GROSSE POINTE WOODS — University Liggett wasted no time in getting down to the business of claiming the Catholic League Double A boys ice hockey championship.
Ten seconds after the puck was dropped to start the contest, senior forward Will Nicholson fired the disk from close range into the net behind defenseless Allen Park Cabrini goalie Brandon Hiuser for a 1-0 lead.
In the final analysis, however, Liggett combined its overall team speed and a swarming defense to forge a 6-1 victory.
Cabrini thought it had tied the score and taken the lead on a pair of power-play scrums, only to have both goals called off by the officials.
The Monarchs gained some consolation when sophomore forward Hayden Kieltyka scorched a shot from the left circle for a 1-1 tie after the first period.
The second period was a hockey fan’s delight, a scorekeeper’s nightmare, a coach’s ulcer producer, and perhaps shortness of breath for the officials.
The striped-shirt ones whistled 10 penalties (four against Liggett, six against Cabrini) involving 13 players (five Knights, eight Monarchs) for a total of 24 minutes.
Of the 17 minutes that comprise a period of play in high school hockey, both teams had a full complement of six players on the ice for only 4 minutes and 22 seconds.
Penalties piled up, one called before another had expired. One incident, a roughing penalty, sent five skaters (three Monarchs, two Knights) through the penalty box’s revolving doors.
The power-play advantage was switching from side to side. One moment, Liggett was 5 on 3, another Cabrini 4 on 3, another it was 3 on 3.
The fans were hootin’ and hollerin’ with every change in the game’s tempo and direction.
“It got a little chippy out there,” Liggett coach Mike Maltese said. This reporter was unable to get Cabrini coach Matt Grant’s take.
Amid the mayhem, Liggett converted two power-play goals for a 3-1 lead, one by freshman Jake Kolk and another by Nicholson — who got his hat trick 70 seconds into the third period to make it 4-1 and pretty much put the game in the Knights’ victory volume (12-11 overall, 2-1 CHSL). Cabrini is 8-16 and 2-2.
Sophomore Doug Wood (his team-leading 26th goal) and junior Will Bowen also scored in the third period.
Both goaltenders were busy. Hiuser turned away 31 shots, and Liggett’s Grant Lindsay 24.
All total, officials called 18 penalties.
State tournament action begins Feb. 24 for Cabrini (Division 1) and Liggett (Division 3).
