The Base Hospitality/B&G Heating & Plumbing team recently won the championship of the 18-and-over division of the Marquette Adult Hockey Leagues with an 8-1 title-game victory over Smith Construction/U.P. Lure Co. at Lakeview Arena in Marquette. In the front row from left are Craig Robbert, Todd Devonshire, Nick Kosinski, Ryan Sullivan and Mike Madosh. Top row from left, Corey Blake, Alex Hauswirth, Mike Peterson, Jake Robinson, Necco Belanger, Andy Lancour, Matt Matulewicz, Parker Hirvonen and Gavin Porter. Not pictured are Brad Sullivan, Josh Paquette and Tim Matulewicz. (Photo courtesy Ryan Sullivan)

MARQUETTE — The Base Hospitality Group/B&G Heating & Plumbing team won the Marquette Adult Hockey Leagues’ 18-and-over division recently, downing Smith Construction/U.P. Lure Co. 8-1 in the championship game at Lakeview Arena in Marquette.

This was Base/B&G’s fourth championship in the division since 2011 despite the eventual champs starting the season with a less-than-stellar 0-9-1 record. But players turnaed things around to finish a solid 13-10-3 and built plenty of momentum for the playoffs as the six-team league’s runner-up.

With the league also having a 40-and-over division, their is plenty of room for various ages in the 18-over division, and Base/B&G was considered one of the oldest teams, according to the team player-coach Ryan Sullivan. He said his crew includes a 55-year-old player, five players over age 40 and the remainder almost all in their mid to late 30s, though he thinks a newcomer this year was “only” 22.

A few players on his team, along with some other league players, played NCAA Division I hockey at schools like Northern Michigan University and Michigan Tech, with others having played at Division III Finlandia, in minor pro hockey, high schools and juniors, including the Marquette Electricians.

The champs compiled a 5-2-3 in 10 games of the playoffs to finish as the No. 2 seed behind Smith/U.P. Lure.

“It’s been a hard-fought season for us, filled with challenges and flying water bottles,” Base/B&G veteran goalie Mike Madosh said. “But through perseverance and teamwork, we’ve overcome every hurdle thrown our way.

“This win is a testament to the character and resilience of this team. We’re looking into a victory parade at some point this summer.”

This 18-over league is overseen by Kevin Thomsen, while the 40-over loop has Tom Sullivan, Ryan Sullivan’s father, as commissioner.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.