Hockey marathon on ice

ANCHORAGE -- Seven overtimes, 10 periods, but just one game of hockey.

The Valley Blades, a local hockey club comprised of 13 and 14 year olds from the Mat-Su Valley, needed seven overtimes to defeat the Fairbanks Hogs, 4-3, in the bantam D state championship game at Ben Boeke Ice Arena on Sunday.

"I have been involved in overtime (championship) games before," said head coach Jesse Seward, who coached a Valley squirt team to an overtime victory in the state championship last year. "This tops that, I don't ever want to be in another game to top this."

Facing a 3-2 deficit in the closing moments of regulation, Seward and the Blades pulled goaltender Joe Warren. With the extra-attacker, the Blades put extra pressure on the Hog net. The pressure paid off.

With just 25 seconds left in the third period, Ryan Hammond lit the lamp and tied the game.

And after 40 minutes of hockey, Trent Levra took a Harvey Finch pass off the boards and scored with 58 seconds left in the seventh overtime to claim the victory.

"At the end of the game, I was so exhilarated that it was over," Seward said.

Seward said every time his squad had an opportunity on goal during the overtime periods, his knees buckled. At the end of the sixth overtime period, he and the coach of the Fairbanks squad talked of calling the game a draw.

"After the sixth OT, we talked about a Co-championship, neither one of us wanted to see the kids lose," Seward said. "Unfortunately someone had to lose, fortunately we were on the upper end."

Though the Blades came out on the winning end, Seward said the Hogs did not hesitate to participate in the celebration. He said after the game, rather than the traditional line-up and hand shakes, players from each team convened at center ice.

"At the end of the game, they had a great deal of respect for each other," Seward said. "Pretty good to see sportsmanship like that."

The Blades took a 2-0 lead into the second period, with both Hammond and Levra scoring in the first period. But Fairbanks stormed back and took the lead. Seward said the Hogs came out in the second, a mirror image of the Blades, and scored three goals in the middle frame.

"Couple lucky bounces went their way and a couple unlucky bounces went ours," Seward said.

Late in the third period, after pulling Warren, the Blades won the draw and pushed a shot just inches off the net. After an ensuing icing call, the Blades won another draw and with a pack of players in front of the net, Hammond scored the goal.

"The goalie never saw it," Seward said. "Sent it into overtime."

After Hammond's second goal, the marathon began.

Seward said the two clubs traded the advantage back and forth through the overtimes.

"First couple overtimes, they seemed to be better. Then it was back to us," Seward said. "Every time we shot, (I thought) 'Please Lord, let it go in'."

Late in the seventh overtime, as the puck laid deep in the corner, while a group of Hogs skated toward the corner, Finch bounced a pass of the boards to Levra and Levra buried the puck. Seward said Levra was right where he needed to be and the Blades executed a play they'd been working on throughout the season.

In more than 70 minutes of hockey, Warren faced 49 shots in the contest, recording 46 saves. The Blades put 36 shots on goal. Seward said if he had to name an MVP, it would be Warren.

"He saved so many excellent shots to keep us in the game," Seward said.

Even more mind blowing than the fact the Hogs and Blades skated into a seventh overtime, is the Valley squad played another game just hours before. On Sunday morning, the Blades had to pass through an 8:45 a.m. hockey date to qualify for the championship game. The Valley squad also played two games on each of the two days before.

The Blades finished the season with a 35-5-3 overall record and won first place titles in the Turkey Shoot and Presidents Day tournaments, in addition to the state meet.