Grosse Pointes

Just staying prepared

By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer

Photo by Deb Jacques North f orward Steven Herron is one of eight seniors on the roster. The Norsemen were 5-9 at press time, but had won two of their past three games.

Somewhat difficult regular season a prelude to long playoff run for North?

GROSSE POINTE — Scott Lock insists there’s no magic wand he waves come playoff time that transforms his Grosse Pointe North hockey team into an immediate contender after a regular-season record that may suggest otherwise.

“Nope, no magic wand or formula or anything like that,” Lock repeated when asked about the past three years, when regular seasons with near-.500 records led to playoff runs that ended in the Division 1 semifinals. “We’ve had some fortunate breaks, and we’ve been playing our best hockey at the right time of the season. You can never count on that, so to speak, but it’s been how things have worked for us.”

He’s hoping the pattern doesn’t change anytime soon.

With an influx of youth — 11 of the team’s 22 players are freshmen or sophomores — and an injury list that would draw sympathy from the Red Wings, the Norsemen were just 5-9 at press time.

But with that inexperience slowly turning to experience, and that injury list slowly getting less occupied, things were starting to turn for a North team that has won two of its past three games.

“It’s been tough for a while, but we’re getting guys back and other guys are really starting to step up,” said senior forward Matt Lucchese. “We’d like to have a few more wins by this point in the season, but the key is how we’re playing now. That’s what we’re focused on.”

When asked about the injuries his team has dealt with, Lock let out a sarcastic laugh.

“You name it,” he said. “Everything from shoulder sprains to knee sprains, to kids getting sick. We’ve seen just about everything … but I give these guys credit. In four of our losses, we were down by one goal before pulling the goalie. We’ve still played pretty well.”


And that gives Lock hope for the very near future.

He expects his entire team to be on the ice for the first time in the next week or so, and with the schedule the Norsemen play — in the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League and out of conference — things aren’t going to get any easier.

Tough schedule or not, Lock said he’s seeing signs that this could be yet another team to make another long run.

“There’s no guarantees, but as always, the playoffs are what we focus on,” he said. “If we can get, and stay, healthy, and continue the development we’ve gotten from these younger guys, there is some real potential here.”

“We should be able to compete with any team we play,” Lucchese said. “Once we’re entirely healthy, and we have four lines going strong, there’s a lot we could do.”

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