Team of the Month: Hartland Ice Hockey
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
February 18, 2022
The Hartland hockey team finished the month of January with an 8-1 record since the turn of the calendar year, still ranked No. 1 statewide in Division 2 and having earned the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West and overall championships.
But those achievements didn’t come easily. Not even close.
The MHSAA/Applebee’s Team of the Month for January has had its share of success over the last decade, with Division 2 championships in 2018 and 2019 and runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2014. But the Eagles’ January run made an impressive statement as the team builds toward another possible title run.
Hartland earned five of those eight January wins over ranked teams, improved a 9-3 record after December to 17-4 by the start of February. The lone loss in January came 2-1 to Division 3 top-ranked Flint Powers Catholic.
“It’s nice when it all comes together, because you can say it was part of the plan. But we knew we were going to have to take a step after the new year, and we discussed that as a group,” Hartland coach Rick Gadwa said. “The big thing is our schedule was ramping up even more. December was hard enough, but then if you look at that track that we had in January, we knew it was going to be tough.
“The guys just took that with a little bit of a drive and wanted to try and run the slate. Obviously, it’s a really hard thing to do, and we did have that loss and we could’ve had a couple of others. But we had some great learning experiences in January … and gained some confidence.”
Hartland’s 2-1 win over Division 1 No. 2 Brighton on Jan. 15 paved the way for the KLAA West title, and the Eagles avenged a November loss to Division 2 No. 2 Livonia Stevenson with a 3-1 win Jan. 26 to earn the overall KLAA championship.
Hartland also won the Westside Invitational by defeating Division 2 No. 5 Byron Center 7-3 and No. 6 Muskegon Mona Shore 3-2 in overtime despite missing Gadwa, who was ill. The Byron Center win avenged last year’s Quarterfinal loss to the Bulldogs, and the Eagles didn’t lead against Mona Shores until scoring the deciding goal.
Earlier in the month, Hartland also came back to win 6-4 over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, the No. 3-ranked team in Division 3.
“These guys just have this calmness about them, and I appreciate that group,” Gadwa said. “They’re a skilled group, and to see how this group stayed the course when things aren’t going well for them, it’s a trait that’s tough to get high school teams to buy into at times. I’m just appreciative for how they’ve been able to grasp that adversity and overcome it and adjust.”
Hartland is up to 19-5, and has received contributions from throughout the roster. Fourteen of 16 skaters have scored, all 16 have at least three points and 10 Eagles have at least 10 points.
Seniors Ashton Trombley (18 goals, 14 assists) and Jack Paweski (17 goals, 12 assists) lead five players with at least 11 goals, followed on the points list by juniors Lucas Henry (11 goals, 17 assists), Ben Pouliot (11/16) and Braden Pietila (11/15) and assists leader Brendan Pietila (7/19). Senior Kameron Ragon is 15-0 in goal with a 1.19 goals-against average and .946 save percentage.
The Eagles face Division 1 No. 6 Saginaw Heritage tonight before beginning Division 2 Regional play next week at Dort Federal Event Center in Flint.
“Every team has to define themselves,” Gadwa said, “and they’re doing a good job of that.”
Past Teams of the Month, 2021-22
December: Midland Dow girls basketball - Read
November: Reese girls volleyball - Read
October: Birmingham Groves boys tennis - Read
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.)