Fraser

Primed and ready

By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer

All goals for DLS hockey rest on trip to — and win in — state finals

FRASER — This is it.

This is what they’ve been planning on and waiting for since day one.

This is the team, years in the making, constructed for this journey — to the ultimate prize.

Is it a bit unfair to put so much emphasis on a state title for the Warren De La Salle hockey team?

Possibly.

But it is exactly what coach Dan Barry and his guys expect at this point.

“Every year you don’t get to that final game and come away with that trophy can be looked at as a disappointment,” Barry said last week. “With the seniors we have and the way we’ve played all season, we feel this is a team built for a championship ride.”

The Pilots’ journey begins at 5:15 p.m. March 1 against Grosse Pointe South at Great Lakes Sports City in Fraser, and for a team that has seen each of the last two seasons end prematurely in the quarterfinals with back-to-back losses to eventual-champ Trenton High, the focus is stronger than ever.

“Every time we step in the locker room, there are newspaper clippings reminding us of the losses to Trenton over the past couple seasons,” said senior Mike Lapari, a Macomb resident.

“That’s our motivating factor right now. To get to the point we did, two years in a row, and lose was the worst feeling ever. We want to change all that this time.”

With a change in the order of the playoff bracket, De La Salle — ranked No. 1 in Division 2 and 16-4-1 at press time — won’t be able to face No. 2 Trenton unless the teams meet in the finals. But the journey to Compuware Arena for the Pilots is arguably the most difficult of any team in any division.

Should they survive the South game, the Pilots will face either Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League rival Grosse Pointe North, ranked No. 7, or Warren Mott in the pre-regional final, with the winner earning a game against, most likely, Birmingham Brother Rice (No. 4) in the regional final.

The No. 3-ranked team, Novi High, is hosting and will likely be waiting in the quarterfinals.

“Not an easy road at all,” Barry laughed.

Even so, Barry said the makeup of this team — 14 seniors, in particular — should have it ready to face any adversity that may arise.

“When you think about a state title, this is a team built for it with the seniors we have and the experience we can fall back on,” Barry said. “At the same time, nothing is guaranteed. I’ve had senior-loaded teams that were very talented that didn’t get past the first (playoff) game. You just hope the past two seasons have made these guys even hungrier for it this year.”

“We’ve been right there the past two years, but haven’t found a way,” said senior Bill Coole of St. Clair Shores. “That’s driving us right now.”

And should that drive get the Pilots to Compuware and land them in the state final, there’s one team the guys can’t help but hope is waiting for them.

“In a perfect world,” Lapari said with a small grin, “we’ll see Trenton.”

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