Brighton Advances to Division 1 Final in 2-OT Thriller

The Brighton Bulldogs are headed to the state finals.

Behind a focused, 37-save effort by goaltender Christian Michalik, the Bulldogs staved off an aggressive offensive attack by Orchard Lake St. Mary's in a double-overtime thriller at in Plymouth.

The Bulldogs were outplayed early by the Eaglets, managing just one shot to St. Mary's 12 in the first period.

Still, behind Michalik's solid goaltending, the Bulldogs generated momentum and finally took a 1-0 lead with Chet Daavettila's goal at 11:40 into the third period.

The Eaglets fired back, though, with David Muth's equalizer at 12:04 into the third, which sent the game into overtime.

The first overtime period was a largely defensive effort for both teams, with both goaltenders facing just two shots apiece.

Brighton's Scott Schueneman found the back of the St. Mary's net, however, at 6:19 into the second overtime period to send the Bulldogs to the Division 1 state final against Grosse Pointe North, which eliminated East Kentwood on Friday, 6-3, in its semifinal matchup.

Schueneman said his game-winner was a "relief" after a tight game.

The slow start and late surge was nothing new for the Bulldogs, coach Paul Moggach said. The team, he said, often played its best hockey this season in the late stages of games.

"It'll be much better tomorrow if we come out with a bit of a charge," Moggach said.

This story was updated from its original version to include video highlights, postgame interviews and additional reporting at 1:25 a.m. The story was updated March 10 at 7:10 p.m. to correct the spelling for Christian Michalik.