Bloomfield Hills

We meet again

By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer

Late-season game an annual tradition North and Cranbrook look forward to

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — As members of the same conference, it’s not unusual for the Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood and the Grosse Pointe North hockey teams to meet twice every season.


There is, however, something very traditional about it.


For the last 10 years, the two high school powers have made it a point to meet for their second league game at, or near, the end of the regular season.

As North coach Scott Lock said, “It’s not done by coincidence.

“We like to play them somewhere near the middle of the season and then right at the end,” Lock said of the Feb. 20 match up, scheduled for 4:35 p.m. at Great Lakes Sports City in Fraser. North has two additional games prior to the playoff start.

“It’s always a good game between two pretty good teams. We can learn a lot from facing them. At the same time, we know who they are and what they’re about. There’s not going to be anything cheap or dirty you have to worry about with the playoffs so close.”

The Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League participants met Jan. 29; North came away with a 3-2 victory despite being out shot 43-13.

“They had some excellent play in net that night,”

Cranbrook coach Andy Weidenbach recalled. “We have to find ways to create some more traffic this time around. We have to try for some tougher goals than we got last time.”

Lock said it was a combination of good defense, controlling rebounds and, of course, excellent play by sophomore goalie Chip Wujek.

“Yeah, he saw a ton of shots, but I don’t know if they were high-quality shots,” Lock added. “We did a good job limiting them to one chance.”

One thing is certain as the teams prepare for the second go-around, the game will act as the perfect playoff prep.

“They’ve been getting better every week, so we expect to face a good hockey team, which is what you want this time of the year,” said Weidenbach, whose squad was ranked No. 1 in Division 3 with a 13-4-2 overall record.

“It’ll be a high-tempo game between two good teams,” Lock said. The Norsemen were 8-10 at press time and ranked No. 7 in Division 2. “We’re looking forward to it.”

Speaking of looking forward

While most pre-regional draws were not available at press time, Cranbrook held its draw Feb. 11 and will open the 2010 postseason against Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day.

The defending D-3 state champs host the Yellowjackets at 5 p.m. March 1. The winner will play at 7:15 p.m. March 3 against either Berkley High or Royal Oak Shrine.

“I don’t want to say this the wrong way, but compared to the road we’ve had to take in years past, our playoff schedule could be a very favorable one if we do what we need to do,” Weidenbach said.

After hosting the pre-regional, the furthest the Cranes would have to travel prior to Compuware Arena is the Troy Sports Center for the quarterfinals.

“The key thing for us, though, is not who or where we play, but how we play. Our schedule in the final couple weeks of the regular season is pretty crazy when you consider we’re playing Howell High, (Warren) De La Salle, (Birmingham) Brother Rice, North and then Trenton. Every one of those teams is ranked. Needless to say, we’ll be ready come playoff time.”

Cranbrook has won four of the last six D-3 state titles and seven since Weidenbach took the program over in 1993.

North looks to the future

Playoff draws were not available at press time, but Lock said he and his guys know nothing will come easy when the postseason puck officially drops.

While the Norsemen were moved to Division 2 this season after three consecutive years reaching the Division 1 semifinals, they landed in arguably the most difficult regional in the state.

“We’re going to have to pick our poison,” Lock laughed. “No matter who we play and in what round, there’s not going to be an easy game.”

North is part of a pre-regional that includes Watterford Mott, Grosse Pointe South and Warren De La Salle — the No. 1-ranked team in Division 2. The team that survives that round will likely face No. 4 Brother Rice in the regional final, with, barring a major upset, No. 3 Novi High waiting to host the quarterfinals.

“Doesn’t matter who we play, we always love this time of the year,” said Lock, who guided North to back-to-back D-2 state titles in 2001 and 2002.

And while his team’s overall record is anything but flashy, it falls right in line with the past three years, when at or below .500 records gave way to long playoff runs.

“We’re such a young team, but we’re getting to that point where guys have adjusted, understand their roles and are playing the way we need,” Lock said of his squad, which had won five of its last seven games. “We knew it would take some time, but we’re getting it at the right part of the year.”

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