Eddie Edgar Arena Wednesday night was as electric as USA Hockey Arena ever is in March during the state boys hockey finals.

With fans ringing the outside of the boards and the fans packed — with large and loud student cheering sections for each team — Livonia Stevenson and Livonia Churchill got after it big-time in a first-week matchup that indicated 2016-17 could be quite a season in the KLAA.

After Churchill got on the board first early in the second period, the Division 2 finalists from the past two seasons responded with three unanswered markers to grab a hard-earned 3-1 triumph.

“Right now our compete level is pretty high with our senior leadership and (other) returners,” Spartans head coach David Mitchell said. “The new guys are buying in. But it’s a tough way start the season.

“Churchill is a really solid team this year, very well coached and they return a lot of guys who have a lot of talent on that team. So we’re very happy to come out of tonight with the win.”

The Spartans improved to 2-0 on the young season, having eked out another tough win against Birmingham Brother Rice (1-0 on Saturday). Meanwhile, the Chargers fell for the first time after securing 6-1 and 10-1 wins last weekend over Farmington and Farmington Hills United.

“We knew going in it was going to be a high-paced game, we knew it was going to be a battle,” Churchill head coach Jason Reynolds said. “Stevenson comes prepared every year, of course. And so we came in with a pretty good game play.

“Obviously, with the ebb and flow of the game we came up a little short in some key areas. We wanted to get pucks to the net, but we had a couple unfortunate pucks sail over the net. We weren’t as accurate as we wanted to be.”

The Chargers did find the mark first, however.

Both of Wednesday’s goalies, Stevenson junior Will Tragge and Churchill senior Andrew Broyles, were perfect through a back-and-forth opening period.

It only took 16 seconds of the middle stanza for the Chargers to take a 1-0 lead, however.

Banging in a rebound over Tragge’s shoulder from close range was junior forward Tyler Haydu (who came into the game with five goals).

“I saw John (Doyle) get it down low and he threw it out at me and I got a shot on net,” Haydu noted. “I saw the rebound pop out, and my cousin Jordan (Venegoni) was crashing the net good and it hit off him.

“I just whacked it with my stick and it went in. ... But we need to capitalize on more of our opportunities. We got a lot of shots but they missed the net.”

Getting it back

Showing their pedigree as one of Michigan’s elite programs, it didn’t take long for the big, fast, physical Spartans to respond.

Stevenson knotted the contest at 1-1 with 12:36 left, on a blistering snap shot by senior forward and captain Justin Alton. Making it happen with a perfect stretch pass out of his own end was junior defenseman Connor Jakacki.

Alton ripped a shot from the top of the left circle that Broyles had no chance on.

“Connor Jackacki passed it, nice stretch pass across the ice,” Alton said. “We’ve been working on that a lot in practice, it worked out today. I didn’t see the goalie, used the D as a screen. It went in, lucky shot.”

The Spartans then got the lead just 1:25 later, with senior defenseman Kyle Lynch getting to a rebound in the left circle and firing it past Broyles.

Drawing helpers were senior forward Alex Walkuski and junior forward Julian Decina.

“Our (offensive) response was good, our goal is to not change the way we play no matter what happens,” Mitchell stressed. “Whether the other team has some success or we have some success.

“We have to find a way to play a full 51 minutes and focus on the process of what we do.”

The Chargers upped the ante on an ensuing power play, only to have the Stevenson defense come up big with a couple timely blocked shots.

When Churchill did complete a shot, Tragge was ready.

Midway through the power play, junior forward Conor Burnette slipped a pass over to defenseman Matt Gibboney for a one-timer that Tragge flicked away his his blocker.

Stevenson nearly added to its lead moments after killing off the penalty, with Broyles showing quick, lateral movement to thwart a bid by junior D-man Easton Schlatterbeck.

Churchill’s subsequent power play was even more dangerous, but the Chargers could not light the lamp.

Tragge closed off the short side to block a chance by senior defenseman Danny Carey and he fought off a screen shot by Doyle.

“Will’s been great for us,” Mitchell said. “He’s a junior but he’s experienced and very calm back there, and gives a coach a calming feeling. He’s been the great the first two games.”

Registering the all-important insurance goal for the Spartans was junior forward Jacob Anderson, tapping in a centering pass from Decina with 11:25 to play. Senior forward Morgen Gray also assisted.

Extra motivation

According to Alton, the team already is all in on doing whatever it takes to have another chance at a championship, fully aware of the bitter disappointment of falling short in 2015 and 2016.

“Our loss to Romeo stays with us, but remember that (every game) and we use it,” Alton said. “We channel that energy, we take it out on the opponent.”

Meanwhile, both coaches said they relish the uber-competitive hockey now being played throughout the KLAA, especially the Kensington Conference — the kind fans saw Wednesday.

“It’s tight,” Reynolds said. “It’s always competitive every night, it’s not a situation where you can take a night off by any means.

“And we love that. We love having an intense schedule with some very competitive teams. That only helps us be better as a team as the season goes on.”

tsmith@hometownlife.com

Twitter: @TimSmith_Sports