Joe Esson is the president of Soo Michigan Hockey Association and the Head Coach of our Midget (15-18 year olds) Soo JV Lakers hockey team and contributed this story to SooLeader.
On the weekend of March 7th-9th, the Soo JV Lakers Hockey Team played at the Big Bear Arena for the State Championship.
The Lakers are a Division 2 Prep Team, meaning all the players are from surrounding area schools. They consist of 19 players from grades 9-12 and four local coaches.
The Lakers played their opening round of three games against Big Boy Prep (Fraiser MI), The Metro Jets (Mount Clemons MI) and Trenton Unified (Trenton MI).
The Lakers won all three with scores 5-1, 10-2 and 7-0. This earned them a trip to the State Semi-finals, where they would meet their season rival, the Muskegon JR Lumberjacks.
The semi-final game was a close battle, with the Lakers ultimately pulling ahead and winning 4-2 in a close, hard-fought game. This win took place on Sunday morning and secured the Lakers a chance to play for a State Championship Sunday afternoon on their home ice at Big Bear Arena.
The Lakers would take on the undefeated Lansing Spartans for the State Championship.
The Championship game was tied at 0's for some time; however, Eddie Bowers of the Lakers broke the tie, crashing the net for a rebound goal off of a perfectly placed shot by Laker defenseman and Soo Tribe member Jake Klever.
Shortly after that, the Lakers were able to take a 2-0 lead on a goal by Matthew Ennis, assisted by Caleb Host and Byron Hockersmith. The Lakers entered the 3rd period with the 2-0 lead only to find the Spartans were not finished.
The Spartans capitalized on two 3rd period goals to tie the game late in the final period. In a packed building of local fans cheering on the Lakers, it was suddenly silent. Until a couple heroes emerged for the Lakers With some incredible late game heroic saves, goaltender and Soo Tribe Member Maysn Esson gave the Lakers a chance to finish off a once in a life time incredible hockey game.
With 58 seconds left in the game, Laker defenseman and Soo Tribe member Trey Topash would skate the puck end to end and around the opposing goal. He put the puck to the front of the net, and it bounced on the stick of fellow Soo Tribe Member Caleb Host, where Host would make no mistake. Host fired the puck into the empty net, and the Big Bear exploded with fans going absolutely crazy.
Now up 3-2, the Lakers would hang on and play team defense as the clock ticked down and expired. The clock hit zero, and the Lakers pilled off their bench with a sea of gloves and helmets flying through the air. The fans and the building were a sight to see.
Laker Captain and Soo Tribe Member Dylan Bouschor would collect the State Championship Trophy and Banner, and the Lakers would all come together and celebrate. The Lakers all became State Champions on their home ice. It was a complete team effort and an incredible ending to an unforgettable season.
Game star and winning goal went to last minute goal score and Soo Tribe member Caleb Host. While tournament MVP went to star goaltender and Soo Tribe Member Maysn Esson.
The Lakers were coached by Head Coach Joe Esson and Coaches Dan Klever, Andy Heyboer and Jason Payment.
The Lakers wanted to thank the Big Bear Arena staff for everything all year and the fans in attendance. It was an unforgettable experience for all involved.
