Eaglets win rematch against Redmen, 2-1

The West Bloomfield Eccentric

ORCHARD LAKE--Marquette and Orchard Lake St. Mary's will remain defending Division 1 co-champions until one or both lose in the 2009 state hockey playoffs.

Until then, the Eaglets own bragging rights after defeating the Redmen, 2-1, in the season-opening game Wednesday before a crowd of around 1,500 at Orchard Lake St. Mary's Athletic Complex. `

In a game billed as "Champs for Charity" with proceeds helping the Make-A-Wish Foundation and two youngsters benefitting directly from the contest, the teams agreed to open their seasons against each other after their epic battle March 8 ended last season.

The two teams set a state record for the longest championship game ever with 45 minutes of regulation time and another 64 minutes of overtime (eight sessions of eight minutes each) before the game was declared a 1-1 tie and both teams shared the title.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association deemed the health of the players would be in jeopardy to continue play as several of them were cramping and losing the ability to perspire.

Marquette coach Joe Papin and the Redmen arrived Tuesday afternoon after an eight-hour bus ride and shared in a banquet at St. Mary's to celebrate their co-championship together that evening.

St. Mary's coach Brian Klanow and Papin gave gifts to their opponents in a demonstration of friendship and sportsmanship.

"It was Brian's idea to continue the momentum of last year's game and support a great cause," Papin said.

The Redmen were going to open in the U.P. against Houghton but scrapped that plan when Klanow called and offered to help Marquette with accommodations in the Prep School's dorm rooms.

"There was a lot of attention from last year's championship game, and I wanted to leverage it for a good cause," Klanow said.

At the banquet, MHSAA assistant Athletic Director Randy Allen, who made the call in March to declare the teams co-champs, addressed the audience.

"In 40 years of being involved with high school athletics, I've never been as proud of high school hockey, our schools, coaches and athletes as I was last March in our championship game and this week in the additional good that has been done with the charity game for the Make a Wish Foundation," Allen said. "It's a great example of sportsmanship and leadership by all people involved at Orchard Lake St. Mary's and Marquette high schools."

NHL Hall-of-Famer and longtime Red Wing Ted Lindsay also spoke and praised both teams for their efforts. He said high school hockey in Michigan is now on par with AAA hockey and even better because of the educational element of high school athletics.

In the Wednesday game, Marquette struck first for a 1-0 lead at 10:03 of the first period when Beau Adams beat St. Mary's goalie Chris Sullivan through the pads to convert a 2-on-1 break with Eric Rizzio.

St. Mary's responded in the second period when Max Borchers put the puck past Marquette goalie Troy Anderson at 4:57 with assists from Alex Zerbo and Kevin Killian.

Stuck at that familiar 1-1 score for a period, St. Mary's Dan Milan broke the tie with a backhand shot during an Eaglets power play at 4:27 of the third. Cody King and Zak Johnson received assists on the goal.

While St. Mary's enjoyed a slight advantage in shots on goal, 17-14, through the first two periods, the Eaglets outshot the Redmen in the final frame, 13-6, for a final total of 30-20.

"We struggled in the first period, but I think we controlled the second and third periods," Klanow said.

The Redmen pulled their goalie for the last minute for an extra attacker but couldn't draw even.

"We're not used to losing our first game of the season," Papin said. "But compared to the reason we're here, it puts things in perspective."

Prep Hockey

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