For four years in a row now, Saline has won the Southeastern Conference Red Division while Chelsea topped the White Division. Ironically similar to the dominance exhibited by nearby University of Michigan — and Ohio State, of course — in Big Ten football. Conference realignment may, or may not, upset the applecart at the B1G championship this fall. But there certainly won’t be any Oregon’s or USC’s coming for the Hornets’ and Bulldogs’ top spots in the SEC.

Can Pioneer, Skyline, Lenawee, Dexter or anybody in the conference flip the script this winter?

Last Season’s Champion: Chelsea, Saline

Chelsea hasn’t lost an SEC White game over two years, and hasn’t been defeated by a conference opponent since Dec. 22, 2022. The Bulldogs, in a lot of ways, have been the class of the conference going back as far as records go. They graduated just six players last spring, and return the best goalie in the conference, Luke Webster. He had a stunning 0.94 goals-against average against SEC opponents, and has gone 17 straight games in-conference without allowing more than two goals against. As long as Webster’s between the pipes for Chelsea, the Bulldogs should be looked at as heavy favorites against conference foes.

On the other side, Saline scratched and clawed its way back to a fourth consecutive White Division championship, fighting off surges from Ann Arbor Skyline and Ann Arbor Pioneer in the process. The Hornest only graduated six, but their leading scorers Mateo Iadipaolo and Blake Woodrel as well as starting goalie Tyler Schroeder were among them. Those are some large holes to fill. With the Hornets, Skyline and Pioneer all ‘rebuilding’ a bit this offseason, the Red Division could be wide open in ‘24-25. 

Returning Players to Watch

Antonio Giacalone, Saline Junior Forward

A fantastic accent player for the Hornets for the last two years. After recent graduations and departures from the program, Giacalone is set to step into a more prominent role in the offense and I expect him to flourish. 

Rhett Micallef, Lenawee United Senior Forward 

This kid is legit. He may not be the most polished skater, but he’s always buzzing, engaged in the play, constantly impacting the game and could play on any team in the state. I would love to have this kid in the lineup.

Anthony Yang, Ann Arbor Pioneer Forward

Yang was a top performer for a rebuilding Pioneer squad last season. I think this season is a building block in that process, where the Pioneers — and Yang — take a big step in wins and production.

Wyatt Church, Saline Junior Defenseman 

Big opportunity for the second-year D-man with the Hornets looking to fill some holes in the lineup. He’ll likely log a ton of minutes on the back end, being called upon to not only stifle opposing offenses but produce a bit of his own as well.

Jeremy Schroeder, Dexter Junior Defenseman

Played forward and D, and led the team in scoring for a Dreadnaughts squad that struggled last season. Dexter may very well be improved from its six-win campaign last winter, and do-it-all utility man Schroeder will be a big reason for that.

Luke Webster, Chelsea Senior Goalie

When it comes to SEC action, Webster has been virtually unbeatable throughout his four-year career. A strong senior season could put the 6-foot-3 goaltender in the conversation among top performers in the state. 

Petey’s Prediction: Chelsea, Ann Arbor Pioneer

Chelsea is a free square here in the SEC White. They’ve just dominated much of the conference for almost a decade, if not longer. I don’t mean to write teams off, either. Lenawee United can compete with the Bulldogs but will have to find a way to produce enough offense against Webster. Jackson is always a tough place to play as well; weird things always seem to happen at Optimist Arena. And reports out of Dexter are high after a strong offseason. However, none of that is enough to deter me from picking Chelsea in this spot.

The Red Division is wide open. Literally everyone graduated or left and the top spot is up for grabs. It’s been Saline for four straight, but the loss of two top producers and a three-year starting goalie is a big hit. Ann Arbor Skyline made a strong run at it last season, but that was largely due to a senior heavy team. Pioneer is the pick here, almost by default. It feels like most everyone in the division is at various stages of rebuilding or reloading, with the Pioneers having a bit of a leg up being further along in the process. It’s an ugly, scrappy, gritty road to a division championship, which is the type of environment Pioneer seems to thrive in as well. 

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