MIHL honor team’s All-Star roster of talent represents one of the league’s best years ever

By Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writer

Andy Weidenbach cautioned against saying he expected the type of year the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey league enjoyed in 2011-12.

Still, the league president and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood coach wasn’t surprise at how the postseason transpired, either.

“To see four teams from our league in the final four of the three divisions, that’s pretty special,” Weidenbach said last week. “You can’t expect something like that, because too many things can happen over the course of the playoffs. But the thing I will say is, every team in our league is capable of doing what they did.”

When the final horn sounded on the season, Grosse Pointe North, Birmingham Brother Rice, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Port Huron Northern all made the journey to Compuware, with Rice claiming the Division 2 title and North settling for a D-1 runner-up trophy.

Less than a week later, the MIHL officially closed out the year by releasing its list of All-Conference players, a star-studded roster.

“It’s an exceptional group of young men,” Weidenbach added. “This caliber of player is what makes our league as strong as it is.”

Brother Rice’s Mackenzie MacEachern and Trenton High’s Blake Wojtala shared the Most Valuable Player honors for the season.

First-team forwards are MacEachern and Thomas Ebbing, Rice; Charlie Green and Pete Halash, Novi Detroit Catholic Central; Christopher Brown, Cranbrook; Joe Aluia and J.P. Lucchese, Grosse Pointe North; Bobby King, Port Huron Northern; Shane Bednard, St. Mary’s; Cory Seychel, Trenton; Craig Pefley, University of Detroit Jesuit; and Tyler Groat, Wyandotte-Roosevelt.

First-team defensemen are Chris Wilberding, Rice; Nolan Gluchowski, Catholic Central; Cameron Heath, Cranbrook; Jack Stander, North; Tyler Hughes, Port Huron Northern; Stephan Beauvais, St. Mary’s; Cory Dunn, Trenton; and Kyle King, Wyandotte.

The first-team goalies are Wojtala, Trenton; Aaron Alkema, Cranbrook; and Chip Wujek, North.

For the complete roster of MIHL All-Conference players, including second team and honorable mention selections, visit the league’s website at www.MIHL.org
 

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