By Jack Leech
Contributing Writer
BURTON — The Wolves captured back-to-back MHSAA Division 1 Ice Hockey Regional Championship with a 4-2 win over the Genesee Generals at the Crystal Fieldhouse Ice Arena, Feb. 26.
“It’s a positive to how hard we’ve worked and we have a number of four year players who have earned this,” said Clarkston Varsity Hockey Head Coach Nathan Bryer.
The Wolves came out with firing a total of 22 shots on the Generals netminder, Easton Weder in the first period.

It wasn’t until there was 3:31 remaining when Wolves Kyle Lynch and Trey Damian teamed up to feed a short pass to Frank Stanek, who he fired a blast past Weder for the first score of the game.
Clarkston carried play for the period and with just 43 seconds remaining, Aller Cooper, fired a point shot from Mike Truby, to send home team in the locker room with a two goal lead.
Wasting little time in the second period, with 14:49 remaining, Gavin Anderson drilled his first of two goals past the outstretched arm of Weder, putting Clarkston to three goals.
The Generals scored on a power play by Ethan Miller from Easton Badal and Logan Beckwith to get them on the board with 4:30 remaining.
With just under a minute left in the period, Jacob Rousseau with passes from Vance Knack and Brennan Bernard, closed the scoring and brought the Generals within a goal of the Wolves.
Anderson closed out the scoring in the last period to clinch the win for Clarkston. The Generals tried to get their goalie out for an extra attacker, but the Wolves kept them behind the center red line.
“We’ve been working all year on how to come back,” said Anderson. “We’re going stick to our game like we’ve done all year.”
The win put them against Howell in the quarterfinal on Saturday at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing.
“It will be exciting hockey, Howell is a really good team, the kids will be excited to play at Munn,” said Bryer before the game.
Clarkston ended up finishing the season with a 2-1 loss to Howell.
Through the first two periods, the Wolves carried the play, while outshooting Howell 23-14.
Clarkston got on the board after Ryan Wilford recovered a rebound off shots from Cal Kennedy and Finn Mooney to put their team on the board to tie the score with the Highlanders.
Third period action was very fluid, but intense as play moved end to end. The Wolves poured another 15 shots on Howell’s net.
The Highlanders managed to slip a loose puck past the Clarkston goalie Brady Damian.
Despite, the ending of this game, it was a season filled with accomplishments and records. For the second straight season Clarkston swept their OAA Red Division opponents on their way to a repeat performance to take the MHSAA Region 4 Championship. They finished the season 16-11-1 and 9-0 in the OAA Red.
“We come to compete – that’s what this team does every night,” Bryer said. “At the end of the day you have to find a way to get the job done. Sometimes the pucks bounces you way and sometimes they don’t.”

  Clarkston Athletics, Hockey