Although not as close as an early-season match against division I champions Brighton, The Clarkston Wolves? 9-0 loss to the division III reigning champs from Cranbrook Kingswood can also be taken as a lesson.
Clarkston (1-6-1, 0-3 OAA) lost to the Cranes (10-0, 3-0 MIHL) in the opening round of the annual Christmas Tournament at Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills on Dec. 15.
‘They’re the number one team in the state and you play someone like that, it exposes all your weaknesses and you’ve got to be prepared to play,? said Wolves Coach Bryan Krygier.
‘We’re young, inexperienced and they’re a seasoned team.?
Clarkston had trouble clearing the puck from it’s own zone, fore-checking and getting shots on net, Krygier said.
The Cranes out-shot the Wolves 37-11 for the night.
‘Against a team like that, you’ve got to get breaks and chances and capitalize on your chances and we didn’t have too many of those,? Krygier said.
Justin Ronayne, acting Cranbrook coach for the night, inherited a team firing on all cylinders.
‘I thought the guys skated hard tonight. We’re working on a lot of things and the guys did well, they played a good game,? he said.
‘They made good passes, kept their feet moving, and we got a good defensive effort.?
The Olympic size rink the Wolves play on, larger than many others in the high school level, worked in Cranbrook’s favor.
‘This big ice surface (worked well) because we’ve got a quick team and we really took advantage of the space and we just kept moving our feet and moving around,? Ronayne said.
‘We have a lot of guys that are fast and skate well, so we tried to use that to our advantage.?
The Cranes got a hat-trick from Dean Chelios.
He scored the first goal of the evening at 8:14 of the first period, putting in the rebound of Andrew Miller’s shot while Garrett Knappe was trying to recover and get back into position.
Cranbrook padded its lead with two goals in the final minute of the first period from Chelios and Tom Budd.
Miller had a goal and three assists for the Cranes, which notched three goals in each of the final two periods.
Knappe had 28 saves in the loss, which positioned Clarkston to play the loser of the Utica Eisenhower versus Davison in the consolation game on Dec. 16.
Clarkston’s next game is Dec. 21 against Royal Oak, again on its home ice at Detroit Skating Club.
The rink is located at 888 Denison Court in Bloomfield Hills.