2011 ALL-AREA BOYS HOCKEY: State semifinalist Lake Orion leads talented cast on the ice
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
For the first time in several years, a local hockey team reached the Final Four in Division 1.
Lake Orion put it all together during the final month of the season and advanced to the semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Novi. The Dragons also won the inaugural OAA Red Division postseason tournament as the fourth seed, setting the stage for a long tournament run.
It’s no secret why Lake Orion heads up this year’s www.northoaklandsports.com All-Area Team. The Dragons, however, were not the only area team that shined in 2010-11.
Clarkston tied Farmington for the regular season title in the OAA-Red and like Lake Orion, captured a regional title. Oxford, in its first season in the OAA White Division, captured its first league championship in school history.
Rochester Stoney Creek also had a late-season push, reaching the championship game of the OAA-Red tourney before advancing to the Division 2 regional finals.
There was plenty of talent to go around the area this season, as evidenced on the all-area squad, selected by NOS staff in conjunction with area coaches.
FIRST TEAM
BRAD PIZZEY, Clarkston: The junior forward erupted to earn All-State Second Team honors in Division 1 after leading the OAA Red Division in scoring. With the program’s all-time leading scorer, Adam Frank, graduating in 2010, Pizzey fired in 26 goals and picked up 21 assists for 47 points and took over with the role as the go-to player for the Wolves, who reached the state quarterfinals this season.
CORBIN RAINEY, Lake Orion: Rainey’s season was delayed with the Dragons’ football team making the run to the state championship in Division 1 and with him fighting through a minor injury when he returned to the ice. When healthy, Rainey was a key cog in one of the state’s top offenses, which scored more than 50 goals in the final month of the season. Rainey finished with 16 points and 12 assists for 28 points, third highest on the team. He scored the game-winner in the regional finals win over Macomb Dakota.
JESSIE CAMERON, Lake Orion: The Dragons had six players score at least nine goals this season and Cameron was one of those key offensive threats. The All-OAA Red Division and All-State Honorable Mention honoree finished with 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points and was at his best in the second half of the season.
DANNY BLASCAK, Lake Orion: While the Dragons’ high-powered offense gained its due credit, Blascak anchored a stingy defense this season and was the team’s highest ranked player at the end, earning All-State Second Team status among multiple postseason honors. Blascak finished the year with five goals and 13 assists for 18 points.
DEAN COUWLIER, Oxford: The Wildcats captured their first league championship in school history, going 9-1-2 in the OAA White Division, and this junior defenseman was a big part of the success story at Oxford, which has put together three straight winning seasons for the first time. He finished with five goals and 14 assists for 19 points skating out of the back line and earned All-OAA White honors.
“He was our Team MVP and our best defenseman,” said coach Dave Hague, who has slowly built a respectable team in eight seasons. “He made that Team Central last spring and that helped give him some confidence for this season. Now, he has (gained) some attention from a few junior teams out there. He has matured into a fine player and is a very good scoring defenseman who was in on a lot of our goals this year.”
IAN MERCER, Rochester United: Mercer left the high school ranks midway through his sophomore season two years ago, the same season that United reached the Division 1 state quarterfinals, but came back this year and put together a record-setting season. The senior set multiple single-season records for United, and was named unanimously the OAA Red Division Conference MVP. Although overlooked by the all-state committee, Mercer put up impressive numbers for a team that finished 11-12-1. He finished with 600 saves and a .950 save percentage. He had a 1.60 goals-against-average, averaged 30 saves an outing, posted an 11-8-3 record as a starter and had three shutouts. In a 2-2 tie against state powerhouse Midland, Mercer recorded 52 saves. He had nine games where he turned aside 35 or more shots and four games with 40 or more saves.
“Ian just had a fantastic year. He kept us in a lot of games,” said coach Dave Underdale. “There were some games where he was (unbelievable). He helped us win games and kept us close in others. We were fortunate enough that he decided to come back to high school hockey.”
SECOND TEAM
NOLAN CHAPMAN, Oxford: This junior led the Wildcats in scoring for the second straight seasons, collecting 34 points, fifth best in the OAA- White Division. His 15 goals tied for the second on the team and his 19 assists led the Wildcats and helped the forward earn a spot on the all-league team.
“Nolan was one of our leading scorers this season, but what mad ehim special is his compete-level. The kid does not like to lose and is as competitive as they come,” said Hague. “Next year we will be up in the (OAA) Red Division and if we are to compete there, Nolan will be one of the keys for us. He was one of our best players this year and helped us win the league championship.”
DILLON DRAYER, Clarkston: One of four players from the OAA Red Division to score at least 20 goals, Drayer bowed out as a senior with 20 goals and 14 assists for 34 points, sixth-best in the league. He scored a natural hat trick in the regional finals win over Bay City United and scored seven goals in four postseason contests.
BRET REED, Lake Orion: Another talented senior in the Dragons’ balanced lineup, Reed was a quality finisher and even better as a setup man. The All-OAA Red Division selection finished the season with nine goals and 18 assists for 27 points.
ADAM KETNER, Rochester Stoney Creek: A rock on the backline for the Cougars, Ketner moved up from the third team to the second team all-area this season for the regional finalists. Finishing with three goals and seven assists, Ketner earned All-OAA Red Division honors for the second straight season.
“Adam was just really solid for us,” said coach John Gruden. “He was always really consistent.”
ADAM LARKIN, Clarkston: Only a sophomore, Larkin earned All-OAA Red Division status this season after a superb campaign. The defenseman still had the puck enough in the offensive zone to ring up eight goals and 20 assists for 28 points. He helped Clarkston allowed just 3.07 goals a game and post a 16-9-3 ledger against tough competition, which included five games against this year’s Division 1 Elite Eight, including a 3-0 shutout over eventual state semifinalist East Kentwood.
JAKE LANDUYT, Rochester Stoney Creek: The third-year starting senior helped the Cougars right the ship during the second half of the season and reach the Division 2 regional finals for the fourth straight season. Landuyt finished with 398 saves and a 2.59 goals-against-average and had back-to-back shutouts in the postseason before the Cougars fell to Port Huron Northern in the regional finals. In three postseason games this season, Landuyt faced 44 shots and allowed just two goals. Last season, he helped the Cougars reach the state quarterfinals.
“Jake seemed to play his best in the second half of the season. We made a late push and Jake was one of those key players,” said Gruden. “He was solid for us the past couple of years.”
THIRD TEAM
MATTHEW ZUELCH, Rochester Stoney Creek: A junior, Zuelch took over the scoring load for the Cougars and finished fifth in the league with 35 points. Zuelch finished with 13 goals, second on the team, and his 22 assists were second in the OAA Red Division. The third-year player earned all-league honors for his efforts.
“We needed for someone to step in and be a goal scorer and I thought Matt was one of those guys,” said Gruden.
AUSTIN MORSE, Clarkston: The Wolves had three of the top seven point leaders in the OAA Red Division this season and Morse became one of those leaders. The senior forward rang up 19 goals and 14 assists for 33 points. His 19 goals ranked fifth-best in the league and he was key to the Wolves’ run to a regional championship and the Elite Eight berth, where Clarkston fell to eventual state champion Novi.
ZAC KOONCE, Lake Orion: A repeat selection to the all-area team, Koonce was the second leading scorer for the Dragons this season. The speedy forward caused havoc for opposing defenses with 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points. Koonce netted two goals in the 4-3 state quarterfinals win over St. Clair Shores Unified, helping the Dragons reach the Final Four for the first time.
JAKE KREUTZER, Lake Orion: The Dragons’ defensive line clamped down during the second half of the season and Kreutzer was a key ingredient to that defensive stand. Chipping in with three goals and nine assists for 12 points, the All-OAA Red Division selection’s play was crucial in the Dragons winning nine straight heading into the state semifinals, where they surrendered just 16 goals in the that stretch. In the final 15 games, Lake Orion gave up just 21 goals with Kreutzer helping the team give up less than two goals an outing in that run.
DAN RYAN, Rochester United: A mainstay in United’s lineup the past three seasons, this senior defenseman was a stalwart on the defensive side, helping his team to fourth overall in the OAA Red Division combining the regular season and league tournament. The all-league honoree helped United go 8-3-1 down the stretch, which featured only 16 goals allowed and two shutouts in that stretch. He finished with five goals and 11 assists for 16 points, third best on the squad.
JUSTIN YOCHEM, Troy Athens: While the Red Hawks suffered through a major rebuilding season after losing most of its team to graduation and defections to travel hockey and lacrosse, Yochem was still one of the better goaltenders in the area. Earning a repeat spot on the third-team all-area, Yochem still garnered an impressive .901 save percentage despite being peppered with shots on a nightly basis and finished with 445 saves, second-best in the OAA Red Division, where he earned all-league status. Last season with a senior-laden team in front of him, he was 10-2-2 with 1.67 goals-against-average. This season still held the opposition to 3.67 goals against, keeping his team respectable in games where they were outmatched.
CO-COACH OF THE YEAR
PAT CHERRY-CLINT TOBERT, Lake Orion: The duo of Pat Cherry and newcomer Clint Robert helped Lake Orion overcome a slow start to live up their potential as a top team in the state. Behind a senior-laden team, the Dragons overcame their 2-4-1 start and finished with a fine 20-8-1 ledger playing stiff competition.
Lake Orion was fourth in the regular season in the OAA Red Division, but came back to win the OAA-Red tournament with a 3-0 record. In the postseason, the Dragons finished 4-1 with wins over Utica Eisenhower (10-2), Rochester United (4-1), Macomb Dakota (2-0) and St. Clair Shores Unified (4-3) before falling to eventual state champion Novi (3-0) in the Division 1 state semifinals, the farthest the Dragons have ventured since beginning their program 12 years ago. Previously under Cherry, Lake Orion reached the state quarterfinals in 2007.
This year’s team outscored the opposition 114-73 with three shutouts, had five all-league players, two all-state honorees, and was ranked ninth in the state entering the state tourney. Lake Orion outscored its five foes in the state tournament 20-9 with one shutout and its10-2 victory over MAC Red Division Eisenhower in the pre-regional avenged postseason losses in the 2006 and 2010 to the Eagles.
This is Cherry’s last season as head coach after six seasons, while Robert was brought in to help take the program over. Together, along with assistants Dan Dipple, John Gates, Ricky Spano, Mike Vaughn and Ted Keranen, helped orchestrate the best season in school history.
2011 ALL-AREA BOYS HOCKEY TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Brad Pizzey Clarkston Jr. F
Corbin Rainey Lake Orion Sr. F
Jessie Cameron Lake Orion Sr. F
Danny Blascak Lake Orion Sr. D
Dean Couwlier Oxford Sr. D
Ian Mercer Rochester United Sr. G
CO-COACH OF THE YEAR
Clint Robert Lake Orion First Season
Pat Cherry Lake Orion Sixth Season
SECOND TEAM
Nolan Chapman Oxford Jr. F
Dillon Drayer Clarkston Sr. F
Brett Reed Lake Orion Sr. D
Adam Ketner Roch. Stoney Creek Sr. D
Adam Larkin Clarkston Soph. D
Jake Landuyt Roch. Stoney Creek Sr. G
THIRD TEAM
Matthew Zuelch Roch. Stoney Creek Jr. F
Austin Morse Clarkston Sr. F
Zac Koonce Lake Orion Sr. F
Jake Kruetzer Lake Orion Sr. D
Dan Ryan Rochester United Sr. D
Justin Yochem Troy Athens Sr. G
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Auburn Hills Avondale: Steven Carter, jr. F; Joe Spulin, sr. F; Clarkston: Jack Viazanko, fr. G; Macario Torres, sr. F; Adam Johns, soph. D; Chad Wotton, sr. D; Lake Orion: Dominic Juncaj, sr. G; Shane Stockwell, jr. F; Nick Balavich, jr. F; Oxford: Oscar Alexanderson, soph. G; Stephan Fritz, soph. F; Nick Hocker, jr. F; Tim Perks, sr. F; Matt Reid, sr. F; Rochester United: Gannon Pacioni, sr. D; Michael Potoniec, sr. F; Conner Salsberry, jr. F; Rochester Stoney Creek: Joe Costello, fr. F; Sean Markaity, jr. F; Brian Gill, sr. F; Troy: Michael Loudeck, sr. D; Brett St. Cyr, jr. F; Troy Athens: Jamie Cattran, sr. G; Dan Kreza, jr. D.
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Category: All Area Teams, High School, Lake Orion, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy, Troy Athens
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