My how time flies. This will be my third consecutive season doing the Illinois State High School Hockey Championship with Judd Sirott, and I couldn't be more proud. A lot of these kids will never play organized hockey again after this game, and I always marvel at the enthusiasm and exuberance they lay out there for their high school teams. The Wirtz family has been involved now for the last 25 years with the Illinois State High School Hockey Championship games taking place at the United CenterChicago Stadium. This year we'll see a team that won it just two years ago in St. Rita match up against a newcomer in finals hockey, St. Viator.
We had a chance to talk to both coaches last night, Chris Higgins of St. Viator and Craig Ferguson of St. Rita. What I love about these coaches is how they make sure it's not about them, it's all about the kids. And we're talking great coaches here. Ferguson was teammates of Chris Chelios at Mount Carmel and Higgins played college hockey at BU and St. Lawrence University and was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques.
So if you get a chance and want to see unscripted drama with kids putting every ounce of themselves on the line, give the Illinois State High School Hockey Championships a watch. Puck drop at 6:30 p.m. tonight on Comcast SportsNet.
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