Detroit

Focus understood

By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer

Brother Rice hockey team knows it must be better as playoffs approach

DETROIT — The Birmingham Brother Rice hockey team lined the glass just outside the visitor’s locker room patiently waiting for a late Wednesday night game against Grosse Pointe South at City Sports Center in Detroit.

As the Warriors waited, they watched Cranbrook wrap up its 3-0 victory against the University of Detroit Jesuit.

Their own game against South was their main focus, but some of the guys couldn’t help but think back to a Jan. 9 loss to Cranbrook — a game in which Brother Rice led.

“I can’t believe we gave that one away,” one player said to another while leaning against the glass. “We definitely should have won that game.”

Of course, looking in the rear-view mirror won’t do the Warriors much good. But learning from losses like the one to Cranbrook, in which they led 2-1, or losses like the ones to Warren De La Salle or Novi Detroit Catholic Central, also games they led, can’t help but benefit the progression of the guys in orange and black.

“We’re right there, right on the verge of having an even better record than we do. But there’s been a few games where we’ve eased up for some reason or lost our focus for a few moments, and it’s cost us,” coach Lou Schmidt said. “We’ve only had one loss I would consider ‘bad,’ but we’ve also lost some games we should’ve won. That’s what we’re working towards correcting.”

“It’s a few silly mistakes in games that we have to avoid,” senior Luke Jackson said. “This is a really good hockey team. We just have to play like it all the time, not most of the time.”

Expectations at Brother Rice are always high. Considering these comments come from players on a team that was 10-6 at press time — including its 6-1 win against South — shows how ambitious their goals are.

“There’s a lot of teams that would take a record like ours, but there’s a different tradition here,” senior Luke Timmis said. “Having a good win-loss record isn’t what we focus on. It’s the style of hockey we’re playing that matters.”

The Warriors, ranked No. 4 in D-2, play a treacherous schedule, in the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League and in non-conference games, and their losses — to opponents like Catholic Central (No. 1 in Division 1), De La Salle (No. 1 in D-2) and Cranbrook (No. 1 in D-3 — are nothing to be ashamed of.

“Every game is tough and every game means something, but that doesn’t mean we can sit back and relax and look the other way at some of these losses,” Schmidt said. “We have to learn from them, and in doing so, set ourselves up to be playing our best come playoff time.”

In their final six regular-season games, the Warriors will face six teams ranked in the top 10 of Divisions 1-3, which means they will be playoff ready when the 2010 postseason begins March 1.

“Again … it’s not so much the way the record looks but how we’re playing that matters to all of us,” Schmidt said. “When we won a (D-2) state title in 2005, we were 11-13 heading into the playoffs, but we were playing very well at the right time of year. I think this group is capable of the same thing. This final stretch of games (before the postseason) is going to give us the chance to perfect how to play with more poise, but a sense of urgency at the same time.”

When the Cranbrook game ended, the Warriors retreated to the locker room to prepare for their turn on the ice.

As Timmis walked away, he was asked just how good this Brother Rice team can be?

Already in pre-game mode, his face remained unchanged.

“Good enough to win states,” he said.

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