Traverse Bay Reps Teammates Unite to Take on Great Lakes Paddle Board Pursuit
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
August 3, 2023
Twenty years ago, Kwin Morris and Jeff Guy were teammates on an MHSAA Quarterfinal-qualifying hockey team.
Guy even scored the winning goal in the Regional Final for Bay Area Reps, which topped Traverse City West 2-1.
This summer’s accomplishment, though, will go deeper in the history books.
Guy and Morris teamed up with Joe Lorenz to complete a dream that started a decade ago. They crossed all five of the Great Lakes on paddle boards while raising awareness and funds for water quality.
They put their balance, endurance and stick-handling skills together for the cause.
‘After 10 years and over one hundred grand raised for the lakes, it feels amazing,” Morris said. “I think the best part is knowing my kids will grow up knowing their old man did something cool for the environment in a unique way.”
It all started at a December social event in Traverse City. Guy, a financial adviser, and Morris, a middle school science teacher, had just gotten into paddle boarding when they began to wonder if they could cross Lake Michigan.
Lorenz, a personal trainer, promptly gave assurances they could — and joined them — even though he had never been on a paddle board prior to the holiday gathering.
Morris, Guy and Lorenz successfully crossed Lake Michigan in 2015, pausing in the cold of the night to look at the Northern Lights. They finished the nearly 100-kilometer journey in just under 25 hours. That accomplishment convinced them to launch Stand Up for Great Lakes, a non-profit organization to raise money and awareness for the protection of the lakes.
The trio also is supporting the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, a non-profit housed at the University of Michigan.
“It feels amazing to have finished crossing all five lakes and complete a lifelong goal,” Guy acknowledged. “The dollars and awareness we have raised is incredible, and hopefully it continues to grow.”
Lake Huron was the toughest to cross by far, the former Reps noted. The 90-mile, 29-hour paddle brought seven hours of rain and high waves.
“Plus Joe knocked me in and Jeff fell in after catching a fish,” Morris observed.
Ontario was the team’s second-hardest challenge and the shortest paddle. Huge waves from the side all day took quite a toll on the paddlers, who were accompanied by safety boats on each crossing.
Lake Superior featured glassy water, a spectacular sunset and the paddlers pausing to conduct a ceremony over the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck. The northernmost Great Lake ranks as the group’s favorite.
Guy graduated from Kalkaska High School in 2003 and went on to play hockey at Hope College. He also played football, baseball and golf for the Blazers. He and his wife, Melissa, have a daughter, Emma.
Morris graduated in 2005 from Elk Rapids High School, where he also played baseball. He went on to get a teaching degree from Western Michigan University. He and his wife, Megan, have two children, Fitz and Knox. He now works for his former school district, teaching science.
The pair played for the Reps through a co-op hosted by Traverse City St. Francis that included athletes from Charlevoix, Elk Rapids, Kalkaska, Kingsley, Lake Leelanau St Mary, Mancelona and Suttons Bay. The Reps’ first coach was Michigan High School Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee Rex Luxton. He coached through 2008.
Morris and Guy look back at their high school playing days and coach with fondness.
“We had some great teams, and I think I still have the career goal record there,” Guy recalled. “Also, our coach on the Reps Rex Luxton was highly motivational to me while playing for him and later in life.”
Morris echoed Guy.
“I loved the whole experience,” Morris said. “Playing for my high school … Friday night games … school rivalries … playing for Rex Luxton … amazing friends and teammates — almost surreal that it will have been 20 years.”
The former coaching staff of the Reps are not at all surprised Morris and Guy challenged themselves to make a difference for the Great Lakes.
The coaching staff remembers Guy as a natural scorer coming through with big goals, and Morris as a strong two-way player who scored five goals in one period in Sault Ste. Marie. The past coaches also remember all the traveling the two did for practice and games because of the geographic nature of the squad.
“I had no idea they had any interest in the water kind of stuff,” Luxton said of his former players’ feat. “When I started following their bid to raise awareness, it didn’t surprise me they would attempt something like this.
“I think it illustrates how much determination they have and how much hard work they were willing to put in,” he continued. “It is just outstanding, particularly with the cold weather in the Great Lakes.”
Cody Inglis, a senior assistant director for the MHSAA, was an assistant coach for the Reps during all of Morris and Guy’s time with the co-op. He finds himself beaming with pride and happiness knowing these former players are giving back and making it a better world.
“What Jeff and Kwin have done physically and mentally to cross all of the Great Lakes on stand-up paddle boards is remarkable in itself,” Inglis pointed out. “When you add in the fact that they have put in charitable causes and the preservation of the Great Lakes as a reason for doing it – it makes it even more special.
“It’s not surprising given my recollection and remembrances of Jeff and Kwin, as they were really good hockey players and better people.”
High school hockey is where Morris and Guy’ friendship blossomed. Spending 24 or more hours together — and with Lorenz — has forged a greater lifetime bond that already had included being a part of each other’s weddings.
But they admit they had no inkling of this type of accomplishment back in high school.
“Sports were the most important thing in my life in high school,” Guy revealed. “Working really hard to win as many games as possible was the main goal – along with getting good grades and trying to get into a good college.”
But teamwork, learned on the ice and through other high school sports, can make anything possible.
“Any sport where you have to work as a team helps push yourself out of your comfort zone,” Morris concluded. “That's where the best things in life happen.”
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PHOTOS (Top) Clockwise from top left: Jeff Guy celebrates a goal while playing for Traverse Bay Reps with Kwin Morris to his left, Guy (left) and Morris (right) take a photo after one of their paddle board trips, and Morris bringing the puck up the ice for the Reps. (Middle) Guy, Morris and Joe Lorenz take a photo together on the lake shore. (Below) Morris accepts a medal during the 2004-05 season. (Photos courtesy of Jeff Guy, Kwin and Jo Morris.)
'TBF' Backstopping Bay Reps' Title Hopes as Exciting Future Takes Shape
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
February 27, 2026
Tyler Boynton-Fischer knows his high school ice hockey career could end any day now.
He also knows, or at least hopes, his playing days are far from over. Many, including his coaches, believe he’ll play at the next level and just maybe in the National Hockey League.
Boynton-Fisher is the record-setting goalie for the Bay Area Reps, a hockey co-op hosted by Traverse City St. Francis that includes athletes from Charlevoix, Elk Rapids, Kalkaska, Kingsley, Lake Leelanau St. Mary, Mancelona and Suttons Bay. He’s a senior at Traverse City St. Francis, and he finds himself in a familiar position.
The Reps are in the Quarterfinal for the second time over three years with Boynton-Fisher as their starting goalie. They advanced to the Regional Finals last season with Boynton-Fischer in net and his older brother Thomas, a senior then, and Grant Lucius leading an explosive attack.
Regardless of what happens when they take on Freeland on Saturday in Gaylord, the 6-foot-2 and growing goalie should play on. He’s been dreaming of playing in the NHL as far back as he can remember – and maybe longer.
“If I can, playing in the NHL would be really cool,” Fisher-Boynton said. “I am just excited to see what I can do and see what level I can play at.”
The dream could have begun as an infant when he was literally placed in the Stanley Cup as it visited Traverse City in 2008. From a photo, it almost looks like he was dreaming about making a kick save.
And while scientists continue to debate exactly when children start dreaming, Boynton-Fisher’s started in or before he was in first grade. His first-grade teacher, Kim Tumey, and his mother, Alysia Boynton-Fischer, recall having a follow-up discussion on a lesson at Willow Hill Elementary School in Traverse City.
Fisher-Boynton declared to his entire classroom he was going to play in the National Hockey League. Tumey, now retired, said the declaration was in response to how the students thought they could make money when they’re older. Tumey recalled further questioning Boynton-Fisher, and he said his mom would provide financially for him if he didn’t.
Boynton-Fisher is already making arrangements to play juniors – competitive amateur level for players aged 16–21 (but primarily 18–19) designed to develop skills for college and or professional hockey. His older brother Thomas went on to play for the juniors team in Saskatchewan after setting the Reps’ single-season assists record at 38 and finishing his high school career high on the Reps’ all-time career assists and scoring lists.
Their cousin, Dyson Drake, is playing juniors right now in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Drake is the son Dallas Drake, a member of the 2008 Stanley Cup-winning Detroit Red Wings. Fisher-Boynton often gets ice time with his uncle and cousin.
The former Red Wing was the first to hoist the cup on the ice, and he brought it to his Traverse City residence late that summer. He believes Boynton-Fischer has what it takes to play at the next level. The family and doctors believe the senior is still growing, giving him even more puck stopping capabilities.
“Tyler’s very athletic, and he's had a great high school career,” Dallas Drake said. “I know he wants to move on. I'm looking forward to see what he does.”
Drake is quick to point out Boynton-Fisher and his entire family has had to overcome challenges to get to today.
“We had a big loss in the family with his dad passing away,” Drake acknowledged. “He's gone through a lot in the last four or five years, and he's obviously adjusted very well, and he's a great kid. He works hard.”
Boynton-Fisher’s father Toby died unexpectedly before he started high school, causing him to step away from hockey briefly. He returned to the game with his brother knowing their father would want it that way.
“Everything was perfect – I was playing hockey, having so much fun. … We were in the summertime, and then he passed away,” Boynton-Fisher recalled. “It’s pretty traumatic when you realize you're not going to have a dad.”
Keeping the brothers playing hockey, and his sister Izzy in travel volleyball, has been a priority and a challenge for his mother.
“My number one goal after Toby passed away was to make sure that the trajectory of the kids’ sports wouldn’t change – Toby would hate that more than anything,” Alysia Fisher-Boynton said. “I could have never done that without all the help and love we received from all of our sports families.”
The loss led to Boynton-Fisher’s life motto.
“Through some rough things you can still have fun and live life to the fullest,” he explained. “(Dad) was a good guy, always was having fun joking around. If he wanted us to be happy, why would we just grieve him all the time when you can laugh instead of crying?”
Boynton-Fisher – who earned Division 3 all-state honorable mention last season – is known as “TBF” by many. He’s taken the nickname in honor of his father’s initials. Toby was the owner and operator of the Traverse City Golf Center. He also was known for his sense of humor.
Today, TBF’s coaches describe him as a pretty loose, easy-going kid loved by his teammates. They are quick to add he has prototypical goalie build features – long arms and legs – with incredible hand-eye coordination.
Competitiveness is his major strength, along with his demeanor and character. His coaches believe he’s the best Division 3 goalie in Michigan. Continuing the Reps’ run will bring Boynton-Fisher much deserved recognition, they say.
“His best quality is just his competitiveness, and he's very athletic too,” pointed out Reps coach Mike Matteucci, who also played in the NHL and was on the 1994 NCAA national champion Lake Superior State hockey team. “He loves the heat of the moment. He's just a very fiery, competitive person who wants to win.”
Matteucci grew up in the same area of British Columba as Drake and played against Drake as well. He too believes TBF can play professional hockey someday.
“It takes being in a situation where everybody's doing well and you get noticed,” he said. “He's durable, and I think he does have a good opportunity to continue to play with the attitude that he has and not getting too rattled in that spot.”
Fisher-Boynton leads Division 3 goalies in most stat categories. He’s top in goals-against average at 1.22, save percentage at .929, and shoutouts with six. He’s the Reps career shutout record-holder and the winningest goalie in the co-op’s history.
He’d like to add a Finals championship too.
TBF is a captain, rare for a goalie in Reps history. He owns the program record for most wins for a career, now at 38, the career shutout record of 12 and the single-season shutout records of five.
Really, the only program record he doesn’t own is for wins in a season. He had 16 his sophomore year, which is second all-time.
Boynton-Fischer and his older brother Thomas were both selected as Rookie of the Year by the Reps’ coaching staff after their respective first years in the program, and their names are stacked on the plaque.
Longtime assistant coach and former Reps head coach Ryan Fedorinchik recalls vividly the first time TBF was exposed to high school hockey. His new teammates, led by Thomas, gave him a quick orientation during a summertime skate.
They pretty much scored at will that day, but never again. It didn’t take long for Fedorinchik to believe the Reps had a top-notch goalie.
“I didn't know to what level Tyler's competitive nature was, and once the season started, it became immediately apparent that he was not only incredibly athletic, but extremely competitive,” Fedorinchik said. Fast forward to the end of the season and we go to the final four, and Tyler had a great year.”
Matteucci is hoping the Reps continue to improve with their record-setting goalie. Marquette, Houghton, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, East Grand Rapids, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Dearborn Divine Child are the other Division 3 quarterfinalists.
“As a coaching staff we like to talk about improvement and putting us in a situation where at the end of the year we've improved, and we have a chance,” Matteucci asserted. “If we're playing like we can, we have an opportunity for sure.”
The Reps are 15-12-1 on the season, coming off a 3-1 win over Petoskey in the Regional Final. Colton Davidson, Thatcher Beaudoin and Madden Pateman all scored against Petoskey. Picking up two assists was Chase Kent, while Luke Schulte, Jake Ingersoll and Nolan Ziecina each had one helper.
Boynton-Fisher stopped 22 shots in the Regional Final.
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Traverse Bay Reps goalie Tyler Boynton-Fischer guards his team’s net during a game this season. (Middle) Boynton-Fischer “kick-saves” in the Stanley Cup in 2008. (Below) Boynton-Fischer stands tall for the Reps, who have advanced to a Saturday Quarterfinal. (Action shot courtesy of the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Other photos are courtesy of the Boynton-Fischer family.)