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October 13, 2010
St. Mary's takes third in Catholic League playoffs
By Mike Moore
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Photo by Donna Agusti |
In a perfect world, Brian Klanow would have had his Orchard Lake St. Mary’s hockey team playing for the top spot in the Catholic League’s championship weekend.
Instead, the Eaglets were forced to take on Birmingham Brother Rice Feb. 21 for a shot at the third spot in the league’s final standings.
Needless to say, they made the most of the cards they were dealt.
“We’re not going to raise a banner or celebrate too much, but this was a good win for our guys,” Klanow said of the 1-0 victory his team scored over the Warriors at home. Junior Tanner Pond notched the game’s lone goal in the third period.
“It was a good battle, and anytime you have the chance to play a quality team like Brother Rice in a game that means something like this one, you’ll take a win and be happy with it.”
St. Mary’s, the No. 2-ranked team in Division 1, ended the regular season with a 17-5-2 record and had not lost a game since Jan. 16. The Eaglets kicked off the state playoffs March 1 against Farmington Hills Unified, after press time.
The winner of that game faces either Birmingham Unified or West Bloomfield High at 8 p.m. March 3 at the St. Mary’s Ice Arena.
“This is the time of year we work for,” Klanow added. “To play a close game against (Brother Rice) could do a lot for us moving forward.”
And in a perfect world, there’s another title Klanow and his guys still have their eyes on.
Catholic League champs
In the Catholic League final, also played Feb. 21, Novi Detroit Catholic Central rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Warren De La Salle in overtime with a 4-3 score.
Catholic Central (18-1-0) is the defending Division 1 state champ and was ranked No. 1 in D-1 all season.
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