By Colin Baumgartner
Review Editor
Jason Stross? 37 saves helped the Dragons stay close, but East Kentwood’s size and strength was too much for Lake Orion to overcome, as they fell 1-0 in a state quarterfinal game last Wednesday at Suburban Ice outside of East Lansing.
‘He played how he always plays,? Lake Orion Coach Pat Cherry said. ‘But he knew he had to keep us in the game.?
East Kentwood scored the game’s only goal on a deflection off of a Dragon skate.
Lake Orion had a brief 5-on-3 advantage late in the third and pulled Stross in favor of an extra attacker in the games final two minutes, but it was to no avail.
‘We found a way to hang around until the very end,? Cherry said. ‘We had our chances at the end of the third period.?
‘We were just overmatched with their size and strength and depth,? he added.
East Kentwood fell to eventual Division I state champion Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in double overtime in the semifinals.
Lake Orion, meanwhile, finished their season with a school-record 22-4-2 mark.
‘We were happy with our season, we accomplished every goal we set out to achieve,? Cherry said.
Team goals included winning the OAA II, capturing a regional title, climbing into the top 50 in the state rankings and getting bumped up into the OAA I (the league coaches unanimously agreed to move the Dragons up, along with Waterford Kettering).
In Cherry’s two seasons, the team has gone 40-11-3 and climbed 103 spots in the USHSHO rankings. They moved from 120th to 80th last season and sit at 17th at press time.
‘We were pretty good last year,? Cherry said. ‘This year, we were a little bit better.?
He added that the team is hoping to build on its success next year, and having the sophomore Stross return will go a long way toward that goal.
‘If he comes back, I’m sure a lot of other guys will follow,? Cherry said.
‘We’ve got nine seniors that we’re losing,? Cherry added, noting the losses of Kevin Kranker, David Wurst, Ken Klooster and Caleb Fallon will be the toughest to take.
Kranker was named this week to the All-State first team, while Wurst made the second team.
‘That’s a first for our program, getting two All-State players,? Cherry said.
Kranker is set to become the first Dragon team member to play junior hockey, getting the attention of the Marquette Rangers of the NAHL.
According to Cherry, Kranker is also interested in possibly playing in the USHL.
The team also had five seniors earn All-State academic honors and the combined team grade point average made them an All-State academic team.
‘We’re happy about that as well,? Cherry said.