2008-09 Oakland County boys hockey preview

2008 Oakland County boys hockey preview

Two-time defending champ St. Mary's the top team

By KEITH DUNLAP
Of The Oakland Press

ORCHARD LAKE — Sandbagging would not be a good way to describe the last two seasons for the Orchard Lake St. Mary's hockey team, but there is something to be said for the route the Eaglets have taken to two straight Division 1 state titles.

The Eaglets no doubt want to win regular-season games, but on the surface it's as if they've treated the last two regular seasons as expanded tryout or development sessions.

In 2007, St. Mary's entered the state playoffs with a record one game above .500 and was just barely a top-10 team in the rankings following a difficult regular-season schedule.

Then, the Eaglets stormed through the playoffs and captured the state title with a 4-2 win over Marquette.

Last season, St. Mary's once again played a brutal regular-season schedule and entered the playoffs two games below .500.

No problem.

The Eaglets once again made it to the state final, where they and Marquette made national headlines by playing to a 1-1 tie after eight overtimes, after which the game was stopped and the two teams were named co-champions.

This year, it might be a little harder for the Eaglets to follow that route.

It's not because St. Mary's isn't good, it's just that with the talent the Eaglets have returning, creating an impression that they're not that good when the playoffs arrive will be a difficult task.

Entering the season as the top hockey team in Oakland County, and maybe the state for that matter, St. Mary's has 16 returning players from its co-championship team from a year ago.

The scary part is that many are juniors and sophomores.

“We're still a young team,” St. Mary's head coach Brian Klanow said. “They gained some experience. We struggled in the first half of the season, trying to teach and get them comfortable in our system. This year coming back, I think we're going to be very competitive.”

The Eaglets do have a few weaknesses.

Senior Shane Halaas leads a deep and speedy group of forwards who can put the puck in the net, senior Dane Mueller headlines a big, mobile group of defensemen, while junior Chris Sullivan earned lots of playing time last year in goal.

“I think across the board, we have the ability to score on all four lines,” Klanow said. “Defensively, we look strong. We have 25 good hockey players.”

The hardest part for the Eaglets will be carrying such a big target on their backs, but with three state titles since 2005 (the Eaglets won the Division 3 state title in '05), carrying a weight of expectations is something St. Mary's might be used to.

“Certainly, we know we have to come to play every night,” Klanow said. “These other teams are going to rise up to the occasion. We've won it the last two years. The majority of the team has felt those expectations before.”

Here's a look at the rest of the top 10 boys hockey teams in the county entering the season:

2. Novi Detroit Catholic Central

The Shamrocks have experienced a long state title drought by their standards, three years to be exact, and are hungry to make a run at a state title. Leading the way for Catholic Central is arguably the best high school player in the state, junior forward Brent Darnell. An all-state performer last year as a sophomore, Darnell has already committed to Michigan State and might play junior hockey next season. Darnell will be joined up front by senior forwards Tony Thomas and Kyle Nelson, while Nick Gatt anchors the defense. Overall, 15 players return for Catholic Central, and head coach Todd Johnson feels his team is more disciplined than it's been in recent years, which could pay dividends in the playoffs.

3. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood

After winning Division 3 state titles in 2006 and 2007, the Cranes saw their bid for a three-peat thwarted in a 3-2 overtime loss to Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central in the quarterfinals last year. As always, Cranbrook should be a top contender for a state title and one of this year's best teams, regardless of division. Senior Gregg Leonardo is entering his fourth year on varsity and should be Cranbrook's top scoring threat. He had 16 goals and 19 assists last year. Junior forward Patrick Brown will also provide punch offensively, while senior Matt Wahl headlines a defense unit that Cranbrook head coach Andy Weidenbach said has more depth and experience than last year. Senior Matt Hansberry will be the starting goalie.

4. Birmingham Brother Rice

The Warriors don't have any superstar player to rely on, but head coach Lou Schmidt feels his team can still have success because it's a team that should consist of hard-working players who aren't devoid of ability. Brother Rice has the luxury of returning one of the state's top goalies, senior Jareth Glanda, an offensive lineman on the football team who was second-team all-state last year. Senior Hayden Haffey and junior Joe VanAntwerp, a converted forward, will headline the defense. Offensively, seniors Andrew Szutka, Jon Elliott and Brian Smith will be counted on to provide scoring.

5. Clarkston

After a couple of down years by their standards, the Wolves returned to prominence last year by advancing all the way to the Division 1 state semifinals, where they lost to St. Mary's, 2-0. With 14 players and most of the point production back from that team, Clarkston is capable of going deep in the playoffs again. Consisting of junior Adam Frank, the team's leading scorer last year, senior Tyler Frakes, the team's second-leading scorer, and senior Michael Fiteny, the team's third-leading scorer, the team's top line is as good as there is. Senior Dan Smith anchors and solid defense, while senior Garrett Knappe is one of the area's best goalies, although he will miss eight to 10 weeks after suffering an ankle injury last week. Still, Knappe should be back in time when it counts late in the season.

“I think defensively, we're a little bit more mature and we definitely can score some goals,” Clarkston head coach Bryan Krygier said. “We should be able to win a game if we score three or four goals. We just have to maintain our discipline and hopefully that will take us far.”

6. Lake Orion

The Dragons are a veteran team with 14 seniors, but that figure is a little deceiving. Many of those seniors are first-year varsity players, so it might take a while for Lake Orion to fully hit its stride. However, there's still talent to work with, especially in goal.

Senior Jason Stross is a returning all-state player who might be the state's best goalie, while his backup is sophomore Joe Janiga, a standout player from the Detroit Honeybaked program who decided to play high school hockey.

The presence of those two will be needed until an inexperienced defense can establish itself. Up front, senior Adam Chapi and junior Alex O'Dea, another travel player who came out for the high school team, should produce a lot of points.

One thing Lake Orion does have is size, so much so that head coach Pat Cherry said this is the biggest team he's had.

“That's kind of a strength because you can cover a little more ice with your reach and you're not afraid physically,” Cherry said.

7. Lakeland

There are plenty of reasons for optimism for the Eagles this year, given there are 13 returning players from a squad that went 12-8-5 last year. Lakeland should be able to score plenty of goals behind senior forwards Trevor Lloyd, Jayson Cronk and David Hench. Defensively, seniors Sean Staples and Iain Lindsay will provide toughness and leadership in front of junior GK Bobby Stevens. The Eagles are also expecting contributions from junior D Ben Nicolay and sophomore F Cody Therrien, as they hope to contend in the north division of the newly-formed Kensington Lakes Activities Association. Travel time should be lessened dramatically this year for everyone in the North Division, given Lakeland, the three Walled Lake schools and the two Waterford schools all play their home games at Lakeland Ice Arena in Waterford Township.

8. Farmington Unified

The Flyers were a young team last year and still are this year. However, that green roster from a year ago is more mature and experienced and should propel the Flyers into title contention in the top division of the Oakland Activities Association. Senior James Long is a three-year varsity player who will lead a deep, talented defensive unit that also features sophomores Andrew DeBrincat and Joseph Shecter. Offensively, Farmington Unified head coach Ken Anderson feels his top two lines are as good as anybody in the league. Senior Jimmy Chesney was the team's second-leading scorer last year, senior Austin Murtland is a travel player who should contribute much to the offense, while senior three-year standout Jonathan Murfey and junior Adam Rosen also are back.

Overall, the Flyers return 13 players from last year and while they might not be the biggest team, they'll make up for it with smarts, tenacity and quickness.

9. Walled Lake Northern

Head coach at Northern for all six years of the program, Knights head coach Claude Tunison feels this could be the best team he's had since Northern's inception. Northern returns its leading scorer from last year in senior F Greg Smith, but he'll have plenty of help with senior Colin Elkins and junior Mitch Musto also back at forward. Sophomore Connor Hellebuyck should be the main man in goal, while the defense is solid behind seniors Matt Ranck and Colin Roberts.

10. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep

The Fighting Irish hope to remain a ranked team this year in Division 3 with nine returning players. Senior Kevin Michelcavage, a four-year player and an all-state performer last year, is one of the area's best scorers. Junior Tom Sardelli was second-team all-state a year ago and will captain the defense in front of senior GK Zac Shaw.

Five others to watch

Stoney Creek, Rochester United, South Lyon, Troy Athens, Novi

Prep Hockey

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