STATE CHAMPS - Members of the Tawas Thunder celebrated a state championship in the Bantam B Division Sunday in Negaunee. The Thunder defeated Keweenaw Bay, 3-1, in the state title game. Members of the team are Ryan McEwan, Kyle Hewitt, Tyler Samuels, Alex Ruse, Nick Revord, Nathan Koenig, Greg Bissonette, Dillon Gotcher, TJ Huebel, Robby Payea, Tyler Jordan, Logan Pittsley and Trent Szoszak. The team is coached by Tom Szoszak and Mike Gotcher is the assistant coach. - Courtesy photo by Jay Samuels

State Champions!
by John Morris

NEGAUNEE - For the first time in its history, a Huron Hockey and Skating Association team has won a state championship.

And it came Sunday in Negaunee in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, about a six-hour drive from the Tawases, when the Tawas Thunder defeated Keweenaw Bay, 3-1, in the state championship game. In the process, the Thunder won the Bantam B Division state hockey championship for boys ages 13 and 14.
“I’m very proud of the way they played and their determination to bring the trophy back to Tawas,” said Tom Szostak, the team’s head coach. “They never let up and played with so much heart.”

Szostak has coached mostly the same boys in hockey over the past seven years. Mike Gotcher is the team’s assistant coach.

The Tawas Thunder won the 12-team Bantam B District 7 title last month in Petoskey. This group of boys has gone to the district playoffs three times over the years and also won the district championship two years ago before, eventually falling then to the same Keweenaw squad in the state championship round.

Two years ago, Keweenaw went on to win the state title.

Not so this year.

On Thursday, the Thunder was given a police and fire department escort out of town toward the Upper Peninsula with a parade through downtown East Tawas.

But the state playoffs didn’t start off as well as the previously undefeated Tawas team would have liked - a 4-2 loss on Friday to the Keweenaw Bay team.

Dillon Gotcher and Nick Re-vord scored the two Tawas goals.

Facing a quick exit out of the state playoffs with another loss, Tawas rallied to beat Iron Range, a team from the Negaunee area, 6-5 in its first game on Saturday. Nathan Koenig scored the game-winning goal with just 30 seconds left in the game.

Tawas was losing the contest until the Thunder scored three goals in the third period. Scoring for Tawas in the game were Koenig and Revord with two goals each and Gotcher and Kyle Hewitt with one apiece.

But the state playoffs didn’t start off as well as the previously undefeated Tawas team would have liked - a 4-2 loss on Friday to the Keweenaw Bay team.

Dillon Gotcher and Nick Re-vord scored the two Tawas goals.

Facing a quick exit out of the state playoffs with another loss, Tawas rallied to beat Iron Range, a team from the Negaunee area, 6-5 in its first game on Saturday. Nathan Koenig scored the game-winning goal with just 30 seconds left in the game.

Tawas was losing the contest until the Thunder scored three goals in the third period. Scoring for Tawas in the game were Koenig and Revord with two goals each and Gotcher and Kyle Hewitt with one apiece.

Tawas defeated the Blue Water Rangers, a team from Port Huron, 8-5 in its second game on Saturday. Scoring for the Thunder were Revord with five goals, Gotcher with two and Koenig with one.

The win put Tawas in the state semifinals against the Southwest Michigan Freeze. Tawas won that game, 5-2, as Koenig and Re-vord scored two goals each while Gotcher added one.

In Sunday’s championship game, Tawas again faced a familiar foe - Keweenaw Bay.

But this year’s outcome was different as Tawas came out on top, 3-1, in the physical contest. Tawas goaltender Ryan McEwan, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the state tournament, nearly had a shutout as Keweenaw scored with just five minutes left in the game.

Koenig scored twice for the Thunder and Revord added one goal.

Tawas finished its season with an impressive 42-1-1 overall rec-ord.