#TBT: 2002 Ends with Lights-Out Finals
July 12, 2019
By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
The Flint IMA had been to the MHSAA Ice Hockey Finals what Joe Louis Arena was to the Detroit Red Wings since it began hosting high school championships in the state in 1977.
For parts of four decades, the facility set the scene for many memorable moments on ice for scholastic skaters.
So it would have been fitting as the curtain was closing on an era March 9, 2002, if there’d been an overtime championship game or two to commemorate the last MHSAA Finals at the building.
In 2003, the MHSAA Semifinals and Finals would move to Compuware Arena in Plymouth – now USA Hockey Arena – where the event has been played ever since.
There would be no overtimes during the IMA’s swan song, but the arena wasn’t about to let go without a fight. Following the morning’s Division 2 Final, won by Grosse Pointe North over local qualifier Davison, things got strange.
As if by divine intervention, a significant power outage hit the Flint area between the first and second periods of the Division 3 Final, necessitating a return to the building for an encore performance that Monday.
Following is an account from then-MHSAA Assistant Director Randy Allen, administrator of the sport at that time.
“East Grand Rapids and (Dearborn) Divine Child were between the first and second periods when the power went out at what must’ve been around three in the afternoon. Some of the house lights went on, but there was no huge generator. The power company told us it could be quite a while before the power came back, so the decision was made pretty quickly to come back Monday. (Editor’s Note: MHSAA regulations at that time prohibited Sunday competition, thus play would resume Monday)
“Finishing the game in progress Monday was really a no-brainer, but now there were a couple of immediate challenges. First, how were we going to let people know, and second, what was going to happen to the (Detroit) Catholic Central-Marquette Division 1 game coming up later in the day?
“Well, knowing what I knew about the TV business (Allen’s background in Wisconsin included sportscasting), I grabbed one of the television reporters there, probably from Grand Rapids, and asked him to come down to the ice with me. It was totally dark; I figured once he put his camera lights on, it would get the attention of the crowd, which it did. So there’s about 2 or 3 thousand people in the arena – in the dark – and I’m standing in front of a light from a TV camera, and at the top of my voice I explain the situation and let them know we’re coming back Monday.
“Anyone wanting to come back, admission was free of charge, and we’d trust they were at the game. If they wanted a refund, they could mail their ticket stub to MHSAA and we'd send a refund. We obviously couldn’t use the box office without power. I don’t recall more than a couple dozen refund requests coming to our office later.
“Now the real challenge is the Division 1 game. Marquette very, very much wanted to go home and come back a week later. They’d been on the road all week (Marquette won a Quarterfinal in Traverse City that Wednesday). Jack (Roberts, former MHSAA executive director) was there, and he and Marquette’s AD (Scott Koski) and their superintendent debated a bit. In the end, the regulations of the day were upheld, and the game would be Monday.
“As it turned out, someone in the Marquette entourage had a contact in the Detroit Pistons front office, so the team was entertained in a suite at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunday night, so that was quite a happy ending from their standpoint.
“Many of the Marquette people were either in the arena or at a single hotel or two in the area, so alerting them to the change was not difficult.
“But then we started to think, ‘What about the Detroit CC people who would be driving up for their game later? Remember, social media was not as prevalent as it is today, or even the dependence on the internet.
“So, Saturday night, I sat there at the entrance to the IMA with my car running and lights on to inform the CC fans and anyone else who pulled up that the game had changed ... ‘Power’s out; game’s on Monday.’ They'd say thanks, and out they'd go. No one really got angry; there wasn’t anything anyone could do. I sat there an hour and a half with a steady stream, and shortly after the scheduled game time I called it a night.”
And, the IMA called it the end of an era, but not before hanging on for one more night, when Divine Child and Detroit CC would raise the last trophies in that building ... under the lights.
PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette was among teams that needed to stick around Flint two more days to play in the 2002 MHSAA Ice Hockey Finals. (Middle) Flint’s IMA arena.
D1 Preview: Midland, Grandville Look to Scramble Frequent Final Matchup
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 10, 2022
Detroit Catholic Central ranks second in MHSAA hockey history with 15 Finals titles – five won over the last eight seasons – and we’ve grown accustomed to seeing Brighton and Grandville at USA Hockey Arena for championship weekend over the last decade as well.
They’re be joined this time by the only unranked team left in the three divisions – Midland High – with the Chemics set to take on the Shamrocks in Friday’s first Semifinal. If DCC and Brighton meet in the Final, it will be the fifth time they've decided the title over the last 10 years.
SEMIFINALS – Friday, March 11
Midland vs. Detroit Catholic Central, 5 p.m.
Grandville vs. Brighton, 7:30 p.m.
FINAL – Saturday, March 11 – 7 p.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 1 contenders taking the ice this weekend. Click for the full program.
BRIGHTON
Record/rank: 21-5-1, No. 2
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2018), two runner-up finishes.
Coach: Kurt Kivisto, second season (31-10-4)
League finish: Second in Kensington Lakes Activities Association Gold
Best wins: 4-1 (Quarterfinal) and 3-0 over No. 3 Salem, 4-2 over No. 4 Grandville, 5-2 over No. 5 Saginaw Heritage, 4-2 over Division 2 No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 6-2 over Division 3 No. 7 Calumet.
Players to watch: Nick Baker, sr. F (27 goals, 24 assists); Lane Pettit, soph. F (22 goals, 19 assists); Cameron Duffany, soph. F (16 goals, 27 assists); Evan Wohlart, jr. F (12 goals, 13 assists).
Outlook: Brighton is a repeat semifinalist and making the trip for the eighth time over the last decade. The Bulldogs are 16-1 since mid-December, the only loss during that time to Division 2 top-ranked Hartland. Brighton has given up more than three goals in a game only three times, with sophomore goalies Levi Pennala (1.88 goals-against average) and Ryan Nickerson (1.68) both with save percentages of .910 or better. Baker also was a standout on last season’s team, and senior Jack Sexsmith (2 goals/18 assists) and junior Mattix McMullen (6/15) add offense from the defense.
DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 24-4, No. 1
Championship history: Fifteen MHSAA titles (most recent 2021), five runner-up finishes.
Coach: Brandon Kaleniecki, seventh season (162-28-2)
League finish: First in Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League North
Best wins: 4-1 over No. 10 Lake Orion in Regional Final, 3-0 over No. 2 Brighton, 5-1 over Division 2 No. 3 Livonia Stevenson, 3-2 over Division 2 No. 2 Marquette, 6-2 over Division 2 No. 6 Trenton, 3-2 and 4-2 over Division 2 No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 2-0 over Division 3 No. 1 Flint Powers Catholic.
Players to watch: Bobby Masters, sr. G (1.45 goals-against average, .917 save %); Kaden Hemme, sr. D (2 goals, 14 assists); Nick Swider, sr. F (11 goals, 7 assists); Nick Condon, sr. D (1 goal, 12 assists).
Outlook: DCC has won the last two Division 1 championships (with the 2020 Division 1 Finals canceled due to COVID-19) and will be making the trip to the Semifinals for the 10th straight season. The only in-state loss this winter was to Division 3 No. 2 Warren De La Salle Collegiate, which DCC had defeated earlier this season. Masters, Condon and Hemme all made the all-state first team in 2020-21. Sophomore Jackson Walsh and junior Landon West are tied for second on the team with 10 goals apiece, while senior Brian Apple (7 goals, 16 assists) leads seven with double-digit assists. Like last season, Masters has split time in goal with senior Nick Galda, who has a 1.09 GAA and .923 save percentage.
GRANDVILLE
Record/rank: 20-7-1, No. 4
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2015.
Coach: Joel Breazeale, 11th season (198-101-9)
League finish: Tied for first in Ottawa-Kent Conference Rue
Best wins: 4-3 (Quarterfinal) and 2-1 over No. 9 Traverse Bay Reps, 2-0 over No. 6 Howell, 8-4 over No. 5 Saginaw Heritage, 4-3 over No. 7 Rockford, 4-3 over Division 2 No. 5 Muskegon Mona Shores.
Players to watch: Gavin Rozema, sr. F (21 goals, 26 assists); Josiah Lambers, sr. D (11 goals, 15 assists); Brendan Bourne, sr. F (20 goals, 35 assists); Holden Pratt, sr. D (15 goals, 25 assists).
Outlook: Grandville is back at the Semifinals for the first time since a four-season run from 2014-17. The Bulldogs started this winter 10-1 and have closed strong with six wins over their last seven games – Division 2 No. 10 Byron Center provided the defeat during both surges. Rozema and Lambers both earned all-state honorable mentions last season. Junior Andrew Pohlmann (15 goals/13 assists) and seniors Gunnar Suidinski (12/15) and Matt Turcotte (9/15) also are among those bolstering the attack.
MIDLAND
Record/rank: 19-9, unranked
Championship history: Three MHSAA runner-up finishes (most recent 2010).
Coach: Steve Witt, sixth season (76-71-4)
League finish: Fifth in Saginaw Valley League
Best wins: 2-1 over No. 6 Howell in Regional Final, 2-1 over No. 5 Saginaw Heritage in Regional Semifinal, 1-0 (Quarterfinal) and 6-1 over Capital City.
Players to watch: Matthew Witt, sr. F (22 goals, 21 assists); Brady Pinwar, sr. F (16 goals, 9 assists); Cole Carpenter, jr. F (11 goals, 14 assists); Ben Haney, jr. F (16 goals, 32 assists).
Outlook: Midland has been one of the most intriguing stories of this playoffs as the Chemics are headed to the Semifinals for the first time since 2011. They emerged from a strong SVL, avenging a pair of losses to Heritage along the way. Midland has been particularly tough defensively during the postseason, giving up a combined two goals over four games. Matthew Witt made the all-state first team last season. Seniors Harrison Blecke (7 goals, 11 assists) and Cole McMillan (12 assists) are among defensemen contributing offensively.
PHOTO Midland’s Brady Pinwar looks for an open teammate during a 4-0 win over Muskegon Reeths-Puffer this season. (Photo courtesy of the Midland High athletic department.)