Division 1: For Brighton, 11 is Enough
March 10, 2012
PLYMOUTH – Brighton had only 11 shots on goal in Saturday’s Division 1 Final.
But the Bulldogs needed only four to go in – including senior Chet Daavettila’s game-winner with 1 minute, 32 seconds to play.
Brighton claimed its second MHSAA title and first since 2006 by outlasting Grosse Pointe North 4-3 in the season’s final game at Compuware Arena.
“My brother won it last time. He was on the team in 2006,” Daavettila said. “He was giving me ribs about if we lose. And we won, so it was a great relief.”
How Brighton (24-4-2) won was similar to how it advanced with a 2-1 double overtime win over Orchard Lake St. Mary in the Semifinal. In that game, and despite the extra time, the Bulldogs had just 15 shots on goal.
Sophomore Troy Marrett, junior Zach Morgan and senior Tommy Kivisto all scored Saturday as Brighton opened a 3-1 lead four minutes into the second period. But senior Joe Aluia scored two of his three goals to pull Grosse Pointe North (15-15) even less than four minutes into the third period.
“He’s been one of our guys that had the heart and soul of our team all year long, and especially in the playoffs he really came to play and put the team on his back,” Norsemen coach Scott Lock said. “Tonight he was fantastic. He could’ve probably had two or three more goals with some luck on his side.
"I thought he was going to get us over the top. But even after we tied it up we had all the chances again, and we made a bad mistake in our own zone. We leave a guy free, and it ends up in our net.”
Brighton closed the season on a 10-game winning streak and gave up just six goals total in six playoff games.
“I thought today and yesterday we had a tough time finding a way,” Brighton coach Paul Moggach said. “But we found a way to do it. And I’m really proud of how they did it. It was a tough road, but they came through at the end.”
Click for the Division 1 Final box score.
PHOTO courtesy of Hockey Weekly. Brighton sophomore Brett Pietila moves the puck ahead during Saturday's second period.
Brighton Scores 1st, DCC Scores Rest to Run D1 Title Streak to 3
March 12, 2022
PLYMOUTH — Nick Galda would be the unquestioned No. 1 man in net for most high school hockey teams in Michigan.
So would Bobby Masters.
At Detroit Catholic Central, the senior goalies operate on a time share, alternating starts regardless of the importance of the upcoming game.
Last year, it was Masters whose turn came up when the Shamrocks played in the MHSAA Division 1 championship game.
On Saturday, the rotation worked out so Galda would start in the final game against Brighton.
Galda stopped 17 of 18 shots, as Catholic Central won its third straight MHSAA championship with a 5-1 victory over Brighton at USA Hockey Arena.
Of all the things Shamrocks coach Brandon Kaleniecki stresses about, goaltending isn’t one of them.
“From a coaching standpoint, I didn’t have to overthink at all,” he said. “I just had to say, ‘Hey, this is it.’ Both guys started early last year and we just kind of let them play one and one. We learned really quickly, hey, they’re both really good. I don’t need to get crazy, unless something weird happened where one of them got sick or got injured. That’s the only time we’ve changed the rotation for that.
“Outside of that, it was back and forth and let it go. When we talked about the Semifinals and Finals, the great part about it is neither one of them questioned it. They’re just, ‘OK, Coach.’ They knew the routine, and they were all in.”
Galda played in 14 games this season, going 11-1. Masters played in 17 games, going 13-2.
The two have a working relationship that is mutually beneficial.
“Me and Bob, all we want to do is win and do what’s best for the team,” Galda said. “At the end of the day, as long as we win, that’s all that matters.
“Bob pushes me every day to get better. So, I wouldn’t be where I am today without him at practice pushing me to keep going.”
It was the 16th MHSAA championship for the Shamrocks, but the feeling of winning remains fresh in the program. There are always players who won for the first time or who are ending their careers on the highest possible note.
“The seniors who win a state title and go out on top, it’s an unbelievable feeling for us as coaches to see them go out that way,” Kaleniecki said. “It means so much.”
Brighton opened the scoring on a goal by Cameron Duffany at 3:11 of the second period, but that only seemed to light a fire under the Shamrocks.
They stormed back, getting a goal from Parker Jamieson less than three minutes later. Brian Apple’s goal at 11:52 of the second put the Shamrocks ahead, 2-1, entering the third period.
Catholic Central broke it open with goals by Jack Swamba at 2:11, Justin Hubenschmidt at 4:44 and Landon West at 12:11.
“Our response to it was huge,” Kaleniecki said. “They were playing really well. You’ve got to give them a lot of credit the first half of the game. We had some chances in the first and couldn’t quite find pucks around the net. They had some chances in the first. Maybe the goal was a bit of a wake-up call.”
Brighton came into the game with a 13-game winning streak since losing 2-1 to Division 2 champion Hartland on Jan. 15. The Bulldogs were playing in their first Final since winning back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.
“We left everything out there,” Brighton coach Kurt Kivisto said. “It’s not like we didn’t try. We competed. We blocked shots. We wore a lot of pucks. The effort was there. They were the better team tonight.”
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Catholic Central celebrates its third-straight Division 1 championship Saturday night. (Middle) Brian Apple scores what ends up being the game-winning goal during the final minutes of the second period. (Click for more for Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)