Story in Photos: 2026 Ice Hockey Semifinals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 6, 2026
PLYMOUTH – The 2025-26 ice hockey season will conclude Saturday with all three reigning champions in position to repeat at Plymouth's USA Hockey Arena – but not without facing one more major challenge.
Division 2 will start Saturday’s MHSAA Finals at 11 a.m. with Flint Powers Catholic (26-5) seeking a second-straight title and facing Livonia Stevenson (20-9-1) for the second-straight season. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (25-4) will play for a repeat in Division 3, but must get past top-seeded Houghton (24-6-1) at 3 p.m. The Division 1 Final will once again feature Detroit Catholic Central (28-1-1), this time playing for a seventh-straight title, against first-time finalist Northville (23-8), with the puck dropping at 7 p.m. to finish the day.
Hockey Weekly Action Photos captured plenty of action from the Semifinals – Division 1 and 2 photos below are by Lilanie Karunanayake and Division 3 photos are by John Castine.
Detroit Catholic Central’s Matthew Naida (12) and Dominic Testani (20) monitor the action on the ice during their team’s 8-0 win over Rockford (21-9-1) on Friday.
Rockford goalie Nolan Willams moves to protect his net as DCC’s Costa Karadimas approaches. Karadimas had a goal and an assist.
Northville's Tommy Marinoff sends a loose puck during Utica Eisenhower's net during his team's 3-2 double-overtime Division 1 Semifinal win Friday. Marinoff scored during the second period.
Eisenhower (24-7) closes in on a loose puck in front of Northville's net. The Eagles scored twice during the third period to send the game to overtime.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Emmett Pilch (15) leads a rush during his team’s 7-2 win over University Liggett (25-6) in Division 3 on Friday. He assisted on the Eaglets’ go-ahead goal during the second period.
The puck rests in the back of the Knights’ net as Charlie Roberts (3) scores one of his two goals. He also had an assist.
Houghton goalie Cooper Flachs makes one of 16 saves during his team’s shutout of Traverse Bay Reps (16-13-1) on Friday.
Livonia Stevenson’s Caden Mason scores with 4:12 left in the first period to tie his team’s Division 2 Semifinal with Caledonia (21-6-1) at 1-1 on Thursday. Bennett Eckerman and Nic Agar assisted on the goal, and Stevenson went on to win 3-2.
Spartans goalie Drew Allen (34) turns away a Caledonia shot to preserve the 1-1 score during the opening period. He made 24 saves.
Flint Powers Catholic players and fans celebrate their first goal during a 3-0 Division 2 Semifinal win over Detroit U-D Jesuit (13-16) on Thursday.
Carter Gogate’s shot goes just wide of the Powers net and Chargers goalie Hunter Clark, who had 13 saves in the shutout.
TOP PHOTO Houghton’s Connor Arko (19) and Jack Sayen (11) celebrate a goal during their Division 3 Semifinal win Friday at USA Hockey Arena. (Photos by Lilanie Karunanayake and John Castine.)
Team of the Month: Byron Center Hockey
January 13, 2023
Byron Center ice hockey has done nothing but trend upward since its start as a program in 2016-17, with Regional titles the last four seasons, two trips to the Semifinals and a Division 2 runner-up finish in 2021.
There aren’t many rungs left to climb – but if the start of this season is an indication, the Bulldogs may be nearing that final step as this winter rolls past its midpoint
Byron Center is 14-0 heading into this weekend’s trip to Traverse City for the Rick Deneweth Memorial North-South Showcase, where the Bulldogs will face Marquette tonight and Lake Orion on Saturday. Byron Center also is ranked No. 1 in Division 2 in part on the strength of a December that saw the team win eight games while giving up a combined 10 goals – earning the Bulldogs the honor as MHSAA/Applebee’s “Team of the Month.”
They’ve played one game since the end of holiday break, shutting out Rockford last weekend after heading into the two-week layoff by also shutting out the Rams. Byron Center total has five shutouts total this winter and allowed only one goal in four others games, backstopped by senior goaltenders Carson MacKenzie (1.30 goals-against average) and Devon Lay (1.07).
It’s also not just how the Bulldogs have won, but who they’ve defeated. They started December with a shutout of Midland Dow – which admittedly is having a rough go this season, but remains the reigning Division 3 champion. Byron Center followed with a 4-1 win over current Division 3 No. 2 Flint Powers Catholic, and also picked up wins during December over Division 1 No. 6 Muskegon Mona Shores (6-3) and Division 3 No. 8 Grand Rapids Catholic Central (4-2). Those were in addition to handing Division 3 No. 10 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern its first loss, 3-1, on Nov. 25.
The Byron Center team is a cooperative that includes players from Wayland and Grand Rapids South Christian. The Bulldogs are a combined 123-46-4 under coach Jordan Steger since that start in 2016-17, and a 2019-20 Division 1 tournament run was stopped in the Semifinals when the season was abruptly ended due to COVID-19.
MacKenzie made the all-state second team last season and is one of four all-state honorees back from a year ago; senior forward Brady Breit, junior forward Jackson Froysland and senior defenseman Josh Philo also made the all-state second team at their positions.
Breit and senior forward Logan Nickolaus lead with 12 goals and Nickolaus has a team-high 28 points, with Breit at 23 points and Froysland at 10 goals and 22 points total. Junior forward Cade Pratt has eight goals and 17 assists for a team second-best 25 points.
Past Teams of the Month, 2022-23
November: Martin football - Report
October: Gladwin volleyball - Report
September: Negaunee girls tennis - Report