Shamrocks Clinch 7th-Straight Division 1 Title with Familiar Finals Dominance
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
March 8, 2026
PLYMOUTH — In another dominant championship game performance, Detroit Catholic Central made it seven straight Division 1 titles Saturday with a 6-0 win over a Northville team making its first appearance in a Final.
As has been the case often in the championship game, Catholic Central was just too much at USA Hockey Arena.
The Shamrocks outshot the Mustangs, 47-15.
Junior Myles Schlack had a goal and two assists, and juniors Sam Masek and Elian Szerlip each had a goal and an assist to lead the way for DCC (29-1-1).
“It doesn’t get old,” Catholic Central head coach Brandon Kaleniecki said. “I think each one’s special in their own way. We try not to look at the numbers in a row. Each year is its own special team, and that’s what makes it so much fun for us.”
It was even more fun for Schlack, a defenseman who netted three points.
“We didn’t know much about them coming in,” Schlack said. “We just wanted to play our game. We knew we could dominate them that way, and we did.”
Northville ended its longest MHSAA Tournament run at 23-9.
“We have absolutely no regrets,” Northville head coach Ryan Ossenmacher said. “We didn’t lose a minute of time this year to get better. For some of the guys it’s just a start, for some of the guys it was a great finish.”
Catholic Central peppered Northville with shots in the first period but couldn’t get on the scoreboard until there was 2:16 left before the first intermission, when junior Luke Perdue jumped on a rebound in front of the Northville goal and shot it into a half-open net to make it 1-0.
The Shamrocks made it 2-0 with 10:34 remaining in the second period on a goal by Masak, who fired a point shot that went just underneath the crossbar.
Catholic Central then took a 3-0 lead 2:19 later when Schlack scored on a shot near the top of the left face-off circle.
The Shamrocks took a 4-0 lead with 12:53 remaining in the game on a goal by Szerlip, who took a shot that deflected off a Northville defensemen and fluttered underneath the crossbar.
With 9:07 left, Catholic Central went up 5-0 when junior Lucas Szmagaj scored on a wrist shot from the right face-off circle.
Senior Kristian Marchese then got into the act, scoring on a shot from the right face-off circle to give Catholic Central a 6-0 lead with 3:10 left.
“It was not a year where we were going to show up and dominate from the get-go to the end,” Kaleniecki said. “We knew there were going to be some challenges and a building experience as the year went on. The record sounds great whatever it ended up being, but there was a lot of challenges along the way where these guys rose to the occasion and got better at the end. Obviously, I love the way we played down the stretch.”
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Catholic Central players celebrate during their Division 1 Final win Saturday and USA Hockey Arena. (Middle) Northville’s Jake Jurcisin (12) controls the puck on his team’s end of the ice. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Highlight Reel: Ice Hockey Finals
March 14, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
This MHSAA hockey season came to a close Saturday with all three championships won by teams from the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League.
Click below for highlights from all three Finals, with one for each of the six teams that took the ice at Compuware Arena.
Division 1: Detroit Catholic Central 5 Grandville 2
BANG-BANG BULLDOG GOALS – Grandville got both of its goals 14 seconds apart. Jacob Baum on the power play, and Gianni Vitali on a scramble in front of the net closed the CC lead to 3-2.
BUT CC ANSWERS – A power play gave Detroit Catholic Central an opportunity to quell the Grandville rally. Evan Rochowiak scores the first of his two goals a minute after the Bulldogs pulled close.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 2: Birmingham Brother Rice 6, Livonia Stevenson 3
STEVENSON TIES IT UP – Livonia Stevenson got two goals two minutes apart in the second period to tie the Division 2 Final at 2-2. Joe Alcantara scores for the Spartans on the deflection.
PYC-ING UP THE REBOUND – Brendan Pyc put Birmingham Brother Rice on top to stay with two power play goals late in the third period. Here he scores his second on a rebound with 40 seconds left.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 3: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 3, Houghton 0
CRANES LIGHT IT UP QUICKLY – It took less than a minute for Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood to get on the board in the Division 3 Final against Houghton. Mason Schultz goes top shelf on the rebound.
ADASKAVEG ADDS TO THE LEAD – Cole Adaskaveg picks up the second goal for Cranbrook Kingswood with Sean O'Leary getting his second assist of the game on the play.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.