The 2014 OHSAA Ice Hockey State Final: The Greatest Thing I've Ever Seen In Sports

The 2014 OHSAA Ice Hockey State Final: The Greatest Thing I've Ever Seen In Sports

By Davidson Baker

When I was four years old, I wasn't succumbing to the norm of the other kids in the local nursery. Not different in a bad way, I mind you. My version of different was while other toddlers played with toys, I had a football, or a ball and a bat. While other kids played with bouncy balls and hoola hoops, the ball I played with bounced to a familiar tune and the hoop I used had string dangling around plexiglass with an eighteen inch circumference. In kindergarten kids in light up shoes and Spider-Man T-Shirts would ask me things like:

"Wanna see my fort I built?" or "Which power ranger is your favorite?"

...and I didn't care in the slightest. No kidding at age five all I wanted to do was to watch Sportscenter with my Dad when everyone else at arts and crafts was discussing the latest episode of Sesame Street (Slight exaggeration, but you get the jist by now.)

My point is I've seen a lot. I've been watching champions raise trophies since I was being put to bed in onesies. I've seen countless amazing things in sports. I've seen Five overtime basketball games dwindle a foul trouble laced squad down to playing 5 on 2. I've seen a man win eight gold medals, one of those by a hundredth by a second. I've seen countless breathtaking moments that resemble the Down Goes Frazier's of the world and the "Do you believe in miracles?" of our generation.

Nothing tops what I saw witnessed in Columbus, Ohio On March 8th, 2014.

I attended High School in Sylvania, Ohio. There are two high schools in this suburban wonderland, Northview and Southview. I found myself inside the concrete walls of the North Side every day, and as much as I used to bicker and complain about being there, experiences like these make me remember how I blessed I was to be there.

Northview isn't really the athletic powerhouse type of school. This school is really only traditionally known for Soccer and Hockey. 

Yes, Hockey. A sport that only eleven states in the U.S. recognize as a varsity high school sport. Northview has a rich and thick history in this sport with several final four appearances. In 2012, Northview's Hockey team coached by Mike Jones, a former NHL player himself, dismantled Lakewood St. Edward 5-2 for their first state title as a school in any sport. The following year the Northview Wildcats returned to the state final but fell victim 3-1 to Shaker Heights.

Another year flew by and the Cats were back in Columbus for the third year running and these guys were on a mission. Through guts, and fight the ice cats found themselves back in the title game. This time a date with another school who calls the Wildcats their nickname. The mighty St. Ignatius Wildcats.

These enemy version of the wildcats had raised the title twice in it's history, including once over Northview in 2010. This was redemption for Mike Jones and the wildcats from Sylvania, not even to mention this was a head-on collision course for two of the biggest names in the sport in the state of Ohio. 

The game was well under way and I could already tell it was going to be an amazing spectacle. I mean, What else could you ask for? You had two teams that could score in surplus, block shots like it's their job, they could move the puck around like it was going out style, and of course, great goaltending.

The first period was as an action-packed and level picking fifteen minutes, and nothing short of Spectacular Goaltending indeed, until 6:42 into the first period. Northview's attempt to herald and gain control of the puck in the neutral zone eventually ends in a brilliant series of passes followed by a foward flick of the of the puck on to the net. With the St. Ig's keeper fending off the pesky challenge, the initial attempt caught his attention, as he was not able to herald a wild rebound and the scoop and score for my good friend Jake Koback put the good guys up1-0.

A bunch of high school kids wearing all-black erupted in jubilance as the 1-0 advantage shifted in favor of the boys from Sylvania. Plenty of hockey left, but this was a good start,

The first period belonged to the whole Northview team as a collective effort and there was nothing short of an excellent display of execution at both ends of the ice for the whole period. That was going to have continue for Northview to pull of the second swoop of the championship trophy in three years come the end of the game. 

Nothing unattainable at all, nothing too difficult.

Fast forward to the third period and Ignatius gets the equalizing goal after practically prancing and dancing around Northview's goal with more than enough beautiful chances to put one in the back of the net. Ignatius were victims of the post, both blockers alike, and some incredible goalie acrobatics as 21 shots were saved in the second and third period up until the Ignatius goal alone. That was throughout the first fifty two minutes. 

Sometimes the puck doesn't fall the way you want it to. 7:15 in to the final frame of the final game and we have a 1-1 tie. 

Once that game turned into a tie, it became a different story. David Marsh strapped on his helmet, got in position in his ever so familiar position in front of the net, and said to himself "there is a zero percent chance another puck gets passed by my back and I will put my body on the line to ensure that stays true."

Lookie there, Marsh, Another good friend of mine became a staple in an absolute amazing spectacle. (he's gonna kill me for just openly writing about him as much as I did in this and posting itlike this but I'm sure he'll understand😉)

But Who the hell knows if that was exactly went through wis mind? Probably wasn't. But I'll bet your ass I was close.

This tournament that came to a head in the way it did left everyone involved speechless. Once the overtime's began, this began to turn into something I've never seen. Not in my whole life.

As the overtime's would come and go, so would dozens of St. Ignatius shots on goal. Just over four dozen of them. Fifty shots were stopped from the moment that one measly puck passed Marsh mid-way through the third period. 

Man it totally sucked to be the stat keeper that day. I say this because nobody knows how many saves Marsh actually had in this game. There's been actually many numbers thrown out from 76 to 84 to even 97. These numbers just float around as several different numbers from several different sources have been thrown out. Everyone had a different number for Marsh's save count, which means the majority lost count....

THAT'S HOW DOMINANT DAVID MARSH WAS ON THAT SUNDAY NIGHT. 

Two OT's Three OT's. Four OT's, high school students were becoming their own versions of fire breathing dragons under quite the emotional roller coaster.

But more OT's transpired. Nobody could score if their life depended on it.

5.......6.......7.....

Now seven free periods had went by and it was still 1-1. Ignatius kept getting better and better chances. The weird part about it though is that as the periods went by, Marsh just got better. When the percentage of shots went up, so did the percentage of saves. There were countless overtime shots by St. Ignatius that missed close to hitting the bar, some barely skying over the cross-bar, and even many shots ended up just missing easy lay-up potential at the back of the net. 

It's just a sickness. Nobody could score!!!!

Seven OT's in the books and everyone's getting ready to put an eighth one on the ice. At this point it's absolutely getting out of hand. Ignatius skates out ready to go........

No Northview....

Once I saw OHSAA commissioner David Ross walking towards center ice with a microphone...... I already knew it.

A tie in a championship game??

Can't there be a rematch?

Can't there be a shootout???

No, and no. This game was over. the entire season was fought and played through for a tie in the final........

Something was on Marsh's side that day. Fate? God? Chance? Or was it just the pure refusal and denial of any part of thinking about losing the game in their final lace-up as seniors.

Yeah, I'm gonna go with the last one.

I could really go on for days, you name it, in my opinion you put one of the best individual nights in sports and my buddy Marsh beats it. Bottom line is this, if you name an unbelievable individual sports performance or a one night stat line that provides the dropping of jaws and the bulging of eyes.....I'll bet you cash money my friend David marsh has it beat it for his night in March 2014. 

Take Kobe's 81 for example. Combined at the Free Throw Line, from the field, and beyond the arc, Kobe took 66 shots. Most of those shots will bear you with at least two points in the statistic being padded....Some of them are even free as charged!!! You earn free throws to a degree but do you earn those points? Do you really earn these prestigous points by shooting a wide open stand still shot by yourself? No. Marsh........? He had to face every shot. He had to block every puck, he had to keep his team alive. Every save counts as one. 

Advantage: Hockey

Two years ago I was unbelievably blessed to watch some of my best friends fight their way to pull and scratch and do everything possible to win in that game..... for one hundred, and fifty, minutes.

Certain people who look at the fact that this title was shared and try to diminish credibility can make all comments they want... but uh...... bottom line........

Every single person that played on that ice that day was 100 percent a champion, and TRUST ME, I am the LAST person on earth to be the one to "rah-rah" moral victories or ties but this is completely different. David Marsh in one scorekeeping book had 96 saves... Something absolutely unheard of in this sport. Both defenses were outstanding, there was nail-biting action from the time the puck dropped to the second the commissioner broke the news. 

Like I said, i'm the last person on earth to ever advocate and defend one who ties or has moral victories......... 

But that's the thing.

There were no victories.

Not morally, not competition-wise, not in anything......

That's without a doubt the greatest thing i've ever seen in sports.