Pictured are Culver Academy’s Varsity B and JV players and coaches with the Class 5A trophy and state runner-up trophy after the two teams faced off for the title — a first in state tournament history.

CULVER - It was Eagles vs. Eagles for the Class 5A state championship hockey game on March 11 at Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis.

For the first time in state history, two teams from the same school faced-off for the crown when Culver Academy's Varsity B team went up against the Academy junior varsity in the title tilt.

The state championship game was played just before the Indianapolis Ice game that night and the Varsity B team came away with the 3-0 win, securing the Academy with its 18th state championship overall since 1979 and eighth for the B team since 1990.

Sophomore Alex McNeely scored early in the first period, followed by sophomore Nate Dewhurst with 2:15 left in the second period. Sophomore Chris Darnell added an empty-net goal with one second left in the game. Freshman Jason Torf had 17 saves for the Varsity B team, while freshman Wes Ollom made 24 stops for the junior varsity team.

It was the first time the JV team had reached the state title game in the tournament's highest classification. The Varsity A team stopped competing for the state title after winning its 10th championship in 1989. Varsity B has won seven times since 1990.

Here is a recap of some of the season highlights for the various Academy teams:

Boys Varsity A

The top team at the Academy lost in the Midwest Prep championship game, 4-3 in double overtime, to Northwood School to end its season with a record of 25-16-7. After the Eagles had taken a 2-0 lead, Northwood scored twice in the first minute of the third period to draw even. Jeff Harris scored for the Academy with one minute left in regulation, but Northwood came through again, scoring with just 30 seconds left to send the game into the first OT. It appeared the game was headed to a shootout when Northwood scored on a partially blocked shot with just two seconds remaining in the second extra session to win the title.

During the regular season, the Eagles tied perennial New England Prep School power Cushing Academy and had a tie and one-goal loss at powerhouse defending national champion Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep in mid-January. The Eagles swept Gilmour Academy's prep team early in the season, tied and defeated Detroit Catholic Central, which has won six of the last seven Division I Michigan state titles, and tied and beat Orchard Lake St. Mary's, the Division III Michigan state champion last year whose increased enrollment has bumped it to Division I this season.

Nineteen underclassmen have seen significant playing time for the Varsity A team, including sophomore Vinny Saponari, who led the squad with 37 points in his first 30 games. Sophomore Anthony Olson (34) and junior Will MacDonald (30) were close behind. MacDonald (17) and sophomore Cory Chakeen (16) were the leaders in goals.

Despite the predominance of younger players on the roster, post-graduate David de Kastrozza recently committed to play at the University of Maine, becoming Culver's second player in the last three years bound for the perennial Division I national power.

Senior defenseman Michael Kretschmer also has generated significant college interest thanks to his 10 goals and 21 assists. Junior Marco Raimondo has posted a 2.62 goals-against-average and strong .921 save percentage in 16 games in net.

In February, the Eagles split with the powerful Chicago Mission squad, went 2-1-1 at the Madison Capitols Gold Medal Classic tournament (beating the LA Jr. Kings and Pittsburgh Predators), and split two games at the Indiana Jr. Ice in a battle of top U18 teams in the state.

The Varsity A closed its season back home by sweeping a two-game set against the St. Louis Amateur Blues before hosting the annual Midwest Prep Invitational featuring NorthWood, Shattuck-St. Mary's, Gilmour Academy, Wyoming Seminary, St. Andrew's College, Lake Forest Academy, and Buffalo St. Francis March 10-12.

Boys Varsity B

The state champion Varsity B team is loaded primarily with underclassmen with no seniors, four juniors, 11 sophomores and three freshmen among its regular lineup - not including a freshman and sophomore in net.

Despite the fact that the Eagles had just six returning players from last season, they entered February already having surpassed last season's win total. The Varsity B team eventually finished with a record of 31-12-2.

Varsity B took on the top U16 team in the country Feb. 11, losing 8-3 to Detroit Honeybaked. In the state playoffs, the Eagles won four straight, by the scores of 2-1, 5-3, 4-2 and 3-0 to win the title.

The line of sophomores Chris Darnell and Nate Dewhurst and freshman David Gerths has been a force for the Eagles all season, along with the consistent play of freshman Jason Torf in net. Junior captain Zach Hamilton and assistant captain Joe Bean have provided key points and solid leadership.

Boys Junior Varsity

The youth movement at Culver extends to the junior varsity team. With a roster featuring 19 freshmen and sophomores, the Eagles were 10-4 against varsity competition, including victories against Carmel Gold, Columbus, Marian, Penn Gold and Upper Arlington, which reached the final eight in Ohio last season.

The junior varsity has been paced by the play of sophomore Carson Womack (28 goals, 18 assists, 46 points in 30 games), freshman Dominic Panetta (21-22-43), sophomore Shane Vorndran (20-19-39) and sophomore Nicholas Dowd (13-25-38).

The state runner-up JV squad finished with a record of 33-6-4.

Culver Girls Hockey

Although each is a key player and three so far are headed to Division I colleges, the eighth edition of the Culver varsity girls hockey team only has four seniors on its roster, meaning its 23-16-3 record is a sign of a strong future.

Seniors Ashley Paulson, Cori Bassett, Kristen Smith and Samantha Spensley will depart, with Paulson (37 goals, 31 assists, 68 points) headed to North Dakota, defenseman Bassett (15-31-46, plus-63) bound for Harvard, Smith (34-20-54) on her way to Ohio State and Spensley still undecided.

The cupboard won't be bare for the Eagles, however, who have enjoyed key victories this season against the Ohio Flames U19 team, Little Caesars U19, Gilmour Academy, Hebron Academy, Madison Capitols U19 and the Capital Centre Pride U19.

Sophomores Kelly Alyea (24 goals, 29 assists), Riley Smith (15, 27), Emma Clark (17, 18) and Jamie Carver (9, 23) all should return, as well as junior Caitlin Oleksa (11, 24) and freshman defenseman Stephanie DeSutter (8, 7).

The junior varsity girls continue to improve and their 17-8 mark is the first winning record in the program's six-year existence.

(Jeremy Church contributed to this story.)