Fischer Never Far From Brother, Bulldogs
February 6, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Connor Fischer couldn’t imagine a better design. He immediately knew his brother Ryan would have loved the jerseys Grandville’s hockey team will wear Saturday against top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central.
The Grandville “G” on the front is patterned after Captain America’s shield, with the American flag trimming the bottom and stars and stripes on the shoulders.
There’s definitely a superhero quality to the sweater, fitting for a game played to remember Ryan, who died unexpectedly in his sleep 11 months ago the night before Grandville took on DCC in an MHSAA Semifinal. He had a heroic make-up; Ryan was truly an all-American kid, set to begin at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the fall, who excelled in class, on the ice and football field and was gifted with a big-picture understanding and personality that drew others to him.
Connor sees his brother a little simpler – just a great guy with a goofy laugh, who like Connor clicked his heels when he walked. But to his younger brother, Ryan continues to mean so much more.
“Growing up … I realized I wanted to be like Ryan. I strived to be like him. He was my building block, my stepping stone,” Connor said. “People who knew Ryan, know Ryan and I are different in a lot of ways. Undoubtedly there are a lot of similarities, and if people are able to compare me to him in any way it’s the greatest compliment I could receive. Because that’s how I want to be. Who better to be like than Ryan Fischer?”
The “Captain America” comparisons used to get on Connor’s nerves a bit, but now he sees those comparisons as positive – ways others help his brother live on – just like he and the Bulldogs will this weekend when they play to help raise money for a pair of scholarships in Ryan’s name.
Grandville will face Detroit Catholic Central at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Van Andel Arena, home of the Grand Rapids Griffins, a minor league affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. Tickets cost $15, with a portion of proceeds donated to the scholarship fund that bears Fischer’s name, and one ticket gets fans into both the high school game and the Griffins’ game against the Rochester Americans at 7 p.m.
Grandville has a mighty following. The Bulldogs have drawn crowds as large as 1,400 this season – but they’re hoping for more than twice that many fans as they recall both a painful memory and a beautiful friendship formed with Fischer’s untimely passing.
Fischer was a co-captain of last season’s team and a leader in various capacities – he served four years on Grandville’s student government executive board and was a member of the MHSAA’s Student Advisory Council, among other duties. A senior forward, he played a main role in helping the Bulldogs to their first MHSAA Semifinal since 2001.
Fischer never woke the morning of March 7, an examination showing he died from an enlarged heart. At the urging of his parents, Scott and Roni, Grandville did face DCC that night. The Shamrocks won 3-0, and in one of the most memorable gestures of sportsmanship in many people’s memories, skated to surround the Bulldogs as they knelt after in front of their net while fans pointed both index fingers into the air to symbolize Fisher’s number 11. (See video below.)
Connor, then a freshman, was not on varsity last season; he is the only sophomore on Grandville’s top team this winter. He didn’t see last year’s game – but the significance of Saturday’s rematch is not lost on him.
“The first thing that went through my mind is DCC is a great hockey team, the best in the state. It’s a great chance to go out there, play a high level of hockey, play great competition,” Connor Fischer said. “But look past that, they’re people from across the state that really do care. They see something bigger than a hockey game, just as I do, just as my family does and the whole team does.”
Building brotherhood
The Fischers were not a hockey family until Ryan, at 3 or 4, saw a hockey game and thought it was “the coolest thing ever,” Connor said. Soon Ryan and Scott were building rinks in the yard every winter, and when he was about 4, Connor joined his brother on the ice.
Their friendship was rooted as much in lemonade stands and playing Star Wars in the backyard as in sports. But athletics definitely provide a strong family tie. Older sister Kelsea is a sophomore gymnast for Division III power University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Ryan also was a captain of Grandville’s football team, and Connor plays the same sports as his brother and has taken up lacrosse in advance of this spring’s season.
As younger kids, Connor was a tattle-tale. Ryan would get mad at him. “But when I was in middle school and he was a freshman, he realized I would be the only brother he was going to have. I’m beyond thankful for that, beyond thankful he realized that at such a young age,” Connor said.
“When he was with his friends, he’d say, ‘This is Connor. He’s the coolest brother ever.’ … It made me feel special, just like he always made everyone feel special.”
In Connor’s words, Ryan was a little bit more personable, Connor is more conservative but laid-back.
But they shared a similar way of thinking. Connor lives situations now that Ryan did a few years ago, and without always knowing for sure, he’s pretty sure Ryan handled them in similar ways.
Ryan’s death has made Connor grow to be much older than his 16 years. Like Ryan, Connor has early thoughts of following his parents into the military – both did ROTC at Michigan State University and were officers in the U.S. Army, and Connor is considering a similar route. But he feels no expectations to be Ryan, only to grow as himself.
“His maturity is well beyond his years, and he’s absolutely sincere in everything he does with it,” Scott Fischer said. “He’s had his own legacy, his own path, as much as he’ll always support the legacy of his brother.”
Among those Connor leans on are friends who are more like family. Grandville hockey coach Joel Breazeale lives just down the road, and the Fischers and Breazeale’s three sons have been friends since most of their lives.
The hockey team has become an extended family as well. Breazeale has coached nearly 30 years, and experienced losses of players from other teams. He’s watched as certain trigger points this season have brought raw emotions rushing back. But he’s also seen something like he’s never experienced with others he’s coached – a bond so strong that the competitive juices that might rule a locker room have been replaced by tolerance and understanding of each other’s personalities that point to the former teammate whose influence remains strong.
“It’s through the grace of Ryan and what all of these boys have shared,” Breazeale said. “They embrace each other, embrace the challenges they’ve faced together, and they move forward. They take on challenges with another perspective. They’ve just grown tighter, and those traits were synonymous with Ryan.”
Always with us
Saturday’s game will be one of the final scheduled fundraisers for the Fischer scholarships, which will be given annually. Response has been tremendous and allowed for two awards – the original, which will go to a hockey player from the Ottawa Kent Conference this year and be expanded for players statewide in 2016, and a second for a Grandville High School senior. Both are for $2,500, and Scott hopes that as the fund grows, the scholarships also will grow to keep pace with increases in cost for higher education.
The hockey community has played a huge part. Grand Rapids Catholic Central coach Mike Slobodnik and former longtime East Kentwood coach Ron Baum piloted the scholarship foundation. When Breazeale mentioned the possibility of playing Saturday’s game at Van Andel, the Griffins’ management jumped at the opportunity to help and will open up ticket sales at the gate to give fans plenty of opportunity to attend.
There was never a doubt who Grandville hoped to play – from competitive and personal standpoints. The Bulldogs are 14-2-2 and ranked No. 8 in Division 1, with a chance to see how they match up with Regionals a month away.
“This made so much sense,” Breazeale said. “This is a big deal, that DCC made this investment to play Forest Hills Central (tonight) and then play us, and we appreciated that. Obviously our program has come a long way in the past 4-5 years, and for us to have become as competitive as we have been, it’s a nice acknowledgement that we’re moving into that realm. … No matter how the score ends up, it’s big for our program.”
A plaque commemorating Ryan was placed in Grandville’s football locker room this fall, near the door to the field. A similar smaller plaque hangs in Grandville’s hockey locker room at Georgetown Ice Arena; Connor and Thomas Breazeale are the last to hit the ice every day and always make sure to give it a glance.
Connor was ill at the start of this week, his temperature reaching 103 degrees. There was no way, he said Wednesday night, he wouldn’t get on the ice for at least a few seconds Saturday. But that’s it as far as personal goals for what will be a titanic matchup for his team.
“I don’t want to score a goal in his honor, nothing like that,” Fischer said. “Ryan always looked at the team before himself. There’s no better way to honor him than to help to win that game.”
Connor can’t say that it feels like this year has gone by quickly or slowly. He’s not sure how to describe it. The little things spin his mind to his brother – saying the pledge of allegiance, going past his old stall in the hockey locker room, or seeing the clock read 11:11.
He admits he was a little scared joining the varsity hockey team this winter, entering that locker room for the first time. But his teammates embraced him, and he embraced them. And Ryan’s No. 11 jersey hangs in Georgetown’s rafters, another reminder to all of them he isn’t far from their hearts.
“It’s the same coach, the same players. I feel like he’s never gone,” Connor said. “He’s never going to be gone.
"It’s amazing to know that.”
Click to order tickets for Saturday’s Grandville/Detroit Catholic Central game and enter the promo code FISCHER. Also, click for more information on the Ryan Fischer Legacy Scholarship.
PHOTOS: (Top) Connor Fischer taps a plaque commemorating his brother Ryan before a junior varsity football game in the fall. (Middle) The jerseys Grandville will wear Saturday include a number of patriotic symbols including trim of the American flag. (Below) Clockwise from left, Connor Fischer, Ryan Fischer and sister Kelsea Fischer. (Bottom) Ryan Fischer was a captain for Grandville's varsity hockey team last season. (Photos courtesy of the Fischer family.)
Preview: Top-Ranked Earn Top Seeds as Title Chase Enters Final Rounds
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 6, 2025
We know the favorites for this weekend’s MHSAA Ice Hockey Finals at Plymouth’s USA Hockey Arena – the final four teams in each division are seeded, and the three top-seeded teams also happen to be the three that were ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions at the end of the regular season.
Judging by their achievements this winter, that top-ranked trio be tough to stop. But there are nine more contenders eager for the opportunity.
In Division 1, Detroit Catholic Central has won 18 championships and will face a field of three teams all seeking to claim their first title.
In Division 2, Flint Powers Catholic is seeking its second in three seasons, but is up against a group that has combined to win eight titles and finish runner-up five times.
And in Division 3, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s will play for a first championship since 2008. But Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood is back after winning its 19th last year, and Painesdale Jeffers is seeking its first and Alpena its first in more than three decades.
Division 1 – Friday Semifinals
#1 Detroit Catholic Central (26-2) vs. #4 Sparta (17-11), 5 p.m.
#2 Howell (23-3-2) vs. #3 Salem (16-12), 7:30 p.m.
Division 2 – Thursday Semifinals
#1 Flint Powers Catholic (23-4) vs. #4 Grandville (23-6), 5 p.m.
#2 Livonia Stevenson (17-8-2) vs. #3 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (16-10-2), 7:30 p.m.
Division 3 – Friday Semifinals
#1 Orchard Lake St. Mary's (21-5-2) vs. #4 Alpena (19-9), 11 a.m.
#2 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (18-8-1) vs. #3 Painesdale Jeffers (24-4), 1:30 p.m.
Saturday – Finals
Division 1 – 7 p.m.
Division 2 – 11 a.m.
Division 3 – 3 p.m.
All Semifinals and Finals will be streamed live on MHSAA.tv and viewable with subscription. For information on tickets and more, go to the Ice Hockey page – and see below for a glance at all 12 contenders, listed by seed.
Division 1
#1 DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 26-2, No. 1
Coach: Brandon Kaleniecki, 10th season (243-32-2)
League finish: First in Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League White, first in Catholic High School League Bishop
Championship history: Eighteen MHSAA titles (most recent 2024), five runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 2-1 (OT) over No. 2 Hartland in Regional Final, 4-1 over No. 4 No. 4 Clarkston, 4-1 over No. 5 Brighton, 4-1 over Division 2 No. 4 Livonia Stevenson, 4-3 over Division 2 No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 3-2 (OT) over Division 3 No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 5-2 over Division 3 No. 1 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.
Players to watch: Justin Bloink, sr. D (13 goals, 18 assists), Resse Hemme, sr. F (13 goals, 18 assists), Tyler O’Brien, sr. F (14 goals, 15 assists), Joe Bedells, sr. G (1.76 goals-against average).
Outlook: The Shamrocks have won five straight Division 1 championships and have had only a handful of close calls this season, with their losses to Division 3 No. 4 Warren De La Salle Collegiate 5-4 in overtime on Feb. 12 and 6-3 to Lake Forest Academy of Illinois on Jan. 25. Total six players have at least 20 points this season, with senior defenseman Sam Wolak (7 goals/18 assists) and senior forwards Peter Sanin (9/14) and Nino Suhy (11/11) also in that mix and junior forwards Jack Dorgan (10 goals) and Gabe Thompson (11) also among lead scorers.
#2 HOWELL
Record/rank: 23-3-2, No. 3
Coach: Keith Robertson, first season (23-3-2)
League finish: Second in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Championship history: Division 1 runners-up 2010 and 2009.
Best wins: 2-1 (Quarterfinal) and 3-2 over No. 4 Clarkston, 2-1 over No. 5 Brighton, 3-2 over No. 8 Northville, 3-2 over No. 9 Novi, 3-2 (OT) over No. 7 Lakes United, 4-2 over Division 2 No. 1 Flint Powers Catholic, 3-2 over Division 2 No. 4 Livonia Stevenson, 3-1 over Division 2 No. 5 Grandville, 8-0 over Division 2 No. 6 Byron Center, 4-2 over Division 3 No. 2 Houghton, 2-1 over Division 3 No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.
Players to watch: Ben Huotari, sr. F (15 goals, 10 assists); Chad Pietila, jr. D (16 goals, 19 assists); Rory Sturos, sr. F (15 goals, 27 assists); Henry Lansky, sr. G (1.38 goals-against average, six shutouts).
Outlook: Howell last reached the Semifinals in 2020, but could not play because COVID-19 resulted in the end of that tournament before that round began. So the Highlanders instead will play in their first Semifinal since 2010, and they’ve made this run in their first season under Robertson, who served last season as an assistant after previously assisting Livonia Stevenson for a decade. Pietila made the all-state first team last season, and Huotari made second team. Juniors forwards Bryce Eskola (10 goals, 13 assists) and Marco Wolf (10/20) also are among leading scorers. Howell’s only losses were to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice both in shootouts, and Semifinal opponent Salem on Nov. 20.
#3 SALEM
Record/rank: 16-12, No. 6
Coach: Jake Sealy, third season (41-40-2)
League finish: Tied for second in KLAA East
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 7-4 (Quarterfinal) and 4-1 over No. 5 Brighton, 10-4 over No. 9 Novi, 4-2 over No. 3 Howell, 2-1 over Division 2 No. 3 Trenton, 7-4 over Division 2 No. 5 Grandville, 4-3 over Division 3 No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.
Players to watch: Dominic Chaput, sr. F (34 goals, 35 assists); Nolan Kaminski, sr. F (35 goals, 32 assists); Cameron Eichner, sr. D (6 goals, 30 assists); Karsen Patel, sr. F (19 goals, 43 assists).
Outlook: Salem won its sixth Regional title over the last 11 seasons and has broken through for its first trip to the Semifinals. The Rocks have won nine of their last 11 games, and the most recent Brighton victory to reach this weekend avenged a loss to the Bulldogs in Salem’s regular-season finale. Chaput made the all-state second team last season and is part of a powerful top line with Kaminski and Patel. Sophomore Andrew Weidenbach provides a scoring boost as well centering the second line, with eight goals and 14 assists this season.
#4 SPARTA
Record/rank: 17-11, unranked
Coach: Kevin Bormes, second season
League finish: First in River Cities Alliance
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 5-2 (Quarterfinal) and 2-0 over Richland Gull Lake, 2-1 (2OT) over Muskegon Mona Shores in Regional Final, 2-1 over Midland Dow, 4-3 (OT) over Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, 6-4 over Division 3 No. 8 Alpena.
Players to watch: Tanner Guerra, sr. F (14 goals, 13 assists); Trevor Serba, jr. F (17 goals, 11 assists); Caden Gleason, sr. F (28 goals, 19 assists); Trevor Vance, sr. G (2.40 goals-against average).
Outlook: Sparta is making its first trip to the Semifinals with seven wins over its last 10 games and two of the losses during that time coming in overtime. Among all their defeats this season, seven were one-goal games. Seniors dominate the top two defensive pairings and forward lines with 12 total on the roster. Gleason and Vance both made the all-state second team last season, when Sparta finished 23-4 in its first under Bormes. Junior Carson Riley (12 goals/10 assists) centers the top line.
Division 2
#1 FLINT POWERS CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 23-4, No. 1
Coach: Travis Perry, 19th season (384-117-20)
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2023, seven runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 5-4 (OT) over No. 7 Marquette in Quarterfinal, 5-1 over No. 6 Byron Center, 4-1 (Regional Final) and 8-2 over No. 10 White Lake Lakeland, 4-3 (OT) over Division 1 No. 4 Clarkston, 4-3 over Division 3 No. 1 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 4-3 over Division 3 No. 2 Houghton, 2-1 over Division 3 No. 7 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 5-1 over Division 3 No. 8 Alpena, 5-2 over Division 3 No. 3 East Grand Rapids.
Players to watch: Ayden Cook, jr. F (37 goals, 33 assists); Andrew Parmentier, sr. F (12 goals, 36 assists); Owen Perry, fr. F (25 goals, 37 assists); Andrew Burney, sr. F (22 goals, 20 assists).
Outlook: The Chargers came back from a 4-1 deficit in their Quarterfinal to get past Marquette and continue their pursuit of a second championship in three seasons. Their only losses were to the top three-ranked teams in Division 1 – Detroit Catholic Central, Hartland and Howell – and Sault Ste. Marie in overtime. Powers is scoring an average of 5.6 goals per game, with junior forward Parker Bendall (10 goals/32 assists) and senior forward Landon Miller (11/12) also in double digits. Meanwhile, junior Hunter Clark is giving up only 2.2 goals per game in goal. Cook made the all-state second team last season, and Parmentier earned an honorable mention.
#2 LIVONIA STEVENSON
Record/rank: 17-8-2, No. 4
Coach: David Mitchell, 17th season (318-117-22)
League finish: Second in KLAA East
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2013, two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 6-3 over No. 3 Trenton, 6-5 over No. 8 Mattawan, 7-2 over Division 1 No. 8 Northville, 7-3 over Division 1 No. 6 Salem, 8-4 over Division 1 No. 9 Novi, 4-2 over Division 1 No. 5 Brighton, 6-5 (OT) over Division 1 No. 10 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 3-1 over Division 3 No. 2 Houghton.
Players to watch: Owen Hall, sr. F (24 goals, 30 assists); Colin Stroble, jr. D (11 goals, 26 assists); Christian Lang, sr. F (13 goals, 26 assists); Connor Buchanan, sr. F (19 goals, 23 assists).
Outlook: A frequent Regional champion over the last decade, Stevenson will play in its first Semifinal since its most recent runner-up season of 2015-16. The Spartans opened this winter 10-1-1, hit a rough patch but have won four of their last five games. They also have tied with Howell and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and played most of the ranked teams in Division 1. Hall made the all-state first team last season, and Stroble made the second team. Junior Dawson Wallis (9 goals/19 assists) joins Stroble for the top defense pairing in front of senior goalie Lucas Rorabacher (2.89 goals-against average).
#3 BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/rank: 16-10-2, No. 2
Coach: Kenny Chaput, ninth season (152-74-12)
League finish: Second in MIHL White
Championship history: Seven MHSAA titles (most recent 2023), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 4-2 over No. 3 Trenton in Quarterfinal, 3-2 (OT) over Division 1 No. 4 Clarkston, 4-2 over Division 1 No. 6 Salem, 3-2 (SO) over Division 1 No. 3 Howell, 5-1 over Division 3 No. 2 Houghton, 4-1 over Division 3 No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.
Players to watch: Roman Villaire, sr. F (17 goals, 26 assists); Cameron George, sr. D (3 goals, 18 assists), Zac Staelgraeve, jr. F (15 goals, 15 assists); Logan Jardine, jr. F (14 goals, 11 assists).
Outlook: After a rough start, Brother Rice is 13-4-1 since its final game of December and while playing a schedule also loaded with several of the state’s best. The Warriors are seeking their fourth championship under Chaput and third over the last five seasons. Villaire made the all-state first team last season, and George earned an honorable mention. Senior forward Lanny Eickhorst (11 goals/15 assists) and sophomore forward Isaiah House (13/13) also have reached double-digit goals, and junior Mark Besedin (2.30 goals-against average) and senior Jude Manly (2.00) have split time in net.
#4 GRANDVILLE
Record/rank: 23-6, No. 5
Coach: Joel Breazeale, 14th season (230-146-12)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Fischer
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2015.
Best wins: 2-1 (Regional Final) and 2-1 (OT) over No. 6 Byron Center, 1-0 over No. 8 Mattawan in Regional Semifinal, 6-3 over Division 1 No. 8 Northville, 2-1 over Division 1 No. 10 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 6-4 over Division 3 No. 6 Painesdale Jeffers.
Players to watch: Landon Smith, jr. F (23 goals, 24 assists); Lewis Gardine, soph. D (15 goals, 10 assists); Mason Schroeder, sr. F (16 goals, 18 assists); Owen Barrett, sr. F (11 goals, 22 assists).
Outlook: Grandville last reached the Semifinals in 2022 and rebounded from last year’s 10-16-1 finish with seven straight wins to start this season and 10 over 12 games heading into this weekend. The Bulldogs have given up just one goal with three shutouts during the playoffs, with junior Ayden Karas holding down a 1.93 goals-against average for the season. Senior forward Bennett Eisma (13 goals/26 assists) and junior forward Luke Deboer (10/18) are among other leading scorers. Smith made the all-state second team last season.
Division 3
#1 ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S
Record/rank: 21-5-2, No. 1
Coach: Brian Klanow, 26th season (402-214-39)
League finish: First in MIHL Gold
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2008), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 5-1 over No. 3 East Grand Rapids in Quarterfinal, 5-3, 3-2 and 5-3 over No. 4 Warren De La Salle Collegiate; 4-3 over No. 2 Houghton, 3-1 and 3-2 (OT) over Division 2 No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 2-0 and 6-4 over Division 2 No. 7 Marquette, 3-2 (OT) over Division 2 No. 3 Trenton, 2-1 (SO) over Division 1 No. 3 Howell, 4-2 over Division 1 No. 2 Hartland.
Players to watch: Charlie Roberts, jr. F (19 goals, 16 assists); Jack Squire, sr. D (11 goals, 16 assists); Adam Zielinski, sr. F (13 goals, 18 assists); Thad Raynish, soph. F (25 goals, 15 assists).
Outlook: This will be St. Mary’s first trip to the Semifinals since 2012, with its most recent runner-up finish in 2011. They’ve won eight of their last nine games, and their losses have come to Division 1 top-ranked DCC, Division 2 top-ranked Powers, twice to Cranbrook and most recently to Sault Ste. Marie. Senior forward Julian Johnston adds another seven goals and a team-high 27 assists centering the top line, and total 11 players have double-digit assists. Seniors Will Keane (2.23 GAA) and Mason Shea (1.97) have split time in goal with plenty of success.
#2 BLOOMFIELD HILLS CRANBROOK KINGSWOOD
Record/rank: 18-8-1, No. 5
Coach: John LaFontaine, sixth season (81-61-10)
League finish: Second in MIHL Blue
Championship history: 19 MHSAA titles (most recent 2021), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 1-0 (Regional Final) and 3-0 over No. 4 Warren De La Salle Collegiate, 6-2 and 4-3 over No.1 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 6-2 over Division 1 No. 8 Northville, 2-0 over Division 2 No. 7 Marquette.
Players to watch: Nick Timko, sr. F (19 goals, 20 assists); Efe Oztorun, jr. F (14 goals, 12 assists); Hank Callison, sr. F (11 goals, 10 assists); Caleb Goldstein, sr. F (6 goals, 10 assists).
Outlook: Cranbrook rose from the fourth seed last season to win its first championship since 2021, and Timko made the all-state second team after helping lead that effort. The Cranes have won 11 of their last 13 games, and in addition to defeating St. Mary’s twice took Detroit Catholic Central to overtime in their first of two meetings. All but one loss this season came to opponents ranked among the top 10 in Divisions 1 or 2. Junior defenseman Noah Puyot and junior forward Will Nottle both also have tallied 10 assists this season.
#3 PAINESDALE JEFFERS
Record/rank: 24-4, No. 6
Coach: Aaron Helminen, second season (38-14-1)
League finish: Tied for first in Great Lakes Hockey Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 5-1 (Regional Final) and 5-1 over No. 2 Houghton, 4-1 (Regional Semifinal) and 6-2 over No. 10 Calumet, 3-2 and 4-2 over No. 9 Escanaba, 6-5 (OT) over Division 2 No. 7 Marquette.
Players to watch: Brit Heinonen, sr. LW (46 goals, 28 assists), Benton Rajala, sr. C (32 goals, 32 assists), Brogan Turner, jr. LW (32 goals, 26 assists), Cody Turner, sr. C (17 goals, 27 assists).
Outlook: Usually a cooperative with players from a handful of schools, the Jets are 18 strong and all from their school – and have played that strength and depth to a 10-win improvement from last season and first Regional title and Semifinals trip since 1977. Jeffers has scored five or more goals in 18 games and averages nearly six per game. Freshman right wing Max Nordstrom (8 goals, 23 assists), freshman defenseman Blake Heltunen (1/22), senior defenseman Griffin Heinonen (6/14) and junior right wing Easton Therrian (9/19) are among others dishing out plenty of assists. Junior goalie Kasen Helminen has given up only 1.76 goals per game.
#4 ALPENA
Record/rank: 19-9, No. 8
Coach: Ben Henry, fourth season (74-36)
League finish: First in Big North Conference
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 1993), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 5-2 over Petoskey in Quarterfinal, 5-4 over No. 10 Calumet, 4-3 (OT) over No. 6 Painesdale Jeffers, 4-2 over Division 2 No. 9 Caledonia.
Players to watch: Garrett Hamp, sr. F (26 goals, 18 assists); Clark Weir, jr. F (17 goals, 8 assists); Gavin Winterstein, jr. F (20 goals, 25 assists); Trevor Worth, soph. F (9 goals, 14 assists).
Outlook: Alpena last made the Semifinals in 2007, but has won Regional titles all four seasons under Henry and will make this trip coming off what had to be one of its most satisfying wins of the season – although the Wildcats had won the Big North Conference, they were swept by runner-up Petoskey during the regular season but defeated the Northmen in their third meeting to advance. All of the other in-state losses were to teams ranked in Divisions 1 or 2 or playing in Plymouth this weekend. Sophomore defenseman Ethan Walker (4 goals/15 assists) and senior forward Lucas Weir (5/11) are among other top offensive contributors for a team that will graduate only five players.
PHOTOS (Top) Orchard Lake St. Mary's and Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice face off during their Pink in the Rink game Feb. 8. (Middle) Painesdale Jeffers celebrates during its Quarterfinal win over Sault Ste. Marie. (St. Mary's/Brother Rice photo by Hockey Weekly Action Photos. Jeffers photo by RR Photo.)