Waubonsie/Metea claims state title in double overtime

The Waubonsie/Metea Warriors overcame a late Glenbard comeback and claimed the Combined Division championship in a 4-3 double overtime win at the 2019 Illinois State High School Hockey Championship, presented by Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Dealers.
"To have us three sections deep at the United Center really brings a lot of energy in the locker room," Waubonsie/Metea head coach Jeremy Dombro said. "Even after warmups, everyone is talking about how many people are here and what we did to get here."
A scorerless first period was a preview of the tense stalemate to come, as both Waubonsie/Metea and Glenbard traded blows in the early going.
Waubonsie/Metea finally broke through in the second period, after a shot from the point was redirected by Zachary Pearce to the stick of teammate William Naffziger. The senior snuck home the first goal of the night and put the Warriors on the front foot in their quest for a state title.
Waubonsie/Metea would continue to stay active in front of net, playing the rebound game once again later in the period as Jason Sommers collected a loose puck and tucked home the Warriors second goal of the night to make it 2-0. Glenbard was quick to respond after the ensuing face-off, as Brett Quinn found a streaking Sam Ruffolo for a breakaway tally that cut the Waubonsie/Metea lead in half. But the Glenbard celebration was short-lived as the Warriors seized back momentum before the end of the period.
Pearce made one of the plays of the game on a fantastic deke and backdoor pass to Michael Alberts, who tucked home a goal to extend the Waubonsie/Metea lead to 3-1. The Warriors were rocking as the second period came to a close, but Glenbard had a little magic left.

Just before midnight at the United Center, Quinn pulled Glenbard within one thanks to an aggressive forecheck that led to a turnover in front of the Waubonsie/Metea goal. His second point of the night made it 3-2 Warriors, but the junior wasn't done. With less than three minutes to play, Quinn found himself bearing down on goal with two Waubonsie/Metea defenders battling for the puck. Keeping the puck on his stick, Quinn managed to fire home an off-balance equalizer that brought Glenbard level with minutes to play.
Neither team could find the winner in regulation, as overtime of the state championship kicked off at 12:13 a.m. on Saturday morning. The first OT frame was a back-and-forth affair, with every face-off and rebound holding a title in the balance. In the second overtime, the Warriors found a breakthrough on the power play.
Pearce's shot from the point was redirected by Nolan Cummings and into Waubonsie/Metea history, lifting the Combined Division team to the state title.
"Mindset is just put the puck on net. We practiced it all week." Pearce said. "We have two cities coming together for us. It's an experience and it definitely showed with the fans that came out."