Powers Catholic travelled to USA arena in Plymouth on Friday to take on the perennial powerhouse Cranbrook Kingswood Cranes in the MHSAA hockey semi-finals. The Chargers were making their first semi-final appearance since 2017.

On paper this game would seem like a David vs. Goliath. The Cranes had 11 seniors and just 2 underclassmen on the roster while the Chargers had 2 seniors and the majority of their players were underclassmen.

The game was scoreless until 5:26 left in the first period when Cranbrook scored to take a 1 to lead after the 1st period. Although being outshot 15 to 5 in the 1st period, the Chargers were hanging in the game behind the stellar play of Nick Kurtiak.

The Cranes made the score 2 to 0 in with 13:10 remaining in the second period. Despite being outshot 29 to 11 after 2 periods, Powers Catholic was only down 2 to 0 after 2 periods and with a couple of bounces in the 3rd period this could be anyone’s game.

The Chargers finally got on the scoreboard less than a minute into the 3rd period when Trey Carlock scored in a goal mouth scramble to make the score 2 to 1. Mason Czarnecki and Tyler Lawrence assisted on the goal. With 13:14 left in the 3rd the Cranes made it a 2 goal game again and a uphill climb for the Chargers. Powers Catholic went on the power play with 3:19 remaining in the 3rd but couldn’t put the puck past the Crane goaltender. The Cranes added an empty net goal with 9 seconds left to play making the final 4 to 1. Nick Kurtiak stopped 39 shots for the Chargers.

The Chargers finished the year with 16 wins and 4 losses. At the beginning of the year, with only 2 seniors and the majority of underclassmen, not many high school hockey pundits were talking about the Chargers this year. With great coaching and player determination, this Charger team surprised many this year. The future is bright for Powers Catholic hockey. Powers Catholic hockey would like to thank all those who supported the team this year and best wishes to seniors Tyler Lawrence and Marcus Pahl who now join the distinguished Power Catholic hockey alumni.