Cranes Land 16th MHSAA Finals Win
March 9, 2013
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
PLYMOUTH — Sometimes it seems like a given that a hockey player at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood will win at least one MHSAA championship during his career.
When a program has won nine titles in the last 17 seasons and 16 in the last 35, championships are an expectation for the Cranes.
But it's not always as easy as it may look to outsiders.
Alex Alger took the ice for the final game of his brilliant three-year career with Cranbrook-Kingswood still searching for his first MHSAA championship. He made sure he wouldn't leave the program empty-handed, scoring back-to-back second-period goals in the Cranes' 4-2 victory over Sault Ste. Marie in the Division 3 Final on Saturday at Compuware Arena.
Alger wasn't on the team his freshman year when the Cranes won their last title in 2010. He experienced a 3-1 semifinal loss to Grand Rapids Catholic Central as a sophomore and a 2-1 overtime loss in the regional final to unheralded Marysville as a junior when he made second-team all-state.
"I felt like if we didn't go out on top — you can't say it was a failure, necessarily — but it's just we're always expected to do so well," Alger said. "For me to go three years without a title, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with myself, knowing that with such a strong team we couldn't pull together and make it happen."
Alger not only went out as a champion, but was a standout on a team that is arguably one of the greatest in Cranbrook-Kingswood's rich history.
The Cranes set a school record for victories, finishing 28-2-1. Ten of Cranbrook-Kingswood's previous 15 championship teams lost at least seven games. Only the 1982-83 team (24-2-1) had as few losses, while only the 2006-07 squad (25-4-1) may challenge this one as the greatest in coach Andy Weidenbach's 20-year tenure.
"If it isn't (the best), it's pretty close," Weidenbach said. "I've had two very special teams with really highly skilled players. This is definitely one of our most highly skilled teams."
Sault Ste. Marie gave the Cranes their closest game of the postseason, getting outshot 38-10 in the process. Cranbrook-Kingswood outscored six playoff opponents by a combined score of 47-4.
"At the end of the day, you've got the two best teams in the state here," Sault Ste. Marie coach John Ferroni said. "I've seen most of the D3 teams in the state this year. I feel we're the next-best team.
They're obviously the best team in the state. To be honest with you, I think they're better than Division 2. They obviously can play with the Division 1 teams. They're a wonderful-looking hockey team, just so
poised and mature out there with the puck."
A goal by Austin Alger at 8:11 of the first period and Kevin Shand at 7:23 of the second gave the Cranes a 2-0 lead. Sault Ste. Marie got back in the game at 8:51 of the second on a goal by Alex Teneyck, but
Alex Alger quickly turned the momentum back in Cranbrook-Kingswood's favor with goals at 10:10 and 11:26 to make it a 4-1 game.
Sault Ste. Marie (22-9) added the only goal of the third period when Chase Gamelin scored with 11:26 remaining, but it was the only shot on goal by the Blue Devils during the entire period.
"We had our spurts in the game, but just not enough of them to create offense," Ferroni said. "When you get it close like that, you think maybe we'll get lucky with another shot and score a goal and put some pressure on them, even though the shots on goal were a vast difference. I knew we were going to give up between 30-35 shots. I thought if we could keep the penalties down, that would keep the shots
on goal down. That didn't happen too well for us."
Cranbrook-Kingswood was 1-for-7 on the power play, while Sault Ste. Marie was 0-for-2.
The Cranes have a 16-2 record in MHSAA finals, emerging victorious in their last eight appearances.
PHOTOS: (Top) Cranbrook-Kingswood senior Billy Young (19) charges up ice during Saturday's Division 3 Final at Compuware Arena. (Middle) The Cranes celebrate their first championship since 2010. (Photos by Andrew Knapik.)
Unexpected Scorer Ices Unranked Cranes' Record 19th Title Win with OT Goal
March 9, 2024
PLYMOUTH — On one of Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood’s least likely championship hockey teams, one of the least likely players was the hero.
Junior defenseman David Schmitt’s fourth goal of the season 3:34 into the third overtime gave the Cranes their 19th MHSAA Finals championship with a 3-2 victory over East Grand Rapids in the Division 3 title game Saturday at USA Hockey Arena.
Schmitt scored from the right point off a faceoff win. It was his second goal of the game and third in two games over the weekend.
“I just went blank,” he said. “Did I do that? It was pretty crazy.”
Prior to the MHSAA Semifinals, Schmitt had only one goal and four assists in 28 games.
“Coaches were telling me to get pucks off quick on net and see what’ll happen,” Schmitt said. “I did. I saw a lane, shot it and it went in.
“It’s incredible, but it’s not just me. It’s the team, everybody, the coach, our goalie. Everybody put in equally as much work. I can’t say enough about these guys. It’s an incredible team.”
Cranbrook-Kingswood came into the MHSAA playoffs unranked and completely under the radar, which was understandable given its 11-13-1 regular-season record. And it had been three years since the Cranes’ last Finals championship, their record 18th.
Players and coaches believe the team finally began to gel about a month ago.
“I think it starts at the top with leadership on the team,” Cranes senior Michael Horton said. “I remember coach (John) LaFontaine saying at the beginning of the year and throughout the year (that we’ll struggle) if the leadership on this team cannot come together, because the younger guys will see that and they’ll just be like, ‘Oh, our seniors, our leaders, our whatevers, they don’t trust each other, so how are we supposed to trust them? How are we supposed to trust this process?’ Before every overtime, before every play, we’d go up to each other and say, ‘I trust you. I trust you with everything I have.’”
The championship doesn’t happen without the stellar goaltending of junior Garrett Dudlar, who joined the team around Christmas and made 53 saves Saturday, the second-most in an MHSAA Final. The record of 58 was set by Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Ryan Morley-Stockton in an eight-overtime 1-1 tie with Marquette in the 2008 Division 1 title game.
Dudlar stopped the final 39 shots he faced.
“It was definitely different,” Dudlar said of playing triple overtime. “We played a solid game so far, so nothing changed; keep it the same.”
East Grand Rapids senior Glenn Green opened the game by scoring the fastest goal to start a Final, just 12 seconds after the opening faceoff. The previous record of 18 seconds was set by East Kentwood’s Jason Bravata against Trenton in the 1990 Class A Final.
Kyle Braunscheidel responded for the Cranes by the 4:14 mark. The Pioneers took a 2-1 lead into the intermission after James Albers scored on the power play at 15:39 of the first.
Schmitt scored the only goal of the second period just three seconds into a two-man advantage at 8:28.
For the Pioneers, it was the second year in a row they lost in gut-wrenching fashion in the championship game. Last season, they lost 3-2 to Flint Powers Catholic when Mason Czarnecki scored on a breakaway with 4.6 seconds left for the latest winning goal in regulation time in Finals history.
“There’s, what, 142 teams in the state,” East Grand Rapids coach Christopher Newton said. “Not many people are trying to win, trying to get through a season and set high goals. We had that group. It doesn’t come around very much, so it’s really disappointing.”
PHOTOS (Top) Cranbrook goalie Garrett Dudlar (1) gets in position to stop a shot from East Grand Rapids’ Ian MacKeigan. (Middle) The Cranes’ Nick Timko (12) brings the puck up the ice with EGR’s Charlie Hoekstra in pursuit. (Below) Cranbrook captains Thomas Kiemel (4), Roman Cicco and Michael Horton (13) celebrate the title. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)