TRAVERSE CITY -- Providence, destiny, redemption.
They all could apply in their own way.
A year after losing to Midland in quadruple overtime in the regional finals, Traverse City Central handed the Chemics a 4-3 triple-overtime setback in a Division 2 hockey regional championship game Saturday afternoon at Howe Arena.
Two years and a day after the death of his father, Jared VanWormer scored two short-handed goals and set up Alex Wietrick's game-winner.
After both of his goals, he blew a kiss skyward in honor of his father, Larry Derda.
"I dedicate every goal I score to him," VanWormer said.
And these goals were big ones.
From behind the net, VanWormer found Wietrick gliding down the slot and fed him a pass.
"I saw Wietrick and didn't want him to go around the net, so I got it to him and he buried it," VanWormer said.
Senior captain Dane Macdonell also drew an assist in the game-winner.
"I saw Jared go in the corner and I was hanging out up high," Wietrick said. "He gave me a perfect one-timer."
Then, bedlam.
The win puts No. 6-ranked Central (18-7-2) into Tuesday's state quarterfinals in Flint and ends No. 7 Midland's season at 19-5.
Midland had tied the game with 26 seconds left in regulation on a blown call when an official blew his whistle for icing on the short-handed Chemics. The Trojans were in position to collect the puck and set up a rush down the right side that could have run much of the remaining time off the clock.
The prep rules were just recently changed to keep the ensuing face-off near the point of an inadvertent whistle. Previously, the face-off would go to center ice.
But the rule change kept the face-off deep in Central's zone. The Chemics won the draw and Nate Scurfield's knuckling shot went in high off Central goalie Hunter Kelly's stick handle.
"To have them tie it on a blown icing call, for that to have decided the game would have been a shame," Central coach Chris Givens said.
Both teams had prime opportunities in the overtime sessions, as Midland looked to capitalize on its new-found life and Central tried to make the official's error a footnote in a huge victory.
Scurfield missed high on an open shot after intercepting a pass with the crease open just 20 seconds in the first overtime, and Kelly later made a diving save back across the crease to rob the Chemics of a rebound goal.
Central forward Trevor Mattis left early in first overtime after catching a stick to the throat.
Devin Senchuck's blast from the point with five ticks left in the first extra session had Midland goalie Alex Sepesy juggling the puck before bringing it in as he fell backwards.
Kelly then stepped up with two more great saves in the second overtime, snaring the puck on a Jamie Sheppard shot from in tight and stoned the Chemics twice in a flurry around the net, coming up with the puck after a Kenny Babinski scoring opportunity.
"I thought we had our chances in the first two overtimes," Midland coach Jeff Brown said. "I don't know what Hunter got on that one -- a stick or glove or something. I thought it was in."
"Golden chances on both sides, great goaltending on both ends," Givens said. "So similar to last year."
The Trojans -- 5-2-2 in overtime games this year and 2-0 in contests that go past one extra period -- dropped a 5-4 regional final decision in four extra periods against Midland in Alpena last season as the Chemics went all the way to the state finals.
"This is definitely what we needed to do," Wietrick said. "We wanted to play Midland."
The Trojans had the only four shots on goal in the third overtime, making good on the fourth.
"It was redemption for last year's disappointment," VanWormer said. "We kept our heads in the game and showed a lot of heart."
The Chemics went up 2-0 on a pair of odd goals.
On the first -- with 4:57 left in the first -- Kelly made an apparent save and the closest referee signalled no goal, but didn't blow his whistle to stop the play. In the meantime, Midland's Babinski jammed at the puck under Kelly and it crossed the line and the Chemics had a 1-0 lead.
Just 1:41 into the third, Midland's second goal rebounded off Kelly, hit the skate of a Central defenseman and went in for a second score credited to Babinski.
"Babinski, what a great player," Givens said. "We were trying, but we couldn't contain him. Boy, he's a good player."
Wietrick pounced on the rebound of a Adam Swy shot from the point just 1:04 after Babinski's second goal to cut the deficit in half.
From there, it was seemingly VanWormer's game.
The junior forward beat Midland's defense to a cleared puck and beat Chemic goalie Alex Sepesy five-hole to tie the game at 2-2.
"Jared VanWormer, I just can't say enough about him," Givens said. "What a machine. When he beat that defenseman to the puck on his first short-handed goal and walked it out to score, it was amazing."
The goal 4:58 into the third would be the first of three straight shorties by the two teams.
A nice pass from Dane Macdonell at the blue line found VanWormer all alone streaking down the right side as the Trojans were again a skater down. VanWormer had time to size up the goalie and fire a wrister through the five-hole that put Central up 3-2 with nine ticks left on the penalty kill.
Not too long before VanWormer's second goal, Central's Devin Senchuck made a huge save, getting his skate in the crease to stop a point-blank rebound by Wes LaCourt.
"That was in, all the way," Givens said. "There were plays like that at both ends."
Midland caught what ended up being a break when Caleb Digison was called for cross-checking for a hit that shattered Macdonell's stick with 1:28 remaining, leading to the Midland's short-handed situation and the game-tying goal.
Central outshot Midland 44-32, as Kelly made 29 saves and Sepesy came up with 40 stops.
"A lot of similarities," Midland coach Jeff Brown said. "It was deja vu. I felt fortunate to get that late goal to force overtime. I know how they felt last year."
Well, maybe how most felt.
The win also helped erase a bad memory for senior defenseman Travis Clary.
The Central blueliner had a Chemics dump-in go off his skate and right to Babinski for last year's game-winner in the fourth overtime.
"I definitely wanted to forget about that," Clary said, "but it stuck in the back of my head during the game.
"It was definitely a big win, but it's ever bigger because it gets us closer to our goal."
Central will play the winner of Saturday night's contest between Saginaw Heritage (21-3-2) and Rochester Stoney Creek (16-7-3).
The last time Central was able to win regionals, the Trojans went all the way to claim the 2006 Division 2 state title. Only three players remain from that team -- Clary, fellow defenseman Eric Swy and Macdonell.
"Going there our freshman year and experiencing that, we definitely know we can do that again," Clary said. "Our team this year is just as talented as that team."
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