TRAVERSE CITY -- Playing the role of counterpuncher most of the game, in the end Traverse City Central delivered a knockout haymaker.
Shane Darrow's hard slapshot with 1:32 left in overtime handed the Trojans a 3-2 Division 2 regional win over Alpena to avenge a pair of lopsided regular-season losses to the Wildcats.
"It's incredible," Darrow said. "It's another step. We've got to move on and know Saturday is another test. We've got four more games to win."
Jared VanWormer set up Darrow's game-winning shot -- his 17th goal of the season -- drawing the assist as he did on all three of Central's goals.
"Jared made an unbelievable pass," Darrow said. "He's at the end of his shift and battles a defenseman for the puck. I yelled for the puck and he got the puck right there."
"Hearing the clank of the back of the net was the best feeling in a long time. I can't even express that -- being down with a minute to go and knowing your senior season could end. It's unreal."
No. 7-ranked Alpena beat No. 8 TC Central 5-0 at Howe on Jan. 4 and 5-2 at Northern Lights Arena in Alpena on Feb. 1.
But this win will enable Central to forget those losses and revel in moments like when Trojan players checked the glass in front of the rowdy student section after shaking hands with their foes.
"That's one of the best games I've been involved in in a long time," Central coach Chris Givens said. "Both teams deserved to move on.
"In some ways, they're our biggest rival because it goes so far back. TC used to take a beating from those guys and there's some hard feelings from that."
The Trojans (18-6-1) now move on the regional finals Saturday in Alpena against Midland (20-2-0).
"We've been getting beat by them all season and that was one of our goals," Trojan forward Derek Gardiner said. "Having them sweep us badly, we knew we had to pull this one out.
"It definitely gives us a lot of momentum. Beating them was one of our toughest games. If we can get by them, we can beat anybody."
Central countered Alpena's jabs as the Wildcats were able to keep the puck in the zone for long stretches, but not generate many quality scoring chances. And when they did, goaltender Hunter Kelly was right there.
Kelly made 27 saves in regulation -- when the Wildcats outshot TC Central 29-19 -- and several more big ones in overtime to set up Darrow's heroics.
"He's been awesome for us," Givens said. "He's a big kid and doesn't give you a lot of room to shoot at and his quickness has improved. The guys are confident with him back there. He'd bailed us out when you need a great goaltender to bail you out."
The Trojans controlled most of the extra session after Alpena had dominated much of regulation. For the third period and overtime, the Wildcats shortened their bench and ran only two lines.
"We just tried to hit their top line a lot to tire them out," Gardiner said.
"A lot of hockey, tense moments, so obviously there's a lot of fatigue," Alpena coach Chris Limback said. "But when you're young, you can overcome that."
Alex Goodhue perfectly redirected a shot from Jared VanWormer with 1:05 left to send the game into an extra session, as he beat Wildcat net minder Doug Snow to his blocker side.
"I was hoping it'd go in, but it wouldn't have if he hadn't tipped it," VanWormer said.
VanWormer was the extra skater as Central pulled Kelly just a few seconds earlier.
"The longer we kept them around, the more confident they got," Limback said. "When we got the first goal, their heads were down. And if we had gotten a second one, like we did the first two times, I think we would have had it."
After regulation expired, the Zamboni came out before the scheduled eight-minute overtime period.
"I think we were temporarily stunned," Limback said. "But I didn't want that resurfacing. I didn't want the delay.
"Any time you keep a team around, it doesn't help down the stretch. In golf, it's the rub of the green; in hockey, it's probably the rub of the ice."
Alpena held a 29-19 bulge in shots on net, but each side managed to get only two past the opposing goaltender, and the packed house was treated to free hockey for 6:28.
Alpena had gone up 2-1 with 8:09 left in regulation, as Jarret Krajniak -- who looked woozy after taking a big hit from Derek Gardiner three minutes earlier -- knocked the puck under Kelly's pads through a tangle of skates, sticks and flying bodies in a mad scramble in front of the net. Jon Straley and Alex Senchuck drew assists.
The Trojans had a hard time clearing the zone much of the game, and their outlet passes were frequently just a bit off in a game that was very physical as Central delivered a plethora of big hits on Wildcats.
The Trojans threatened late in the second on their first power play of the game after a Zach Birmingham roughing call.
Darrow nearly connected on a redirect with 6.1 seconds left and Eric Swy's blast from the point was trapped by net minder Doug Snow as time expired.
The teams traded shots off the crossbar in the period, as Dane Macdonell's shot with 6:46 left deflected off a defender and hit the crossbar. Later, Souva rang a shot off the Central crossbar with 4:17 to go.
The Trojans held a slim 10-9 advantage in shots in the second period after being outshot 9-5 in the first.
Kelly robbed Birmingham on the doorstep at 5:16 of the first period, getting a glove out to snare the defenseman's shot at an open net. The Alpena radio crew was already yelling "Goal!" when Kelly came up with the puck.
"We had great chances," Limback said. "That kid made a lot of great saves. It was a great game. Obviously, it's not as fun on our side."
The Wildcats scored less than a minute later, as Straley's screened shot slipped through Kelly's pads and trickled in. Krajniak and Jason Souva picked up assists on the power-play tally.
A mere 1:41 later, Central evened things up, as the Trojans came out after Alpena's score with a renewed vigor.
VanWormer skated into the offensive zone, swung around the back boards and feathered a pass out front to Trevor Mattis. The pass skipped over Mattis' stick and onto that of Steve Ball, who buried his shot for just his second goal of the season to tie it up at 1-1. Ball was just coming onto the ice on a shift change.
"Maybe it was lucky, but I just wanted to get it out there," VanWormer said.
Central continued to pick up its play, especially by getting more and more physical, as Souva was the recipient of several vicious hits from Darrow and Gardiner.
Alpena outshot the Trojans 9-5 in the opening 15 minutes of play.
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