I guess I did not - even remotely - feel that Drennan folded. Appeared to me as though he was a victim of his own extraordinary success - as he just has not had to go the distance with anyone capable of pushing him yet this year.
Feel free to disagree, but what I saw was that as Drennan fatigued his tremendous speed and his ability to continuously attack - ie his ability to use three or four shots as decoys to set up the takedown he was hoping to score with - were negated.
And, at that point, Luedke was able to use his own extraordinary skill to set up his scoring opportunities.
Shape is a weakness that can be cured before regionals. And, having heard of Drennan's relentless work ethic and desire to win, I suspect that Luedke's win will cause Drennan to reach a little deeper each day in the practice room.
Congratulations to Luedke on his well earned championship and OW award. You are certainly impressive and a joy to be around.
And kudos to Drennan for showing the sportsmanship that true champions do - even when things do not go their way.