D2 Preview: Familiar Opponents Reconvene at USA Hockey Arena
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 9, 2022
This weekend’s Division 2 Hockey Finals bracket includes three teams back from last season and a fourth that missed making that trip but is plenty used to finishing up at Plymouth’s USA Hockey Arena.
Reigning champion Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice plus 2021 semifinalists Marquette and Trenton will be back for Thursday’s Semifinals, joined by top-ranked Hartland as it seeks its first championship since winning back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.
SEMIFINALS – Thursday, March 10
Hartland vs. Marquette, 5 p.m.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice vs. Trenton, 7:30 p.m.
FINAL – Saturday, March 12 – 11 a.m.
Tickets cost $13 for both Semifinals (per session) and Finals and are available exclusively from GoFan. All Semifinals and Finals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv and viewable with subscription, with free audio broadcasts via the MHSAA Radio Network.
Below is a glance at all four Division 2 contenders taking the ice this weekend. Click for the full program.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/rank: 14-13-1, No. 4
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2021), two runner-up finishes.
Coach: Kenny Chaput, sixth season (104-47-9)
League finish: Fourth in MIHL North
Best wins: 3-1 over No. 3 Livonia Stevenson, 5-2 over No. 6 Trenton, 3-0 over Division 3 No. 3 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 5-2 over Division 3 No. 7 Calumet, 3-2 over Division 3 No. 4 Houghton, 3-2 over Division 3 No. 6 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 4-2 over Division 3 No. 10 Grosse Pointe South.
Players to watch: Andrew Marone, jr. F (12 goals, 18 assists); Peter Rosa, jr. F (26 goals, 18 assists); Matthew Herb, sr. D (1 goal, 11 assists); Luke DuCharme, sr. D (3 goals, 13 assists).
Outlook: Brother Rice is back after winning its first title last season since 2017, and has put together another solid run after starting this winter 4-7 while matching up with many of the state’s top programs. Marone, Rosa and Herb all are returning all-state first teamers, and DuCharme made the second team last season. Senior forward Luke Washe (11 goals/5 assists) and junior forward Jack Cassidy (8/10) also are among top contributors on the offensive end.
HARTLAND
Record/rank: 23-5, No. 1
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2018 and 2019, runner-up 2013 and 2014.
Coach: Rick Gadwa, 11th season (230-66-13)
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West and overall
Best wins: 3-1 and 3-0 over No. 3 Livonia Stevenson, 7-2 over No. 7 Canton, 3-1 over No. 6 Trenton, 4-3 over No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 5-2 (Quarterfinal) and 7-3 over No. 10 Byron Center, 3-2 over No. 5 Muskegon Mona Shores, 3-0 over Division 1 No. 7 Rockford, 3-1 and 2-1 over Division 1 No. 2 Brighton, 6-3 over Division 1 No. 5 Saginaw Heritage.
Players to watch: Ashton Trombley, sr. F (19 goals, 16 assists), Jack Paweski, sr. F (18 goals, 13 assists), Ben Pouliot, jr. F (11 goals, 19 assists), Lucas Henry, jr. F (13 goals, 17 assists).
Outlook: Hartland has played plenty of top teams on the way to returning to the Semifinals after missing last season; in addition to the results above, the Eagles also have wins over Division 3 powers Calumet, Houghton and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s this winter. Juniors Braden (11 goals/17 assists) and Brendan Pietila (9/19) are two more major offensive contributors as the team has scored four or more goals in 15 games including all three during the postseason. Senior Kameron Ragon has a 1.31 goals-against average and four shutouts in goal.
MARQUETTE
Record/rank: 22-5-1, No. 2
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2008), four runner-up finishes.
Coach: Doug Garrow, ninth season (162-67-13)
League finish: Tied for first in Great Lakes Hockey Conference
Best wins: 7-1 over No. 9 Traverse City Central in Quarterfinal, 4-3 over No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 3-1 over No. 5 Muskegon Mona Shores, 7-2 over Division 1 No. 10 Lake Orion, 2-1 over Division 1 No. 5 Saginaw Heritage, 5-0 and 7-3 over Division 1 No. 9 Traverse Bay Reps, 3-1 and 9-1 over Division 3 No. 4 Houghton, 3-1 over Division 3 No. 7 Calumet.
Players to watch: Kody Moyer, fr. F (19 goals, 15 assists); Brayden Grange, sr. D (15 goals, 22 assists); Jacob Garrow, jr. F (12 goals, 24 assists); Joe DeMattia, jr. D (8 goals, 14 assists).
Outlook: This will be Marquette’s fourth-straight trip to the Semifinals, and after another impressive run not only through the best of the Upper Peninsula but against downstate powers as well. Senior defenseman Owen Riipi (4 goals/15 assists) made the all-state second team last season, and DeMattia earned an honorable mention. Junior forward Ethan Phillips (12 goals/11 assists) and sophomore forward Caleb Fries (10 goals) also have put up double-digit goals, and senior forward Drew Dellies (9/23) is among 10 with double-digit assists.
TRENTON
Record/rank: 17-11, No. 6
Championship history: 14 MHSAA titles (most recent 2014), eight runner-up finishes.
Coach: Chad Clements, eighth season (143-73-7)
League finish: Tied for second in MIHL South, first in Downriver League
Best wins: 5-3 over No. 7 Canton in Quarterfinal, 7-5 over No. 5 Muskegon Mona Shores, 4-2 over No. 10 Byron Center, 3-2 over Division 3 No. 10 Grosse Pointe South, 2-1 over Division 3 No. 2 Warren De La Salle Collegiate, 2-0 over Division 1 No. 3 Salem.
Players to watch: Nickolas Fields, sr. F/D (13 goals, 16 assists); Hayden Oboza, sr. F (20 goals, 26 assists); Micah Kneidling, jr. F (6 goals, 27 assists); Zach Anderson, sr. F (15 goals, 16 assists).
Outlook: Trenton is running its Semifinals streak to five seasons as part of a strong stretch of eight wins over 10 games – and after starting this winter 2-5. Fields earned an all-state honorable mention last season and is one of eight Trojans with at least 14 assists; he teams with senior Xaver Gradinscak (2 goals/18 assists) as the top defense pairing. Senior forward Matthew Krueger (14 goals, 15 assists), junior forward Carter Allen (10/8), junior defenseman Jacob Wiseman (9/15) and senior defenseman Aaron Brow (9/14) also have shown plenty of scoring touch.
PHOTO Marquette's Caleb Fries (9), Joe DeMattia (4), goalie Wylen Cambensy, and CJ Carter (16) and Houghton's Jace Deforge get ready for a faceoff in Marquette's zone during their February matchup. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
Seniors Earn Spot in Trenton Title History
March 8, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
PLYMOUTH – Trenton senior Andrew Sawyer remembers attending every Trojans home hockey game growing up. He said his parents didn’t miss one for 15 years.
And he and the rest of Trenton’s seniors had contributed their share of memorable moments to one of the most storied programs in MHSAA history – including helping longtime coach Michael Turner become the state’s winningest at the high school level a few weeks ago.
But until Saturday, they had never been part of an MHSAA Finals championship.
Sawyer and six of his classmates closed their careers by helping Trenton to an 8-3 victory over Hartland in the Division 2 Final at Compuware Arena – and in doing so, became the 14th Trojans team to win the highest title and first since 2010.
“I grew up every day of my childhood, … looked up to every single player,” Sawyer said. “It feels amazing to finally be one of the guys I was looking up to at one point in my life.”
Turner, who upped his career record to 628-126-52 over 28 seasons, took his team in front of Trenton’s championship banners earlier this week to give them one last reminder of Saturday’s opportunity.
The Trojans (26-4-1) also received messages from past players wishing them luck with hopes they might enjoy what those past champions once experienced. Trenton trailed only Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood (16) in all-time hockey titles.
“It’s my best moment ever in hockey. It will be my best memory no matter what happens, whether I go on or whatever I do,” senior goaltender Nick Ramirez said. “It was amazing. And it was great to celebrate with my teammates.”
Trenton opened the weekend with a 7-0 Semifinal win over Warren DeLaSalle, then watched as Hartland – last season’s Division 2 runner-up as well – got on the board first in the Final with a goal 4:17 into the game.
But if the Trojans were worried at all, that was the last time during the 2013-14 season.
Trenton scored the next six goals, with three from senior Justin Dunn and two within 12 seconds from senior Mitchell Galea to start the third period. Turner preached to his team all tournament to attack the goal, and Saturday the Trojans took 52 shots as Hartland goalie Nick Wineka made 42 saves, fourth most in MHSAA Finals history.
The Eagles finished 20-10-1 after giving coach Rick Gadwa his third Regional title in three seasons leading the program. They fell to Trenton 5-3 earlier as part of a 1-8 skid to finish the regular season. But they battled back with four one-goal wins during the MHSAA tournament.
Wineka was one of six seniors who were part of all three Regional title teams. They led a lineup that rebuilt this winter with a young defensive corps, and leave having helped build Hartland into an elite program.
“They pulled off some things this year that flashed through my head, and I can’t believe it,” Gadwa said. “To come back this year, you’ve got high hopes, you’ve got a target on your back, and we didn’t have all that we’ve had. … Unbelievable.”
Dunn – whose older brother Cory starred for Turner and dad had him as a teacher – also had two assists for Trenton. Galea added an assist on Dunn’s first goal, and junior Philip Pugliese had one of each.
Trenton opened this season 3-3 before winning its next two games by a combined score of 22-2. Turner watched Ramirez raise his game and knew he could have another contender – a point reinforced when the Trojans finished the regular season on a 9-1 run after going 5-5 over the same stretch a year ago.
Six games later, they stamped their place in Trenton hockey history.
“It’s a tradition. It’s a family atmosphere down here,” Turner said. “They can now take their mark. This is one of 14, and they certainly are going to have that memory for a long, long time.”
Click for a complete box score.
PHOTOS: (Top) Trenton celebrates an 8-3 win and its 14th MHSAA championship. (Middle) Trenton's Nickolas Bondy (10) looks to move the puck around Hartland senior Austin Flores (77).
HIGHLIGHTS: (1) Hartland’s first goal by Josh Ruthig. (2) Trenton’s Justin Dunn completes his hat trick with 1 second left in the second period. (3) Mitchell Galea of Trenton completes his hat trick – all three goals came in the third period.