Wyandotte Bears Hockey Falls to 'Best of the Best'

Novi Catholic Central scored three goals in two minutes and 19 seconds and that was the difference in the Shamrocks’ 4-1 win over Wyandotte Roosevelt on Wednesday night at .

With the game tied at 1-1 after the first period, Catholic Central’s Lucas Linville beat Roosevelt goalie Dalan Bulchak 6:46 into the second period. Twenty-six seconds later, Tyler VanAcker made it 3-1. And 1:53 after that, Tyler VanNorman gave the Shamrocks a three-goal lead.

Roosevelt Coach Mike Quint put Justin Green in net and he shut out CC the rest of the way. Over the three periods, the Shamrocks outshot the Bears, 34-14.

Catholic Central’s Pete Halash scored the first goal of the game just 4:37 into the first period. Roosevelt’s Kyle King tied the game on a power-play goal with Joshua Hinderliter and John Calhoun assisting.

Catholic Central–the No. 1-ranked team in the state–improved to 6-0, while fell to 1-2.

Wednesday night’s game was the first between the two schools in the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League. , which is considered the toughest high school hockey conference in the state.

, who remembers games between his Shamrocks and the Bears when both teams played in the Michigan Metro in the 1990s, said Roosevelt is a strong addition to an already competitive league. He said other than the CC burst in the second period, it was a very even game.

“I think they’re good,” Johnson said. “They’re really well coached. I think Tyler Groat might be one of the top three most explosive forwards in the state. I thought he was unbelievable in the first period. We were fortunate to be 1-1. (Jacob) Carlisle’s a great player. King is a great player. They’re going to win a lot of games this year.”

Halash, a senior forward, said the Shamrocks know all about the Bears’ state championship, called Roosevelt a “great addition to the league” and said he looks forward to a rematch between the teams on February 4 on CC’s home ice at Compuware Arena in Plymouth.

Roosevelt head coach Mike Quint said Catholic Central has had a strong second period in every game.

“We knew it,” he said. “We warned the kids. We just couldn’t adjust quickly enough. They got those two goals we probably should not have allowed.”

Roosevelt senior defenseman Lynch admitted the Shamrocks wore down the Bears in the third period. He said the game would serve as a “wakeup call” for his team.

“They’re a very good team,” Lynch said. “”They’re very fast. They move the puck well. They’re an all-around solid team.”

Quint said Roosevelt hockey expects plenty of competition in the MIHL, calling Catholic Central “the best of the best.”

 “You know what? They’re a Division 1 team,” Quint said. “It’s going to make us stronger down the stretch playing game in and game out. It’s like playoff intensity. We certainly didn’t think we were going to go 26-4 like last year. Let’s put it that way.

“We knew this was going to be a big test for us. We think we have the right personnel. We’ll play them again later in the year. It will be in their barn, but we’ll see. We’ve got some adjustments to make.”

The Bears go from the top-ranked team in the state to the top-ranked Division 2 team: Birmingham Brother Rice–the team Roosevelt defeated in the state finals last season. Game time is 7:40 p.m. Saturday at Yack Arena.

“It’s going to be a barn burner,” Quint predicted.

NOTEBOOK: Roosevelt senior defenseman Kyle Gouth left the ice after suffering an injury while blocking a shot. He was helped to the locker room between the first and second period and did not return. Quint said Gouth would have X-rays.