Honeybaked 1, Compuware 0 (2OT)
Honeybaked 6, Compuware 2
Honeybaked came into the state tournament the number one seed, and one of a few contenders for the title. The MAHA State tournament at the Midget Major level was one of the best well rounded fields ever. The TIEHL teams had more competition than normal, with two NAPHL teams that had given teams fits, and the NLHL's Lansing CC Pride.
The tournament was so closely contested that Honeybaked needed to come back against the Lansing CC Pride to force overtime, and win in overtime. Also in round robin play, Honeybaked needed a lucky bounce off the referee to win 1-0 over the Lansing Capitals. Honeybaked finished by defeating fellow TIEHL rival Victory Honda 3-1, and advanced to the semifinals by finishing first in the American division. Victory Honda won 7-2 over the Lansing Capitals, a win that advanced them to the semifinals by earning second place in the American Division.
On the other side of the tournament, Compuware took care of business pretty easily and earned first place in the National Division. This included a 6-0 defeat of the Detroit Falcons, a 6-5 win over Belle Tire in OT, and a 5-1 drubbing of Little Caesars. A surprising comeback by the Detroit Falcons to win 4-3 in overtime against Belle Tire, allowed the Falcons to earn a semifinal birth.
In the semifinals, the two best teams in Detroit convincingly won over their opponents to set up a desired matchup all of Michigan was hoping to see. Honeybaked's unimpressive performances against both Lansing teams raised questions heading into the semifinal round. But all questions were answered, Honeybaked showed no mercy for the cinderella Falcons who won 5-2. Compuware continued to be the most impressive team of the weekend with a 5-1 win over a pretty good Victory Honda team. This set up a heated rivalry matchup in the best of three championship series between Honeybaked and Compuware.
The first game of the series proved to be a dandy, with a scoreless game forcing overtime. In the second overtime, Joe Pizza's goal lifted Honeybaked to an important game one victory. The second game, Compuware needed a victory to force a deciding game three. But Honeybaked didn't let any comeback occur in the series or game two. Honeybaked raced out to a 3-1 lead after the first period and extended that lead to 5-1 heading into third, and never let up. Honeybaked finished with a 6-2 victory over Compuware and secured a spot in USA Hockey's National Championships.
Honeybaked will battle against the Central, Atlantic, and New York district representatives. All three of those districts are the last remaining bids up for grabs to Nationals.
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