St. Clair Shores

'Shore-ing' things up

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer

Seniors, defense have St. Clair Shores Unified atop league

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Senior captain and four-year varsity team member Zach Morgan knows what his coaches expect out of the St. Clair Shores Unified hockey team.

And after seeing his team finish behind Macomb Dakota in the Macomb Area Conference Red Division in back-to-back seasons, Morgan knows his coaches expect that to change this year.

“It feels good to get out in front of Dakota,” Morgan said after practice Jan. 7 at St. Clair Shores Civic Ice Arena. “Our main goal is to win the league, so we’re headed in the right direction.”

Morgan isn’t the only team member who knows what it’s going to take to make the 2009-10 season a success, and it’s that team-wide focus that has helped put the Lakers back in the driver’s seat in the Red.

“My seniors lead the pack,” coach Frank DiCristofaro said. “The guys are focused, and they know it’s going to be tough to get there.

“(The seniors) have no fear going into games, and they love it. That was the Lakers’ creed, and these seniors are the guys that make it work.”

The seniors also understand that the best way to be successful is to adhere to a defense-first philosophy, which led them to a 4-0 start in the Red, 8-2 overall, at press time.

“We knew we had good goalies coming back with (sophomore) Zach Kosal,” Morgan said of what has helped his team post a MAC-leading 15 goals against.

“Even though we lost some good defensemen, we’ve been able to fill the holes pretty good, and the D zone is where you want to be your best.”

Morgan joined the Lakers’ defensive corps after starting the year at right wing and helped solidify an already strong group of blue liners.

“I’ve been real pleased with the play of (senior assistant captain) Adam Cruz; he’s our best defenseman,” DiCristofaro said. “(Senior) Kyle Evanko is solid as a brick wall, and he’s got a great shot and great puck skills.

“(Senior captain) Joe Kommer has a real strong shot and loves to hammer people, and Zach Morgan stepped in and really shored things up.”

Senior leadership has also helped on offense, where captain and forward Chris Pontello and his line mate Cory Shafer lead the Lakers in scoring with 13 points each. Their other line mate, junior Nick Schultz, has 12 points.

The team has also seen contributions from senior veterans Shawn Quinn, a forward, who despite being listed at 5 feet 4 inches provides toughness.

“I’d throw (Quinn) in a toughman competition and bet all my money on him, and he’d win, because that’s the kind of kid he is,” DiCristofaro said. “We’ve got some pretty good seniors that have been with us.”

While the Lakers are glad to have their veterans lead them to the heights they enjoyed while winning back-to-back MAC Red titles from 2005-2007, they know they’ll need contributions from their young players to take the next step and have success in the postseason.

“We know we have potential to be a top team,” Morgan said. “We need to have all our lines going, though, not just the old guys.

“The young guys need to pick up the speed of the game and play good, fast-paced, DiCristofaro hockey.”

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1029.