The Mona Shores hockey team scored victory over Hudsonville to win an OK-Conference title.
(Photo courtesy of Mona Shores Hockey)
By Jason Goorman
LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON - How sweet it is to be conference champs.
The Mona Shores Sailors hockey team notched an OK-Conference title with a 5-2 win over Hudsonville on Saturday, January 31 at Lakeshore Sports Centre in Muskegon.
“21-22 was the last time we won a conference championship,” said Mona Shores coach Chris Benedict. “How about that?”
The Sailors secured the championship with a first period lead that held strong the rest of the way.
Mona Shores’ Eli Habetler scored the game’s first goal on an assist from Finn Novy. But the early lead didn’t hold as Hudsonville was able to even the score at 1-all with just over 2 minutes left in the first period.
The hiccup didn’t slow down Mona Shores as Novy came through with 13 seconds left in the first period for his lone goal of the night. The tally gave the Sailors a 2-1 lead. Cullen Conrad and Jaivyn Scarbrough assisted on the Novy tally.
Mona Shores then got a pair of key plays from Conrad to propel the team to the conference title.
Conrad stepped up a minute into the second period and added to Mona Shores’ lead on an unassisted goal. Conrad snatched the puck near Hudsonville’s blue line and was able to bury a shot for a much-needed, 3-1 lead.
Hudsonville found the back of the net to close out the second period, but Conrad was able to lift up his team once again, this time in the third period. Notching his second goal of the night on a play that was assisted by Eli Habetler, Conrad gave the Sailors a 4-2 lead.
Habetler then closed out the night with an empty-net goal for the 5-2 final score.
“When we needed to put the puck in the net, we did, and that fourth goal was huge for us,” said Benedict. “They (Hudsonville) made it 3-2, and that (Conrad) goal allowed us to play a little more loose, instead of gripping the stick when you’re up by one.”
The Sailors battled against a Hudsonville team that was well equipped in the shooting department. While Mona Shores outshot the Eagles 26-24 on the night, and Sailor goalie Wilis Nolan came through with key saves.
“He (Nolan) made some big saves for us when we broke down, kept the score the way it was,” said Benedict. “If he doesn’t make those saves, we may not be celebrating a conference championship here today.”
The exciting Mona Shores victory came on a special night where the two teams played in honor of those who have battled cancer.
“This is a super special game, we put a lot not only into this game but also the community,” said Benedict whose team also helps Stand Up For the Cure at its Summer event that is next set for July 25 at Ross Park. “This is something that is near and dear to us, everyone is affected by it (cancer), whatever we can do to help out.”
It was a special night for both teams, but the Sailors’ victory made it a little more special for the 2025-26 OK champs.
LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON - How sweet it is to be conference champs.
The Mona Shores Sailors hockey team notched an OK-Conference title with a 5-2 win over Hudsonville on Saturday, January 31 at Lakeshore Sports Centre in Muskegon.
“21-22 was the last time we won a conference championship,” said Mona Shores coach Chris Benedict. “How about that?”
The Sailors secured the championship with a first period lead that held strong the rest of the way.
Mona Shores’ Eli Habetler scored the game’s first goal on an assist from Finn Novy. But the early lead didn’t hold as Hudsonville was able to even the score at 1-all with just over 2 minutes left in the first period.
The hiccup didn’t slow down Mona Shores as Novy came through with 13 seconds left in the first period for his lone goal of the night. The tally gave the Sailors a 2-1 lead. Cullen Conrad and Jaivyn Scarbrough assisted on the Novy tally.
Mona Shores then got a pair of key plays from Conrad to propel the team to the conference title.
Conrad stepped up a minute into the second period and added to Mona Shores’ lead on an unassisted goal. Conrad snatched the puck near Hudsonville’s blue line and was able to bury a shot for a much-needed, 3-1 lead.
Hudsonville found the back of the net to close out the second period, but Conrad was able to lift up his team once again, this time in the third period. Notching his second goal of the night on a play that was assisted by Eli Habetler, Conrad gave the Sailors a 4-2 lead.
Habetler then closed out the night with an empty-net goal for the 5-2 final score.
“When we needed to put the puck in the net, we did, and that fourth goal was huge for us,” said Benedict. “They (Hudsonville) made it 3-2, and that (Conrad) goal allowed us to play a little more loose, instead of gripping the stick when you’re up by one.”
The Sailors battled against a Hudsonville team that was well equipped in the shooting department. While Mona Shores outshot the Eagles 26-24 on the night, and Sailor goalie Wilis Nolan came through with key saves.
“He (Nolan) made some big saves for us when we broke down, kept the score the way it was,” said Benedict. “If he doesn’t make those saves, we may not be celebrating a conference championship here today.”
The exciting Mona Shores victory came on a special night where the two teams played in honor of those who have battled cancer.
“This is a super special game, we put a lot not only into this game but also the community,” said Benedict whose team also helps Stand Up For the Cure at its Summer event that is next set for July 25 at Ross Park. “This is something that is near and dear to us, everyone is affected by it (cancer), whatever we can do to help out.”
It was a special night for both teams, but the Sailors’ victory made it a little more special for the 2025-26 OK champs.
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