The Varsity Hockey team ended their inspired MHSAA playoff run with a tough 5-0 semifinal loss to the Trenton Trojans on Thursday night at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth Township. The Eagles came out of the gate thumping to notch the first five shots of the game. But Trenton held fast and delivered a 4-minute counter punch, scoring three unanswered goals beginning with a 20-foot redirected puck and ending with a power-play snipe over a screened Paul Baker. The Eagles did not fold in the second period. On the contrary they met the Trojan's energy but could not manage to get on the scoreboard in spite of several point-blank chances by the Hinkle/Dell/Scanlon line. The period ended as it began: 3-0 Trojans. Trenton would tally two more goals in the third as the time ran out for the Eagles and their six seniors. Final score Trojans 5 Eagles 0. Coach Ronayne: "We never gave up. We've been down in games all season and this team does not quit. But it wasn't our day." Indeed it was the Eagles first shutout of the season as well as the first time allowing more than 4 goals in a game. Coach on the season: "This was a historic season for LHS hockey. Last year we were the most successful team in decades and this team upped their game to go one better - making it to the semis. We were one of four teams playing this weekend. Once the dust settles these guys will look back with pride on their accomplishments." With over a dozen underclassmen returning your Eagles aren't going anywhere but up. Thank you to all the Lakeland faithful who came out during the regular season and especially in the playoffs. Thank you Athletic Trainer Jaime Corl for your tireless support! Special thanks as well to the LHS Athletic Department - Todd Miller and Lori Langmeyer. Finally thank you Scott Rolando and Mike Head for being in our corner all season.

Lakeland fans, prepare yourself for an epic recap of yesterday's hockey game. There are game summaries, and then there are the write-ups that assistant coach Matt McElwee shares. Enjoy: On Saturday night the LHS Eagles played in just their second MHSSA State hockey quarterfinals in school history. For those readers not in attendance please securely fasten your seatbelts, stow all loose items under the seat in front of you, and return tray tables to their upright and locked position. 'Cause it's gonna be a bumpy ride. The Eagles opponents were the Port Huron Northern Huskies. The Huskies arrived via a cushy charter bus and a 2-1 win over a very strong De La Salle squad. The Eagles earned their spot with a W over reigning state champ Brother Rice and arrived courtesy of Ms. Corrine's classic yellow Huron Valley school bus. Coach Ronayne "We knew what to expect since we scouted their prior games. But knowing what to expect and doing something about it are two different animals. They came out swinging and we came out ducking for the most part." The Eagles had a first shift breakaway chance but the PHN goalie set the tone with an early belly save on sophomore Austin Scanlon. The Huskies countered with an aggressive attacking game that had Lakeland on their heels and down one after they hammered away on Senior goalie Paul Baker and finally batted the puck over the line. 1-0 after one. The second period was more of the same as the Huskies ruffled the Eagles feathers forcing them to the penalty box for much of the period. Northern made good on a powerplay to put them up by two. The outcome appeared to be grim. But anyone who knows anything about the game will tell you this: a two goal lead is the worst lead in hockey. Queue up Lakeland's hard charging third line of juniors Joel Slicker, Jake Verbick and senior Elliott Smith. They were about to put the entire Eagles season on their back to carry the game to OT. A week ago, Jake Verbick was in Costa Rica on a science field trip studying the impact of La Nina on common beach sand fleas. Upon his return Jake had logged exactly zero shifts in the MHSSA playoffs. You know what comes next. Verbick scored on his first shift of the playoffs to inject life into the Eagles. After fighting for the puck in the corner Jake bounced it out to senior Elliott Smith who turned and fired it to the net where Verbick had burrowed his way in to redirect the puck. Two shifts later found the heroes deep in the Northern zone. PHN won the faceoff, but Verbick and Elliot pounced to keep the puck behind the net. Smith won the puck to Slicker who directed the puck to the far post where Verbick had outworked his man and tucked the puck in just in front of the goaltender's skate. The Huskies went back up by one after their big dog #10 slalomed through all defenders to beat Baker with a nifty backhand. So what? So Slicker. Joel Slicker that is. Coach Ronayne answered the Northern goal with his own hot-handed line who immediately gained the PHN zone. Slicker retrieved the puck circled and fired only to have it turned away. Both Elliot and Verbick were stationed at the net getting hammered by the Husky D. Slicker again retrieved the puck, circled and this time struck gold as the goaltender had no chance on the puck thanks to his linemates' staunch net-front mayhem. Final tally for the period. Verbick: 2 goals 1 assist. Smith: 3 assists. Slicker: 2 assists and the biggest goal of the season so far. 3-3 after regulation. Coach McElwee: "Our objective before OT was to get fuel into the players. And thanks to some team parents we had plenty of food and Gatorade. We told them that the longer the game went the better it was for us due to our depth. But at that point it's all just words. I'm not even sure they heard us. It's 100% on the athletes to dig deep and find that extra gear." It also helps to have two of the best players on the ice in captains Timmy Hinkle and Paul Baker on your side. The Eagles had multiple shots to end the game. Scanlon, Nate Dell and Carter Sutton hit goalie knobs, masks and pipes to no avail. Baker turned away all shots. Early in the second OT the Dell/Hinkle/Scanlon combo had just about enough of the Huskies and their bad dog personas. So master puck thief Dell nabbed the puck in the neutral zone and danced his way into the PHN zone. Dell neatly left it for Hinkle who drove around the Husky D and as Scanlon drove to the far post Timmy popped a lightning fast backhand bolt over the goalie culminating in an oh-so-satisfying back bar clank for the historic win. Paul Baker got his third playoff win making 32 saves on 35 shots. Coach Ronayne: "Timmy is the straw that stirs the drink for us. His desire to compete is on a different level and is contagious. Every team we play, one way or another, knows who Timmy Hinkle is." Phew. Deep breath everyone. Now on to the indescribable USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth Township for a MHSSA semi-final match up vs. the Trenton Trojans. March 7th at 7:30 pm.

On Wednesday night, the Hockey team clawed past the 2023 Div 2 hockey state champion Brother Rice Warriors in a performance that has been brewing for years. It's unlikely any of the Eagles were able to sleep but those who did awoke on a quadrennial leap day as Regional Champs. But it's been 3x4 years since LHS was last crowned regional champs back in 2012 under head coach Tim Ronayne. Coach Ronayne before the game: "We emphasized how much we belonged in this game. That it was theirs for the taking. They were dialed in and knew what to do." On to the action. Brother Rice scored in the first 90 seconds on a shot that was heading wide but carommed past goalie Paul Baker. Senior captain Brennan Grant answered with a steal of his own, beating an over eager Rice D and walking in alone to zip the puck over the Rice tender's glove. Rice scored their second with another puck Baker never saw and seemingly defied the laws of physics by dipping under the bar like a whiffle ball. So it was up to captain Tim Hinkle, Grant, and Austin Scanlon to restore the natural order. They did so when Scanlon gained the zone, fed Grant who found Hinkle in the slot for a beauty of a backhand. 2-2 after a wild first period. I've been told there is no 'Try' in Trzcinski. Maybe not. But there is certainly a 'Do' somewhere in there because junior Adam Trzcinski simply got it DONE scoring three goals in a row for the natural hat-trick. His first came on a powerplay with a tic-tac-toe pass from Hinkle and Scanlon for the back-door finish. 3-2 Lakeland after two. Trzcinski picked it right back up in the third scoring a Beast Mode five-hole goal, charging past the Rice D to take a head-manned Carter Sutton pass directly to the net. Trzcinski's final goal of the night was another fight to the net as he picked the puck out of the air on rebound from a Nate Dell shot (Sutton). (Credit to the LHS Baseball Coaches for working on the bunt last Spring.) 5-2 LHS with a dozen minutes to go. Twelve years is a long time in between championships. The final 12 minutes felt much longer as the Warriors scored one and then two with 3:30 to go. Was there panic on the LHS bench? Not likely because Baker was in the pipes and fire was in the Eagles bellies. The Rice attack broke like waves on a Lakeland defensive seawall as they stood tall in front of Baker while the forwards fought and scrapped for every inch of ice. Final score 5-4 LHS Regional Champs. Coach Ronayne: "I'm not going to single out any one player. We've believed in these guys from day one and as coaches over the years we've preached team, team and more team. When it comes together and they achieve what happened tonight...I just don't have the words for it."

Friday, the Hockey team opened up MHSAA Regional action by defeating Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 4-1. Lakeland jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period on goals by Nate Dell (Trzcinski, Martin) and Brendan Day (Scanlon, Grant). The Eagles added to the lead with a goal by Tim Hinkle (Grant, Scanlon) in the 2nd. Austin Scanlon added a goal in the 3rd to neutralize a goal by Stoney Creek. Paul Baker stopped 12 of 13 shots in net to earn the win for Lakeland. Next, Lakeland will take on Brother Rice on Wednesday, February 28th. The game will be a 5:30pm start and will be played at Oak Park Ice Arena. Tickets may be purchased at this link: https://gofan.co/event/1396871?schoolId=MI9900

On Saturday, the Hockey team rained on the BU Kings' senior night festivities. In the swampy Birmingham Ice Complex, the Eagles took a 1-0 lead early midway through the first period. The Hinkle-Grant-Scanlon combined for the opening goal when Hinkle fed the puck to Scanlon who in turn looped a cross ice pass to Grant. Grant gained the zone and both defenders collapsed on him so he left the puck to a hard charging Scanlon to score. Baker held fast as BU outshot the Eagles 17-7 to make it 1-0 after one. Nate Dell popped in the Eagle's second goal early in the next period. The play began when Tyler Buback made a strong clearing passed to Scanlon along the boards. Scanlon walked the puck in and dished to the always-moving Dell. The King D continued to back in to their goalie as Dell snapped a shot high glove side. The Kings came back to tie up the game 2-2 until Adam Tryzcinski applied vice like PK pressure on an over confident King defenseman. As the D cut just over his own crease Tryzcinski stabbed the puck away and past the far too casual King goalie. 3-2 after two. In the third, Lakeland's depth took over as they scored three unanswered goals. Sophomore Killian Voorhies showed good speed and toughness as he beat the King D to a corner puck and found Dell on the back porch for the redirect and Dell's second of the night. Later Tyler Buback intercepted a King clearing attempt, cut left and fired the puck in for Lakeland's 5th goal. Hinkle (Scanlon,Grant) added a textbook forechecking goal for a 6-2 final tally. Baker turned away 28 of 30 shots for his 18th win of the year putting him at second overall in the State in wins. Assistant Coach McElwee on the win. "It was a nice win as BU is finishing the season strong. Last year we couldn't beat them. This year was a different story. Our best games this year have all been team wins and this one was no exception. Paul held us in the game when we had penalty trouble and we had goals from five different players." Lakeland travels to the Plymouth Cultural Center on Tuesday. The PCC boasts some of the best popcorn in Wayne County so don't miss out. Gametime 7:30 pm.

On Wednesday, the Hockey team continued its pre-regional tune up march with a 5-2 home win over Utica Eisenhower. Eisenhower drew first blood scoring a powerplay goal early in the first period.  0-1 after one.   The home Eagles spent the intermission in deep contemplation and delivered a barrage of goals in the second period.  Captain Tim Hinkle kicked off the scoring when he drove the net and knocked in an Austin Scanlon rebound (Brennan Grant).  A few minutes later, sophomore Nate Dell dug himself into the crease while sophomore Gavin Hewitt calmly waited for Dell to get position.  Hewitt snapped a shot/pass and Dell directed into in (Carter Sutton).  Sophomore Lucas Kintz scored LHS's third goal from about the same spot as Hinkle's.  Junior Joel Slicker won a clean draw back to junior Tyler Buback.  Buback whistled a high shot off the glass that Kintz gathered and placed in the top shelf, putting Lakeland up by two.  For Lakeland's fourth goal Hewitt broke on a bobbled puck just under the blue line and clapped it through traffic.   4-1 after two. Both teams scored a goal in the third period as Lakeland's Dell scored his second of the game to ice the win. Paul Baker stopped 22 of 24 shots for the win.  5-2 final. Coach Ronayne: "Huge second period drove the win.  After a slow start we figured out that goals are scored at the net so they went there and delivered.  Nate Dell had a big game and is really heating up at the right time of the season."

Friday, the Varsity Hockey team had a quick turnaround at the Trenton Showcase, meeting the Forest Hills Central Lumberjacks after defeating Saginaw Heritage the previous day. Lakeland popped in two in the first period.  Bryce Martin scored the first thanks to Carter Sutton taking his own faceoff win back to Martin who tatooed it under the FHC goalie's pads.  Later on the man advantage Scanlon knocked in a rebound off of a Tryzcinski shot after Brennan Grant took a few swipes at it.    2-0 after one.    In the second period the Lumberjacks took the wood to the Eagles to tie up the game.  2-2 after two.   In the third the teams traded scoring chances until FHC felled the Eagles netting the eventual game winner with four minutes remaining.   They added an empty netter to seal the win.  4-2 final. Coach Ronayne on the showcase:  "The bottom line is this is the type of competition we wanted.  We had different adversity in both games and our response was different as well.  We'll address both the positive and the negative this week."   The Eagles have invited Utica Eisenhower to the distinctive Lakeland Ice Arena this Wednesday (2/7) at 7:20 pm.  They invite you as well.  Puck drop at 7:20 pm.   

The Varsity Hockey team went 1-1 at the MIHL Trenton Showcase this past weekend as they prepare for the upcoming regional playoffs. Lakeland first met the Saginaw Heritage Hawks on Thursday night.  In spite of taking five penalties in a tightly called contest Lakeland found themselves with a 1-0 lead late in the first.   Junior Ryan Danielson won the puck in the Hawks' zone and dropped the puck to sophomore Gavin Hewitt.  As Hewitt snapped the puck on net Danielson circled back and flicked the rebound into the net.   But the Hawks answered on the power play with just three seconds on the clock.  1-1 after one. Coach Ronayne: "We needed to adjust our game to the manner in which it was officiated.   And I'm proud to say the boys responded.  They focused on what they could control and reigned in the penalties." But Saginaw had no such intention.  Thus Captain Timmy Hinkle made them pay blasting a powerplay shot from the point (Bryce Martin, Brennan Grant).  Junior Adan Tryzcinski had to dodge the shot as he was already planted in front of the Hawks crease and the goalie had no time to react.  2-1 after two. In the third the Eagles bought some insurance when Austin Scanlon received a pass from Hinkle and snapped a quick shot on target.  Again it was Tryzcinski making himself comfortable in front of the Hawks tender that helped the Scanlon shot get home.  Paul Baker was solid in net stopping 23 of 24 shots on net.  3-1 final Eagles.

On the final day of January 2024, the Hockey team decisively clinched its fourth sequential LVC title, handily defeating cross-district rival Milford, 8-2.   Senior Brennan Grant scored three and assisted on one of the first four LHS goals.   Grant opened the game up on a powerplay rebound off of a Tim Hinkle feed and Adam Tryzcinski battle in front. The Mavs tied the game but soon after Hinkle frustrated the Milford defenders keeping the puck in to Austin Scanlon.  At their own peril, the Mavs ignored Grant lurking to the right of their net where he connected with Scanlon's saucer pass to retake the lead.   Just seconds later Grant bounced the puck high to senior Brendan Day.  Day snapped the puck towards the goal where Ryan Danielson redirected the puck past Milford's goaltender.   3-1 after one. The second period featured plenty of shots but only one goal.  But what a beauty it was.   On the penalty kill, Scanlon cleared a bobbled Milford pass off the boards where Grant stole it from a startled Milford defender. Grant walked in alone and almost unfairly deked the goalie to the left then oozed casually right to the goal line, finally shoveling it in for a top-shelf backhand.  4-1 after two. Coach Ronayne:  "Milford came out with a ton of energy.  The Hinkle-Grant-Scanlon line cooled them off. When those three are on they are tough to defend." The Eagles finished off the game with four goals in the third.  Sophomore Killian Voorhies scored a textbook two-on-one goal as he showed pass to a hard charging Carter Sutton but opted to shoot and score over a guessing Milford goalie.  Later, junior Jacob "G2" Grant passed a face off win to junior Reid Sutherland who snapped off a quick shot that was smartly tipped in by junior Jake Verbick.  Just seconds later, senior Noah Matice outworked a Mav defender and wrapped the puck around the boards all the way to Sutherland.  Matice had time to charge the net and thanks to his screen Sutherland's wrister eye'd its way over the goal line.   Lakeland's final goal featured a Bryce Martin board to board blue line stroll as he calmly waited for Nate Dell to battle his way open on the right side of the Milford goal.  Martin laced a strong puck through traffic that Dell clocked into the net.   Final score 8-2. Ronayne on the win: "We take every league game very seriously especially Milford.  (Paul) Baker had to make saves early to keep Milford to one goal. It was 4-1 after two?  It's anybody's game but our depth paid off tonight.  Another team win."

On Saturday, the Boys Hockey team was featured in the annual Clash for a Cause meetup vs. Walled Lake United. The Eagles offense proved too much for the Whitecaps. Sophomore Austin Scanlon scored the opening goal (B. Grant, Tim Hinkle). Junior Ryan Danielson scored later in the period by dishing a Dell face off win up ice to Tryzcinski who gained the WLU zone and hot-potatoed the puck back to a hard skating Danielson. Danielson zipped the puck over the Cap's tender for a 2-0 lead after one. In the second period, Bryce Martin scored his second goal of the season when an innocent looking shot found the back of the net (Hinkle, Tryzcinski). Hinkle would later score a lovely goal thanks to an 80-foot Goff-like pass from Brennan Grant (Buback). In the third period Hinkle returned the favor finding Grant in the slot for a Sportscenter top 10 worthy between the legs hold-my-soda goal. Grant finished off the scoring for a commanding 6-1 Eagles win. Coach Ronayne on the importance of the annual benefit game: "It's important to acknowledge there are circumstances carrying far more weight than a game played with sticks and pucks. It's heart warming to see the boys playing for their loved ones impacted by cancer. We've got our #10 retired jersey reminding us that it's a fight worth fighting. We keep going no matter what. We support family and friends in recovery and those whose battle is ongoing." Join the Eagles in their quest for success on Wednesday as they host Fenton United. Puck drops at 7:20 at the expansive Lakeland Ice Arena.

LHS Varsity hockey took care of their LVC business last week with two solid showings against Walled Lake unified squads. On Thursday, the Eagles went for the season sweep of Walled Lake Western/Pickney United at the chilly Kensington Valley Ice House. Brrr. But it didn't take long for Eagle scoring to heat up. On LHS' first powerplay, sophomore Nate Dell accepted a cross ice pass from Brendan Day at mid-ice. Dell took the puck into the WLP zone and handcuffed the goaltender with a quick shot. The rebound popped into the air and Dell finished off the goal by directing his own rebound in mid-flight to put the Eagles up 1-0. Captain Brennan Grant put the Eagles up by two collecting a Day rebound (Tyler Buback) and calmly skimming the puck along on the ice for the goal. 2-0 after one. WLP scored their lone goal on senior Paul Baker in the second period leaving the game mired at 2-1 until sophomore Killian Voorhies pushed a face-off win forward to senior Elliott Smith. Smith gained the neutral zone and fed the puck to a very hungry Carter Sutton. Sutton powered his way past the WLP defender and drilled the puck high over a confounded WLP tender. 3-1 after two. In the third Lakeland locked down WLP in front of Baker. Nate Dell scored a bookend goal (Day, Adam Tryzcinski) neatly handling the puck into and through the WLP high slot. Dell moved left but shot right beating the goalie over his glove. 4-1 final. Coach Ronayne: "WLP has weapons and we focused on shutting down their top line. Nate (Dell) was all over the ice tonight and when he is moving with the puck I think he's the only one who knows where it's going. Two nice goals. And Paul stood tall breaking up 2 or 3 breakaways that we need to lock down."  

On Saturday, the Hockey team welcomed South Lyon United for a rematch of an LHS barn burner win back in November.  After a memorable Senior Night ceremony the puck dropped in front of a warm crowd of Lakeland and South Lyon faithful supporters. Lakeland broke out of the gate first with junior Carter Sutton (Elliot Smith, Tyler Buback) scoring his first Eagle goal fresh off the IR list.  SLU tied it up on a powerplay scramble later in the period.  But with just 13 seconds remaining, Joe Sesi wristed a shot from the point and as he's been doing all season, Captain Brennan Grant hypnotically tipped Sesi's shot into the SL net for a mind bending 2-1 Lakeland lead after one period. The second period found the Eagles beating a path to the penalty box and to the scoresheet.  The Eagles combined for three shorthanded goals.  One from Adam Tryzcinski (Dell) then two from Austin Scanlon (Dell and Hinkle).  Senior Brendan Day scored his first goal of the season off a nice PP feed from Killian Voorhies and Carter Sutton.  Lakeland clamped down on SLU in the third and eased into the W with Grant scoring his second of the night by walking around a befuddled SLU defenseman (assist to Joe Sesi).   As he did in the first LHS-SLU game, Nate Dell capped off the scoring (Reid Sutherland and Ryan Danielson) to ice the game. Coach Ronayne: "The game was tight in the first but the mood was good thanks to the Grant-Sesi last minute goal.  Paul and our D held them to one goal and all of our scoring cylinders were firing tonight.  Another good team win." The Eagles fly south to Kensington Valley on Thursday 1/18 to take on WLP united.  ETD 7 pm.  

Last Wednesday, January 10th, the Hockey team hosted in-district rival Milford, and besides bragging rights, the vaunted Barber's Cup was at stake.  The Eagles aggressively claimed both, defeating the Mavericks, 7-1. Coach Ronayne on the big game: "We circle the Milford games on our calendar.  Records mean nothing when we meet.  Anything can happen and usually does." Coach proved prophetic as many things did happen in the first period.   Lakeland scored early when Joe 'Hammer' Sesi fired a crisp pass to junior Nate Dell for the Eagles' first goal. The Mavericks fought back hard outshooting the Eagles 10-9 in the first period.  Senior goaltender Paul Baker kept the Mavs off the board with solid play and a stunning glove save late in the period robbing Milford's power play unit from inside the crease. Baker on the save "I'm not even sure how I made that save.  But I knew I had it." 1-0 after one. In the second period, junior Adam Tryzcinski hunted down a pass from Pacman Dell deep in Maverickland. The Mav defenders missed hot-handed Ryan Danielson but Tryzcinski did not.  Danielson fired the puck under the glove of Milford goaltender Jesse Lee.  2-0.   The Mavs scored a powerplay goal to pull within one but sophomore Jacob Kintz scored his first goal as an Eagle (assists to Joel Slicker and Jake Verbick) just 15 seconds later.  As the period wound down, LHS beat Lee again as Tryzcinski shoveled in a powerplay rebound (Tim Hinkle, Austin Scanlon).   4-1 after two. Lakeland padded their lead scoring three more goals in the third period.   Scanlon (Brennan Grant, Brendan Day) notched the first goal, then senior Elliot Smith scored the final two goals with helpers credited to Killian Voorhies, Carter Sutton, Scanlon and Tyler Buback.    Freshman goaltender Ben Johnson relieved Baker midway through the third period and shut-out several Maverick attackers to make the final score 7-1. Coach Ronayne: "It's a big deal to beat Milford.  Their 91 (Alex Kozar) was all over the ice and is a top player in the LVC.  But tonight we wore them down with an all around team effort. Everyone contributed."

On Saturday, the Hockey team hosted yet another unified team - Chippewa Valley. Timmy Hinkle roofed a puck to kick off the scoring in the second period (Austin Scanlon). It took another period before Ryan Danielson (Brendan Day) popped in an insurance goal. CVU pulled their goalie but could not beat senior Paul Baker who ended up turning back all 32 shots. Hinkle scored with 1 second remaining to ice the game. 3-0 Eagles. Coach Ronayne: "We'll take the win but we needed every one of Baker's saves to beat them tonight." Join LHS Varsity hockey this Wednesday for their tilt with the Milford Mavericks. Puck drops at 7:20 pm at the historic Lakeland Ice Arena.

Last Friday, the Hockey team started out the New Year with a 2-2 OT tie against LVC foe Lakes Area United. Junior Ryan Danielson brought his 'A' game scoring both goals for the Eagles. The first was a blistering snapshot from the left circle that beat the Lakes Area goaltender over his left shoulder (assists to Elliot Smith and Paul Baker). Lakes answered to tie it up. Danielson scored again on a rebound (Nate Dell and Adam Trzcinski) but Lakes tied it up again and the game fizzled out to a 2-2 tie. Coach Ronayne: "We came out flat and uninspired. Lakes Area dominated the first period and we hit the snooze button one too many times for a win. Danielson scored two huge goals to keep us in the game. Overall not our best effort." Join LHS Varsity hockey this Wednesday for their tilt with the Milford Mavericks. Puck drops at 7:20 pm at the historic Lakeland Ice Arena.

LHS Varsity hockey ended the year with a lopsided win over league opponent Fenton United Griffins on Tuesday night (12/19). The pregame featured an elaborate Griffin intro festooned with lights, fog and a sparkling 'lights out' entry at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, MI. Coach Matt Busterna said this of the build-up before puck drop: "It felt like a Taylor Swift concert was about to go down." Alas, Swifties in the house were instead treated to an eight goal Eagles offensive show. The Griffins battled hard in the first until 11 minutes into the period when senior Captain Brennan Grant cashed in on a powerplay thanks to two on-the-money passes from junior Adam Tryczinski and sophomore Austin Scanlon. Tryczinski added a goal of his own after D-man Tyler Buback squashed a Griffin attack. Sophomore Nate Dell carried the loose puck into Fenton's zone and floated a pass to Tryczinski who snapped a hard shot for the goal. Grant scored his second of the period on LHS' second powerplay from about the same spot on the ice as his first (assist Cap'n Tim Hinkle). 3-0 after one. Lakeland poured on the heat and added three more goals in the third period. Dell and Tryczinski connected again on their way to big four and five point nights respectively. Dell gathered a loose puck in the high Lakeland slot and fed Tryczinski who was already on the go. Both players drove the net hard with Tryczinski electing to score his second over the Griff tender's shoulder. Senior Elliot Smith scored next thanks to persistent forechecking by linemates Joel Slicker and Jacob Verbick. Then it was back to the Dell-Tryczinski combo this time with Dell burying a clapper off a Tryczinski setup. 6-0 after two. The game ended quickly in the third due to a four minute Eagles powerplay. Hinkle popped a nice goal from the blue line helped by an effective Smith goalie screen. Tryczinski ended the game when he scored his third goal for his first hattrick as an Eagle (Scanlon, Grant). 8-0 final. Coach Ronayne: "I'm happy with the overall effort. We had multiple players with multi-point games. Bryce Martin, Grant, Hinkle and especially Dell and Tryczinski blew up the game. Everyone including players not on the scoresheet put in the work and it paid off tonight. Glad to see Paul get his second shut-out." The Eagles end 2023 with a 8-3 record and will pick up the new year on January 6th vs Lakes Area Unified.

The Hockey team wrapped up a solid week of action by defeating Midland 3-0 in an early morning match-up on the road. The Chemics cooked up the earliest goal of the MHSAA varsity season scoring at 9:08 am ET less than a minute into the game. The Eagles fought back thanks to senior Elliot Smith's destruction of a Chemic defender freeing up the puck to Verbick who backed it over to sophomore Killian Voorhies for the goal. Hinkle put the Eagle's ahead rushing a Grant clearing pass into the Midland zone and dishing to Scanlon. Scanlon unselfishly fed it right back to Hinkle who buried it. The Chemics tied the game back up turning the tables after a disallowed Lakeland goal ruffled the Eagles' feathers. 2-2 after two periods. The third period was scoreless until just 3 minutes to go. Sophomore defenseman Gavin Hewitt intercepted the Chemic puck deep in the Eagles' zone. Hewitt headmanned the puck to Scanlon who gained the Midland zone and released the puck to Hinkle at the blueline who was covering for a charging Hewitt. Hewitt had immediately jumped up into play, drove to the net and stopped there. Hinkle took a nice low shot the goalie couldn't handle and Hewitt had two backhand swipes at it for the win. Coach McElwee on the game winner: "Luckily I was looking down when Gavin jumped up because I would have been yelling at him to stay back. Martin told me Hewitt scored and we all cheered like crazy for him. He picked a great time to score his first Varsity goal. It was a cool moment because the Defense have been stalwart in front of Baker the past several games." Lakeland finishes the 2023 campaign vs Fenton United Tuesday at the Dort Center in Flint.

This past weekend found the Eagles north of the Zilwaukee bridge for a couple of games against both Midland high schools. On Friday, the Eagles handled Midland Dow putting in five unanswered goals. Lakeland began the scoring thanks to hard work by Austin Scanlon and Jake Verbick. Scanlon drove hard to retrieve and center a puck in the Charger's corner. Verbick drove the net, collected the puck and softly left it for junior Ryan Danielson to tuck in on his backhand. Grant scored the 2nd(Scanlon,Day) and 3rd(Martin,Scanlon) goals. The remaining goals were credited to junior Ryan Danielson (Nate Dell, Elliot Smith) and Dell from Danielson. Final Score 5-0. Coach Ronayne "Glad to see Baker earn his first donut. Paul's been very good over our winning streak and turned back everything Dow could muster."

Last week, the Hockey team took on Novi from the KLAA, and the Eagles proved to be the better team with a 4-1 victory. Period 1 was scoreless until under two minutes as Senior goalie Paul Baker and his Novi counterpart Andre Morais kept the scoresheet clean. Novi finally broke the ice with 90 seconds to go. Sophomore Austin Scanlon answered just a minute later thanks to senior Brendan Day's work in the corner and Brennan Grant's nifty chip off the boards. Scanlon muscled his way past the Novi defense beating Morais on his blocker side to tie it up. 1-1 after one. Lakeland went ahead late in the second period when Scanlon banged home a rebound from Grant thanks to a perfectly placed low shot from junior Bryce Martin. 2-1 after two. The Eagles popped in two more goals. Grant tipped in a Day low shot as he sailed by Morais (Scanlon). Captain Tim Hinkle capped off the scoring when he took a rebound off of Baker's left pad end to end on a powerplay rush. Hinkle scooted the puck by all Novi defenders for a solid final 4-1 score. Coach Ronayne reflected on the win: "We had to play all 51 minutes to win this one. Novi plays a brutal schedule in the KLAA so this was a good measuring stick for us. I like the way we played with a lead and finished it out in front of Paul."

This past Saturday, the Hockey team competed against the newly unified Walled Lake United White Caps, and despite the new name for the opponent, it was still a Battle of Bogie Lake game. The game remained 0-0 after one period as Lakeland beat a path to the penalty box.   Finally in the 2nd period, Joey Sesi scored his first goal of the year with a quick shot that was tipped in by an lazy WLU stick.   Later, the Caps intercepted a Paul Baker clearing pass to tie the game.  Then just 10 seconds later they doubled up to make the score 2-1 after two periods. But it was the Austin Scanlon-Tim Hinkle-Brenan Grant line picking up the team in the third.   The play began as Baker made a long clearing pass to Hinkle at the WLU blue line.   Hinkle curled into the zone and dropped the puck for Grant but he politely declined leaving the puck for Scanlon to snip the upper left corner.  The Caps goalie didn't move until the puck was behind him -- 2-2 tie.    The game winner came during a 5-3 advantage.   Hinkle furiously rushed the puck from Lakeland's goal line eventually losing the handle in the high slot.  But the puck ended up on Grant's stick and he flicked it past the Cap goalie -- 3-2 Lakeland.   WLU pulled their goalie for the extra attacker but senior Elliot Smith put in the work to keep the puck in the SLU zone finding the inside of the left post to salt away the win. Coach Ronayne: "WLU didn't quit and neither did we.   We need to clean up our penalties and our mental mistakes.  But the White Caps are well coached and the game could have gone either way tonight.  It was nice to see Sesi put in the first goal.  He had a nice assist vs SLU as well.  Offense from the point is always welcome." Lakeland hosts the Novi Wildcats on Wednesday 12/13.  Puck drops at 7:20 pm Lakeland Ice Arena.   Photo submitted.

On Wednesday, Dec. 6th, the Hockey team traveled to Brighton to meet South Lyon United in their first of two meetings this season.  It's been either LHS or SLU crowned LVC champion since the league was established.   South Lyon kicked off the scoring in the first period on the first power play of the day.   Lakeland senior Tim Hinkle would strike back burying a centering pass from Brennan Grant.   It would be Hinkle again this time from linemate Austin Scanlon who smartly backhanded a deflected Grant snapshot to the ever-patient Hinkle.  2-1 Lakeland after one. Both teams scored goals in the second period.  This time it was Grant's turn to score on a nifty tip off of junior Joe Sesi's wrist shot (from Hinkle).  3-2 after two.   The teams traded shots in the third period as senior goalie Paul Baker was tested several times coming up with save after save.   Unified finally broke open the scoring with 8 minutes remaining.   With under a minute to go the game was heading to OT until junior Bryce Martin and sophomore Nate Dell decided to end it in regulation.  Martin aggressively swept the puck off of a Unified attacker's stick to Dell who walked the puck in on the SLU goal and tucked it between the goaltender's pads to make the final score 4-3 Eagles. Coach Ronayne on the win:  "This was a solid win for us.  It wasn't pretty but our top players made the plays when it counted.  Paul was the difference for sure and the Hinkle just line keeps producing.   As for the game winner you couldn't pick a better stick for the puck to land on.  Nate was sure handed and put it away for us.  A huge goal."

Last Friday, the Eagles hosted a Western Pickney United squad ready for battle. Adam (Beast) Trzcinski drilled home a rebound off a gritty Ryan Danielson shot to kick off scoring for LHS. Brennan Grant scored on a powerplay rebound (assist to Austin Scanlon) to end the period at 2-0. WLP scored a sloppy goal thanks to sloppy ice 10 seconds into the 2nd period but it was Captains Grant and Tim Hinkle to the rescue combining for a short handed goal to pad the LHS lead. The Warrior-Pirates answered to pull within one after 2 periods. Lakeland scoring then switched to 'On' and WLP could not pull the plug. Grant started the scoring on a nice tip from Brendan Day and Hinkle. Bryce Martin added a neat goal from the point (assist to sophomore Nate Dell). Then Hinkle scored his second and third goals of the night. The second goal came off a nice feed from Scanlon and the hattrick goal was served up on a dirty dish from Grant when he fooled everyone but Hinkle who stayed home and shoveled in the 7th for LHS. Dell finished off the scoring for the night with a lone effort tic-tac-toe dragging his way through most of the WLP skaters to send the WLP faithful heading for the exits. Final score Lakeland 8 WLP 4. Coach Ronayne: "We liked how the efforts by our forwards defensively turned into scoring chances. Our forecheck was better tonight and we put pucks and warm bodies to the net. Trzcinski and Danielson quietly had a very good games - getting to pucks and putting in hard work. Verbick and Kintz both showed more grit tonight too so that will help us going forward. Grant and Hinkle had 10 points? Say no more."

Last Wednesday, the Hockey team kicked off LVC league play vs Lakes Area United. Lakes scored first on a point shot senior Goalie Paul Baker lost in traffic. Sophomore Killian Voorhies evened the game in the 2nd period on a neat breakaway goal. Lakes answered to go up by one until Ryan Danielson continued his scoring streak burying a powerplay rebound (assists to Brendan Day and Voorhies). But Lakeland's multi-season league win streak was finally broken when a Lakes Area two man advantage ended with a puck zipped over Baker's shoulder for the win 3-2. Coach Ronayne: "Lakes Area outworked us from the first puck drop. We took way too many penalties and were careless with the puck. Disappointing effort and lack of toughness for us but all credit to Lakes Area. They are going to make some noise in the LVC this year."

On Saturday, November 25th, the Varsity Hockey team traveled downriver to face perennial powerhouse Trenton on their home ice. The Eagles gave up two early goals in the first period before settling in to pull within one goal in the second when senior defenseman Brendan Day collected a pass from junior Jacob Kintz and found junior Ryan Danielson in the slot. Danielson tucked the puck in for his third goal in three games. Midway through the third period the Trojans added an insurance goal they had to cash in when senior Brennan Grant scored an unassisted powerplay goal. Grant found himself with the puck in the high slot thanks to a strong rush into the Trojan's zone by junior Adam Trzcinski. Trzcinski curled toward the boards and found junior Bryce Martin. Martin caught the tipped path in his glove, snapped a quick shot that was blocked but Grant finished the scoring play. Final score 3-2 Trojans. The Eagles pulled goalie Paul Baker but could not muster the equalizer. Coach Ronayne: "Trenton is a top program in the state. We wanted a tough schedule this season and couldn't ask for any better to test our mettle. Going down early 2-0 was not an ideal start. We were not happy with the effort in the first but I'm pleased with how they responded. Paul was solid in net and we had a couple of nice goals on the PP."

On Saturday, the Varsity Hockey team met the strong Sault High Blue Devils. Lakeland stormed out of the gate led by seniors Tim Hinkle and Brennan Grant. Hinkle had four big hits on his first shift alone with Grant making his presence felt as well. But the Soo struck first thanks to a home cooked tipped puck that walked over Baker's shoulder. The Soo scored again to make it 2-0 before Danielson banged home a rebound from another Martin point shot. The Devils pitch-forked in two more goals to make the score 4-1 after two. The third period was scoreless in spite of relentless pressure by Lakeland. Coach Ronayne "We never like to lose but we found a better battle gear tonight against a Soo team that is the real deal. It's a hard hitting game up here and Timmy set the tone for us on his first shift. We for sure need to do better defensively in front of Paul against good teams. Shots for and against were even and we just couldn't find the back of the net." Lakeland faces another tough test on Saturday 11/25 at the Kennedy Rec Center versus the Trenton Trojans. Puck drops at 7:30 PM.

Cold weather means WINTER SPORTS action, and we have our first results from the defending LVC champion Hockey team. The Eagles kicked off their '23-'24 campaign in the UP this weekend looking to tag some wins. They faced two solid opponents beginning with the Big Rapids Cardinals on Friday 11/17. After a slow start for the team, junior Ryan Danielson kicked off the scoring by snagging an errant Big Rapids pass and easily beating the BR goalie low blocker. 1-0 after one period. Six minutes into the second period, junior Bryce Martin neatly broke up a three on one Cardinal attack and pushed the puck up to junior Adam Trzcinski who took it end to end finding the net on quick snap shot for the 2nd goal of the game. 2-0 after two. Lakeland would go on to score three more goals in the 3rd. Trzcinski scored his second of the night (Martin, Brennan Grant) and sophomore Austin Scanlon added a pair of goals with assists credited to Martin(3), B. Grant, and junior Tyler Buback and senior Elliot Smith. Senior Captain goaltender Paul Baker turned back 20 of 21 shots for his first win of the year. Final score 5-1 LHS. Coach Tim Ronayne shared his thoughts on the game: "Well we were not ready to go in the first. You can blame a long bus trip but Big Rapids traveled today too. Paul was ready and he kept the scoreboard clean until we woke up. Ryan had a nice first goal and Martin put the puck on net from the point all night like we want him to do. I'm generally pleased with the win but we can do better."