Moment: Pendery Caps GRCC Comeback
April 9, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
When Jack Pendery scored 5 minutes and 25 seconds into overtime on March 11, 2016, he finished Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s comeback from a two-goal deficit and sent the Eagles to the Division 3 hockey championship game with a 3-2 win over Chelsea.
The Bulldogs quickly took a 2-0 first-period lead in this Semifinal. But the Cougars scored once in the second period and again in the third to tie the score, and for the game outshot Chelsea 53-24.
“All I heard was a bunch of screaming and roaring,” Pendery said postgame of his winning goal. “I didn’t honestly didn’t see the goal clearly go in, but at that moment I felt relief off my chest.”
Click for Grand Rapids Press coverage – Jack Pendery’s OT goal lifts Grand Rapids Catholic Central past Chelsea, into D3 state championship – and watch the game winner below with coverage from the NFHS Network.
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.