GRCC 8 Mattawan 0

There have been a couple of occasions this year when the Grand Rapids Catholic Central Cougars have walked close to perfection. Not for a game, mind you, but for stretches in game when they play hockey as it is supposed to be played - a mix of physicality and finesse and passion that is just awesome to watch.

The Cougars had one of those stretches on Saturday night in the regional championship game, which powered them to an 8-0 win over Mattawan. GRCC scored six goals over a six-minute span in the middle second to bust open a 1-0 game, and earn a return trip the D-3 quarterfinals for the third year in a row.

Up until that stretch in the second, the Cougars had been anything but perfect. They'd taken three early penalties in the first period and Mattawan was taking it to them on the powerplay. Cougar 'tender Adam Janecyk saved their bacon with a series of outstanding saves to keep the Wildcats off the board. GRCC finally lit the lamp with 3:38 left in the first on a hustle play by its third line. Tyler Godfrey dumped the puck at the red line and then ran it down with teammate Jacob Jeffers behind the net. After a quick cycle, Godfrey went to the slot, looked down and the puck was on his tape, courtesy of a picture perfect feed from Jeffers. Godfrey buried it to put the Cougars on the board.

After Godfrey's goal, it was Mattawan's turn to parade to the penalty box as the Wildcats took eight penalties, including six in a row. The Cougars made them pay with power play goals by Clayton Brackett and John Dery, sandwiched around a goal by Matt Kane off a feed from Lucas McShosh. Dery's goal, which came at the 7:48 mark, was the first in a run of 3 goals that the Cougars scored in just 16 seconds. Five seconds after Dery's goal, Brackett scored his second of the game on a breakaway off the face off. A mere 13 seconds after that Kane scored (assisted by Mark Koenigsknecht) to put finish the flurry and put the Cougars up 7-0. The game went to the third, where GRCC ended it at the 9:01 mark when Kevin Boman stuffed the puck past Mattawan's goalie (assists to Paul Ziemke and Tim Kane) .

For the game, Matt Kane ended up with a hat trick, and Clayton Brackett had two goals, including one that he batted out of mid-air for the goal. Zeimke had three assists and McShosh had two. Janecyk, who had 16 saves in the game, earned the win.