After Eight OTs, You Can Just Share The Title

The Division 1 Michigan state high school championship hockey game yesterday between Marquette and Orchard Lake St. Mary's ran a little long. About eight overtimes, 109 minutes of play long. It was probably seven overtimes too many, because they then packed it in and declared both teams co-champions deadlocked at 1-1.

The goalies were the stars. St. Mary's goalie Ryan Morley-Stockton had 58 saves, a new Michigan championship game record. Nezich had 33 saves for Marquette (20-5-4).

Afterward, Morley-Stockton barely had the energy to celebrate.

"Most of us won't be able to walk our bags out of here," he said.

"You know what? It is what it is," St. Mary's coach Brian Klanow said. "It's history, that's what it is. The kids — hats off to all of them. What a tribute this is to high school hockey in Michigan."

Yes, a tribute to endless ordeals and teams that can't score. And "it is what it is" is a fine descriptor of a tie. If that's a little much to ask after that much play, calling it a "thing" or shrugging your shoulders will work nicely. Or just collapsing on the ice.