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2/20/05-Hockey
Prep, OLSM win finals
Irish, Eaglets claim first Catholic League hockey crowns
By KEITH DUNLAP Of The Daily Oakland Press
ORCHARD LAKE - Bigger prizes are set to be won with the start of the state playoffs just over a week from now, but Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Orchard Lake St. Mary's sure didn't mind making history on Saturday.
Competing in the first Catholic League boys hockey finals, the Fighting Irish and the Eaglets can lay claim to being the first winners of the event after both emerged victorious in different manners at Orchard Lake St. Mary's gleaming ice arena.
In the Division 2 final, Notre Dame Prep stormed back from a 2-1 first-period deficit to beat Allen Park Cabrini 5-2.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, St. Mary's provided its fireworks early, scoring four goals in the first period and hanging on the rest of the way for a 4-2 win over Birmingham Brother Rice in the Division 1 championship.
Proudly grasping the first Catholic League championship trophy handed out, Notre Dame Prep head coach Randy Campana felt equally as proud the event went off successfully as he was about his team winning it.
"Over the past few years they've had trouble getting it together and, hopefully, each year it can become a bigger and better showcase for high school hockey," Campana said.
The turning point for the Fighting Irish (17-3-1) came early in the second period when they killed off a two-man advantage down 2-1 to Cabrini.
It was all Notre Dame Prep after that, as Jordan Jakubik netted the game-winner with 4:54 left in the second period for the Fighting Irish.
Jakubik finished with two goals, while Kevin Mamon and Mike Lesnau each added a goal and an assist for Notre Dame Prep.
Campana credited Cabrini with neutralizing his team's speed by clogging up space in the neutral zone, so his team's success was a matter of getting goals the hard way.
"We just kept working," Campana said. "We struggled all afternoon. A few of our goals were simply getting it to the net and banging home loose pucks."
Ranked No. 2 in Division 3, the Eaglets (12-6-3) stormed out of the gate against Brother Rice (10-10-0) early, scoring three goals in the first 5:47 of the game to take a 3-1 lead.
St. Mary's took a 4-1 lead with 1:35 left in the first on a goal by senior Zack Doyen and held the Warriors at bay over the final two periods.
"I think we controlled them on the boards and I'm a firm believer that if you win on the boards, you win the game," St. Mary's head coach Brian Klanow said.
Doyen finished with two goals. Patrick Nagorsen and Todd Davis also scored, and Eric Roman and Shane Dwyer each added two assists for St. Mary's.
Greg Pateryn and Frank Arcori each scored power-play goals for Brother Rice, which is No. 6 in Division 2.
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