In midst of rebuilding, Cranbrook Kingswood girls hockey fights for top spot in D2

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — During tryouts for Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood girls hockey, it’s not uncommon to see some players skate with two left feet or struggle to connect with the puck on a shot.

In the first couple weeks of practices, it’s not uncommon to see the same players falling over the boards when attempting to make a line change or still figuring things out in the balance department on skates.

For Cranbrook head coach Terry Brooks, seeing growth and turning beginners into first or second liners is common in the Cranbrook program.

“I know the girls that have played hockey since they were little are going to be fine,” Brooks said. “When I can get kids that have never played hockey before and they looked pitiful at the start of the season, but by the end of the season I can use them in games and compete against kids who have played hockey all their lives and they’re holding their own, that’s a good measure of success for those kids.”

Brooks, who returned to the Cranbrook girls program last year after a five-year hiatus, knows a thing or two about success during his tenure at Cranbrook, winning two state championships (2010 and 2013) since taking the job in 2007.

Back behind the boards and leading Cranbrook, Brooks and company have Cranbrook (7-2)  currently two points behind first place in the Division 2  standings and ranked No. 9 in the state, according to myhockeyrankings.com.

Brooks and his coaching staff of Tom LeGrasso, a longtime assistant coach under Brooks, and Matt Hunter have helped prepare the newcomers for what varsity hockey is like at the Division 2 level, but there’s no shortage of veteran leadership on Brooks’ Cranbrook squad as well.

Senior team captains Milani Sheth and Grace Hardy, who both picked up hockey for the first time at Cranbrook, are able to resonate with the young skaters going through the trials and tribulations of learning the sport. Sheth and Hardy understand what it’s like to go through the learning curve and wait their turn to take the ice, and they’re looking to help navigate first-year hockey players like Carson Sisoura (sophomore) and Jazzy Parker (junior), who are contributors this season.

Sophomore Ameera Patel was once in the newcomers’ shoes last year when she picked up hockey for the first time, and now Patel is on the second line and earning quality ice time each game.

“There was definitely a learning curve with learning to skate, shooting and stickhandling, but our coaches are awesome, and they really help us develop really well,” Patel said. “You really don’t understand how difficult it is to play until actually in a game, but it’s pretty awesome.”

Then there’s the players that lead by example, such as senior Adreanna Stamper, junior Lela Lantigua and freshman Julia Asfour, who have already tallied double-digit points this season.

Brooks said Asfour, who previously played travel hockey, has been exceptional in her first year of varsity hockey.

“That was just a godsend for us,” Brooks said. “That’s a godsend for a coach like me, who’s working with a lot of new players to get someone I can use right away. I think for a player like her, she’s got natural athleticism. I’m guessing every sport that she plays, she’s probably pretty good at. She’s just one of those kids. When she stepped on the ice at our summer camp this year and I saw her for the first time, I didn’t realize she was going to be as big of an impact player as she is. As the season started, she’s on the scoresheet every night. It’s amazing to watch.”

Asfour has created arguably the most dominant one-two punch in Division 2 hockey alongside Stamper, who was named Division 2 Player of the Month for December, and Cranbrook has put Division 2 on notice with impressive wins over Division 1 opponent Livonia United and Division 2 heavyweight Washtenaw United.

Asfour, who leads the team with 15 assists, and Stamper, who leads the team with 17 goals, both currently have 27 points on the year.

“They work so good together that every time I put them on the ice, they’re going to score a goal, it seems like,” Brooks said.

Lantigua, who has 13 points on the season, forefronts a youthful defensive unit with sophomore sensations Phoebe Knoer and Sophie Antone both evolving into consistent contributors this season for Cranbrook. Sophomore Grace Sui and junior Mira Norton have controlled the net.

The past two years, Lantigua was able to learn with and play alongside her older sister and second team all-State honoree Ella Lantigua, who carried a mentor role throughout her high school career.

Now it’s Lela’s turn to step up and fill the void of not just the voice on the defensive end, but a team captain as well.

“I think it’s interesting not being a senior and being a team captain, because I have that insight of knowing how I felt when I was a sophomore and having that type of leadership,” Lantigua said. “I find that the girls almost respect me more because I’m closer to their age, and having a young team and a young captain is beneficial to them, I think. It’s consistency, too, for the girls, which I think is really important for this team, since we’re kind of rebuilding. If they have the same captain for two years in a row, it’s that consistency of following a leader two years in a row.”

Winning has been a consistency Cranbrook has followed for the past 25 years, raising five state championship banners in the Cranbrook Wallace Ice Arena.

There’s no longer the thought of rebuilding this season with Cranbrook, for the ladies are hoping that ‘2024’ will be the next banner up in the rafters.

“If you go into the ice arena, there’s a bunch of green banners hanging from the ceiling with all the state championships that we’ve won,” Brooks said. “The blue ones are the boys, and the green ones are the girls. Several times, I’ve taken them over there saying, ‘I want you girls to look up at the ceiling there and see those banners there. The last one was 2013.’ I coached that team, so I tell them, ‘We need to put another banner up there on the ceiling, and it’s up to you girls to do it.’ That’s what we’re working for. We want another banner up there that says ‘2024.’”