... has reached The Finale ...

... the State Championship Game ...

... with the Top-Ranked Mt. Clemens Wolves ...

... and Orchard Lake Pirates ready to Decide Things!

Bob Ybarra sings the National Anthem ...

... and, Linesmen Nelson and Galli and Referee Haddad are ready, so ...

... Let's Do It!

The Wolves were on a Mission this Season ...

... to Win the State Championship ...

... in Remembrance of Their Fallen Teammate and Goalie from last year ...

... Tyler Leger.

"This Season is dedicated to 'Fly Ty'," said MC Captain Ryan Kish.

And, This Season would Not be complete ...

... without a Victory here, tonight.

Nothing less than a State Championship would do!

That was the Mission ... the Goal ... the Dream.

Just One Leetle Problemo here, and That would be ...

... OLP Goaler Steven Zavori ...

... the Same Steven Zavori ...

... Who Ruined Everything last year ...

... while playing for Canton Crush ...

... in the 2009 Michigan State Title Game.

In That Game, Crush were Out-Shot Two-for-One ...

... but Zavori kept 'Em Out ...

... Stealing the Game ...

... from these Wolves (then, Troy Sting.)

And, Zavori was having an excellent Tournament so far this year ...

... including a Shut-Out over the Hurricanes.

Sooo, Not Good for You-Know-Who ...

Meanwhile ...

... Wolves Minder Chris Gagleard ...

... was Moderately Busy at Hiz End ...

Ya!

The Home Boyz were Short-Handed Twice in P1 ...

... but Handled That without much Fuss ...

... spending Most of the Period ...

... Bothering Number Thirty-One ... Who was Being Spectacular, as Usual!

Gagleard had some Great Saves, too, when the Puck got to him ...

... but, Zavori was clearly seeing Most of the Shots ...

... and the Thought crossed more than a few minds around here ...

... that ... He ... Might ... JUST ...

... well, let's not even go There!

P2 is underway ...

... with the Pirates back on the P-P ...

... but, getting Nuthin' fer It ...

The Wolves were skating well ...

... no doubt about it ...

... then, Orchard Lake took a Penalty ...

... and The Pack moved in on Zavori & Crew ...

... with Kyle Fedyna ...

... and Kyle Jacobson ...

... Firing At Will ...

... with #7 finally finding the Back-of-the-Net ...

... with Help from #10 Kyle Novack and #15 Jesse Peterson.

"Scoring that goal was a relief," ...

... said Captain Eric Ritonja, later!

The Fans-In-The-Stands were eager for More ...

... which wouldn't be A Real Bad Idea, eh Guyz?!

At the Halfway Mark of P2 ...

... OLP took a Penalty ...

... and Another One ...

... Nine Seconds Later ...

... so, it was Do or Die ...

... for the Pirate's G&D Departments ...

... Who held off the Attackers ...

... for over a Minute ...

... but, the Wolves would not be denied ...

... as #15 Peterson and #10 Kyler Constantine ...

... made it a Two-Run-Ballgame.

Not to say that Orchard Lake was desperate at this point ...

... but, They really needed some Offense ...

... and Right Now!

They got Some ...

... when #6 Nick Rhodes ... on the Back-Door ...

... cut the Margin in half ...

... on the Assist from #10 Brian Kassa ...

... and #12 Anthony Terzo.

Whew ... that's better!

With Six Minutes to go ...

... in this Period ...

... still Plenty of Time Left ...

... for Someone to do More Damage ...

... like, fer'nstance, maybe Jesse Peterson ...

... but, the Goalies were having ...

... None of That ...

... at Either End ...

... Thank-you-very-much!

So, it is now the Final Period ...

... in this Midget AA State Championship ...

... the Culmination of Eight, Nine, Ten Years or More ...

... of Youth Hockey for Most of these Players ...

... in their Quest for the Ultimate Title ...

... Michigan State Champions ...

Both Sides were putting It All Out There ...

... with Mt. Clemens keeping the Pressure On ...

... and, Killing Off another Penalty in the process ...

... but, the Goalers were Outstanding ...

... so Chances for any more Scoring ...

... were somewhere between Slim and None ...

Battles ...

... everywhere ...

Pressure ...

... Respond!

With Time Running Out ...

... in this one ...

... the Pirates would Visit the P-Box once again ...

... Not what They needed, at the moment ...

... so, Orchard Lake calls a Time-Out ...

... and Both Benches Huddle ...

OLP needed to get to the O-Zone in a hurry ...

... so They could pull their Netminder ...

... Who was being Very Busy as Usual ...

... and with Time Left for maybe One More Rush ...

... the Extra Attacker is Finally on the Ice ...

... but It's Not Enough ...

... and, The Dream Comes True ...

... for these Guyz ...

The Pile ...

... the Hugs ...

... and Cheers!

Good job ... good game ... congratulations ...

Awesome Job, Goalers!

Captains Ritonja, Clever and Kish accept the Championship Placque
from Tournament Director Bud Kowalski

Orchard Lake Pirates Midget AA*

Mt. Clemens Wolves Midget AA
Michigan State Champs

Woof!

Good Luck At Nationals!

*Footnote: As it turns out, BOTH teams will be going to the Big Dance,
but in different divisions. CLICK HERE for more on that...
 

This Page and All Photos by Bob Beguelin

Copyright © 2010 Focus92.com,
Mount Clemens Wolves Midget AA,
Orchard Lake Pirates Midget AA and the
Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA).
All rights reserved.


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