NFHS Network Touts Hockey Powers
January 21, 2015
By John Gillis
Courtesy of NFHS Huddle Up
This Friday, two talented Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League (MIHL) teams will take to the ice in what promises to be a highly competitive contest that will be broadcast live on the NFHS Network and is being featured this week on the NFHS website.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (11-1-1-1), ranked No. 1 in Division 3, will host Division 2 No. 3 Detroit U-D Jesuit (11-3) at Wallace Ice Arena. (Click here to watch the broadcast.)
Last season, Cranbrook Kingswood went 26-2 overall, placed first in the MIHL North Division at 12-1, and advanced to the MHSAA Quarterfinals where it fell to the eventual champion.
According to longtime Cranes coach Andy Weidenbach, his team and U-D Jesuit's Cubs likely will engage in a spirited game.
“This will be another tough battle in the MIHL – you can’t take a game off and be competitive in this league,” Weidenbach said. “U of D Jesuit and Cranbrook enjoy a friendly rivalry, and each game between them is generally highlighted by close checking, tough defense and low scoring.
“Experience has to be one of our stronger points. There are 13 seniors on the roster, including two senior goalies and four senior defensemen.
“Among our top players is 6-foot, 165-pound senior forward Austin Alger, who centers the No. 1 line, is our “go-to” player, and is committed to Miami (Ohio) University. Five-nine, 165-pound senior defenseman Cooper Stahl plays his position well, handles the puck well, and has great awareness on the ice. Both are team captains who have made significant contributions to the success of the program during their four years at Cranbrook.
“Spencer Applebaum – who is a senior goalie – has an outstanding record in MIHL play, was in net for the state championship game as a sophomore, and the team has confidence with him in the nets.
“As a high school hockey program, Cranbrook is honored that the game with U of D-Jesuit was selected to be highlighted by the NFHS Network. Our school, our students, our fans and the MIHL share in this honor.”
U-D Jesuit coach Rick Bennetts fosters great respect for Cranbrook and concurs with Weidenbach regarding the upcoming game.
“Cranbrook is always one of the best teams in the state, if not the best team in the state each year, and this year is no different,” Bennetts said “They are such a well-coached team that they rarely beat themselves. We have been able to beat them only three times in our 20-year history, so we will have to bring our ‘A Game.’
“We really don’t have top players – we have 10 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders who all work to get the job done. Our leading scorers are Christian Wirth-Karbler and Teddy Apap with 13 points each, followed closely by Sam Knoblauch at 11 points. Our goalies – Jack Deines and Jake Robinson – are also top players for us. As they go, we go.
“We are truly humbled and honored to be a part of this webcast – it’s something we have never had the opportunity to do as a featured game in our 20-year history. We are the only high school in the city of Detroit to have high school hockey ,and our school has stayed in the city of Detroit for almost 140 years educating young men for the Greater Glory of God. One hundred percent of our students go on to college every year, and we currently have 10 former hockey players playing junior and/or college hockey, as well as one playing professionally.”
Huddle Up is published on the National Federation of State High School Associations website and covers everything from legends of the past to the inspiring stories of the present and the record breakers of the future. Click to read more.
PHOTO: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood players huddle up before last week's game against Orchard Lake St. Mary's.
Team of the Month: Hartland Ice Hockey
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 18, 2022
The Hartland hockey team finished the month of January with an 8-1 record since the turn of the calendar year, still ranked No. 1 statewide in Division 2 and having earned the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West and overall championships.
But those achievements didn’t come easily. Not even close.
The MHSAA/Applebee’s Team of the Month for January has had its share of success over the last decade, with Division 2 championships in 2018 and 2019 and runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2014. But the Eagles’ January run made an impressive statement as the team builds toward another possible title run.
Hartland earned five of those eight January wins over ranked teams, improved a 9-3 record after December to 17-4 by the start of February. The lone loss in January came 2-1 to Division 3 top-ranked Flint Powers Catholic.
“It’s nice when it all comes together, because you can say it was part of the plan. But we knew we were going to have to take a step after the new year, and we discussed that as a group,” Hartland coach Rick Gadwa said. “The big thing is our schedule was ramping up even more. December was hard enough, but then if you look at that track that we had in January, we knew it was going to be tough.
“The guys just took that with a little bit of a drive and wanted to try and run the slate. Obviously, it’s a really hard thing to do, and we did have that loss and we could’ve had a couple of others. But we had some great learning experiences in January … and gained some confidence.”
Hartland’s 2-1 win over Division 1 No. 2 Brighton on Jan. 15 paved the way for the KLAA West title, and the Eagles avenged a November loss to Division 2 No. 2 Livonia Stevenson with a 3-1 win Jan. 26 to earn the overall KLAA championship.
Hartland also won the Westside Invitational by defeating Division 2 No. 5 Byron Center 7-3 and No. 6 Muskegon Mona Shore 3-2 in overtime despite missing Gadwa, who was ill. The Byron Center win avenged last year’s Quarterfinal loss to the Bulldogs, and the Eagles didn’t lead against Mona Shores until scoring the deciding goal.
Earlier in the month, Hartland also came back to win 6-4 over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, the No. 3-ranked team in Division 3.
“These guys just have this calmness about them, and I appreciate that group,” Gadwa said. “They’re a skilled group, and to see how this group stayed the course when things aren’t going well for them, it’s a trait that’s tough to get high school teams to buy into at times. I’m just appreciative for how they’ve been able to grasp that adversity and overcome it and adjust.”
Hartland is up to 19-5, and has received contributions from throughout the roster. Fourteen of 16 skaters have scored, all 16 have at least three points and 10 Eagles have at least 10 points.
Seniors Ashton Trombley (18 goals, 14 assists) and Jack Paweski (17 goals, 12 assists) lead five players with at least 11 goals, followed on the points list by juniors Lucas Henry (11 goals, 17 assists), Ben Pouliot (11/16) and Braden Pietila (11/15) and assists leader Brendan Pietila (7/19). Senior Kameron Ragon is 15-0 in goal with a 1.19 goals-against average and .946 save percentage.
The Eagles face Division 1 No. 6 Saginaw Heritage tonight before beginning Division 2 Regional play next week at Dort Federal Event Center in Flint.
“Every team has to define themselves,” Gadwa said, “and they’re doing a good job of that.”
Past Teams of the Month, 2021-22
December: Midland Dow girls basketball - Read
November: Reese girls volleyball - Read
October: Birmingham Groves boys tennis - Read