Title Time Differs Among Hockey States
July 12, 2019
By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
Next season’s three-week playoff format for the MHSAA Ice Hockey Tournament will fall more closely in line with similar postseasons for state associations around the country which sponsor the sport.
According to 2017-18 National Federation of State High School Associations participation statistics, 18 states sponsor boys ice hockey.
Michigan ranked third in number of schools involved with 240, behind Minnesota (282) and Massachusetts (278). In terms of overall participants, the MHSAA was fourth with 3,353, trailing Massachusetts (7,377), Minnesota (5,751) and New Jersey (3,492) and just ahead of New York (3,088). Wisconsin and Ohio boast more than 2,000 participants annually.
So, how do the tournaments compare among those states similar to Michigan? Most use longer tournament calendars than the two-week span previously employed by the MHSAA.
The timeframe for the season just past in the Minnesota tournament had most play beginning Feb. 21 and ending the same day as the MHSAA Finals, March 9. Some teams started on Feb. 19. The MHSAA dropped the puck for its first games on Monday, Feb. 25. It should be noted that Minnesota crowns just two champions annually, compared to the MHSAA’s three divisions.
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin and Ohio, just one school takes the statewide title each year, so it stands to reason that the postseason is spread out even further. Both states began the 2019 playoffs on Monday, Feb. 11.
Wisconsin’s tourney culminated on March 2 at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Madison as teams played the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Final over three consecutive days.
Ohio, meanwhile, took a week-long break following District Finals on March 1 or 2, then played the Semifinals and Final at Nationwide Arena in Columbus during March 8-9. This is similar to the rest period the MHSAA will enjoy moving forward from its Quarterfinals to the Semifinals and Finals in 2020.
Just as the season was reaching its pinnacle in Wisconsin, the postseason title chase was merely beginning in Massachusetts, where this year it opened Feb. 25.
Massachusetts is tied for the most divisions of the states studied here with four, but the top division is created with a different twist.
“The top division is often called the ‘Super 8’ or 1A. This tournament is set up differently than the other divisions,” said Massachusetts Ice Hockey Coaches Association President Dan Connolly. “The Super 8 is a double-elimination tournament. The seedlings for this tournament are done by power seeding via a committee using strength of schedule, record, team vs. teams under consideration and win-loss record down the stretch.”
Connolly said just 10 teams are chosen for the Super 8, and seed Nos. 7 through 10 must face off in a play-in game to join the top six. The two teams losing the play-in game return to their respective pre-assigned state divisions and can still win those tournaments. Such was the case in 2019, when Duxbury High lost in its bid to join the Super 8 field, but then won the Division 1 Final.
Like Michigan, those three divisions are based on enrollment, but unlike Michigan, the divisions are seeded based on winning percentage.
The Finals take place on a Sunday at the TD Garden in Boston, a celebration of hockey that features six games (four boys and two girls finals). This year’s event took place March 17, and nearly went into March 18. The Division 1 Final began at 9:59 p.m. as the previous contest, the Super 8 Final, went to four overtimes.
As mentioned, Minnesota’s tournament ended the same day as the MHSAA’s in 2019, and featured one overtime game among its two Finals at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul as Edina took the top class over Eden Prairie, 3-2.
The Sunday finales in Boston might seem foreign to followers of MHSAA tournaments, but New York also features a Sunday as the stage for its two state Finals, following Semifinals on Saturday. This year’s playoffs went from Feb. 20-March 10, culminating at the Harborcenter in Buffalo.
Neighboring New Jersey comes closest in length to the old MHSAA format with four divisions – three public and one non-public – taking just 14 days to determine winners at the Prudential Center in Newark. The 2019 titles were determined on Monday, March 4, with Semifinals the Wednesday prior.
PHOTO: Duxbury celebrated Massachusetts’ Division 1 championship this past season after missing out on making the “Super 8” bracket.
St. Mary's Avenges Regular-Season Sweep to Claim 1st Finals Title Since 2008
March 8, 2025
PLYMOUTH — Orchard Lake St. Mary’s never really went away.
Yes, it had been 17 years since the Eagles won their last MHSAA hockey championship, but they’ve always been a factor.
Whether it was running into Division 1 powers Brighton and Detroit Catholic Central when St. Mary’s played in the biggest-school division in the MHSAA Tournament, losing in overtime twice in Regional Finals or getting shut out in two championship game appearances, and even forfeiting due to COVID policies in 2021, the Eaglets had some great teams come up just short in the postseason.
A program that won three MHSAA Finals in four seasons from 2005-08 finally put it all together again for five tournament games, winning the Division 3 championship with a 3-0 victory over 2024 champion Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood on Saturday at USA Hockey Arena.
Winning MHSAA championships is apparently more difficult than St. Mary’s made it look way back when.
“It’s hard,” said Brian Klanow, who has won 404 games as St. Mary’s coach over 26 seasons. “You’ve got to go through Regionals, and you certainly have to be on your game. Our team is playing its best hockey of the season right now.”
The last time St. Mary’s won a Finals championship was in a game that has now taken on mythical proportions. The Eaglets and Marquette played eight overtimes in the 2008 Division 1 Final tied 1-1 before the game was called and co-champions were declared out of concern for player safety.
So, why was this team the one to end the streak? Certainly, the Eaglets were loaded with talent, as they are most years. But they also had intangibles working in their favor.
“The difference between this year and previous years was we were close this year,” junior co-captain Charlie Roberts said. “Most of these guys have played with each other before. It played a big role. We were like a family out there. You can’t beat that.”
St. Mary’s senior goalie Will Keane has been trying for three seasons to bring a championship back to a school with a strong hockey tradition. He stopped all 26 shots he faced to backstop the victory.
“It’s unbelievable,” Keane said. “I’ve spent now three years here. My first one was a struggle; we didn’t even win a Regional. The guys who were in that room knew it was pretty tough. Last year, we came in and thought we had the team to do it. You don’t get a bounce. You have to get lucky. I don’t think we did last year, but we came back out and knew this year we had the team and we knew we could break that streak. That’s exactly what we did. The result’s unreal, nothing better.”
Keane split the goaltending duties nearly 50/50 throughout the regular season, partially because he missed time in late December with an injury. But St. Mary’s rode him for all five playoff games and he delivered, allowing only four goals for a 0.80 goals-against-average and .968 save percentage.
“Both of our goaltenders have done a great job this year,” Klanow said. “Mason Shea stepped in when Will was injured. They typically would split. It’s probably close to 50/50, 60/40, but I think it’s important to pick a guy and we needed to ride him.”
Cranbrook Kingswood swept the two-game season series with St. Mary’s, winning 4-3 and 6-2. But the Eaglets locked it down defensively this time and did something they were unable to do in the previous meetings — get an early lead.
Emmett Pilch scored 5 minutes and 20 seconds into the game. St. Mary’s nursed that one-goal lead for more than 27 minutes until Matthew Mourad gave the Eaglets a 2-0 lead with 1:14 left in the second.
Jacob Fedor scored into an empty net from a faceoff circle in St. Mary’s end with 2:53 remaining to seal the victory and deprive the Cranes of back-to-back titles.
“The leadership was unbelievable this year,” Cranbrook coach John LaFontaine said. “These guys came together really quick. They always wanted to do the extra things to be a team. We didn’t have individuals, we had a bunch of guys who were battling together. They will keep these memories for the rest of their life.”
Senior forward Nick Timko concurred.
“The bond I made with all these guys, it’s going to be life-long,” he said. “It stinks to end it this way, but I’ll forever be thankful for these years I’ve had with them.”
PHOTOS (Top) Orchard Lake St. Mary’s players celebrate their championship win Saturday with the student section and USA Hockey Arena. (Middle) St. Mary’s Charlie Roberts considers his next move with Cranbrook’s David Schmitt defending. (Below) The Eaglets’ Matthew Mourad (11) sends a shot into the net during the second period.