Novi blanks O.L. St. Mary's for Division 1 title

David Goricki / The Detroit News

PLYMOUTH-- Novi senior forward Zach Mohr sat relaxed during a news conference Friday night, talking about his team's run to the state hockey finals and how proud the players were over knocking off two-time defending champion Detroit Catholic Central.

Novi was coming off a semifinal victory over Lake Orion Friday night, but its 4-3 triple-overtime win in the regional over C.C. pushed through a big potential roadblock.

"That was a huge win, coming against our crosstown rival," Mohr said. "That was good, but not good enough. We're here to finish the job."

Mohr made sure No. 2 Novi (24-5-1) finished the job Saturday night, scoring the opening goal in a 4-0 victory over No. 5 Orchard Lake St. Mary's that earned the Division 1 state championship, the school's first in hockey.

Mohr took a pass from Nolan Valleau and scored a power-play goal on a one-timer from the left circle that would make NHL Hall of Famer Brett Hull proud. It was the first of three power-play goals.

"It's amazing," Mohr exclaimed during the postgame news conference, while senior forward Taylor Howell firmly gripped the championship trophy. "This is what every kid dreams of. I'll be a Wildcat until the day I die and I'll never forget this moment."

If there was a vote on Novi's MVP during the championship run, numerous players would be in the running, including Howell and senior goaltender Michael Pesendorfer.

Howell scored a pair of goals in the title game, his first to give Novi a 2-0 cushion after two periods and his second coming on the power play to open up a comfortable 4-0 cushion with 11:46 left — after senior Joey Ferriss had re-directed Jon Mencer's shot from the point with an extra man at the 2:18 mark.

"I just go out and have fun," said Howell, who finished with 14 goals during the six-game playoff run, nine during the quarterfinal, semifinal and title games. "I love being the garbage man. I'll take out the trash whenever I get the opportunity (to score goals from in front)."

Pesendorfer earned his fourth shutout of the six-game run, stopping all 33 shots he faced at Compuware Arena in the semifinal and title game victories.

He had 19 saves against St. Mary's (20-10), even taking one point-blank shot off his mask in the opening period.

"My Dad always asks me how I have the good grades, getting hit like that," said Pesendorfer, who earned a 32 on his ACT and proudly held the trophy for the team photo after the game. "I just tell him it's the good masks.

"Our team defense did a great job blocking shots and keeping everything outside. They made my job easy. I was just there when they needed me."

Novi fifth-year head coach Todd Krygier, who guided Novi to semifinal appearances in 2007 and 2009, was misty-eyed following the game. Earlier in the day, he was named coach of the year by the Michigan Hockey Coaches Association.

"It's more of a reflection of my guys than me," Krygier said. "They've worked hard. I'm so proud of them."

Pesendorfer and Ferriss were equally proud of their coach. Ferriss, a candidate for the Mr. Hockey award, had a goal and two assists in the title game.

"He should have won the award with the way he put in the forecheck for the Howell game, at the end of the game with Lake Orion and for this whole game," Ferriss pointed out. (Krygier's move led to a 3-0 victory over Howell in the regional final after Novi had suffered 5-1 and 4-3 losses during the regular season.) "No other coach could do that."

"Coach (Krygier) has been my coach since I was 7," Pesendorfer said. "He definitely deserves this honor. He's a wonderful person. He does a good job of working with guys on and off the ice. He knows when it's time to be a mentor, someone to lean on for a player, and knows when it's time to be a coach and be strict on guys. I think those are wonderful qualities to have."

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