Kenowa Hills 3 Hudsonville 1

Kenowa handed H'ville its first loss of the season, thanks to a superb 33 save effort from Knights' goalie Zac Smith and a balanced attack. Kenowa's first goal was just a hustle-type play from its third line. Junior Paul Kloska chased down a dump-in and fed Eric Dye, who buried it to give KH an early lead. Kenowa's defense held the lead until Hudsonville's Jaron Grzegorczyk tied it up at 4:40 of the second on an assist from Parker Host. The game stayed knotted at 1-1 until KH's Jared Folkringa picked off a pass and roofed a backhand to put the Knights up 2-1. Hudsonville had four powerplays in the third period, but couldn't get anything past Smith. With 1:39 left, Kenowa's Joe Hankins sealed the game on a breakaway (pictured above).

All 'n all, the game did not disappoint. The "stars" (can you have stars at high school?) played well, especially Hudsonville's Alex Host. While he didn't end up on the score sheet, he was dazzling at times and he does know how to get open. Grzegorcyzk was electrifying at times, and can really turn the corner and get around guys. Kenowa Hills plays much more of a blue-collar brand of hockey -- very responsible in the defensive zone, grind it out and convert on scoring opportunities. Kenowa's Folkringa and Andy Vanderklok work hard every shift, and Cody Schievink and Kevin Visser are solid on defense. But the first star tonight was Zac "Fuzzy" Smith, who often eschews butterfly style for the good, old-fashioned splits and rapid recovery. It's like he's in Catholic church: he's up, he's down, he's standing, he's kneeling. He was the difference tonight.

Pictures are below, but before we go there, one more thing: Kenowa Hills student section is great. They wear team jerseys. They stand on the glass. They cheer. They stand by the door when the players are coming off the ice and high-five them. It's fun to watch.