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3/10/07-Hockey

St. Mary's edges E. Kentwood

By Chris Lau/Detroit Free Press

(Rob Widdis/Special to the Free Press)
Orchard Lake St. Mary's goalie Joe Savona, left, minds the net as Tim Hooker, right, clears East Kentwood's Nick Maloney from the front of the net Friday. St. Mary's won, 1-0, in double overtime.
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PLYMOUTH--Orchard Lake St. Mary's player Clinton Bourbonais was walking gingerly after Friday night's game.

Not because of the several pucks he blocked with his body. Not because he was illegally smashed into the boards.

It was because the team captain had scored with 19 seconds left in the second overtime to give his team a 1-0 Division 1 semifinal victory over East Kentwood at Compuware Arena.

He teammates piled on him in celebration and, he said, "my legs were bent in all sorts of ways they shouldn't have."

Still, "I feel great," Bourbonais said during postgame interviews.

He should feel that way. His goal lifted his team into tonight's final against Marquette.

Nineteen seconds into the second overtime, Bourbonais pushed the second rebound try of a wild scrum under East Kentwood goalie Ben Belton for the goal. Mac Watts and Ben Shields earned assists.

"It was a great game," East Kentwood coach Ron Baum said. "They worked hard all night and we worked hard all night."

The grinding game featured impressive goaltending on both sides. Belton had 21 saves. St. Mary's goalie Joe Savona stopped 29 shots, including two clear breakaways, a partial breakaway at the end of regulation and a 2-on-1 rush early in the first overtime.

Bourbonais blocked two shots in the first period to help kill a 5-on-3 East Kentwood power play. He blocked several more shots throughout the game.

Bourbonais also drew a boarding penalty that gave his team an opportunity to take the lead late in the third period.

The Eaglets (15-9-5), who won their only state championship 2005 in Division 3, will play Marquette in the finals at 7 p.m. tonight.

East Kentwood, which made its 14th all-time semifinal appearance, finished the season at 25-4.

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