Marathon on ice

Hockey final lasts record 109 minutes, ends in tie

Tom Markowski / The Detroit News

ORCHARD LAKE -- Thankfully, eight is enough.

Orchard Lake St. Mary's and Marquette played a state-record eight overtimes totaling 109 minutes, 64 of which were in the overtime periods, on Saturday in the Division 1 boys hockey final at Compuware Arena in Plymouth Township, and nobody lost.

Randy Allen, an official with the Michigan High School Athletic Association, called the game at 11:45 p.m. with the score tied at 1-1. Both teams were crowned champions; it was the third overall for St. Mary's (15-12-3) and second consecutive. It was the fifth title for Marquette (20-5-4) and first since '04.

"It was a long night," St. Mary's coach Brian Klanow said. "My players were certainly dead tired. It was unbelievable. I've never heard of anything like this. Based on the circumstances, the MHSAA made the right call."

Klanow said the decision was made with the well-being of the players in mind. Klanow said Marquette's team trainer told Allen a number of the Marquette players had stopped sweating and that some of the players were ill, many suffering from dehydration.

"We had two players get sick," Klanow said. "First it was cramps, then nausea and then dizziness set in."

The game started at 7 p.m. and ended at approximately 11:45. The 109 minutes is easily a state playoff record. The previous record was 86:55, set by Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Mattawan on March 4, 2006. It was in a Division 3 regional final and Catholic Central won 4-3 in six overtimes. Before Saturday, the longest state final was the 1991 B-C-D final, in which Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood outlasted Calumet, 5-4.

St. Mary's goaltender Ryan Morley-Stockton set a state record for saves with 58. The previous record was 48, held by Matt Schooley of Flint Powers ('82).

Marquette goaltender Jon Nezich stopped 37 shots.

St. Mary's sent the game to overtime with 1:32 left. It pulled Morley-Stockton in favor of a sixth attacker and senior center Tim Hooker got the goal.

It's the second time in 15 weeks St. Mary's has been involved in a record-setting overtime game. In the Division 3 football final on Nov. 24, East Grand Rapids beat St. Mary's, 46-39, in five overtimes.

Klanow was at that game in November at Ford Field. He said when you take the ice you want to determine the winner by playing the game, not by a shootout as is the case during the NHL regular season. But he does have some reservations about playing a game that lasts eight overtimes.

"It might make the MHSAA look again on how they settle the overtime issue," he said.

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