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11/24/2010-Hockey
Addition of St. Mary's coupled with two defending state champs keeps MIHL as premier league in the state
By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer
The more things change, the more they seem to stay exactly the same.
Following the 2008-09 season, the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League was home to two of the three state champions.
Following the 2009-10 season, the MIHL remained home to those same champs, with Novi Detroit Catholic Central and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood defending their titles from the previous year.
So how could the top high school hockey league in the state find a way to get even stronger entering the 2010-11 season?
“Adding (Orchard Lake) St. Mary's is a great thing for this conference and for every team in it,” said Todd Johnson, coach of the two-time Division 1 defending state champs, about the Eaglets, which have won three titles since 2005.
“It's only going to make the competition better. It's going to make every team better, and it's going to create some excellent hockey for this conference moving forward.”
Now, with the puck dropped on the new season, we take our annual look at the conference.
Warren De La Salle Pilots
• Coach: Dan Barry, eighth season.
• Last season: 24-6-1 overall,
7-4-0-1 (third place).
• Playoff finish: Lost to Midland High 6-5 (OT) in Division 2
semifinal.
• Key players back: Brad Annas, junior, D; Shane McKenna senior, F; Austin Hibner, senior, F; and T
revor Shields, senior, F.
Season outlook:
With 14 seniors in the mix and a roster as deep as it had ever been, the 2010 postseason was supposed to be one for the record books at De La Salle.
The overtime loss in the state semifinals cut the Pilots two wins short of that ultimate goal and had Barry looking at 2010-11 as a season where he'd have to rebuild a youthful program.
“Then we had some guys leave their travel leagues to come play with us, and we had some other guys in the school decide to join the team,” Barry said. “We're looking very, very strong right now. We've got three solid lines, and anytime you have that, you've got a chance.”
The one area of concern remains on defense, where Annas is the lone man back to the group.
“We may have to win some high-scoring games early on,” Barry said with a laugh. “But if we can stay healthy, we're deep enough to compete with anyone and everyone we'll face this year. It's a good group, and I'm looking forward to what they can do.”
Last season's third-place finish in the MIHL was the highest ever for De La Salle, which will begin its fourth year in the tough league.
The Pilots finished one point behind Cranbrook in the final standings a year ago.
University of Detroit Jesuit Cubs
• Coach: Rick Bennetts, 17th season.
• Last season: 18-10-0 overall,
5-5-2-0 (fifth place).
• Playoff finish: Lost to St. Mary's 2-1 (OT) in a Division 1 quarterfinal.
• Key players back: Anthony Stempin, senior, F; Timmy Moore, junior, D; and Dan Garrett,
senior, G.
Season outlook:
Last season was a bit of a step back for the Cubs, who won a four-way tiebreaker for first place in the league in 2009 but had to deal with the graduation of 15 seniors.
Things aren't about to get any easier for a team that graduated eight more from last season's squad and returned just seven guys to the mix this year.
“When you lose 23 guys over two years, it makes things a little difficult,” Bennetts said. “A lot of those guys were very skilled, some key components we relied on.”
The focus for 2010-11 is simple.
Rebuild.
“We're going to take some lumps, and we know that,” Bennetts said. “We're probably two years away from getting back into the mix at the top of the league, but until then, we're just going to work at it. … We're going to have to win some ugly games. We're going to have to be that gritty team that outworks you. If we can do that, maybe we'll surprise some people here and there.”
Bennetts said Garrett could be key in goal.
“He's going to see a lot of shots, so he has to be good,” Bennetts said.
Grosse Pointe North Norsemen
• Coach: Scott Lock, 13th season.
• Last season: 11-13-2 overall,
4-6-2-0 (sixth place).
• Playoff finish: Lost to De La Salle 6-4 in a Division 2 regional semifinal.
• Key players back: Scott Dornbrock, junior, D; JP Lucchese, junior, F; Joe Aluia, junior, F; Ryan Jeffrey, senior, G; Chip Wujek, junior, G.
Season outlook:
It's not often that the North program goes through a rebuilding mode, but looking back, that's essentially what it did in 2009-10. The Norseman had only a few seniors to work with and probably overachieved.
Now the intensity shifts into another gear.
“It's going to fun to watch this group develop,” said Lock, whose squad returned 14 guys and has just four seniors on the roster. “We're still dealing with some injuries, and we've got some guys that still need to get some experience, but if we play together, we're going to be all right.”
If there's one area the Norsemen will be light at, it's defense, with just two experienced players back in the fold. But with Jeffery and Wujek back between the pipes, keeping opponents off the scoreboard should be the team's strength.
“Those guys will have to carry the ship for a while,” Lock said.
Another thing that hasn't changed with the Norsemen is playoff expectations.
“We always aim to play our best come February,” Lock said. “When you look at the regional we're going to be in, nothing is going to come easy. But if we keep working and develop the way we can, we'll be ready to go.”
Port Huron Northern Huskies
• Coach: Bill Warren, sixth season.
• Last season: 8-16-3 overall,
0-12-0-0 (seventh place).
• Playoff finish: Lost to Utica Eisenhower 3-1 in Division 1 regional semifinal.
• Key players back: Wade Holcomb, senior, G; Adam Rose, senior, D; Dillon Pfeifer, junior, F; Bobby King, sophomore, F; Darien Haeck, junior, F; Kyle Truscott, sophomore, F; and Tyler Hughes, sophomore, D.
Season outlook:
Last year was a season of growth for Warren and his Huskies. The sixth-year coach laughed while talking about his guys during 2009-10, saying he was fielding a roster that would have been young at the junior varsity level.
Not a lot has changed as far as age is concerned — the Huskies have just four seniors right now — but the experience gained should be a serious factor.
“We're going to be more competitive, and that's the main objective this season,” Warren said. “At the same time, you look at last season and there were only a handful of games that we weren't competitive in.”
Asked if there were any specific goals his team has set, Warren said finishing at or near .500 is very attainable.
“We've got the experience, even though we're still pretty young,” he said. “But I see this team playing .500 hockey and competing each time we step on the ice.”
Birmingham Brother Rice Warriors
• Coach: Lou Schmidt, eighth season.
• Last season: 16-11 overall, 6-5-0-1 (fourth place).
• Playoff finish: Lost to De La Salle 4-1 in Division 2 regional final.
• Key players back: PJ Bridges, senior, G; John Hickman, senior, F; Jake Jaskolski, senior, D; Robert Lauro, senior, F; and Collin Frink, senior, D.
Season outlook:
Rice, like others in the MIHL, was a victim of playing a conference foe come playoff time. Had the Warriors not faced De La Salle, chances are good a run to Compuware would have been in order.
But when that 4-1 loss became official, Schmidt knew the dynamic of his team would be changing, drastically.
“I think last year's team was loaded with skill, more so than we have now,” he said. “But this group is such a hard working one. I'll take a group of hard working kids over a highly skilled one any day.”
Experience — the roster has 15 seniors — along with that work ethic will be key for Rice, which is seeking it's first state title since 2005 and hopes to climb from the fourth-place standing in the league its held for the past three seasons.
“Five years seems like a long time ago,” Schmidt said with a laugh. “Our problem is running into teams in our own division that we can't sneak by. But with that said, the goals here remain the same. We hope to be playing at Compuware for a state title.”
One thing is certain: the Warriors' strength is their goaltending.
Bridges stepped into the starting spot a year ago and earned second-team All-State honors with a .910 save percentage and 2.35 goals against average in league play.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood Cranes
• Coach: Andy Weidenbach, 18th season.
• Last season: 22-7-1 overall, 7-3-1-1 in MIHL (second place).
• Playoff finish: Won Division 3 state title.
• Key players back: Ryan Doucet, senior, F; Ryan Murray, senior, D; Jarett Friendland, senior, F; and Spencer Tamler, senior, D.
Season outlook:
Another new season and another state championship to defend at Cranbrook.
Some things just never seem to change over at Wallace Ice Arena.
The Cranes have now captured five D-3 crowns since 2004, and all speculation seems to indicate they're capable of making it three straight.
There is some transition to deal with from last season, though, namely replacing league co-MVP Patrick Brown, who led the MIHL in scoring with 12 goals and eight assists.
But Weidenbach does return six forwards, giving him two very potent lines, and four senior defensemen to protect the back end.
“We're going to be real strong up front, and having those guys back on defense is a huge advantage, too,” Weidenbach said.
If there's one question mark the Cranes face, it's in goal.
Juniors Justin Kirk and Aaron Alkema will fill the shoes of Thomas Scoggin, who had seven wins in league play last season and a .916 save percentage while helping the Cranes allow just 26 goals — second only to Catholic Central's 15 allowed.
Weidenbach is never one to talk about state titles this early in the season, but pressed as to whether his current squad was one he could see taking back to Compuware, he just laughed.
“Potentially, yes,” he said. “But Division 3 is much stronger across the board this year, much stronger than in years past. It'll be tough to try and get three in a row, but you can only remain hopeful.”
Orchard Lake St. Mary's Eaglets
• Coach: Brian Klanow, 11th season.
• Last season: 21-6-2 overall, first-year member of MIHL.
• Playoff finish: Lost to Catholic Central 2-1 in Division 1 semifinal.
• Key players back: Conner Lyons, senior, F; Christian Black, senior, D; Joe Janiga, junior, G; Matt Latham, senior, D; Matt Sweet, senior, F; Cooper Anstett, sophomore, F; and Ryan Foe, senior, F.
Season outlook:
Had it not been for Catholic Central, chances are good St. Mary's would have won its fourth state championship since 2005 last season. The 2-1 loss in the D-1 semifinal was considered by many one of the best playoff games in years — at least since the eight-overtime state final the Eaglets were part of in 2008.
But now new challenges greet the guys in red and white.
The 21-win team from a year ago graduated 13 seniors and lost one more to junior hockey. Moving to the MIHL will also present some increased anxieties as the year moves forward.
“There's no relief from one night to the next,” Klanow said with a laugh. To be fair, St. Mary's has played a number of MIHL teams during the regular season in the past, but not every team and certainly not twice.
“There's a reason people consider this the best league in the state,” he added. “You're playing against the best competition out there.”
Even with losing 14 players from a team that was two wins shy of a state title, Klanow doesn't anticipate any regression. The Eaglets return a very solid core, mostly seniors, and will certainly have some motivation to draw from.
“That loss (to Catholic Central) will be on our minds all year. How could it not be?” Klanow said. “But this is a very unique group of guys. There's a weird sense of energy they have that is very relentless. If we play the way I think we can, there's a lot they're going to accomplish.”
Novi-Detroit Catholic Central Shamrocks
• Coach: Todd Johnson, eighth season.
• Last season: 28-1-1 overall,
12-0-0-0 in the conference
(MIHL champion).
• Playoff finish: Won Division 1 state title.
• Key players back: Sean Gaffney, senior, F; Ryan Keller, senior, F; and Charlie Green, sophomore, F.
Season outlook:
Prior to the start of last season, Johnson knew he was working with one of his best teams ever, considering 14 players from a state championship squad were back in the fold and looking for more.
The guys didn't disappoint, either, finishing with 28 wins, a conference title and the seventh state crown since 2000.
Now the real challenge begins.
The Shamrocks graduated 12 players and lost three more to junior leagues from last season's D-1 championship roster, including six who were first-team All-State and conference co-Most Valuable Player in goaltender Zack Cisek.
“We're very young and inexperienced up front, so that's where the majority of our work is going to have to be done,” Johnson said. “We've got some veteran guys in goal and some decent experience on defense. We're going to have to lean on those guys for a while.”
But Johnson knows few, if anyone, is expecting this to be a rebuilding year in Novi. The coaches in the MIHL gave Catholic Central six of the eight first-place votes in the preseason poll.
“The guys set goals before each season, and one of those goals this year was winning the league and another state title,” Johnson said, adding it will be difficult to duplicate the 28 wins from last season. “Part of our dominance last year is the fact we were so physical and strong. We don't have that same attack this year. Now we have to find alternate ways to be competitive. That's the key.”
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