's Josh Benzie was called for elbowing at 1:35 of the period. But the Eaglets began suffering from penalty problems of their own, beginning with a head checking call against Watts , giving the Redmen a brief power play when Benzie returned. Savona made back-to-back saves at close range just as the power play ended, but Lancour drove a rebound into the net before Watts could re-enter the play.
Just minutes later, a Watts cross-checking penalty, followed by a tripping call against Tony Aukskalnis, gave the Redmen a two-man advantage. They capitalized quickly, on another rebound. Savona stopped D.J. Quayle's shot from the point, but Brandon Smaby deposited the rebound past Savona for a 2-1 lead at the 7:48 mark.
St. Mary's took advantage of a Marquette penalty later in the period as Clinton Bourbonais, Friday's overtime scorer, fired a low drive from the point past Nezich to tie the game at 12:12. Balent drew the lone assist.
There was no scoring in the second period, thanks in large part to Savona's timely poke check that broke up an early Redmen rush, plus strong penalty killing when Marquette enjoyed a two-man advantage for 1:21 midway through the period.
St. Mary's finished the season 16-9-5, while Marquette was 21-4-5.
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