Highlight Reel: 2017 Hockey Finals
March 11, 2017
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
Two familiar faces captured titles at the MHSAA Ice Hockey Finals on Saturday at USA Arena in Plymouth – Brighton in Division 1 and Birmingham Brother Rice in Division 2, joining first-time champion Warren DeLaSalle in the winner's circle.
Division 1
Brighton 5, Detroit Catholic Central 2
Conquest Conquers Shamrocks - What proved to be the game-winning goal of the Division 1 title game for Brighton came from Adam Conquest early in the second period while the Bulldogs were playing short-handed. It made the score 3-0 at the time.
Goal West! CC Back In The Game - In a mad scramble in front of the net to start the third period, Detroit Catholic Central's Brendan West scores the first of his two goals in the game and pulls his team back to within a goal of Brighton at 3-2.
Division 2
Birmingham Brother Rice 7, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern 0
Moore Gets More For Warriors - Garrett Moore had two goals for Birmingham Brother Rice in the Division 2 title game. Both came in the final period, the first when he picked up a loose puck following a power play.
Reinhart Scores Short Handed - Playing 3 on 5, Brother Rice's Jack Reinhart steals the puck and scores for the Warriors in the third period.
Division 3
First Shot - First of Three Goals For Hernandez - Warren DeLaSalle made its first shot of the Division 3 Final count against Calumet. Austin Scott finds Thomas Hernandez on the breakaway – the first goal of a hat trick game for Hernandez.
Lucky Bounce Tightens Things Up - Calumet pulls back to 4-2 against Warren DeLaSalle in the second period when a shot by Izaak Avery takes a nasty bounce off the boards and ends up in the net.
PHOTO: A Calumet player celebrates during Saturday's Division 3 Final against Warren DeLaSalle. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Ford Field Trip Gives Students Taste of Football Finals Broadcasting
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
December 7, 2021
Four levels above them, in the press box, a group of prospective broadcasters were touring the facilities. The high school students had spent the Fall sports season streaming games to the NFHS Network and now were learning about a career in broadcasting from Eric Vandefifer, a Montrose High grad currently serving as the radio voice of Saginaw Valley State University basketball and as a contributor to a variety of high school broadcast channels including the MHSAA Network.
Seven years ago, Vandefifer was in a similar situation. He was part of a field trip to Ford Field for the Finals that helped him realize sports broadcasting was a career he wanted to pursue. Those field trips were headed by Tom Skinner and Thom Lengyel, who became mentors to Vandefifer. As a high school junior in 2017, Vandefifer was named Best Student Broadcaster nationally by the NFHS Network.
“With Tom Skinner now deceased and Thom Lengyel retired from the broadcast business, I just felt like I had to continue this and their legacy,” Vandefifer said. “It was important to me to keep it going because when I was in school, it was something I looked forward to.”
Nearly 50 students from Lowell, Montrose, Lake Orion, Mount Pleasant and Ann Arbor Greenhills high schools made the Nov. 26-27 trip to Ford Field. They were able to film highlights, interview players, practice announcing the games, meet other members of the press and more. For Vandefifer, giving back to students who are in the position he once was is very rewarding.
“We had the ability to feel like real media members for a day. I wanted to be able to give other students that same opportunity,” Vandefifer said. “Seeing kids who have a love for sportscasting and that drive to get better gives me real hope for the next generation in this business.”
And after the field trips were done each day, Vandefifer put his headphones on, got behind the microphone and called the two afternoon games for the MHSAA Championship Network.
PHOTOS (Top) Eighth grader Sam Belill, left, and freshman Owen Leitelt from Montrose practice calling a game from the Ford Field press box. (Middle) Mount Pleasant make a stop at the press conference room. (Photos provided by the Montrose and Mount Pleasant School Broadcast Programs.)