Traverse City Central's Zach Redmond was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the seventh round of Saturday's National Hockey League draft. Redmond, 19, just completed his freshman season at Ferris State.

Hockey in the Grand Traverse area is expanding. A seven-school co-op hockey program has been given approval by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and will begin play this winter, giving Grand Traverse County its fourth high school hockey program.

For a lot of small-school students with aspirations of playing high school hockey, an answer may be coming. Seven area schools are in the preliminary stages of forming a co-op hockey team similar to the Bay Reps.

Traverse City Central's Shane Darrow and West's Todd Knaus were selected first-team all-state by the Michigan High School Hockey Coaches Association. West's Dylan Sullivan and defenseman David Hanrahan were second-team picks in Division 1, while Central goalie Hunter Kelly was second team in Division 2.

When Tim Hooker scored the tying goal late in the third period of the Division I state high school championship game, little did the Orchard Lake St. Mary's forward realize he was setting the stage for the longest prep hockey game in Michigan history.

It wasn't quite Petoskey-Sault Ste. Marie, but Traverse City Central and Midland duked it out for over 70 minutes before a tired winner was declared.

Marquette is going back to familiar territory, preventing Traverse City West from getting to new heights in the process.

Not only are the stakes higher, so are the tolls. On the same day that the Mackinaw Bridge tolls increase, Traverse City West travels across the bridge to play in the regional hockey finals for the second straight year.

Traverse City West got what it wanted out of Thursday's regional semifinal. So did Manistee. As you could guess, the two teams had decidedly different goals.