In rematch, Belle Tire tops Little Caesars for Squirt AAA title
By Stefan Kubus –
Belle Tire suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Little Caesars North Saturday afternoon in squirt major play, but the team was determined to triumph in the rematch for the MAHA State Championship.
And triumph they did.
Belle Tire defeated Little Caesars in Sunday afternoon’s contest at the Taylor Sportsplex, 5-4, to capture the state championship title. Belle Tire had actually been outshot drastically, 33-15, and went down by two goals after the first period. Scott Goleniak, one of the Belle Tire coaches, said his club simply never lost the faith.
“They maintained their composure throughout the game,” Goleniak said. “They never gave up the whole game and battled through it all.”
Little Caesars took command of things early, as forward Carter Korpi opened the scoring just a minute into the game. Tag Bertuzzi, son of Detroit Red Wings forward Todd, intercepted the puck at the blue line and fed Korpi, who finished it off. That would be the first of three goals for Korpi, who certainly made a strong case for the MVP had Little Caesars left victorious.
After the first Little Caesars goal, it seemed Belle Tire was in trouble again, as they faced a penalty shot with 7:33 remaining in the first. But goaltender Austin Goleniak stood tall, denying Josh Nodler in the one-on-one showdown.
That seemed to be a positive turning point for the team in red and white. Just 1:25 later, Goleniak’s brother, Colin, lit the lamp with a shorthanded goal for Belle Tire. And although Little Caesars would respond shortly after for a 2-1 lead heading into the dressing room, it was evident Belle Tire had a renewed sense of fight in the second frame.
Three minutes into the second, working down low, Jacob Badal let a backhand shot go along the ice from the goal line that managed to sneak in between the feet of netminder Cameron Crawford’s feet to even things up at two.
With 6:10 left in the second period, and a mere eight seconds into a power play, defenseman Connor Gallagher buried a goal for Belle Tire on a pass from Colin Goleniak.
Korpi would answer back for Little Caesars with his hat-trick goal, deflecting a William Ressler shot from the point, beating the goaltender at 11:06 of the second. That’s how things stood after two periods of play.
It was only fitting that Europe’s “The Final Countdown” sounded in the arena as both teams marched out onto the ice for the final frame, deadlocked at three goals aside.
Just 29 seconds into the third, Belle Tire made the first move in the race to the finish. Laker Aldridge–son of Belle Tire assistant coach and former NHL player Keith–found the back of the net, with Badal getting the assist.
Bertuzzi tied things up at four for Little Caesars, cutting across the middle and unleashing a wrist shot for his third point of the game. But it would take only 15 seconds for Belle Tire to respond again.
Collin Kerchoff would bury a rebound off of a 2-on-1 rush, which would go on to stand as the game-winner.
When you’re facing the best competition the state has to offer, sometimes the last line of defense can make the key difference that puts one side over the top. Goaltender Austin Goleniak was exactly that instrumental piece for Belle Tire, taking home the MVP award for his 29-save effort.