Brighton Earns Finals Revenge over DCC
March 11, 2017
Second Half reports
PLYMOUTH — Logan Neaton needed time in the midst of a wild championship celebration to process the events of an entire year.
It was 365 days earlier that Neaton and his Brighton hockey teammates were beaten by Detroit Catholic Central, 3-0, in the MHSAA Division 1 championship game.
From the moment the Bulldogs stepped off the ice at USA Hockey Arena that night, everything they did was designed to get back there and write a different ending.
Brighton completed its mission with a 5-2 victory over three-time reigning champion Catholic Central in the season’s final game Saturday night.
Neaton, normally not one to show his emotions during a game, leaned back over the crossbar and looked to the rafters of USA Hockey Arena in the final minute after Jake Crespi’s empty-netter made it apparent the Bulldogs would win their fourth MHSAA title.
When the clock hit zeroes, Neaton wound up in a pile with his teammates, got himself out, jumped against the glass to celebrate with the student section, then went to the faceoff circle and had a moment to himself face down on the ice.
"It's been a year to the day since we lost," said Neaton, who made 31 saves Saturday and allowed only four goals in six postseason games. "You just represent so much more than yourself. You're representing all the boys who came before you, who came so close and couldn't get it done. Everyone in your city, we just had so much support throughout the year. So many people instilled so much in us and put so much of their time and effort in us. To do that for them and do it for the boys last year and everyone who came before us is unbelievable."
Brighton (24-6-1) lost in the 2014 and 2016 Finals to Catholic Central after beating the Shamrocks for the 2013 title.
The Bulldogs also won in 2006 and 2012. Brighton and Catholic Central have crossed paths in four of the last five MHSAA Finals. The Bulldogs beat the Shamrocks twice this season after doing so only once in 11 previous meetings.
"They've always been the benchmark," Brighton coach Paul Moggach said. "They're the team to beat for a lot of years. We've struggled to beat them. This year we beat them twice, which we've never done before. We just keep working hard and trying to be able to compete with them. Now we're on the map, as well."
Brighton stormed out of the gates, jumping to a 2-0 lead in the first 2 minutes and 23 seconds on goals by Keith Wikman and Spencer Gehres.
Junior Adam Conquest, who played for Brighton as a freshman before returning to travel hockey as a sophomore, extended the lead to 3-0 with a shorthanded goal 43 seconds into the second period.
Conquest had a goal and two assists.
“It feels amazing,” Conquest said. “I didn’t play last year, but watching them from up in the stands I regretted not playing. I could have helped them out. This year, I joined. It’s an unreal experience beating C.C.”
The Shamrocks (22-8-1) made a game of it, as Brendan West scored twice in the second period to cut the margin to 3-2 heading into the third.
“We felt like if we got the second (goal), we had a lot of faith that we were going to get the third,” Catholic Central coach Brandon Kaleniecki said. “You have to keep them off the boards. When they got their fourth, that was a killer blow for us.”
Gehres gave Brighton some insurance when he deflected in a shot by Conquest with 11:44 left in the game. An empty-netter by Crespi with 1:08 remaining left no doubt that this was Brighton’s year.
There was some doubt just a couple weeks earlier as to whether or not the Bulldogs would be celebrating with the championship trophy. Brighton went 1-4-1 in its last six regular-season games, but was missing players.
"You need adversity to understand where you're at and get you pumped up a little bit more," Moggach said. "They reacted well. We had some injuries and illness in there, too. Not for excuses, but we all realized we had the makings of a good team."
It was only the fifth time in 18 trips to the MHSAA Finals that Catholic Central took home the runner-up trophy.
“We’re just incredibly proud as a coaching staff of how they competed to the very end,” Kaleniecki said.
PHOTOS: (Top) Brighton goalie Logan Neaton stops a Detroit Catholic Central shot Saturday evening. (Middle) Spencer Gehres dumps in a Brighton goal during the Division 1 Final. (Click to see more at HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Grandville Seniors Striving to Finish Time Together with Another Memorable Run
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
December 19, 2025
GRANDVILLE – A talented group of nine seniors on the Grandville hockey team have been playing together since they first learned to skate.
Now, in their final season on the ice, they have sights fixed on ending their careers with another successful campaign.
“It's been really nice to play one last time with some of the guys you’ve been playing with since the youth hockey years and then playing together all four years in high school,” senior goalie Ayden Karas said. “ The chemistry and bond we’ve had all together really makes it one big family.”
Grandville senior Braden Vander Veen sees it as one last opportunity to make a lasting impact on the program.
“It’s been awesome to play with all these guys, and we have a ton of chemistry,” Vander Veen said. “We know we only have a certain amount of time left with each other, so we are just trying to leave it all out there.”
The Bulldogs, who lost in last year’s Division 2 Semifinal to eventual champion Flint Powers Catholic, have picked up where they left off en route to a solid 7-1-1 start to this season.
Longtime Bulldogs coach Joel Breazeale, who last month was recognized as the Michigan High School Coaches Association (MHSCA) Coach of the Year, said expectations remained lofty this winter with the return of several experienced players.
“Very happy with how we have played and I think the players would say they are pleased, but I don’t think they are surprised,” he said. “I think that’s the standard they’ve come to expect over the past two seasons, especially with this senior class that have been together with me since they were 4 or 5 years old. This is their opportunity to see it all the way through.”
Grandville, currently ranked No. 4 in Division 2, dropped its first game to second-ranked Trenton at the West Michigan Showcase, but bounced back the next day to defeat one of the top teams in Division 3.
The Bulldogs rallied to knock off Houghton 4-3.
“We’ve had some good and solid close games with them, but we never had an opportunity to play them at a neutral site,” Breazeale said. “For our guys, especially with the returning boys, this was an opportunity that we don’t get too often and they just dug a little deeper.
“I thought we played wonderfully the night before against Trenton but the game got away from us, and I felt like the kids came out in the second period (against Houghton) and just picked up where they left off and their coach said that they just couldn't keep up with our guys. We were remarkably consistent with our energy and our ability to stay on top of the puck, constant pressure.”
It was the first time the seniors had beaten Houghton.
“That was huge,” Vander Veen said. “Obviously the night before we played Trenton, which was our first real test, and then beating Houghton, who is one of the best teams in the state, felt great. It really gave us a lot of confidence.”
Six of Grandville’s wins have been shutouts as an aggressive defense and stout goaltending have been complemented by timely goal scoring from a balanced line-up.
“I feel like the season has been going pretty well, we’ve had some good games the past couple weeks,” Karas said. “The defense has been a really big reason why I've performed so well, and they've always been really helpful in front.
“Expectations were really high this year, especially coming off a final four run last year, but it's a new team and a new year.”
A promising group of younger players also have blended in well to provide depth.
“We have a ton of experience, and we took in a lot of young guys this year,” Vander Veen said. “It’s huge being able to mentor those guys and carry on with the success that we had last year. We have a lot of guys coming back who are hungry for more.
“We have definitely put in a ton of work in the offseason and with what we did last year, we were expecting to be up there this year. We are working toward that final four run again.”
Breazeale is looking for continued growth from his team as the season progresses.
“Marginal gains is what we’re focused on with the returning players, and then really hoping to see a jump from the new sophomores and juniors on the team,” he said. “The larger gains from our newest members will really determine how competitive we are with our depth because for any team to be successful it’s going to take more than just the leading cast members.”
The Bulldogs host Hudsonville on Friday before another road test Saturday against Rockford.
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Grandville’s Braden Vander Veen (3) gets his stick on the puck as goalie Ayden Karas walls off that side of the net during a game this season. (Middle) Luke DeBoer (19) takes a faceoff against Jenison. (Below) A group of Bulldogs skate side by side, including Vander Veen and Lewis Gardine (18). (Photos by Jenn Bellgraph Photography.)