The best got better

Catholic Central caps magical season with dominating performance in D-1 final

By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer

PLYMOUTH — There’s a certain passion for Catholic Central hockey some may not understand, but on March 13 was pretty clear for all to see.

Whether it was the fans lined up outside Compuware Arena more than an hour before the Division 1 state final began or the standing-room only crowd that eventually packed into the game, it got to coach Todd Johnson.

“When we took the ice, I had a tear in my eye,” Johnson said after his team captured its second straight Division 1 state title “The support we get and the kids we have is so incredible. It’s an honor to be a part of this.”

Catholic Central, the No. 1-ranked team in D-1 all season, capped the 2009-10 campaign with a 6-1 victory against Howell High, wrapping the season with a 28-1-1 overall record and the 14th state title in program history.

The Shamrocks did, in all reality, what many had expected them to do since last year ended — in the exact same game with nearly the same result against the exact same team.

After all, that team, which beat Howell 7-0 in the final last March, graduated just six seniors, returned 14 varsity players and brought back 12 seniors.

For opponents, it was reason enough to shiver in their skates.

For Johnson, it was cause for concern.

“It sounds crazy, but I was a little worried we’d be full of ourselves or have some poor attitudes and feel that entitlement,” Johnson admitted. “Some of it is human nature with kids this age, but truthfully, we had the exact opposite. We had guys out here working harder than ever. We had guys doing the little things at school or supporting the other athletic teams, or doing volunteer work and so on. They wanted to earn that support and that following we had last year, again. They didn’t take anything for granted.”

The results speak for themselves.

Catholic Central began the year with 14 consecutive wins and didn’t lose a game until Feb. 3, a 1-0 setback to Trenton High. The guys rebounded well, winning the final six games of the regular season before beginning their playoff run.

After surviving an early scare from Livonia Stevenson in the regional final, a 2-0 win, CC rolled past Ann Arbor Huron 8-0 in the quarterfinals and earned a trip to Compuware against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.

“Of all the hockey games I’ve coached, not including the state finals games, that St. Mary’s game probably ranks No. 1 for me,” Johnson said of a 2-1 win March 12 that was as physical a game many had ever seen. “They did some things to take us off our game, and we suffered some tough injuries early that we had to adjust to. But to find a way to win that one was pretty special.”

When asked about the final victory, Johnson laughed.

“Honestly, if that wasn’t for a state championship, I would have been very worried,” he said. “We were up late Friday night. We were banged up, and we were playing a much better Howell team than we saw a year ago. For our guys to do what they did was pretty special.”

Johnson said the key was striking first — a Ryan Keller goal 6:17 into the first period. Howell kept things close, trailing just 2-1 with less than five minutes remaining in the second period before the Shamrocks blew the doors off with four straight goals, and their crowd nearly blew the roof off the arena.

“Again, it’s an honor to be a part of this,” Johnson added. “I was a little surprised with the outcome being as it was. We just played a great game.”

A state title was, obviously, a goal for CC entering the season, but as Johnson explained, it was anything but goal No. 1.

“When the guys set our 10 goals for the season, finishing as state champs was actually No. 10 on the list,” he explained. “The way we see it, you can only win a state title one day out of the whole year. That leaves four others months of hockey. So if that is your top and only goal, and you don’t do it, what does that say about your season?”

Maybe it was that attitude that carried the Shamrocks to 28 wins, including a perfect 11-0-0 record in the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League. Maybe it was their talent or experience or 12 seniors, or that passion for success.

Whatever it was, it worked.

Again.

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