Central Catholic High School

WHEELING -- The Maroon Knights capped off the West Virginia State Hockey Championships by defeating the Martinsburg-based Vipers, 5-3, Sunday morning at WesBanco Arena. The victory gave the Knights the third-place trophy. It came on the heels of a loss to Morgantown in the semifinal on Saturday. Central found itself down 2-1 in the early stages of the second period, but senior Bode Burge knotted the game at two when he scored an unassisted goal off a faceoff. He went top shelf with a rocket shot past the Viper goaltender. A little less than five minutes later, the Knights regained the lead. Isaac Tiu got free on a breakaway, got the goalie on his heels and flipped the puck into the back of the net. The assists were credited to Hunter Kinkade and Grady Mullin. The Vipers tied the game at three with 1:13 to play in the second, but the momentum was short-lived. Burge, who was named the game's MVP, recorded his second unassisted goal of the period, putting the Maroon Knights on top for good. Central added an insurance goal in the third when Maddox Ochap lit the lamp at the 8:02 mark. The Brothers Mullin -- Grady and Owen -- were credited with the helpers. Seth Mandel was once again strong between the pipes. Central's Rowen Parker -- on a feed from Graham Stecker -- ignited the scoring.