Bears Hockey Player Ranked 2nd in Statewide Vote

Tyler Groat helped the Bears hockey team win its

Even though Groat is still a force on the ice, having netted a dozen goals as the team's top scorer this season.

And now the high school senior is being recognized for his play.

As of midnight Tuesday, Groat ranked second in a statewide vote being conducted by State Champs! High School Sports Show.

The TV show, in conjunction with The Suburban Collection, is instituting a High School Hockey Player of the Year. The first award will be given out later this year.

Anyone can nominate a player by emailing idea@statechamps.tv. The top 10 candidates at any given time are listed on the show's website. Fans can vote for their favorite as many times as they'd like, as long as they do so with a valid email address.

At the end of the season, the top vote-getter will earn an automatic berth into the final four. Simply receiving the most votes does not automatically make that person the High School Hockey Player of the Year, however, it does increase the player's chance by 20 percent.

As of midnight Tuesday, Groat had 2,489 votes, a close second to Trenton's Blake Wojtala's 2,616 votes. The two Downriver athletes far surpass the rest of the contenders, with the third place player, Scott Cuthrell of Waterford Mott High School, having 1,002 votes.