HANCOCK – The streets of Hancock were decorated with red and yellow balloons Sunday afternoon. The road that Hancock Central High School and the UP Health System-Portage hospital drive was riddled with signs that read “Bulldog Pride.”

The decorations were in place to help make the final few miles of the Hancock Bulldogs’ long and successful hockey season finish in style.

As the team bus pulled up to the school, hundreds of fans were chanting their love of the Bulldogs, and the celebration continued once the heroes departed the bus for the school gym for a championship rally that packed the building.

“This was an absolutely amazing experience,” Athletic Director Steve Aho told the crowd. “This is a story not only of Hancock hockey, but more Hancock schools, the city of Hancock, our surrounding communities, and the whole U.P.”

On Saturday, the Bulldogs completed a moment 17 years in the making as they exorcised some demons against Grand Rapids Catholic Central with a 4-2 victory for the school’s second-ever state title in hockey. The first one came back in 1999.

This entire season has been about exorcising demons. The Bulldogs became the first team in the last three years to successfully knock off the Houghton Gremlins and get out of the region. They met the perennial bane of area teams, Bloomfield Hills-Cranbrook-Kingswood, and they grounded the Cranes in overtime.

Head coach Dan Rouleau was blown away by the support shown both downstate and at home by the Bulldogs’ faithful who cheered their Crimson and Gold with pride.

“Winning a state championship is awesome, and obviously, you don’t get this (homecoming) without winning the state championship,” said Rouleau. “To me, coming into town, seeing all those people was the coolest part of winning this championship. The support you get from this community just makes you glad you grew up here. I can’t thank these people enough.”

In honor of this extraordinary group, mayor Lisa McKenzie declared Monday to be Hancock Bulldogs Hockey Day.