Moment: Nordstrom Sends Hancock to Final

May 22, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Alex Nordstrom had quite a hockey season during the winter of 2015-16, and put a giant exclamation point on the end with his performance during Finals weekend at USA Hockey Arena.

He’d finish his freshman campaign with 33 goals and 26 assists, including a pair of goals in Hancock’s 4-2 Division 3 Final win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central. But arguably the biggest goal of all came a day earlier.

Nordstrom’s backhand into the next 6:51 into overtime on March 11, 2016, gave Hancock a 2-1 Semifinal win over Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and sent the Bulldogs to Saturday’s championship game. The title would be the program’s first since 1999.

Click for coverage of the Semifinal from State Champs Sports Network and watch the game winner below from the NFHS Network.

Where Everyone Knows Your Name

July 12, 2019

By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor

As the final horn sounded March 9 at the end of the MHSAA Division 1 Ice Hockey Final, another successful campaign was in the books.

The tournament attracted more than 40,000 spectators from the time the first pucks dropped Feb. 25, including a three-year high of more than 6,000 across 12 Quarterfinal sites. More than 200 schools and 3,000 participants combined to make up the 145 teams that battled for championships as high school hockey continued to enjoy great popularity in Michigan.

The Great Lakes State ranks third among the number of schools and fourth in participation among the 18 states nationally which sponsor the sport. Some of the sights and sounds from this year’s Finals at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth indicate the sport is on solid ice.

“The travel team I played for disbanded last year, and I needed a place to play. I should have done this years ago. What a great experience. Did you see our student section? People even know who I am at school now, and that I play a sport.” — Domenico Munaco, Rochester United goalie after stopping 49 of 53 shots in 4-2 Division 1 Semifinal loss

“This is better. Going to school with everybody every day is just a great time.” — Hartland’s Adam Pietila, who won a national championship with his travel team in April 2018 and this past winter helped Hartland win the MHSAA Division 2 title

PHOTO: Rochester United goalie Domenico Munaco anticipates a shot during his team’s Division 1 Semifinal this past winter against Detroit Catholic Central.