BLOOMFIELD HILLS — It was a game that required no introduction and certainly provided its own hype.

It was a game between two of the best teams in high school hockey tied atop the standings and fighting for an outright league championship.

It was a game, played Feb. 18, that would all but decide which team would win the 2009 Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League crown.

And when all was said and done, it was a game that decided absolutely nothing.

The Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood and Birmingham Brother Rice hockey teams squared off in front of a packed Wallace Ice Arena on the Cranbrook campus and played to a 0-0 tie, leaving the two teams deadlocked atop the MIHL standings.

“That was probably the best 0-0 hockey game I have ever seen,” Cranbrook coach Andy Weidenbach said. His team, ranked No. 1 in Division 3 in the latest Michigan High School Hockey Coaches Association poll, peppered Brother Rice senior goalie Jareth Glanda with 29 shots during regulation and overtime.

“I thought our guys played extremely well; one of our best games of the season. We really limited their scoring chances, kept them out of our zone for the most part and created some chances of our own. It was just a very well-played game by both teams.”

Cranbrook moves its overall record to 14-6-1. Its 7-2-0-2 record in the MIHL is good for 16 points — the third number in the league record represents overtime losses, which teams earn one point for. Brother Rice, ranked No. 1 in Division 2, is 16-3-2 overall, 7-2-1-1 in the league, also with 16 points.

“Cranbrook is such a well-coached, disciplined and very quick hockey team. It took us a couple periods to get adjusted to the flow of the game,” Brother Rice coach Lou Schmidt said. “We kind of woke up in the third and played much better. The overtime gave us a few chances to win it, but (Cranbrook senior goalie) Matt (Hansberry) played so well for them. It was a great game.”

The Cranes had arguably the best chances of the night on two of their three power plays. Only three penalties were called during the game, two in the final period.

“We had some good chances, put the puck in front of the net and had a chance to score,” Weidenbach said. “(Brother Rice senior goalie) Jareth (Glanda) just had a great game for them. He made some outstanding saves.”

“Jareth played so well, especially when we weren’t playing well in front of him,” Schmidt said of his goalie, who recorded his fifth shutout of the season.

“Cranbrook gets that puck in the offensive zone, and they're going to get it on net. Jareth is so big, though. It’s tough to get one past him when he’s in the zone and seeing the puck like he was last night. … It was pretty fitting to have the two best goalies in the league battling in a 0-0 game for a league title.”

Hansberry finished the night with 19 saves and recorded his second shutout of the season.

With each team still scheduled to play one remaining league game, chances are good the MIHL won’t know its champion until Feb. 28.

Cranbrook must win or tie Grosse Pointe North Feb. 21 to have a shot at its second crown in as many years. Since Brother Rice owns the tiebreaker after beating Cranbrook 3-1 Jan. 10, a Cranes’ loss to North would clinch the title for the Warriors.

Brother Rice, on the other hand, wraps up MIHL play Feb. 28 against Novi Detroit Catholic Central and will clinch the league title with a win, regardless of how Cranbrook does against North.

Should the teams finish tied in the standings, Rice would get the title by way of the tiebreaker.

“It’s crazy, but it’ll all comes down to the final game,” Weidenbach laughed. “That’s how it should be in this league.”

You can reach Sports Writer Mike Moore at mmoore@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1038.