By Jack Leech
Special to The Clarkston News
The Clarkson Varsity Hockey team took a couple of moves forward by dropping two big rivals in the Oakland Activities Red Division, dominating Stoney Creek and Lake Orion in back-to-back contests.
The Wolves faced off with Stoney Creek and emerged with a decisive 9-2 victory, Dec. 21. With just a days rest, they butted heads with perennial rival Lake Orion, finishing with a 6-1 triumph, Dec. 22.
During the Stoney Creek game Owen Croston buried two Wolves’ goals. The remaining seven goals were shared by six other of his teammates, which bodes well for the depth and power as the season ramps up with all top ranked opponents on the schedule.
It took Croston just ten minutes into the first period to drill home a pass from Ron Wade, to get them on the board
In the second stanza, the Wolves put their foot on the gas and rallied for four total goals. Back to back power plays proved productive as Frank Stanek and Kyle Lynch drilled power play scores past the Cougars’ netminder. Lynch netted the Wolves third score from Evan Adams and Wade. In a span of less than three minutes the Icers added another two scores from Quinn Farrell and Wade. Assisting were Brayden Wegner, Trey Damian and Ryan Wilford.
Wade closed out the scoring in the second period with a shorthanded goal from Damian and Wilford, as Gavin Anderson was serving a tripping minor penalty.
The Wolves kept their foot on the gas in the third period at 15:58 as
Anderson registered their sixth goal from Moyses and Stanek. Less than two minutes later Johnny Walker took a short pass from Wilford for the home teams seventh score. Croston buried his second, a power play goal, of the night, from Lynch and Adams, his third assist
of the night. With just a little over four seconds left Anderson registered his second goal from Moyses, his second assist, to cap the scoring for the Wolves.
With just a days rest under their belts, the Wolves took on crosstown rivals, the Lake Orion on both of the teams’ shared home ice. The game was preceded by a Clarkston High School Alumni game with icers from the past 25 years of the program. It looked like the older crew was going to run with it, but the younger alums hung in there, closing a four goal gap to come within one score, the game ending in an 8-7 final for the elder team.
Current players were next on the ices and the Wolves started fast, scoring early and often, on their way to a 6-1 victory over Lake Orion.
Croston netted the opening goal from R. Wade at 11:33 of the opening period. At 8:08, Farrell took a minor penalty for interference. The forward unit headed by Anderson, intercepted a Dragon pass and skated in on their netminder Graeme Downs to record an unassisted shorthanded score at 7:23. Less than a minute later, Damian and Lynch teamed up to feed a pass to R. Wade, to net the Wolves’ third score. A little over a minute later Brendan Rhodes capitalized on a rebound on shots from Vinny Giannini and Farrell for the fourth tally of the period. The Wolves carried the shot edge by a 15-3 barrage.
A much quieter second period for the Wolves, but still a shell shocking onslaught was weathered by the Dragons goalkeeper Downs. He turned away 14 of 15 Wolves shots, but gave up a goal to Farrell from Brad Earing. A tough Clarkston defensive wall gave up only three shots on netminder Parker Pace.

The Wolves had one more score to close out the scoring by Logan Golub on pass combo from Brendan Rhodes and Johnny Walker with 3:18 remaining.
Dragon Jack Sullivan had the only score midway through the period.
The Wolves (9-2, 5-0 OAA Red) open 2024 on the road starting today, January 3, at Eddie Edgar Arena in Livonia with game time at 6 p.m.. \
Clarkston travels to west Michigan to faceoff with Grand Rapids Christian on Friday, Jan. 5 at 3:15 p.m. and Reeths-Puffer on Saturday, Jan. 6, 3:30 p.m. Both games are at Lakeshore Sports Centre on Airline Road in Muskegon.

  Clarkston Varsity Hockey, Hockey