Orchard Lake

Coaches of local teams anxious to get hockey’s postseason tourney going

By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo by Patricia O’Blenes Another year and another round of expectations for Daniel Coley and the St. Mary’s hockey team. The Eaglets will begin the Division 1 tournament at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27 against Birmingham Unified. Photo by Patricia O’Blenes Another year and another round of expectations for Daniel Coley and the St. Mary’s hockey team. The Eaglets will begin the Division 1 tournament at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27 against Birmingham Unified.

The journey thus far has all been about preparation.

The destination, now within sight, is sure to grab hold of all who participate.

On Feb. 27, the Michigan High School Athletic Association will officially drop the puck on the 2012 playoffs, beginning a three-division crash course of teams, with only the best reserving a date at Compuware Sports Arena in the second week of March.

Hockey enjoys one of the quickest, most thrilling, and many times heartbreaking postseasons.

Sudden death doesn’t just apply to overtime anymore, and that, according to a few local coaches, is what makes this time of year second-to-none.

“Everything leading up to now is practice, as far as we’re concerned,” Orchard Lake St. Mary’s coach Brian Klanow said. “This is when everything is amplified. It’s like the new season gets going. Everything boils down to what you’ve learned and what you can do for a two-week stretch.”

The Eaglets, 11-7-0 at press time, finished the 2011 tournament with a loss in the Division 1 final.

They are, again, considered a true contender for the D-1 crown in 2012.

“That’s what our program has grown to, and the guys understand the pressure associated with it,” said Klanow, whose team begins postseason play at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27 against Birmingham Unified. The Eaglets are hosting the regional round. “We expect to see everyone’s best, no matter who we play.”

After two seasons coaching Bloomfield Hills United, Rick Reed has done a masterful job in his first year behind the West Bloomfield High bench.

At press time, the Lakers were 12-7-1, having lost just once (4-1-1) in their past six games.

West Bloomfield opens the D-2 postseason at 7:20 p.m. Feb. 28 against Waterford Kettering at Lakeland Tri Arena in Waterford.

“Optimally, this is what you strive for all season,” Reed said. “You hope to have everything figured out and be peaking at this time. … These guys have done some good things this year. We’ll close out the regular season with some strong games, and hopefully, catch some momentum at the right time. Either way, we’re looking forward to it.”

While St. Mary’s will certainly enter the draw as a favorite, and West Bloomfield’s game with Kettering is anyone’s to win, John Fritz knows his Walled Lake Central team, 10-11 at press time, will play with nothing to lose when it opens the Division 2 playoffs against a Walled Lake Northern (16-3-1) team that hasn’t lost since Dec. 22.

“When we told the kids that’s who we drew; they couldn’t have been happier,” Fritz said of the Feb. 27 game, scheduled for 6 p.m. at Tri Arena.

Fritz’s team split with Northern this year and is 3-3 in the last six meetings.

“You have 24 games to get ready for one run in the playoffs,” he said. “This is my third year being a part of it, and it just seems to get better and better.”

Walled Lake Western opens the playoffs in the same regional, facing White Lake Lakeland at 8 p.m. Feb. 27, or directly after the Northern-Central game.

For a complete playoff schedule, visit the MHSAA hockey page at www.mhsaa.com.

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