Clarkston and Lake Orion have developed one of the state’s best rivalries, regardless of the sport, over the years.
That rivalry finally made its way onto the ice last Saturday at the Detroit Skating Club, as the teams met for the first time in hockey.
The Dragons got two first period goals, one from Corbin Rainey on a power play and another on a deflected shot from Brad Berschbach, and used a strong defensive effort to hang on for a 2-0 win over the Wolves in the OAA I contest.
‘It was real nice,? Coach Pat Cherry said of Rainey’s power play goal, just 3:44 into the game. ‘He’s our second leading scorer right now and he’s just a freshman.?
Jason Stross made 27 saves for the shutout as Lake Orion improved to 3-3-3 in league action.
‘It feels good anytime you put a goose-egg up there,? Stross said. ‘The guys in front of me did a great job. It was a total team win.?
It was the first of potentially three meetings with Clarkston this season, and the Dragons won despite missing four lineup regulars.
‘We were very happy with our defensive play today,? Cherry said, noting the team has struggled in that aspect recently.
‘We’ve been giving up four or five goals a game and we’re not a high scoring team,? he added.
‘When you don’t give up any goals, it’s easy to win then.?
The teams will meet at the DSC again on Feb. 14 (for Lake Orion’s home game) and are likely to see each other in pre-regional action, too.
Though they hadn’t played head-to-head before, both coaches said they were quite familiar with the other team.
‘We practice in the same rink and see each other all the time,? said Clarkston Coach Bryan Krygier. ‘We see them day in and day out.?
Cherry said it was a game his team desperately needed.
‘We felt like we had something to prove because it’s our first year in the OAA I and we haven’t been playing very well,? he said.
The Dragons fell 5-2 to visiting Farmington earlier in the week. The Falcons remained undefeated in league action, improving to 11-0 with the win.
Lake Orion trailed 3-0 through two periods and was outshot 30-8, again playing a number of regulars.
But they came back and got on the scoreboard 69 seconds into the third period on a Berschbach power play goal, then cut the deficit to one 50 seconds later on a John Costigan score.
Farmington’s Andy Hall gave his team some breathing room, however, by scoring on a slap shot from near the blue line only 19 seconds after Costigan’s goal.
Eric Nahat added an insurance goal (his second of the game) with five minutes left, to account for the final score.
‘We were outshot pretty badly, 44-16,? Cherry noted. ‘And it’s tough to win when you give up five goals.?
‘Hopefully, these tough games will make us better down the stretch,? he added. ‘We were happy with the effort. They didn’t play afraid.?
The team hosts Stoney Creek on Thursday night at 6 p.m.