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Preview: Hockey's Championship Chases Resume
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 24, 2021
Just over a year ago, the 2019-20 school sports year ended only hours before the puck was to drop for the first Semifinal of that hockey season’s championship weekend at USA Hockey Arena.
Like in other winter and spring sports, a number of teams that were set to play for championships last season have unfinished business because of COVID-19 – and now an opportunity.
This season’s championship weekend returns to Plymouth, with Division 2 Semifinals on Thursday, Divisions 3 and 1 on Friday and all three championship games Saturday.
SEMIFINALS
DIVISION 1 - Friday, March 26
Mid-Michigan (15-2) vs. Rockford (14-5-1), 4:30 p.m.
Detroit Catholic Central (16-1) vs. Brighton (10-4-3), 8 p.m.
DIVISION 2 - Thursday, March 25
Byron Center (17-0) vs. Marquette (14-4), 4:30 p.m.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (13-4) vs. Trenton (13-7), 8 p.m.
DIVISION 3 - Friday, March 26
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (13-4) vs. Flint Powers Catholic (14-3), 10 a.m.
Calumet (17-0-1) vs. Chelsea (17-1-1), 1:30 p.m.
FINALS
Saturday, March 27
Division 1: 7 p.m.
Division 2: 11 a.m.
Division 3: 3 p.m.
Spectator limits remain in effect, but 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 12 teams contending this weekend. Click for the full program.
Division 1
BRIGHTON
Record/rank: 10-4-3, No. 3
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2018), two runner-up finishes.
Coach: Kurt Kivisto, first season (10-4-3)
League finish: Third in Kensington Lakes Activities Association Gold
Best wins: 3-2 (OT) over No. 10 Plymouth, 6-5 over No. 5 Saginaw Heritage, 5-4 over No. 2 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.
Players to watch: Chris Wozniak, sr. G (2.63 goals-against average); Nick Baker, jr. F (9 goals, 9 assists); Nick Przysiecki, sr. F (8 goals, 10 assists); Lars Erkkila, sr. F (8 goals, 11 assists).
Outlook: Kivisto, who played at Brighton and most recently served as an assistant coach, has led one of the state’s most annually-successful programs back to the Semifinals for the seventh time in nine seasons. He inherited 11 seniors including Wozniak, who made the all-state second team last season. Defense has been a key in the team’s 6-0-2 run heading into this weekend. Brighton has outscored its three postseason opponents by a combined 16-1.
DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 16-1, No. 1
Championship history: Fourteen MHSAA titles (most recent 2019), five runner-up finishes.
Coach: Brandon Kaleniecki, sixth season (138-24-2)
League finish: First in Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League North
Best wins: 3-1 over No. 9 Salem in Quarterfinal, 2-1 over No. 2 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 5-0 over No. 4 Rockford, 5-0 over No. 3 Brighton, 3-2 over Division 2 No. 3 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 2-1 over Division 2 No. 4 Livonia Stevenson.
Players to watch: William Shields, sr. F (4 goals, 14 assists); Tommy Shea, sr. F (10 goals, 3 assists); Brenden Cwiek, sr. F (7 goals, 8 assists); Bobby Masters, jr. G (1.14 goals-against average, .940 save %).
Outlook: DCC has advanced to the Semifinals for the ninth straight season, and even got some help from the junior varsity when the varsity had to quarantine during Regional week. The only loss this season was early to Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, which the Shamrocks avenged with a 3-0 win near the end of the regular season. DCC also has defeated Division 3 No. 3 Detroit Country Day (7-1), No. 5 Flint Powers Catholic (4-2), No. 2 Detroit U-D Jesuit (2-1) and had another win in its season opener over the No. 4 Cranes (2-0). Masters has split time in net with junior Nick Galda, who entered this week with a 0.74 goals-against average.
MID-MICHIGAN
Record/rank: 15-2, unranked
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Coach: Rob Husulak, third season (42-25-1)
League finish: First in South Central Hockey League Central
Best wins: 5-2 over No. 5 Saginaw Heritage in Quarterfinals, 6-1 over Capital City, 5-4 (OT), 7-4 and 5-4 (Regional Final) over Okemos.
Players to watch: Brock Mason, sr. D (24 goals, 12 assists); Jadon Reimer, sr. D (14 goals, 11 assists); Eli Reimer, sr. F (27 goals, 20 assists); Carson Finney, sr. F (14 goals, 40 assists).
Outlook: Mid-Michigan includes players from Holt, Eaton Rapids, Potterville, Grand Ledge and Portland, and qualifies as arguably the surprise of the tournament after its upset of Heritage in the Quarterfinal. But the Marauders have been impressive all season; their only league loss came against a team they also beat, and the other defeat was to Division 2 quarterfinalist Muskegon Mona Shores early. Senior defenseman Danny Abdouch had added another 10 goals and seven assists entering the week.
ROCKFORD
Record/rank: 14-5-1, No. 4
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Coach: C.J. Pobur, fifth season (75-53-4)
League finish: Tied for second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Rue
Best wins: 4-3 (Quarterfinal) and 4-1 over No. 6 Grandville, 4-3 over No. 8 Traverse City West in Regional Final, 6-4 (Regional Semifinal) and 2-1 over No. 7 Traverse Bay Reps, 6-3 over Division 2 No. 7 Muskegon Mona Shores.
Players to watch: Carson Korte, sr. F (27 goals, 16 assists); Owen Devries, sr. F (13 goals, 22 assists); Braeden Fouchea, sr. F (3 goals, 19 assists); Will Haggerty, jr. F (13 goals, 9 assists).
Outlook: Pobur has led the Rams to three Regional titles over his five seasons, and this will be the program’s first Semifinal appearance after finishing at the Quarterfinal round seven times over the last two decades. Rockford has had one of the toughest playoff roads in any division the last two weeks and was able to avenge one of its losses – the Rams avenged another during the regular season, with the other three coming either to DCC or Division 2 top-ranked Byron Center (twice). Senior Dayton Perroud entered this week with 11 assists from his blueliner spot.
Division 2
BYRON CENTER
Record/rank: 17-0, No. 1
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Coach: Taylor Keyworth, third season (57-16-2)
League finish: First in O-K Rue
Best wins: 2-1 over No. 2 Hartland in Semifinal, 3-2 over No. 7 Muskegon Mona Shores in Regional Final, 4-2 and 8-3 over Division 1 No. 4 Rockford, 4-0 over Division 1 No. 7 Traverse Bay Reps, 4-3 and 5-4 over Division 1 No. 6 Grandville.
Players to watch: Logan Nickolaus, sr. F (23 goals, 25 assists); Luke Nickolaus, sr. F (10 goals, 18 assists), Trevor Davis, sr. D (7 goals, 24 assists); Josh Froysland, sr. D (1 goal, 11 assists).
Outlook: A roster with 11 seniors has elevated Byron Center to the Semifinals for the second time – and for the first time they’ll get to play as last year’s run was halted by COVID-19 after the Quarterfinals. The Bulldogs are averaging 5.8 goals per game – even more impressive considering seven of 17 games were against teams ranked in Divisions 1 or 2 at the end of the regular season. Davis made the all-state first team last year, while Froysland made the second and Luke Nickolaus earned an honorable mention. Seven players total had scored at least seven goals heading into this week, with senior forward Mason Breit adding 16 more (with nine assists) to those mentioned above.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/rank: 13-4, No. 3
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2017), two runner-up finishes.
Coach: Kenny Chaput, fifth season (89-34-8)
League finish: Second in MIHL North
Best wins: 6-0 (Quarterfinal) and 7-2 over No. 8 Port Huron Northern, 3-2 over No. 2 Hartland, 5-1 over Division 1 No. 6 Grandville, 4-1 and 4-3 over Division 1 No. 2 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 3-2 over Division 1 No. 5 Saginaw Heritage, 4-2 over Division 1 No. 3 Brighton, 1-0 over Division 3 No. 2 Detroit U-D Jesuit.
Players to watch: Andrew Marone, soph. F (11 goals, 10 assists); Ryan Marone, sr. F (6 goals, 15 assists); Peter Rosa, soph. F (8 goals, 9 assists); Brett Harris, sr. F (8 goals, 12 assists).
Outlook: Brother Rice has reached the Semifinals all four seasons since its most recent championship in 2017. The Warriors enter this weekend with four shutouts over their last five games, with senior Drake Danou handling most of the time in net this season and posting a 1.77 goals-against average and .923 save percentage entering this week. Senior Alec Hamady (7 goals, 8 assists) adds more scoring punch, and junior Matthew Herb had 13 assists from the blue line coming into Tuesday.
MARQUETTE
Record/rank: 14-4, No. 6
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2008), four runner-up finishes.
Coach: Doug Garrow, eighth season (139-60-12)
League finish: Third in Great Lakes Hockey Conference
Best wins: 1-0 over No. 9 Traverse City Central in Quarterfinal, 6-3 over Division 3 No. 7 Hancock, 2-0 over Division 3 No. 6 Houghton.
Players to watch: Ansel Frost, sr. F (4 goals, 12 assists); Jackson Potulny, fr. F (15 goals, 12 assists); Dylan Baldwin, sr. F (12 goals, 8 assists); Brennan Hakkola, sr. G (1.50 goals-against average, .915 save %, 5 shutouts).
Outlook: Marquette earned its third-straight Semifinal berth after prepping against all of the best from the Upper Peninsula including twice against Division 3 semifinalist Calumet. Frost earned an all-state honorable mention last season and he’s one of 10 on his team with at least 13 points. Senior Evan Kroll is another with 10 goals and six assists, and sophomore Jacob Garrow had five goals and 14 assists entering the week. Sophomore Joe DeMattia had added two goals and 15 assists from the blue line prior to the Quarterfinal.
TRENTON
Record/rank: 13-7, No. 10
Championship history: 14 MHSAA titles (most recent 2014), eight runner-up finishes.
Coach: Chad Clements, seventh season (126-61-7)
League finish: Second in MIHL South
Best wins: 3-1 over No. 5 Novi in Quarterfinal, 2-1 over No. 9 Port Huron Northern, 9-4 over Ann Arbor Pioneer in Regional Semifinal.
Players to watch: Caleb Kneiding, sr. D (5 goals, 17 assists); Nickolas Fields, jr. F/D (12 goals, 14 assists); Brad Nemeth, sr. F (11 goals, 18 assists); Collin Preston, sr. F (12 goals, 24 assists).
Outlook: Trenton finished Division 2 runner-up in 2018 and 2019 and had reached the Semifinals again last winter before the run was cut short by COVID. Kneiding earned an all-state honorable mention last season and helps pace a lineup that has replaced four others who received some level of all-state recognition. Trenton has won seven straight and outscored its four postseason opponents by a combined 30-6. Senior defenseman/forward Ryan Stanley had added nine goals and 10 assists entering the week, and senior Brendan Shaw was among assists leaders with 15.
Division 3
BLOOMFIELD HILLS CRANBROOK KINGSWOOD
Record/rank: 13-4, No. 4
Championship history: Seventeen MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), two runner-up finishes
Coach: John LaFontaine, second season (28-13-3)
League finish: Tied for second in MIHL North
Best wins: 1-0 over No. 2 Detroit U-D Jesuit in Quarterfinal, 2-1 over Division 1 No. 2 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 4-0 over Division 1 No. 1 Detroit Catholic Central, 6-1 over Division 1 No. 7 Traverse Bay Reps, 2-0 and 5-3 over Division 2 No. 10 Trenton, 4-2 over Division 2 No. 3 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice.
Players to watch: Leyton Stenman, sr. D (4 goals, 12 assists); Jack Wineman, sr. F (5 goals, 17 assists); Alex Ceritano, sr. F (9 goals, 9 assists); Isaac Cheli, sr. F (10 goals, 12 assists).
Outlook: Cranbrook might have the most impressive list of wins of any team playing this weekend as the best came against larger-division teams including the only defeat handed to DCC. This will be the Cranes’ first Semifinal appearance since 2016. They had two shutouts during the regular season, but haven’t given up a goal over three playoff games outscoring those opponents by a combined 20-0. Stenman made the all-state second team last season, and Wineman earned an honorable mention.
CALUMET
Record/rank: 17-0-1, No. 1
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2008), five runner-up finishes.
Coach: Dan Giachino, sixth season (108-40-8)
League finish: First in Great Lakes Hockey Conference
Best wins: 3-1 (Regional Final) and 3-1 over No. 6 Houghton, 4-1 and 4-2 over No. 7 Hancock, 5-3 and 2-1 over Division 2 No. 6 Marquette.
Players to watch: Dean Loukus, sr. F (25 goals, 43 assists), Nolan Sturos, jr. F (10 goals, 17 assists); Noah Jukuri, sr. F (9 goals, 17 assists); Jackson Rilei, jr. F (20 goals, 23 assists).
Outlook: The Copper Kings also would have played in last season’s Semifinals had they not been canceled, and they last played in a championship game in 2017. Only an early 3-3 tie against Houghton has kept Calumet from a perfect run so far this winter, and it avenged that loss twice. Loukus went over 200 career points this season and became the program’s all-time leader, and he made the all-state first team in 2020. Junior defenseman Tom Erkkila (4 goals, 18 assists) is another contributor to the offense, and sophomore Aksel Loukus (1.70 goals-against average) has stepped in well for a graduated all-state goalie.
CHELSEA
Record/rank: 17-1-1, No. 9
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Coach: Nick Vetter, third season (39-32-3)
League finish: First in Southeastern Conference White
Best wins: 4-1 (Quarterfinal) and 2-1 over Riverview Gabriel Richard, 1-0 over Ann Arbor Skyline.
Players to watch: Tyler Valik, sr. F (17 goals, 30 assists); Devin McIntyre, soph. F (25 goals, 13 assists); Jack Capper, sr. F/D (10 goals, 18 assists); Byron Bayer, jr. G (1.33 goals-against average, .940 save %).
Outlook: Chelsea has reached at least the Quarterfinals eight of the last 12 seasons, and this will be its first Semifinal since 2016. The only loss came in the season opener to Jackson Lumen Christi, which finished the regular season No. 8 in Division 3. Valik made the all-state second team last season and is one of only six seniors on a team that should continue to impress next winter. Corbin Steele is another of those six; the defenseman had added nine goals and 11 assists entering the week.
FLINT POWERS CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 14-3, No. 5
Championship history: Seven runner-up finishes (most recent 2010).
Coach: Travis Perry, 15th season (294-93-19)
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League
Best wins: 3-1 over Grand Rapids Catholic Central in Quarterfinal, 5-1 over Division 2 No. 8 Port Huron Northern, 5-0 over Division 1 No. 5 Saginaw Heritage.
Players to watch: Nick Kurtiak, soph. G (1.17 goals-against average, .939 save %, 5 shutouts); Kyle Barbour, soph. D (1 goal, 12 assists); Tyler Lawrence, sr. F (10 goals, 22 assists), Mason Czarnecki, soph. F (16 goals, 13 assists).
Outlook: With only two seniors, this could be the start of another run for the Chargers, who will play in their first Semifinal since 2017. Barbour earned an all-state honorable mention last season, and he has reliable netminding behind him and lots of scoring in front. In addition to him, Lawrence and Czarnecki, three more players had at least 10 assists heading into this week. Junior forward Jacques Lavrack was the second-leading goal scorer with 12 heading into the Quarterfinal to go with his 10 assists. The team’s only losses came to Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central, Division 2 No. 4 Livonia Stevenson and Division 3 No. 3 Detroit Country Day.
PHOTO: Calumet's Jackson Rilei, left, gets past an Alpena player during Wednesday’s 6-0 Division 3 Quarterfinal win. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
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D1 Preview: Title Hopefuls Begin Chase
March 7, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Two of this weekend’s Division 1 hockey semifinalists will be playing in this late round for the first time. Three of four teams left in the bracket are seeking their first MHSAA Finals championship on the ice.
And then there’s Detroit Catholic Central, top-ranked and with 13 past titles, and the favorite Rochester United, Saginaw Heritage and Traverse City Bay Reps must catch to make more history this winter.
This weekend’s pairings are as follows:
Division 1 – Friday
Detroit Catholic Central (27-1-1) vs. Rochester United (26-3), 5 p.m.
Saginaw Heritage (27-2) vs. Traverse City Bay Reps (24-5), 7:30 p.m.
FINALS – Saturday
Division 1 - 6 p.m.
All Semifinals and Finals will be viewable live per subscription basis on MHSAA.tv, with live audio available on MHSAANetwork.com.
Click for a full schedule of this weekend's games plus full results as they come in. Player statistics below are through the Regional round.
DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 27-1-1, No. 1
Championship history: 13 MHSAA titles (most recent 2016), five runner-up finishes.
Coach: Brandon Kaleniecki, fourth season (101-18-2)
League finish: First in Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League North.
Best wins: 1-0 over No. 6 Salem in Quarterfinal, 6-0 over No. 13 Birmingham United in Regional Final, 6-0 and 5-1 over No. 3 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 4-1 over No. 4 Brighton, 1-0 over Division 2 No. 3 Livonia Stevenson, 1-0 over Division 2 No. 2 Trenton, 6-1 and 5-4 over Division 2 No. 4 Birmingham Brother Rice.
Players to watch: Joe Borthwick, sr. D (7 goals, 23 assists); Brendan Miles, jr. D (6 goals, 22 assists); Rylan Clemons, sr. F (25 goals, 28 assists); Kyle Gaffney, jr. F (20 goals, 22 assists).
Outlook: After three straight titles from 2014-16, DCC has finished runner-up and then as a semifinalist the last two, respectively. The Shamrocks are primed to take back the title – the lone loss and tie both were to out-of-state schools, the defeat in the team’s third game of the season. DCC has three straight shutouts and seven over its last eight games – and 13 total this winter. Senior goalie Zach Allan – a first-team all-stater last season – has three of those shutouts and a 1.44 goals-against average in 16 games, while senior Stephen Sleva has four shutouts and a 0.82 GAA over 12 contests. Borthwick was an all-state first-team defenseman working in front of Allan last season, and Miles earned an honorable mention. Five more players had scored at least 10 goals entering the week, with junior Dylan Dooley (13 goals/20 assists) also over 30 points and senior Carter Korpi (14 goals/14 assists) among a few on the verge.
ROCHESTER UNITED
Record/rank: 26-3, No. 5
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA championship game.
Coach: Bryan Kowalski, second season (37-12-5)
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red.
Best wins: 4-3 over No. 3 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in Quarterfinal, 3-2 over No. 9 Macomb Dakota in Regional Final, 3-0 over No. 12 Utica Eisenhower in Regional Quarterfinal, 2-1 over No. 7 Byron Center, 4-2 over No. 8 Farmington United, 4-1 over No. 13 Birmingham United.
Players to watch: Austin Streng, sr. F (30 goals, 23 assists); Marcello Munaco, sr. F (14 goals/22 assists); Michael Zyrek, sr. F (17 goals, 25 assists); Domenico Munaco, sr. G (1.44 goals-against average, 3 shutouts).
Outlook: Rochester will be playing at the Semifinals for the first time after navigating one of the toughest postseason paths in the state – with the Dakota win avenging one of its few losses this winter. Rochester has more than doubled its win total from last season, when the team finished 12-9-5. Juniors Jack Myers (11 goals/14 assists) and Caden Ebinger (10 goals/14 assists) are two more potent scorers, while senior defensemen Niko Mantzios and Kyle Crutchfield both had 19 assists entering the week and had combined for 14 goals. The co-operative program includes athletes from Rochester High and Rochester Adams.
SAGINAW HERITAGE
Record/rank: 27-2, No. 2
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2018.
Coach: J.J. Bamberger, 11th season (203-86-10)
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League.
Best wins: 5-2 over No. 14 Capital City in Quarterfinal, 3-2 over No. 3 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 6-1 over No. 11 Traverse City Bay Reps, 5-1 over No. 6 Salem, 7-1 over No. 4 Brighton, 6-2 over Division 2 No. 7 Davison.
Players to watch: Parker Severson, sr. F (28 goals, 25 assists); Brady Rappuhn, jr. F (24 goals, 38 assists); David Helpap, sr. F (15 goals, 30 assists); Jacob Best, sr. F (17 goals, 30 assists).
Outlook: The Hawks are now 49-7-3 over the last two seasons, with a number of standouts from last year’s first-time finalist team leading the way again. Helpap made the all-state first team a year ago, while Severson and Rappuhn earned honorable mentions and senior Jack Jesko (1.83 goals-against average) earned an honorable mention in goal. Senior Eddie Symons (19 goals/18 assists) is another veteran top scorer, and junior Matt Cole had 28 assists entering the week to go with eight goals. The only losses were to Division 2 semifinalists Hartland and Birmingham Brother Rice.
TRAVERSE CITY BAY REPS
Record/rank: 24-5, No. 11
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Coach: Michael Matteucci, first season (24-5)
League finish: First in Northern Michigan Hockey League.
Best wins: 4-3 (OT) over No. 7 Byron Center in Quarterfinal, 2-1 over No. 10 Rockford in Regional Final, 5-4 over Traverse City West, 5-3 over Big Rapids, 3-2 and 5-4 over Petoskey.
Players to watch: Jake Stevenson, sr. F (30 goals, 24 assists); Christopher Deneweth, sr. D (12 goals, 23 assists); Kaleb Miller, soph. F (20 goals, 22 assists); Logan Kerry, sr. F (14 goals, 27 assists).
Outlook: Bay Reps – a cooperative of Traverse City St. Francis, Elk Rapids, Bear Lake, Kalkaska and Kingsley – will play in the Semifinals for the first time, and is riding a 10-game winning streak. Stevenson earned an all-state honorable mention last season and is one of nine seniors – five others make up two of the top defense pairs plus goalie Kamerin Lannen. Matteucci previously served as an assistant – and played in the NHL and multiple minor leagues – before taking over the program this winter.
PHOTO: Detroit Catholic Central’s Dylan Dooley works to clear the puck against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s this season.