Eight months ago, the Clarkston High School varsity hockey team thrilled their fans with an exciting playoff run that carried the Wolves to the State Championship game where they skated before a sold out crowd at Compuware Arena. While they didn’t win the game, they turned a lot of heads and solidified their place among the elite programs in the state.
As the team took the ice last Thursday night for the season opener at Detroit Skate Club, expectations were high. The team didn’t disappoint their fans as they coasted to an 8-3 victory against the West Bloomfield Lakers.
A total of 10 Clarkston skaters put points on the board, as the Wolves outshot their opponents 31-11. Mike Fogg started the first period attack with assists from Steven Morin and Alex Handley. Chris Degan followed with an unassisted shot from the blue line. Adam Peters took the Wolves into the locker room with a 3-0 lead as he scored late in the period on assists from juniors Bryan Morin and Trevor Johns.
“We came out strong with a lot of intensity,” captain Kyle Buzzo said. “We had a couple of lapses, but we had a lot of support from our fans.”
In the second period, West Bloomfield drew first blood as they scored on a shot from behind the net that bounced in off the pad of CHS goalie Aaron Catanese, to narrow the gap to 3-1. But Clarkston responded with two quick goals to take any momentum away from the Lakers. Peters then followed 32 seconds later, scoring on an assist from Johns.
Down 5-1, West Bloomfield took their first penalty of the game, only to have Steven Morin score with the goalie out of position and a Laker defenseman covering the net.
Degan and Handley assisted. Clarkston headed into the locker room after two periods with a 6-2 lead, as the Lakers scored late in the period.
The Wolves added two more goals in the third, as Peters notched a hat trick on assists from Johns and Bryan Morin. Down 7-3 late in the third, the Lakers curiously pulled their goalie, allowing Cummings to find the empty net.
The Wolves were ranked among the top 10 in the state last season and are expected to be a competitive force again this season. The November 19 issue of Hockey Weekly characterizes Clarkston as having a “patient, keep-its-own-zone-clean style of hockey.”
“That’s the key,” Buzzo said. “Coach keeps telling us to control the neutral zone.”
The Wolves have 13 returning players and 11 new faces, similar ratios to last season. They have also moved home ice to DSC and will be playing on an Olympic size rink, which is wider than the traditional hockey surface. Is this a concern? Not according to Buzzo who said, “I like the wider ice. It creates more opportunities.”
Next up, the Wolves play in the Thanksgiving Tournament at Cranbrook Arena. The first game is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28 against Brighton.