Gaylord Junior Blue Devils win 8U hockey state championship
GAYLORD ― The high school hockey season may be over, but the youth hockey teams around the state are still going strong midway through March.
The Gaylord Junior Blue Devils 8U team was one of those still battling as of two weekends ago, participating in the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association State Championships starting on Saturday, March 4.
At the end of the weekend, they were headed back to Gaylord with the ultimate prize.
Gaylord advanced all the way to the championship round, eventually going into overtime in the final matchup with a strong Marquette Jr. Wildcats squad. Eventually, a late Gaylord goal lifted the Jr. Blue Devils to the organization's first state championship since 2006.
The 8U Mites team started the weekend strong, not just by winning all four of their first games but shutting out all four opponents they faced while racking up a staggering +40 goal differential headed into the 16-team playoff on Sunday.
After a second victory over Traverse City and Livonia, the Jr. Blue Devils' competition finally ramped up in the semifinals as Cadillac scored the first goal against Gaylord in the tournament, tying the game at one goal apiece before another goal gave the Blue Devils their first deficit of the entire tournament.
However, Gaylord was able to tie the game at 2-2, then got a massive break in the form of a penalty shot late in the third period. They capitalized on the opportunity, taking a 3-2 lead on the PS goal, the eventual final score.
That set up a tough matchup with a fellow undefeated team in Marquette, and the two teams battled hard. At the end of regulation, the score was still 0-0, setting up a three-on-three, sudden-death overtime to decide the state championship.
Again, in the end, it was Gaylord answering the bell.
With less than a minute left in the OT period, the Gaylord pressure finally broke Marquette, forcing a turnover in their own zone and scoring the game-winning goal to claim the 8U state championship.
The Jr. Blue Devils finished the tournament with a +53 goal differential, recording seven shutouts in eight games.
Team members include McCallister Quick, Carmen Clark, Gibson Rose, Dillon Snyder, Carl Graham, Colin Lawhorn, Kyle McGinnis, Ty Lenartowicz, Rylee Whitman, Emitt Vandoren, Sylis Konsella, head coach Derek Quick and assistant coaches Jess Campbell, Kyle Clark, Jeff Rose and Dan McGinnis.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord Junior Blue Devils win 8U hockey state championship
