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BIRMINGHAM BLOOMFIELD EAGLE : MARCH 3, 2010
MIHL sits alone as top hockey conference
It’s not a coincidence that two of the three 2009 state hockey champions came from the same league. Nor is it a coincidence that three teams from that same league were ranked No. 1 most of the season. And when the 2010 postseason began March 1, there was a good chance that all three state champions will call the same league home.
 
Shores wins Red title
The Lakers brought home the 2009-10 Macomb Area Conference Red Division title with a 3-0 win against Macomb Dakota at Mount Clemens Ice Arena to unseat the defending back-to-back champion Cougars. 


• FRASER — Fraser sees improvement in results, expectations in year two
• MOUNT CLEMENS — L’Anse Creuse North hockey bids farewell to coach
• UTICA — Stevenson hockey duo fill score sheet, net
• UTICA — Eisenhower hockey fulfills potential with league title
 
St. Mary's takes third
In a perfect world, Brian Klanow would have had his 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 Brother Rice for a shot at the third spot.
• BIRMINGHAM — Brother Rice knows it must be better as playoffs approach
 
TROY TIMES
Athens claims another league title
Technically, they are the Red Hawks, but when the 2009-10 season began, the guys on Troy Athens’ hockey team, in the words of senior Mike MacKinnon, were the “top dogs.” And they had a target on their backs.
• Veterans are key to Troy High success in the future
• After back-to-back years of success, Athens has set new standard
 
WEST BLOOMFIELD BEACON
St. Mary’s takes third in Catholic League playoffs
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.
• Walled Lake hockey teams headed outside for annual battle
• Klanow has reason to believe things are starting to come together
• St. Mary’s hockey sets its sights on another state title
 
ST. CLAIR SHORES SENTINEL
Seniors, defense carry SCS in league
Senior captain and four-year varsity team member Zach Morgan knows what his coaches expect out of the St. Clair Shores Unified hockey team.
• SCS hockey team combines veterans and rookies
SHELBY-UTICA NEWS
Eisenhower hockey returns veteran senior squad
Utica Eisenhower hockey coach Bob Hall couldn’t ask for a better situation for his third season with the Eagles. Hall has 16 seniors on his roster, highlighted by last year’s leading scorer, Ryan Maloney, who has already posted eight goals and six assists in the team’s first eight games.
• New coach, new lineup for Utica hockey in 2009-10
 
BIRMINGHAM-BLOOMFIELD EAGLE
Rice knows it must be better
The 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. As the Warriors waited, they watched Cranbrook wrap up its 3-0 victory against the University of Detroit Jesuit.
• Cranbrook and Grosse Pointe North meet in anual late-season battle
• Cranbrook and Catholic Central make history with outdoor game
• Bloomfield Hills Unified senior can do it all, from in goal or scoring goals
• Improvement drives Birmingham Unified hockey team
• Defending statre champ, Cranbrook hockey, hasn’t skipped a beat
• Two-of-three defending state champs highlight MIHL season preview
ROCHESTER POST
Hockey leagues join forces in MAC/OAA Showcase
It will be a hockey fan’s delight when the puck drops to kick off the Macomb Area Conference/Oakland Activities Association Showcase Feb. 6 at the Onyx Ice Arena in Rochester Hills.

• After record-setting year, Rochester United has even bigger goals
 
GROSSE POINTE TIMES
Playoff chase begins for GP teams
He was speaking about his team and the journey it would soon embark on in the state playoffs, but Scott Lock could have been the voice of any coach of any team prior to the start of any postseason.
• Cranbrook and Grosse Pointe North meet in anual late-season battle
• Somewhat difficult regular season a prelude to long playoff run for North?
• South slowly putting things together as season winds on
• Grosse Pointe South has new players and a new coach for 2009-10
MACOMB CHRONICLE
MAC hockey teams look to further success in playoffs

As the Macomb Area Conference looks to prove itself as a hockey league, there is one surefire way to make its name — win in the MHSAA postseason. In the league’s five-year history, only three programs have won a regional title — Macomb Dakota, Utica Eisenhower and St. Clair Shores Unified — and only once have two teams won a regional crown in the same year, as Shores and Eisenhower did to end the 2005-06 season.    
• Dakota hockey looks to build on past success
 
WOODWARD TALK
Berkley resident is all-season star
Right now,  Jordan Dean is one of the top defensemen on a very solid University of Detroit Jesuit hockey team. A few months back, he was the Cubs’ starting center on the gridiron, earning honorable-mention recognition on the All-State list.
• Berkley hockey team playing better, back on the high school map
WARREN WEEKLY
All goals for DLS hockey rest on trip to — and win in — state finals

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.

 
• MIHL Showcase serves as perfect playoff prep for 36 teams
• DLS has the look of a true contender, in league and in playoffs
 
FARMINGTON PRESS
Farmington beats Unified in OT
The anticipation intensified with every passing moment. The arena was packed with an overflow crowd, yet not one seat was occupied, as the mass of humanity had been standing for quite some time. The clock continued to tick, as just 45 seconds remained.
• Feb. 20 could be special night for Farmington hockey teams
• Farmington hockey teams holding top spots in the OAA standings
 
MADISON PARKS NEWS
After nearly folding, Foley Unified hockey squad is building respectability

Joe Finazzo will never forget this past offseason, which was preoccupied with thoughts that he would never lace up his skates again for the school he loves. Now, he couldn’t be more proud of what he and 16 other guys are doing, resurrecting a near-folded hockey program and slowly but surely bringing it back to respectability.

 
 
 
ROYAL OAK REVIEW
Haning in there
He’s not entirely surprised at how things have gone thus far, but in all reality, he couldn’t be more proud. Proud of the way his guys have worked, and proud of the way his guys have played. And even with a record two games under .500 at press time, proud of the current state of the Royal Oak Shrine hockey program.
 
• Shrine stays near .500 in second year as varsity team, despite low numbers
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