History was made at Nationwide Arena, as cold air rose and screams from fans filled the rink. 

   March 12, 2023 marked the day the Ohio High School Athletic Association state ice hockey championship game occurred. The battle was held between Olentangy Liberty Patriots and Hunting Valley University School. Friends and family from both teams sat on the edge of their seats in anticipation throughout the game.

   Liberty is known for its sports as many of its teams do extremely well and advance far in tournaments. They train their athletes to battle from start to finish and Liberty did just that. 

   The start of the game was close with Liberty in a 1-0 lead as the possession evened out between the schools. The Patriots were unstoppable after their first goal and headed into the third period only two goals ahead with a score of 4-2. As the game progressed and started to come to an end, the Patriots didn’t let up any goals as they scored two more. The final seconds ran out as Liberty won the championship 6-2. 

    In an interview with Jeff Svoboda, a Blue Jackets insider, the Patriots’ head coach, Kevin Alexander, discussed the team dynamic that got them to this point. 

   “This is the hardest-working team out of all the years I’ve been at Liberty,” Alexander said. “In practice, they’ve stayed hungry. I will tell you it’s maybe the most talented Liberty team we’ve had, but we’ve also had to push these guys really hard. They keep coming back for more.”

   Not only did the Patriots earn the state title, but they were also the first-ever Columbus team to win the State Championship and had the most wins in the History of Columbus with a season record of 39-1-1.