TRAVERSE CITY - It’s no secret hockey runs through the mitten state. The hero of the U.S. women’s hockey team, Megan Keller, is from Farmington and scored the game-winner over Canada to claim gold. The hero on the men’s side, Jack Hughes, is also a Michigan native and netted an overtime goal to win gold.
The state of Michigan had the most representation on the men’s hockey roster with six players. If that wasn’t enough, three of the top four teams in the country right now at the Division 1 level are in Michigan.
Local high school teams are now looking to replicate that success in the state tournament, and could eventually be the ones representing our country on the world’s biggest stage.
Traverse City Central is one of those teams. Just like the Olympians, the Trojans won a do-or-die game in overtime. Their victory over Alpena was their 10th win in a row, and if they could nab another tomorrow, they’d claim a school record 11th straight and a regional title.
Chris Givens, the head coach of Traverse City Central, said the timing of the Olympics boded well for their own postseason atmosphere.
“You see the celebrations and the big goals and the, you know, the excitement of the fans, and that just kind of builds into what we’re doing here. Yeah, I think it’s just, kind of a good time of the year to be a hockey fan.”
The Trojans will play Midland Dow at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow to try to secure a second straight trip to the quarterfinals.