Stuff of legend: Brighton junior gets hat trick, OT winner in hockey quarters
BRIGHTON — The Livingston County high school sports scene has been blessed with many memorable moments in recent years that will take on legendary status as time goes by.
Here’s a sampling of greatness:
► Nick Nemecek’s catch with 50.1 seconds left in the game to put Brighton in the state Division 1 football championship game in 2019.
► Liv Linden’s season-saving 3-pointer in the quarterfinals during Hartland’s run to the state girls basketball championship game last year.
► Ian Kastamo’s overtime goal for Hartland in the state Division 2 championship hockey game last season.
► Another overtime goal by Hartland in 2022, this one by Bo Lockwood, to make Hartland the first public school to win the state Division 1 boys lacrosse championship.
Add the performance of Brighton junior Cameron Duffany Saturday in the state Division 1 hockey quarterfinals to the list of classics.
Duffany scored all three of his team’s goals, including the winner in the second overtime, to give the third-ranked Bulldogs a 3-2 victory over fifth-ranked Livonia Stevenson at Kensington Valley Ice House.
“Super special player and he stepped up big-time in a big game for us,” Brighton coach Kurt Kivisto said. “You expect your best players to be your top players in a game like that. He was amazing today. He played a ton of minutes and scored three goals.”
The Bulldogs were less than five minutes from winning in regulation time when Stevenson’s Andrew Clark scored with 4:38 remaining in the third period following a Brighton turnover at the far blue line.
Brighton had 2 minutes and 39 seconds of power play time in the first overtime, but couldn’t score.
As he had throughout the game, Duffany made the winning goal happen with a great individual effort. He stole the puck from Stevenson defenseman Dillon McCallion in the corner, stepped out into the left circle and put a shot under the crossbar with 2:35 left in the second eight-minute extra period.
“Where momma keeps the cookies, top shelf,” Duffany said. "I put it up there. It’s a beauty.
“I was surprised it went in. To see the net go up is pretty sweet. Getting dog-piled by everybody, there’s no better feeling.”
Duffany’s other two goals came in the final 30 seconds of a period.
He intercepted a pass inside the Stevenson blue line, went to the net and scored on a backhander with 27.9 seconds left in the first period to tie the game, 1-1. Owen Hall had given the Spartans a 1-0 lead at 3:00 of the first.
Duffany put the Bulldogs in the lead with 26.6 seconds left in the second period when he took an outlet pass from Dominic Vincent, beat the defenseman one-on-one and swept in his own rebound.
“Scoring in the quarterfinal itself is incredible,” said Duffany, who had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over Salem in last year’s quarterfinals. “But to be able to score all three and the OT winner is just something that won’t happen again. I love it.”
Fans at Kensington Valley were treated to a terrific goaltending dual between Stevenson senior Riley Martin and Brighton junior Levi Pennala. Martin made 43 saves, including a short breakaway by Duffany with 5:45 left in the second overtime.
Pennala made 30 saves, improving his career playoff record to 6-1.
“It’s just all that practice and all the time on the ice beforehand,” Pennala said. “It just takes over. You realize you’re in this moment, but you know you have all that practice and all that hard work behind you and you’re ready for it.
“Last year, I was kind of more wrapped up in it, but now I’m more in the moment and not outside looking in. It just helps a lot to have that experience.”
And now the fun part — Duffany’s overtime goal set up a state semifinal matchup between county rivals Brighton and Hartland at 7:30 p.m. Friday at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.
The MHSAA is seeding the semifinal round this season. Detroit Catholic Central will face Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at 5 p.m. Friday in the other Division 1 semifinal, it was announced Sunday.
“We’re just on a revenge tour,” said Duffany, who was part of a team that lost to Catholic Central in last year’s state championship game. “We want to bring home the trophy. We wouldn’t want to play anybody else besides Hartland in the semis. We’re ready.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Brighton's Cameron Duffany scores OT winner vs. Livonia Stevenson
