Division 1: For Brighton, 11 is Enough
March 10, 2012
PLYMOUTH – Brighton had only 11 shots on goal in Saturday’s Division 1 Final.
But the Bulldogs needed only four to go in – including senior Chet Daavettila’s game-winner with 1 minute, 32 seconds to play.
Brighton claimed its second MHSAA title and first since 2006 by outlasting Grosse Pointe North 4-3 in the season’s final game at Compuware Arena.
“My brother won it last time. He was on the team in 2006,” Daavettila said. “He was giving me ribs about if we lose. And we won, so it was a great relief.”
How Brighton (24-4-2) won was similar to how it advanced with a 2-1 double overtime win over Orchard Lake St. Mary in the Semifinal. In that game, and despite the extra time, the Bulldogs had just 15 shots on goal.
Sophomore Troy Marrett, junior Zach Morgan and senior Tommy Kivisto all scored Saturday as Brighton opened a 3-1 lead four minutes into the second period. But senior Joe Aluia scored two of his three goals to pull Grosse Pointe North (15-15) even less than four minutes into the third period.
“He’s been one of our guys that had the heart and soul of our team all year long, and especially in the playoffs he really came to play and put the team on his back,” Norsemen coach Scott Lock said. “Tonight he was fantastic. He could’ve probably had two or three more goals with some luck on his side.
"I thought he was going to get us over the top. But even after we tied it up we had all the chances again, and we made a bad mistake in our own zone. We leave a guy free, and it ends up in our net.”
Brighton closed the season on a 10-game winning streak and gave up just six goals total in six playoff games.
“I thought today and yesterday we had a tough time finding a way,” Brighton coach Paul Moggach said. “But we found a way to do it. And I’m really proud of how they did it. It was a tough road, but they came through at the end.”
Click for the Division 1 Final box score.
PHOTO courtesy of Hockey Weekly. Brighton sophomore Brett Pietila moves the puck ahead during Saturday's second period.
Performance of the Week: Bay City Western's Nash Leonard
December 20, 2024
Nash Leonard ♦ Bay City Western
Senior ♦ Hockey
Leonard, the goalie for the Bay City Wolves cooperative team, had 31 saves during a 2-0 win over Rockford and 27 more saves in a 1-0 shootout victory over Chippewa Valley United during the Bay City Showcase as the Wolves improved to 7-2 this season. Leonard is in his fourth season in net for the Bay City program, which includes students from Bay City Central and Western.
Leonard’s goals-against average hovered at 2.80 per game over his first two seasons, then improved to 2.18 last winter, and he totaled a combined nine shutouts over his first three seasons. His goals-against average this winter has improved to 1.58 after the weekend’s pair of shutouts as he’s been in net for seven of the team’s nine games. Leonard also is a standout golfer and led Bay County in scoring average in that sport as a freshman. He hopes to play either of his sports in college and intends to study finance.
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@mhsaasports 🏒POW: Nash Leonard #tiktalk #questiontime #suits #nightowl #qdoba #flying #pepperoni #snow #laughing #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
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Previous 2024-25 honorees
Dec. 11: Blake Cosby, Dundee wrestling - Report
Dec. 4: Keaton Hendricks, Zeeland West football - Report
Nov. 29: Kate Simon, East Grand Rapids swimming - Report
Nov. 22: Ella Kokaly, Essexville Garber volleyball - Report
Nov. 15: Caroline Bryan, Grosse Pointe South swimming - Report
Nov. 8: Kaylie Livingston, Whitmore Lake cross country - Report
Oct. 25: Oliver Caldwell, Grand Rapids West Catholic tennis - Report
Oct. 18: Alex Graham, Detroit Cass Tech football - Report
Oct. 11: Victoria Garces, Midland Dow cross country - Report
Oct. 4: Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26: Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19: TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12: Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6: Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report
(Photos courtesy of the Bay City Western athletic department.)