Troy

'A pretty good year'

By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer

File photo by Patricia O’Blenes Troy Athens forward Matt Buccelato protects the puck during a game earlier this season. The Red Hawks wrapped up the year with an 18-5-3 record and an OAA Division II title.

League title highlights 18-win season for Athens hockey squad

TROY — He’ll enjoy this for a while, as he and his guys should.


Then the tough part will officially begin.

Troy Athens hockey coach Joe Barone has the daunting task of replacing 10 seniors before the puck drops on the 2010-11 season.

But in the waning moments of this winter, it’s this season and this success he’s focused on.

“This was a pretty good year,” Barone modestly said about his team’s 18-5-3 finish, one that included an Oakland Activities Association Division II title. “There were a lot of surprises in the way different guys stepped up to contribute. That made things pretty special.”

Athens was eliminated from the playoffs in a 3-2 loss to Sterling Heights Stevenson in a Division 1 regional semifinal March 4; the Red Hawks beat Utica Ford 8-1 in the opener.

“You’d always love that postseason journey to be a little longer,” Barone said. “We made too many mistakes against a pretty good team. But the thing we’re going to focus on is that league title, and the fact we won 18 games and were competitive every time we stepped on the ice.”

When asked about next season and the prospects of replacing 10 seniors, Barone just chuckled.

“That’s pretty devastating,” he said. “The nucleus of this team from the past few seasons is moving on, but that’s what you have to expect at the high school level.”

While the Red Hawks will bring back both goaltenders — juniors Jamie Cattran and Justin Yochem — they’ll have to find a way to replace a significant portion of the offense, including 165 combined points from Mike McKinnon (47), Matt Lining (43), Cameron Bazin (39) and Steve Perkins (36).

“It’s going to be interesting to see what happens,” Barone said. “But we expect to find a way.”

Winning season for the Colts

Troy High, which drew a first-round bye in its Division 1 pre-regional, lost to Rochester United 5-2 March 4 in the regional semifinal.

The Colts closed out the season 12-10-3.

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