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Copper Country Team Wins Hockey National Title
 EAST LANSING, Mich.---A team of Houghton, Hancock, and Calumet High School hockey players came together to win the USA Hockey Tier II National Championship on Monday. Team Copper Country beat Clarence, NY, 5-2, in the title game. The Copper Country boys did not win the Michigan state championship...the East Lansing Spartans did. But because the East Lansing team was hosting the national tournament, Copper Country was allowed into the tournament as the Michigan runners-up. The boys pulled off a dramatic overtime win in the national semifinals on Sunday, and then were back on the Suburban Ice Arena ice less than 18 hours later for the championship. Copper Country outshot the Clarence Mustangs, 44-12, but the New York team made the most of its meager number of shots, putting two of them in the net early in the game. Copper Country trailed, 2-1, until Hancock's Ted Randell tied the game with a power play goal with 12:05 left in the second period. Later, Houghton's Jacob Kruse broke the tie with an even strength goal with 6:27 lef in the second period. It stayed 3-2 until Randell scored again, 4:46 into the third period. He led all scorers with eight goals in the weekend tournament. Calumet's Rory Anderson put the icing on the cake with an empty net goal with six seconds left in the contest. |
