D3 Preview: Rush of Past Contenders Seek to Become Next Champ
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 10, 2022
Reigning Division 3 runner-up Calumet will return to USA Hockey Arena this weekend seeking to take the next step and claim its first Finals championship since 2008 – while joined by three more semifinalists making the trip again after a few years away.
Midland Dow will take the ice for its first Semifinal since 2000, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s for its first in 10 years and Warren De La Salle Collegiate its first since winning Division 3 in 2017.
SEMIFINALS – Friday, March 11
Warren De La Salle Collegiate vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 11 a.m.
Calumet vs. Midland Dow, 1:30 p.m.
FINAL – Saturday, March 11 – 3 p.m.
Tickets cost $13 for both Semifinals (per session) and Finals and are available exclusively from GoFan. All Semifinals and Finals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv and viewable with subscription, with free audio broadcasts via the MHSAA Radio Network.
Below is a glance at all four Division 3 contenders taking the ice this weekend. Click for the full program.
CALUMET
Record/rank: 19-9, No. 7
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2008), six runner-up finishes.
Coach: Dan Giachino, seventh season (129-50-8)
League finish: Tied for first in Great Lakes Hockey Conference
Best wins: 3-2 (Regional Final), 2-1, 3-2 and 5-3 over No. 4 Houghton, 3-1 over Division 1 No. 3 Salem, 6-2 over Division 1 No. 2 Brighton, 5-2 over Division 2 No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 2-0 over Division 2 No. 2 Marquette.
Players to watch: Jackson Rilei, sr. F (19 goals, 35 assists); Paul Sturos, sr. F (29 goals, 19 assists); Tom Erkkila, sr. D (7 goals, 17 assists); Aksel Loukus, jr. G (2.60 goals-against average, 4 shutouts).
Outlook: The Copper Kings were runners-up last season, reaching the championship game for the first time since 2017. Rilei, Erkkila and Loukus all made the all-state first team last season, and senior defenseman Cliff Jurmu (4 goals/8 assists) made the second. Loukus has stopped 92 percent of shots he’s faced, and Calumet has allowed more than three goals only five times this season. Ayden Williams (13 goals/10 assists) is another goal scorer, and Nolan Sturos (2/11) was among the team’s points leaders last season and is moving up the list again despite playing only 17 games.
MIDLAND DOW
Record/rank: 18-5-3, No. 8
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Coach: Dick Blasy, 19th season (record N/A)
League finish: Tied for second in Saginaw Valley League
Best wins: 3-2 (3 OT) over No. 1 Flint Powers Catholic in Regional Final, 4-3 over No. 9 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 4-1 over Division 1 No. 6 Howell, 8-1 over Division 1 No. 9 Traverse Bay Reps, 3-1 over Division 1 No. 5 Saginaw Heritage, 3-2 over Division 1 No. 4 Grandville, 3-0 over Division 2 No. 10 Byron Center, 4-2 over Division 2 No. 9 Traverse City Central.
Players to watch: Billy VanSumeren, sr. F (40 goals, 28 assists), Ryan Pomranky, sr. F (22 goals, 25 assists), Isaac Skinner, jr. F (11 goals, 22 assists); Collin Lemanski, sr. G (1.28 goals-against average, 6 shutouts).
Outlook: Dow was set in 2020 to make its first Semifinals appearance in 20 years, but COVID-19 ended the season. The Chargers were only delayed in making the trip. Most impressively, they followed up a regular-season tie with top-ranked Powers Catholic by winning their Regional meeting. Dow is especially impressive defensively with 16 games giving up one or no goals, including eight of its last nine. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound VanSumeren has scored 37 percent of the team’s goals, but 10 Chargers total have at least 10 assists. Senior Nolan Sanders is another of four double-digit scorers with 10 goals.
ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S
Record/rank: 19-8, No. 3
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2008), one runner-up finish.
Coach: Brian Klanow, 23rd season (338-191-33)
League finish: Third in MIHL North
Best wins: 3-1 (Regional Final), 4-1 and 2-0 over No. 6 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 5-0 over No. 10 Grosse Pointe South, 2-0 over Division 1 No. 2 Brighton, 6-1 over Division 2 No. 6 Trenton, 8-5 over Division 2 No. 7 Canton, 5-1 and 2-0 over Division 2 No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice.
Players to watch: Brendan Dell, sr. D (3 goals, 7 assists); Bryce Agne, sr. D (5 assists); Jack Brunell, sr. F (12 goals, 10 assists), Dylan Magdich, sr. D (9 goals, 10 assists).
Outlook: St. Mary’s will be playing in its first Semifinal since 2012 and first in Division 3 since 2005 after advancing this far several times in Division 1 and playing in Division 1 last season. Despite facing many of the state’s best, the Eaglets have been among the strongest defensively giving up more than three goals only five times and with senior goalies Aidan Klingbeil (1.41 goals-against average) and Kely Kane (1.65) both with save percentages above .910 and eight shutouts combined. Dell made the Division 1 all-state second team last season, and Agne earned an honorable mention.
WARREN DE LA SALLE COLLEGIATE
Record/rank: 23-4-1, No. 2
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2017.
Coach: Sean Clark, fourth season (56-33-6)
League finish: First in MIHL South
Best wins: 7-2 over No. 5 Riverview Gabriel Richard in Quarterfinal, 5-2 over No. 9 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett in Regional Final, 3-2 and 3-1 over No. 6 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 5-1 over No. 10 Grosse Pointe South, 4-2 over Division 1 No. 1 Detroit Catholic Central, 6-2 over Division 2 No. 6 Trenton, 4-0 over Division 2 No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 4-3 over Division 2 No. 10 Byron Center.
Players to watch: Seaton Heilman, sr. C (13 goals, 19 assists); Brady Des Madryl, jr. C (18 goals, 18 assists); Robert VanderDonck, sr. LW (21 goals, 19 assists); Branden Stabnick, sr. RW (9 goals, 33 assists).
Outlook: The Pilots are riding an impressive seven-game winning streak that included the win over the Shamrocks in the regular-season finale – the second of two early losses De La Salle avenged over the last six weeks. Heilman earned an all-state honorable mention last season. Senior left wing Jacob Lawrence also is among leading scorers with 10 goals, with nine assists, and senior Jake Gangola has six goals and 22 assists from his defenseman spot. Junior Benjamin VanderDonck (1.16 GAA) and senior Andrew Parmentier (1.56) both have save percentages better than .930 and a combined seven shutouts.
PHOTO Calumet goalie Aksel Loukus sets up to make a stop during last season’s Division 3 Final against Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.
Painesdale Jeffers Roster Filled with Jets Earns Historic Opportunity
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
February 25, 2025
HOUGHTON — Many talented hockey players have gone through the ranks at Painesdale Jeffers High School.
The team, however, has often been low on numbers.
The situation has changed this winter, and the Jets have a 22-4 record to show for it.
“In the past, we could only skate two lines,” coach Aaron Helminen said. “Now our numbers are up. In the last few years we had 25-27 guys, which gives us some depth. You need numbers to have competition. It makes everybody better because the guys push each other. You have to work harder to keep your spot.”
Although Jeffers is a cooperative hockey program, allowing the Jets to roster players from Chassell, Ontonagon, Dollar Bay, Baraga, L’Anse and Ironwood as well, all 18 of this year’s players are Jeffers student-athletes – which is even more impressive as Jeffers’ enrollment total for classification this school year was just 218.
The Jets began their postseason journey with a 4-1 victory over Calumet in a Division 3 Regional opener last Wednesday. They return to the MacInnes Student Ice Arena at Michigan Tech at 7 p.m. today to face Houghton (18-8), which has won two straight Regional titles.
“We got good shifts from our third line,” Helminen said. “We’re just excited to have an opportunity to play another game. Houghton can skate 3-4 lines. They have a very good team. That will be a revenge game for them.”
The Jets – ranked No. 6 in Division 3 entering the postseason – defeated the No. 2 Gremlins 6-2 in their lone regular-season meeting Jan. 22.
“They’re a very fast and physical team,” Jeffers senior Benton Rajala said. “We have to get guys on the puck and play the body. I don’t recall of Jeffers ever winning a Regional, but I have dreamed about it.”
The Jets, however, did capture a Regional title in 1977. A victory tonight would end their drought.
“It feels great to be moving on,” senior Brit Heinonen said after the Calumet win. “This gets the monkey off our back. Having larger numbers makes a big difference. We have a special group which plays well together. We have good chemistry.”
In last Wednesday’s game, Jeffers outshot Calumet 29-17 with junior goaltender Kasen Helminen stopping 16 shots.
“It feels good to win a playoff game, but I haven’t had much chance to think about it yet,” Helminen said after. “I’d rather have some shots taken at me. Clearing the puck helps me out. In practice, we have one or two drills in which shots are fired at me. I also practice a lot on my footwork.”
What kind of challenges are in store for the Jets tonight?
“They (Houghton) try to beat you with the rushes,” the Jets’ goaltender said. “You have to be aware of their odd-man rushes.
”It would feel great to advance.”
Heinonen had similar thoughts about the Gremlins, who defeated Hancock 5-3 in their Regional opener.
“Houghton has been great for many years,” he said. “Teams around here will battle to the end. In playoffs, anything can happen. We have a good chance.”
The winner advances to the Saturday Quarterfinal contest at Lakeview Arena in Marquette to face the winner of another Regional Final tonight between Escanaba (16-10) and Sault Ste. Marie (11-13-1).
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top) Painesdale Jeffers’ junior Brogan Turner rips a shot during a game this season. (Middle) The Jets’ Easton Therrian (4) makes his way up ice against Negaunee. (Below) Brit Heinonen advances past the blue line. (Photos by RR Photo.)