The Clarkston Wolves hockey team jumped out of the gate in their pre-regional playoff game against Grand Blanc on March 2, and never looked back in a 4-2 victory.
The Wolves outshot the Bobcats 18 to 2 in the first period, and despite a solid performance in net by Grand Blanc goalie Jordan Ballance, were able to take control of the game early.
‘We basically beat them in every aspect of the game,? said Clarkston coach Bryan Krygier, ‘we outplayed them, outshot them, but we let them hang around. Yet we found a way to advance and move on, and that’s what we have to do.?
The Wolves came out strong in the first period, with four solid opportunities to score in the first eight minutes of play. But Ballance was strong in net for the Bobcats, keeping the Wolves off the board until Luke Connor managed to knock a loose puck past him to give Clarkston a 1-0 lead.
?(Ballance) played really well for them tonight,? said Krygier, ‘He kept them around for most of the game. But that’s playoff hockey, and that’s what we have to expect.?
The Wolves also got goals from Adam Frank in the second period and Adam Johns in the third.
The Bobcats managed to cut the lead to a goal at 2-1 early in the third period, but Johns countered with a wrist shot that beat Ballance, and gave the Wolves a two goal cushion.
Chad Wotton added an empty net goal for Clarkston in the closing minutes, before Stephen Basinski capped the scoring with a goal for the Bobcats with a minute to play.
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A third period rally brought the Clarkston hockey team back from a two goal deficit.
But it wasn’t enough to overcome an early two goal surge by the Lake Orion and a strong performance by Dragons goalie Shawn Horton in a 2-1 Pre-regional loss Thursday.
Lake Orion got two power play goals in the first eight minutes, from Dan Blascak and Jesse Cameron, to provide a lead they would maintain for the rest of the game.
‘We took two dumb penalties in the first period, and that was the difference,? said Wolves Coach Bryan Krygier, ‘they were two bad penalties, both away from the play, and they got the momentum from those and took advantage.?
With the two goal cushion, the Dragons sat back and kept the Wolves away from the net, as Horton would collect 38 saves, 19 in the third period, to ensure the win.
‘We wanted to keep the pressure on, even with the two goal lead,? said Lake Orion coach Pat Cherry. ‘But we got some penalties (in the second period), and we had to sit back and ride it out.?
After few opportunities in the second period, the Wolves made a game of it in the third, as a Lake Orion penalty with 13:49 remaining turned into a power play goal for Clarkston.
Senior Adam Frank, the OAA leader in points, put a wrist shot past Horton to cut the lead to a goal.
The Wolves had numerous opportunities in the closing minutes, highlighted by a power play with 3:23 remaining on which the Wolves peppered Horton with four shots.
With their goalie pulled in the closing minute, Clarkston got two opportunities on net, but a puck that trickled past Horton failed to score, and the Dragons survived for the 2-1 win.
‘We were hungry in the third, but we ran into a stone wall in (Horton),? said Krygier. ‘You gotta give credit to their goalie. He played really well.?
The game also marked the final contest for Clarkston’s six seniors, four of whom have been on the team for the last four years.
‘It’s always tough for the seniors to play their last game,? said Krygier.
‘But they’ve been a pleasure to have on the team. They have accomplished a lot over the last four years. They’ve won big games, been to the semifinals (in 2008), and have always fought hard and represented the program well.?
The Wolves finished the season 9-14-2. Lake Orion moved to 12-12-1, and played in the regional final on Saturday night against Utica Eisenhower.