Matthew Opblinger didn't set the bar real high for himself as a freshman forward on the St. Francis de Sales hockey team this season.

“Basically, I just wanted to go out there and play with my brother (Nate) and try to get as much ice time as possible,” Opblinger said. “When I did get on the ice, I just wanted to do my best and see what happens. This was the first time we've played together and it was great being with him all the time.”

No one at St. Francis could have imagined that Matthew Opblinger would score the game-winning goal in overtime in the state championship game last Sunday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Hollywood couldn't have scripted it any better.

“He didn't get a lot of goals this year (10), but the goals he scored seemed to be big goals throughout the year,” St. Francis coach Brian Kinsella said. “He's a very skilled player with very smart hockey sense. He skates well, has great hands and he handles the puck. He doesn't have a lot of weight to him, but he's a scrawny fighter and he's a strong guy who doesn't take anything from anybody.”

Opblinger, 15, who lives in Northwood, scored on a power-play goal with 3:52 left in overtime to give the Knights a 2-1 win over Lakewood St. Edward. It was St. Francis' fifth victory of the season over the Eagles and gave the Knights their first state hockey title.

“We really didn't expect it,” Opblinger said. “We just kind of played to see what happened and ended up winning it. It meant a lot. It was the first state championship for St. Francis in hockey and I scored the game winner. It's just a great feeling. My classmates have been giving me high fives all the time.”

Nate Opblinger, a senior forward who assisted on the Knights' first goal in the state title game, was happy that his younger brother came come through on such a big stage.

“I was like, 'how does he score his freshman year?' ” Nate said. “He's got three more years. Having an Opblinger score the game-winning goal for St. Francis is awesome. Having him scoring the game-winning goal my senior year in the state championship, it was just an amazing feeling.”

Nate said he expected Matthew to get his share of playing time this season, despite being a freshman on a team with eight seniors.

“He plays smart,” Nate said. “He doesn't play like a freshman. He's always in the corner battling older guys who are seniors. Watching him play travel through the years, he's always been a hitter and he hasn't been afraid of anything.”

Several players from the Press coverage area were instrumental in St. Francis' run to a state championship. The Knights finished 34-4-1 this season and repeated as Northwest Hockey Conference Red Division champs.

The roster included Northwood residents Nate and Matthew Opblinger and junior center Trent Streichert, as well as Oregon residents Reid Kersey, a junior forward, junior defenseman Josh Cline and sophomore backup goalie Evan Procaccini.

Nate Opblinger was a two-year starter and one of the Knights' best players, according to Kinsella.

“He was on the same line with (leading scorer) Tyler Murphy and Ben Torchia (46 goals),” Kinsella said. “All year long I've been saying that they were by far the best line in Ohio, and a lot of other coaches were in agreement with me. Every one of them got over 100 points this year. What made that line so great was the unselfishness of every player. It was unbelievable to watch them play.”

Streichert, a two-year starter, played on the same line with Matthew Oplinger and Kersey.

“He has tremendous speed when he wants to skate, and he can hit some guys,” Kinsella said. “He's rocked a few guys with some body checks that really surprised us. He's also scored some goals that really surprised us.”

Kersey also started for two years and scored two goals in the district semifinals.

“He was a valuable asset,” Kinsella said. “He's got speed, good hands. As the district playoffs went on into the state tournament, he became a better player. He became a force out there for us. He was probably one of our best penalty killers and his play got dramatically better.”

Kinsella added that Cline, who played on the junior varsity team as a sophomore, showed his versatility this season.

“He's a player who can play defense or play forward,” the coach said. “For us to have him on the team was a valuable asset. If someone was not playing well that night, we had that option of playing Josh at forward to try to get that line a little kick-start.”

Procaccini, a natural forward, volunteered to play goalie for the jayvee team this season.

“We only had one goalie,” Kinsella said. “The other kid who was trying out ended up being ineligible, so we didn't have a goalie for jayvee. Evan volunteered. He's played goalie before and he went out there and did a pretty good job. He got better as the year went on. Without him, we never would have had a jayvee team. Our hat's off to him.”

Friday night, the St. Francis team was recognized at the Toledo Walleye game at the Huntington Center. At the start of the second intermission, the team entered the ice surface led by the coaching staff and team captains. Once the team was on the ice, a short video from the state championship game was shown on the video board.

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