Photo by Patricia O’Blenes St. Clair Shores senior Zach Morgan was one of nine seniors to help the Lakers take home the 2009-10 Macomb Area Conference Red Division championship.

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer

DETROIT — The St. Clair Shores Unified hockey team found out what a difference momentum can make in the single-elimination format of the state playoffs.

In less than a two-minute span in the second period, the Lakers went from leading the University of Detroit Jesuit 3-2 to trailing 4-3.

Cubs senior forward Patrick Riedy scored short-handed with 6:48 remaining in the second and senior defenseman Brian Gardner added the go-ahead goal with 5:08 left in the frame.

The Cubs added an empty-net goal with 20 seconds left in the game for the 5-3 win March 4 at City Ice Arena in Detroit.

“They’re a deep team, with 15 seniors, and they threw all 15 at us,” Lakers assistant coach Russ DiCristofaro said of U of D. “I think that experience they have played out for them, and it worked.”

St. Clair Shores Unified senior Chris Pontello scored the Lakers’ first two goals. His first-period tally was unassisted, and senior defenseman Joe Kommer assisted on the second.

“He’s been our go-to guy all year long,” DiCristofaro said of Pontello, who was named 2009-10 MAC Red MVP by the Macomb Area Conference High School Hockey Coaches Association.

“All the teams key on him. They all know he can handle the puck, and they all know he can score. So they’re going to run at him big time, which (the Cubs) did. He still scored two goals, and I give all the credit to him on that.”

Senior Brian Bollenberg scored the Lakers’ third goal at 12:19 in the second period.
Pontello, Kommer and Bollenberg are three of the nine seniors who helped guide the squad back to the top of the Macomb Area Conference Red Division standings with a 9-0-1 record.

The championship was the program’s first since winning three straight from 2004 to 2007.

“First and foremost, what we talk about is taking the MAC Red title and keeping it,”

DiCristofaro said. “We push that on our kids from day one and try to build off that one step at a time.”

Shores will have the luxury of returning two veteran goaltenders to defend their league title.

Depth in net should help make up for the graduation of their top four defensemen — Kommer, Zach Morgan, Adam Cruz and Kyle Evanko — and veteran forwards Pontello, Bollenberg, Cory Shafer, Shawn Quinn and Rob Demers.

Sophomore goalie Zach Kosal posted a 2.47 goal against average through 10 games, and junior goalie Bobby Fredal, who was in net for the playoff game, ended the regular season with a mark of 1.73 through 11 games.

 “(Fredal) played house (league) his whole life, and he grabbed the situation and ran with it,” DiCristofaro said.

“He’s extremely coachable, and he’s one year older that Zach. That year of maturity makes a huge difference. He’s never played this competitive of hockey before, and once he got out there and got acclimated to what was going on, he got more comfortable.” 

You can reach Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1029.