Orchard Lake

Hitting their stride

By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer

Streak of wins gives Klanow reason to believe things are starting to come together

By Mike Moore

C & G Sports Writer


ORCHARD LAKE — He wouldn’t say his guys had officially turned the corner, but Brian Klanow can read the writing on the wall.

Right now, all things seem to indicate the Orchard Lake St. Mary’s hockey team is coming into its own.

“We’ve taken some good steps forward,” Klanow said of his team, which at press time was 7-4-1 and had won five straight games and seven of its past eight after starting the season 0-3. “The guys have started to come together as we’ve needed. We’re playing our system in a more disciplined fashion, and we’re seeing the results we anticipated.”

Klanow wasn’t happy about the early season struggles, but he did understand them, kind of.

The 0-3 start included back-to-back one-goal losses to Novi Detroit Catholic Central, the defending Division 1 champ, and a 6-0 loss to the Culver Military Academy in Culver, Ind.

Klanow called the opening stretch “tough,” adding that the Eaglets have hit their stride of late.

Since a 1-1 tie against Culver in the fourth game — one day after the 6-0 loss — St. Mary’s lone defeat was a 5-3 setback to Warren De La Salle, the No. 1-ranked team in Division 2. In their seven wins, the Eaglets have averaged more than five goals per game while allowing a total of 13.

The Eaglets are currently ranked No. 3 in Division 1 by the Michigan High School Hockey Coaches Association, behind only No. 1 Catholic Central and No. 2 Marquette High, a team they beat 4-2 on Jan. 8 in Marquette.

“We’ve gotten to a point where the guys are understanding the system better; they are playing a more disciplined style of hockey, and the results are what we expect,” Klanow said. “We’re not panicking when things don’t go our way, but instead we’re making needed adjustments and seeing the benefits of doing so.”

Benefits Klanow hopes, or plans, will carry his team through another long playoff run. After sharing the 2008 title with Marquette, St. Mary’s was bounced from the 2009 tournament in a 4-1 loss to Grosse Pointe North in the quarterfinals.

“Our ultimate goal never changes,” Klanow said about winning the program its fourth state title since 2005. “We’re working toward that right now.”

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Mike Moore at mmoore@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1038.