![](/sites/default/files/imported/Photos/160310_hockey_2H.jpg)
Preview: Something Old, Plenty New
March 10, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
It's easy to look at the 12 teams playing at this weekend's MHSAA Hockey Finals at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth and immediately recognize the regulars.
But look again, and only five are making return trips from a year ago. The Division 2 championship game is guaranteed to include a first-time finalist.
The pairings are as follows:
Division 2 – Thursday
Hartland vs. Livonia Stevenson, 5 p.m.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern vs. Romeo, 7:30 p.m.
Division 3 - Friday
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood vs. Hancock, 11 a.m.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central vs. Chelsea, 1:30 p.m.
Division 1 – Friday
Detroit U-D Jesuit vs. Detroit Catholic Central, 5 p.m.
Brighton vs. Grandville, 7:30 p.m.
FINALS – Saturday
Division 2 - 10 a.m.
Division 3 - 2 p.m.
Division 1 - 6 p.m.
All Semifinals and Finals will be streamed 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 unless noted and were submitted by participating schools.
Division 1
BRIGHTON
Record/rank: 22-8, No. 2
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2013), one runner-up finish.
Coach: Paul Moggach, 21st season (389-137-42)
League finish: Second in Kensington Lakes Activities Association Central.
Best wins: 4-1 over No.11 East Kentwood in Quarterfinal, 3-2 over No. 4 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in Regional Final, 7-3 and 3-1 (Pre-Regional) over No. 8 Howell, 5-2 over No. 13 Jackson in Pre-Regional, 6-4 over No. 9 Utica Eisenhower, 4-0 over No. 7 Rochester United, 5-0 over No. 3 Detroit U-D Jesuit, 6-3 over Division 2 No. 1 Birmingham Brother Rice, 3-2 over Division 2 No. 3 Livonia Stevenson.
Players to watch: Lee Pietila, sr. F (19 goals, 26 assists); Jay Keranen, sr. D (8 goals, 13 assists); Jake Crespi, jr. F (16 goals, 16 assists).
Outlook: Brighton is back in the Semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons and after winning Division 1 in 2012 and 2013 and finishing runner-up in 2014. The Bulldogs have 15 wins – including their last seven – over ranked opponents. Pietila and Keranen were all-state first-team selections in 2015. Junior goalie Logan Neaton gives up only 1.95 goals per game and has four shutouts, and five players have at least 10 goals – with nine notching at least 10 assists.
DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 23-7, No. 1
Championship history: 12 MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), four runner-up finishes.
Coach: Brandon Kaleniecki, first season (23-7)
League finish: First in Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League North.
Best wins: 4-1 over No. 5 Northville in Pre-Regional, 3-0 over No. 2 Brighton, 4-1 and 4-1 over No. 4 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 5-0 over No. 7 Rochester, 3-1 over Division 2 No. 1 Birmingham Brother Rice, 3-1 over Division 2 No. 3 Livonia Stevenson
Players to watch: Joseph Mancinelli, sr. F (19 goals, 14 assists); Kyle Mulka, sr. F (8 goals, 19 assists); Alec Calvaruso, sr. G (1.60 GAA, 6 shutouts)
Outlook: The Shamrocks are back on a run with two straight Division 1 titles and three straight appearances in the championship game. This season’s slate of wins also includes a pair over Division 2 No. 6 Trenton, another over Division 2 No. 7 Grosse Pointe South and a combined four over Division 3 top-10 teams Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Warren DeLaSalle. There are 15 seniors and lots of balance; senior J.P. Lafferty was second on the team with 11 goals (and tied for second with 18 assists), but only he and Mancinelli had scored more than 10 goals after 27 games.
DETROIT U-D JESUIT
Record/rank: 16-7-5, No. 3
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Coach: Rick Bennetts, 21st season (271-237-38).
League finish: First in the MIHL South.
Best wins: 6-2 over No. 9 Utica Eisenhower in Quarterfinal, 5-1 over No. 4 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 4-2 over No. 5 Northville, 2-1 over No. 1 Detroit Catholic Central, 4-2 over Division 2 No. 6 Trenton.
Players to watch: Sam Knoblauch, sr. F (30 goals, 25 assists); Tommy Apap, sr. F (14 goals, 29 assists); Nick Gadowski, sr. F (15 goals, 17 assists).
Outlook: Jesuit will play in its fourth straight Quarterfinal and drew Detroit Catholic Central, which it beat earlier this winter. Knoblauch is back as an offensive force, and eight players had at least 13 assists through last week led by junior defenseman Lorenzo D’Agostini’s 36. The Cubs also have three wins over Division 3 No. 7 Warren DeLaSalle and another over No. 15 Detroit Country Day.
GRANDVILLE
Record/rank: 23-5-1, No. 6
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2015.
Coach: Joel Breazeale, sixth season (109-51-6).
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Tier II.
Best wins: 5-2 (Quarterfinal) and 5-4 over No. 10 Rockford, 4-2 over No. 1 Detroit Catholic Central, 4-1 over No. 15 Lake Orion, 5-0, 9-1 and 5-1 (Regional Final) over No. 14 Holland West Ottawa; 3-1 over No. 7 Rochester.
Players to watch: Thomas Breazeale, sr. D (6 goals, 21 assists); Noah Weigle, sr. F (26 goals, 23 assists); Jacob Baum, sr. F (15 goals, 24 assists).
Outlook: Make that five Regional titles in coach Joel Breazeale’s six seasons, and one more win will give the team its most during his tenure. Grandville is 9-0-1 over its last 10 games and also owns wins over Division 2 top-15 teams Plymouth, Salem and Grand Rapids Northern/Eastern and a pair of wins over Division 3 No. 14 Grand Rapids Christian. Thomas Breazeale has earned all-state recognition the last two seasons. Weigle and Baum are joined on the top line by another potent scorer in wing Eric Neitzel (10 goals and 12 assists).
Division 2
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS NORTHERN/EASTERN
Record/rank: 18-11-1, No. 15
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Coach: Tom Bissett, fifth season (70-60-9)
League finish: Third in O-K Tier II.
Best wins: 2-1 (3 OT) over No. 5 Marquette in Quarterfinal, 6-2 over Division 1 No. 11 East Kentwood, 6-2 over Division 1 No. 9 Utica Eisenhower, 1-0 over Division 1 No. 6 Grandville.
Players to watch: Chase Lebster, sr. F (28 goals, 18 assists); Nathan Nickelson, soph. F (20 goals, 9 assists); Wyatt Radakovitz, jr. F (19 goals, 21 assists).
Outlook: After a 4-7 start, Northern/Eastern has stormed back to claim its first Regional title since 2012 – and after the team also finished only 9-18 a year ago. Northern/Eastern won its three Pre-Regional/Regional games by a combined 15-3 but has won its last two games by a goal apiece as Lebster potted the game-winner against Marquette in triple overtime Tuesday. Radakovitz earned an all-state honorable mention last season and is second on the team in assists to sophomore center Ian Famulak, who had 28 entering the week.
HARTLAND
Record/rank: 26-2-1, No. 2
Championship history: Division 2 runner-up 2013 and 2014.
Coach: Rick Gadwa, fifth season (98-40-8)
League finish: First in KLAA West, Lakes and overall.
Best wins: 5-4 (OT in Quarterfinal) and 3-1 over No. 1 Birmingham Brother Rice, 4-2 over No. 10 Plymouth, 4-0 over No. 3 Livonia Stevenson, 5-2 over No. 6 Trenton, 4-3 over Division 1 No. 2 Brighton, 10-4 over Division 1 No. 8 Howell, 4-2 over Division 1 No. 5 Northville, 5-3 over Division 3 No. 3 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.
Players to watch: Luke Cowan, sr. F (35 goals, 43 assists); Josh Albring, soph. F (31 goals, 44 assists); Zach Sexton, jr. D (1 goal, 7 assists).
Outlook: Hartland has taken on and beaten most of the best. The Eagles fell to Howell but came back with a 10-4 win in a rematch, and the only other loss was to Division 3 No. 2 Hancock during a run that included wins over Division 3 No. 6 Houghton and No. 11 Sault Ste. Marie (the tie came against No. 4 Romeo). Hartland has given up one or fewer goals 12 times this winter and has a returning all-state defenseman in Sexton – plus two more players who have added at least 10 goals to the offense.
ROMEO
Record/rank: 26-2-1, No. 4
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Coach: Nick Badder, second season (49-6-2)
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference Red.
Best wins: 7-3 over No. 10 Plymouth, 5-3 over No. 11 Escanaba, 6-2 over No. 15 Forest Hills Northern/Eastern, 5-3 over Division 1 No. 7 Rochester United, 5-3 over Division 1 No. 9 Utica Eisenhower.
Players to watch: Logan Jenuwine, sr. F (41 goals, 42 assists); Nick Blankenburg, sr. F (33 goals, 29 assists); Brett Lanski, jr. F (17 goals, 28 assists).
Outlook: Romeo is making its first trip to the Semifinals after winning its second straight Regional title while led offensively by a first-team all-stater in Jenuwine and a second-teamer in Blankenburg. The Bulldogs also own wins over Division 3 No. 11 Sault Ste. Marie and No. 15 Detroit Country Day, and lost only to Division 2 No. 14 Midland Dow and Division 1 No. 9 Utica Eisenhower. Romeo has scored seven or more goals in 11 games; six players have at least 12 goals and eight have at least 10 assists this season.
LIVONIA STEVENSON
Record/rank: 22-6-1, No. 3
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2013.
Coach: David Mitchell, eighth season (152-52-15).
League finish: First in KLAA Central and Kensington.
Best wins: 2-1 over No. 6 Trenton in Quarterfinal, 4-1 and 2-1 (Regional Final) over No. 8 Salem, 9-2, 3-2 and 6-1 (Pre-Regional) over No. 9 Livonia Churchill, 5-3 and 9-1 over No. 13 Livonia Franklin, 4-1 over No. 10 Plymouth, 3-0 and 3-1 over Division 1 No. 7 Rochester, 4-2 over Division 1 No. 8 Howell, 4-2 over Division 1 No. 5 Northville.
Players to watch: Ben Kowalske, sr. F (11 goals, 20 assists); Alec Allen, sr. D (3 goals, 17 assists); Cullen Barber, sr. G (1.76 GAA, 3 shutouts).
Outlook: Stevenson is back at the Semifinals for the third time in four seasons and after navigating another loaded schedule. The losses were nearly as impressive as the wins – defeats to Brother Rice, Cranbrook Kingswood, Brighton, Detroit Catholic Central, Hartland and Indiana power Culver Academy should have the Spartans ready for anything this weekend. Allen and Barber are returning all-state first-team selections and Kowalske earned honorable mention last season. He’s surrounded on the top line by seniors Joe Alcantara (19 goals, 17 assists) and Shane Leonard (15 goals, 19 assists), two of five players with at least 10 goals and seven with at least 10 assists.
Division 3
BLOOMFIELD HILLS CRANBROOK KINGSWOOD
Record/rank: 20-9-1, No. 3
Championship history: 17 MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), two runner-up finishes.
Coach: Andy Weidenbach, 23rd season (459-158-39).
League finish: Third in MIHL North.
Best wins: 3-2 over No. 4 Calumet, 3-0 and 8-3 (Regional Final) over No. 7 Warren DeLaSalle, 2-1 over No. 15 Detroit County Day in Quarterfinal, 4-3 and 5-4 over Division 1 No. 4 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 4-3 and 5-3 over Division 1 No. 3 Detroit U-D Jesuit, 4-3 over Division 1 No. 7 Rochester United, 5-4 over Division 2 No. 8 Salem, 3-2 over Division 2 No. 10 Plymouth, 6-1 over Division 2 No. 7 Grosse Pointe South.
Players to watch: C.J. Regula, sr. F (21 goals, 22 assists); Alex Lycett, jr. F (14 goals, 22 assists). Joe Dumas, jr. F (12 goals, 18 assists).
Outlook: Cranbrook Kingswood is seeking its third championship in four seasons and again has prepped by facing many of the best from all three divisions. The Cranes have gotten a significant boost from a seven-member sophomore class that includes starting right win Case Kantgias and starting defenseman Alec Regula. Seven players have at least 10 goals and nine had 11 or more assists through 28 games.
CHELSEA
Record/rank: 24-3-2, No. 9
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Coach: Don Wright, 16th season (267-130-32)
League finish: First in Southeastern Conference
Best wins: 2-1 over Gibraltar Carlson in Quarterfinal, 4-0 over Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard in Regional Final, 5-0 over No. 14 Grand Rapids Christian.
Players to watch: Derek Schaedig, sr. G (1.36 GAA, 8 shutouts); Sean Cox, sr. F (18 goals, 30 assists); Alec Daman, sr. F (35 goals, 26 assists).
Outlook: Chelsea won its fourth Regional title in seven seasons but first since 2013, and ninth straight league championship. The 6-foot-4 Schaedig made the all-state second team last season and remains tough to beat in net. The Bulldogs also have their share of scorers – Cox and Daman are joined on the top line by senior Jack Miller (15 goals, 24 assists) and total five players have at least 12 goals and seven have at least 14 assists.
GRAND RAPIDS CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 26-3-1, No. 5.
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2011, two runner-up finishes.
Coach: Mike Slobodnik, sixth season (118-47-9)
League finish: First in O-K Tier I.
Best wins: 6-1 over No. 1 Saginaw Heritage in Quarterfinal, 3-2 over No. 11 Sault Ste. Marie, 3-1 over No. 14 Grand Rapids Christian, 5-3 over Division 1 No. 6 Grandville, 2-0 over Division 1 No. 15 Lake Orion, 7-2 and 6-1 over Division 1 No. 11 East Kentwood, 4-3 and 8-1 over Division 1 No. 10 Rockford, 5-4 over Division 2 No. 14 Midland Dow, 4-2 over Division 2 No. 15 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern.
Players to watch: Campbell Balk, sr. F (35 goals, 29 assists); Brian Pattison, sr. F (13 goals, 30 assists); Riley Richards, sr. D (6 goals, 27 assists).
Outlook: GRCC showed it more than belonged in beating top-ranked Heritage on Tuesday, but also has dominated Grand Rapids-area competition all season – its only losses were to East Grand Rapids, Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central and Division 2 No. 3 Livonia Stevenson. The top two lines are loaded with scorers. Balk and Pattison are joined on the top line by senior wing Chase Madden (11 goals, 14 assists), while senior Josh Stella (19 goals, 18 assists) centers junior Will Kortz (14/16) and sophomore Jack Pendery (11/16) on the second line. Junior goalie Jacob McClelland is giving up only 1.66 goals per game.
HANCOCK
Record/rank: 23-6, No. 2
Championship history: Class B-C-D champion 1999, two runner-up finishes.
Coach: Dan Rouleau, 12th season (205-106-9)
League finish: First in Great Lakes Conference.
Best wins: 5-2 over No. 11 Sault Ste. Marie in Quarterfinal, 4-1 (Regional Final), 1-0, and 6-2 over No. 4 Houghton, 3-2 and 6-3 over No. 4 Calumet, 3-1 over Division 1 No. 2 Brighton, 5-3 over Division 2 No. 2 Hartland, 3-2 over Division 2 No. 10 Plymouth, 5-2 and 3-2 over Division 2 No. 11 Escanaba.
Players to watch: Teddy Randell, soph. F (24 goals, 33 assists); Alex Nordstrom, fr. F (29 goals, 25 assists); Dawson Kero, soph. G (1.19 GAA, 4 shutouts).
Outlook: Hancock has played and beaten some of the best in all three divisions on the way to its first Semifinals since 2006 and first 20-win season since 2009. Kero earned all-state honorable mention in goal last season and senior defensemen Dylan Paavola and Jack Fenton earned all-state recognition in front of him. The Bulldogs have won 18 over their last 20 games and can fill up the net – senior Cory Tourtillott added 19 goals and 18 assists through 27 games, and eight players had at least 12 assists.
PHOTO: Livonia Stevenson faced Escanaba in last season's Semifinal and will return to USA Hockey Arena this weekend.
![](/sites/default/files/imported/Photos/180122_Brighton_2H7.jpg)
Brighton Trip North Always Unforgettable
January 22, 2018
By Tim Robinson
Special for Second Half
It starts before dawn on a chilly Thursday in Brighton.
Cases of water and sports drinks, a bucket of pucks, water bottles, 20 hockey bags, five dozen or so sticks, luggage for players, parents, coaches and others, bags of oranges and apples – all are loaded in the belly of a chartered bus.
On the bus, computers are temporarily stowed away. Blankets, pillows, school books and a couple of coolers full of bottled water and sports drinks and another bag of nutritious snacks are loaded in the front seats for consumption on the 540-mile drive to Houghton.
The bus leaves at 7:45 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4, bound for Michigan’s Copper Country and returning Jan. 7. It’s a trip Brighton hockey teams have been making since the 2002 season.
THURSDAY
Hockey teams like to refer to themselves as family, but it was more traditional family ties that led to Brighton making the trips north in the first place.
Pete Sturos, who had three sons who played for Brighton at various times, went to coach Paul Moggach and asked if he had ever considered playing Houghton, Hancock or Calumet.
Moggach did some research and decided to follow up on Sturos’ suggestion in 2002.
The Bulldogs promptly were swept. But the time spent together by the players helped the team to gel that much faster, and the trip became a permanent part of the team’s schedule.
Until last year, Brighton and Novi went up every year, with Novi playing at Calumet on Friday and Brighton on Saturday.
Hancock and Houghton rotated facing the visitors each year until 2017, when Orchard Lake St. Mary was added, pitting three Lower Peninsula powers against the three Upper Peninsula schools.
“It’s been an incredible experience,” Calumet athletic director Sean Jacques said. “The relationship has gone on so long with Brighton and (Bloomfield Hills) Cranbrook and (Detroit) U-D Jesuit. It’s been a great experience and always good hockey, and I think the fans appreciate seeing these top-notch programs on a given weekend.”
Birmingham Brother Rice has made a trip north this season as well, along with Rochester United and Traverse City Central.
The competition during this trip was as high-quality as ever. This week, Brighton is ranked No. 3 in Division 1, while Calumet is No. 3 and Houghton No. 4 in Division 3.
“Any time you get to play a strong team from below the (Mackinac) Bridge, everyone gets excited for that,” Houghton coach Corey Markham said. “We have some great competition with Hancock and Calumet, (but) it’s nice to play other teams and see how we stand with the top of the bunch.”
10:30 a.m.
The bus has stopped at a rest area south of Gaylord and unloads to allow passengers to use the bathroom.
The players, to varying levels of disgruntlement, make a jog of about a quarter-mile in temperatures of five below zero.
“It’s to get them off the bus and doing something, so we don’t sit on the bus and vegetate,” Moggach said. “It’s easier riding in a bus than a car, but it’s still a long trip. We’re coming off the Christmas break, and some of these guys didn’t have a lot of activity during the break.”
12:30 p.m.
The bus stops at the Cut River Inn, located in Epoufette along US-2 between St. Ignace and Engadine, and it marks the halfway point of the bus ride.
The itinerary has evolved over the years. The team used to stop in St. Ignace, and players were able to go to whichever fast food restaurant they preferred.
That ended when the team began to emphasize nutrition as part of its off-ice regimen. Players resisted at first, until the results were too obvious to overlook.
Moggach, a Northern Michigan University grad who vacations near Marquette each summer, put the restaurant on the itinerary about a decade ago. The first year there, a player offered this in prayer: “Lord, we thank you for this food, which I’ve been told is pretty good. ...”
Up to this point, the bus has made good time in sunny if cold weather.
Shortly after returning to the road, snow blows in from Lake Superior, covering the roads. The bus maintains a steady pace, winding its way on M-28 through Munising, where what appears to be a group of students is playing on the ice a few yards out from Munising High School. It’s a first glimpse of Lake Superior.
3 p.m.
Another stop, optional for non-players, mandatory for players, to stretch their legs along a section of old M-28 between Munising and Marquette.
Assistant coach Kurt Kivisto and his family, including his wife and two preschoolers, bound off the bus while Moggach keeps up with them.
The players take their time, with numerous snowball fights, added whooping and hollering.
One year, about a decade ago, the bus was covered in Pistons logos, with pictures of Allen Iverson, et al, on the side. When it stopped to discharge its passengers, some residents came out, wondering if it was a Pistons team bus that had taken a few wrong turns.
“The walk (along) Lake Superior is a hidden gem to me,” Moggach said. “I vacation there and I know that spot. Maybe I’m sharing with them the love I have for Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula.”
Moggach claims the walk is about three-quarters of a mile, and smiles a Cheshire Cat-like grin when a reporter challenges the claim, believing it’s longer. A subsequent Internet search finds no evidence one way or the other, but one conclusion is unassailable: It’s still cold.
6 p.m.
The bus arrives at the hotel in Houghton. Passengers unpack the bus, get settled in their rooms, and the players and a few others get back onto the bus for a skate at the MacInnes Student Events Center on the Michigan Tech campus.
“We’ve been doing this 2-3 years,” Moggach said. “It gets them off the bus with something to do. I think it’s an important start for when they get up there. These guys are hockey players. They love to skate. This is what they love to do. We get off the bus, (skate) and have pizza afterward. Those are two things they love and are rewarded with.”
While on the bus, the players did some studying, worked on a Brighton history quiz administered by Kivisto, and watched a movie on the DVD player.
In the early years of the trip, some Brighton teachers objected to student-athletes missing two days of school, but the team’s grade-point average, which is around 3.10, never suffered for it, and the objections faded away.
“There’s a player here or there who isn’t as academically gifted as others,” Moggach said. “But you want them to understand and be around those who put a lot into it and expect a lot from themselves. I think that experience, too, while understated, is really big, that they see how these other kids study. On a day-to-day basis, they come to practice, they do their off-ice conditioning, they go home and have dinner, they study by themselves. In this environment, they see others doing the same thing.”
FRIDAY
At 9 a.m., the team and several parents climb into the bus for the trip to the Calumet Colosseum, the second-oldest operating hockey arena in the U.S.
And it’s cold. Cold enough to where drops of water freeze as they run down your coat.
One of the team managers abandons all pretenses and wraps a blanket around her so tightly only her left eye is visible.
The Bulldogs will play in another icebox, the Dee Stadium, later that night when they take on Houghton.
“I think they’re two of the neatest rinks, with tradition and history, in high school hockey,” Kivisto said. “It’s a good experience for our guys to go into these rinks, these barns, to go against these teams that have been around a lot longer than the Brighton High School hockey program has. Hopefully someday in the future we’ll have the history these guys have up here. It’s a neat experience that a lot of high school programs don’t get to see on a year-to-year basis.”
11 a.m.
The skate lasts an hour, with a lunch served in a meeting room at the rink.
At the same time, parents are curling at the nearby Copper Country Curling Club’s rink in what is called The Drill House.
The building, which is more than 130 years old, once manufactured and maintained drills used in nearby copper mines. It’s drafty, like a barn, and except for an interior room built two years ago, is unheated.
Curling was added to the itinerary in 2011, when a parent spotted a sign and went to investigate. Such are traditions born.
The parents compete while the players skate, then adjourn to a nearby tavern while the players get their competition in.
In years past, long explanations of curling and its rules preceded the competition. These days, it’s a shorter explanation of dos and don’ts, and they let the players have at it.
“They aren’t listening anyway,” one of the CCCC representatives says with a smile.
No one is the worse for wear, and the bus returns them to the hotel.
“I think it’s especially good for the new guys,” Moggach said of the curling competition. “It gets them bonding again and having some activity, so it all fits.”
2 p.m.
The team has a study hall for a short time, and the players are then excused for a little down time.
“The change we’ve made this year is more nap time,” Moggach said. “This trip takes a lot out of you. It’s 10 hours on the bus with the walk and the run and the skate on Thursday night, and that’s before anything really starts. I’m learning, and by watching them I believe they need more rest and sleep.”
5 p.m.
After a pregame meal, the bus takes the team to the Dee Stadium, which was built on the site of the first professional hockey game in America played more than a century ago.
Before the game, bus driver Phil Haag drew a round of applause after he announced his daughter had given birth to his first grandchild.
While the players on their respective teams warm up, Moggach, Kivisto and Markham catch up, talking about their seasons and their outlooks for the second half of the season.
Markham is enthusiastic about having Brighton on his schedule.
“It means a lot to us,” he said. “To play an opponent the caliber of Brighton does nothing but help as we get ready for the second half of the season and for playoff time. You can’t say enough about how great a job Paul and Kurt do with the program they have. The state championships they’ve won states that. For us, we can’t ask for anything more than to play such a quality team on our home rink. It helps our program and helps our players get better.”
For Brighton, it’s a chance to get back on track. The team ended 2017 with a four-game winless streak, losing the last three and scoring only one goal over those three games.
There’s an adage Moggach endorses that says scoring is contagious.
“I would like to see that happen,” he said. “I don’t care how it goes in. Just get it into the back of the net.”
Moggach, who usually wears a sports jacket, has on a thermal jacket for the game.
“But I do have a tie on,” he says, laughing.
After a scoreless first period, sophomore Will Jentz scores twice in the first period for Brighton, which goes on to a 5-1 win.
“It feels good,’ he said. “Our power play hadn’t been that good. We’d scored one goal in the last three games. It felt good to get five tonight.”
“It was huge to get our confidence back as an offensive unit,” senior captain Sam Brennan added.
It had snowed all day, and the traffic had helped pack it, making the roads slick.
That complicated things for Haag, who made progress up the hill from downtown Houghton to the hotel, only to have the bus slow to a stop.
After sitting for a few minutes, a Houghton County sand truck pulled up in front of the bus. Both vehicles backed up a short ways, then moved forward, and the traction provided by the sand was enough to get the bus going again, to another round of applause.
SATURDAY
11 a.m.
After breakfast and a study hall, the team gets back onto the bus for a morning skate at Michigan Tech.
But after about 20 minutes, all but two of the players are sent off the ice to help conserve energy,
“The thing is, they would have loved to stay out there,” Moggach said. “They would have stayed out there for two hours if we had two hours’ ice. But we had 50 minutes, and it’s pulling them back, so they get a taste of it. They got through a couple of things, and that’s all we needed.”
The two players who remained on the ice were goalie Cade Groman and forward Noah Stanko, who are sitting out the first semester due to the transfer rule. Kivisto stays with them on the ice and puts them through a workout.
“Kurt loves to compete himself,” Moggach said. “And he loves to let them compete, so he had them out there a good 15-20 minutes. They really worked hard. We have a goalie and a forward, and it worked out perfectly.”
After returning to the hotel, lunch was served and the team had another study/nap break.
The Bulldogs take their meals in a conference room at the hotel. They are coordinated, this year, by Mary Erkkila, whose son Tim is a defenseman on the team.
“I can’t give enough thanks to Mary Erkkila and her husband, Dave,” said Christa White, president of Brighton’s Blue Line Club, the organization in charge of the trip. ‘They have made our lives so much easier. They have family up here, and they know what food to order. It’s fabulous food. It’s hot. It’s ready, and it’s very enjoyable.”
It also disappears quickly, and leftovers are usually distributed to Brighton students, most of them former hockey players, who are studying at Michigan Tech.
4:45 p.m.
After a win the night before, the team is in a relaxed mood.
Everyone is on the bus except Moggach.
He arrives at 4:48, to some ribbing by adults up front. Then a voice pipes up from the back.
“Coach?” the voice asks.
“Yes?” a grinning Moggach says.
“Bus is at 4:45,” the voice replies as players hoot and laugh.
With all aboard, the bus leaves for the Colosseum.
Brighton has played Calumet in all 17 trips it has made to Copper Country.
At first, the reception was a little frosty.
“Jim Crawford was the coach at Calumet for a lot of years,” Moggach said. “When we first went up there, we had no relationship. He was a cantankerous guy, but over time, we developed a relationship. He’s (retired), and the new coaches we have good relationships with.”
The success of the series has helped lure more schools north, which Jacques says has been a boon for the Copper Kings.
“It spices up the schedule quite a bit,” he said. “If you look at it year-to-year, a lot of the teams we see up here are the same teams playing for a state championship on a yearly basis.
“We’re incredibly happy it goes on,” Jacques added. “Every year I dread the phone call that maybe someone’s not coming, but every year teams keep coming back. I think it’s the experience of the trip and the snow and the old building and the tradition. Kids seem to love it, and we sure love having it.”
There also is the family factor.
Bob Erkkila, who has been active in Calumet hockey for decades, has a grandson playing for both teams – Tim, the Brighton defenseman mentioned above, and Sam, a forward for Calumet. Both are juniors who wear No. 8 for their teams.
“Bragging rights to next year; that’s a long time to wait to get back at ’em,” Bob Erkkila said. “So they play hard against each other. They’ve had that rivalry going since they were little kids. They know each other and have grown up together, even though they’re a long ways apart much of the year.”
A bit of wisdom, perhaps gained from past pick-up games in the Keweenaw Peninsula, pays off on this trip.
“Some of the boys were kidding Timmy Erkkila for switching from his bubble (mask) to a cage up here,” Kivisto said. “I think it was a smart move. He’s not getting the condensation, the frost on his mask like some others might. It’s a veteran move by Timmy.”
The Bulldogs never trail in the game, but have to hold off a furious flurry in the final minute when Calumet pulls its goalie for an extra skater. Brighton holds on for a 5-4 win.
10 p.m.
Back at the hotel, a final meal, and several players jump into their swimsuits and hit the pool.
As parents watch from the lobby, some players emerge, head outside with steam pouring off their bodies, and return with giant chunks of snow, to much whooping in the pool.
Moggach has suspended his curfew, sticking to a promise that the players could stay up as long as they wanted.
“It’s so much fun,” Brennan said on the bus ride home. “It’s kind of funny, but I look forward to the night after the second game almost as much as the games themselves. It’s just so much fun.”
The pool party ends when the lights go out a little before midnight.
SUNDAY
6 a.m.
The bus is loaded again for the drive home.
Players, some who were up all night, help pack the bus and then find sleeping spots on the floor.
Before the bus leaves Houghton, it’s mostly silent except for Moggach, who reviews a stat report compiled by team statistician Tom Brennan.
As the team begins its journey, it begins to snow again. Moggach checks with driver Haag, but mostly is lost in his own thoughts.
“There were some nice surprises that we got, and some come-on-you-have-to-pick-it-up kind of things,” he said. “We came in not having won in our last four and we picked up two wins against two good teams. I think there’s a positive energy we’ll take back, which is really good. I take the first 100 miles, before we get to Marquette and the sun comes up, to think about everything.
“I love that time,” he continued. “It’s probably one of my favorite times of the year. I’m not by myself. I’m with people I love, but it’s a time I can reflect on them, on us, and life in general, so it’s a pretty cool time for me.”
A walk back to the restroom on the bus involves navigating a maze of legs and torsos of players sleeping on the floor, requiring care in foot placement reminiscent of the old game “Operation,” where you had to remove the body part without setting off a buzzer. Here, the idea is not to step on anyone.
The snow intensifies east of Marquette, and by the time the team makes a stop for brunch, visibility is about 100 yards.
But Haag, who has made several trips with the team, is up to the challenge.
The snow begins to let up as the bus reaches St. Ignace, and once back in the Lower Peninsula it fades away as passengers sleep, contemplate and read.
Despite the snowy conditions, the bus reaches the Kensington Valley Ice House about 4 p.m., and in the next half hour, the bus is unloaded and participants depart, with a couple of wins under their belts and another unforgettable weekend concluded.
Sam Brennan finished his fourth and final U.P trip.
“It just means I spend more time with the boys,” he said. “It gets more fun every year. This year is more special to me, because I’m a senior and last year I was injured. But every year, it gets more and more fun.”
“When you get 20 athletes together on a trip like this, especially when the parents are along and others like you and our bus driver, it’s all about the life experience that they have,” Moggach said. “I’ve been texting a couple of guys who are alumni of the trip, and they loved this trip. It’s a life experience they’ll never forget.”
Tim Robinson is a longtime radio voice of Livingston County athletics and the former longtime editor of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus. He currently writes for the Livingston Post and contributes to Second Half.
PHOTOS: (Top) Brighton assistant coach Kurt Kivisto runs his players through drills at the Calumet Colosseum. (2) The bus is loaded full of gear before the sun comes up. (3) Brighton takes in a quick skate at Michigan Tech. (4) The Bulldogs get some competition in against each other on the curling sheet. (5) An adult hockey game finishes up at Dee Stadium before Brighton takes on host Houghton. (6) Bulldogs coach Paul Moggach works with his defensemen at the Colosseum. (7) Brighton players, coaches and managers at the curling rink enjoy a break during their annual trip to Michigan’s Copper Country. (Photos by Tim Robinson.)