I spent the weekend in Traverse City at the 13th annual Rick Deneweth Memorial North-South Showcase. Of the 24 teams in attendance, 14 of them are currently ranked in my Top 25 with another four or five teams “on the bubble” knocking on the rankings door. Half the games featured matchups between ranked opponents, and 15 games were decided by three goals or fewer. It was a great weekend of action for Michigan high school hockey, showcasing some of the best teams and games our sport has to offer. 

Had a bit of a rough outing with the picks, going just 13-10-1 at the North-South Showcase, but it’s all in good fun! I’ve got tons of notes and takeaways to share, which is far more important so let’s get into it.

Nobody’s touching Flint Powers hockey in Division-II

Not one, but two eight-goal mercy victories by Flint Powers over ranked opponents this weekend cemented itself as the favorite to win the Division-II state title for a second year in a row. The Chargers were already considered the front-runner, returning NAHL Draft pick and current leading scorer Ayden Cook, among others from last season’s championship team. But it’s not just the the high-end skills of Cook, Parker Bendall and Owen Perry, or the depth provided by Gavin Vorwerk, Sam Beebe and Chase Stevens. It’s really the play of Hunter Clark in net that makes Powers invincible. 

Clark faced just 34 shots total this weekend, and the team in front of him made his job even easier with 17 goals in roughly five periods of hockey. But the Stevenson game was competitive for the first two periods, and had a few scoring chances gone the other way it could have been a much different outcome. Things got away from the Spartans in a hurry; four goals from Vorwerk, Stevens, Logan Nanney and Julian Meyer in a six-minute span closed it out. But there were moments earlier in the contest where Colin Stroble and the Spartans had opportunities, including three power plays in the first 25 minutes of action. It was Clark snuffing out any hopes of offense Stevenson could generate. A save on Powers’ end leading to a 2-on-1 and a goal the other way is a total game changer and extremely deflating to opposing teams.

Escanaba experienced it the following night, when a team that averages 4.44 goals scored per game was held off the score sheet completely. Graham Johnson is an elite goal scorer — 34 tallies as a senior and 92 in his varsity career — and Nolan Bink, Ben Sands, Henry Sholten and Owen LaBonte make for an exceptionally skilled Eskymo bunch. Escanaba is a legitimate threat in Division-III and currently ranked 15th, but they were completely neutralized and unable to catch up to the Chargers after falling behind 2-0 early. 

The offense gets a ton of hype and rightfully so. Ayden Cook may very well be Mr. Hockey at the end of the year, and Owen Perry could be his understudy waiting in the wings for next year and beyond. But If either Escanaba or Stevenson is able to capitalize on a scoring opportunity or two early in the game, neither would’ve been the drubbings they resulted in.

The Utica Eisenhower hype is real

Look, I still don’t love this team. I think there’s some deficiencies and areas of concern. Take away the goals, and 10 outta 10 people watching the Byron Center game would’ve said the Bulldogs won. Time of possession, scoring chances, everything looked to be in favor of Byron Center on Friday. With that said, Ike still found a way to win its second ranked-v-ranked matchup of the season. The Eagles have great goaltending in Connor Holmes; he’s generously listed at 6-foot, but I’ll be damned if he doesn’t play big, making key stops at pivotal moments in the game. Couple that with timely scoring, and maybe Eisenhower has an outside shot against other Division-I teams like Howell and Detroit Catholic Central?

Joey Zelenak, Nathan Schilkey and Bode Farr don’t need much of an opportunity to make you pay. Holmes is going to keep games close, and if opposing offenses get stymied or frustrated, all it takes is a blocked shot off a shin guard to spring one of Ike’s ‘Big Three’ on a breakaway for a scoring chance. Winning the time of possession, shot differential or scoring chances won’t matter if you can’t finish and the Eagles can. 

Can Caledonia hockey’s depth get them to the Final Four?

Sam Hoag is every bit as aggravating for opposing shooters as the aforementioned Holmes. He’s really athletic and has a great compete level. He made 24 saves in Friday’s win against Saginaw Heritage and then essentially stole a second win for the Scots on Saturday when he stopped 33 shots against No. 19 Jeffers. Hoag had some highlight reel saves against the Jets, keeping a dynamic offense at bay, especially down the stretch when they outshot Caledonia 14-5 in the third period.

The Scots’ top six forwards are very balanced; it’s a top-two line combination that can skate with just about anybody in the state. Harmon Esch and Ethan Sova on one line followed by Ty Lewandowski and Drew Nichols on the next line. But the trio of Bryce Mitchell, Chase Gorby and Rylan Bultema is where my attention went this weekend.

Mitchell is a first-year forward who may be a bit undersized, but has a really nice skill set with footwork, hands and vision that show good potential. Bultema scored a timely goal — his fourth of the season — that made it 2-0 early in the Jeffers game. However, they were on the ice for an early goal against in the Heritage game.

Unless you’re a U.P. team, most programs need a functional third, or even fourth line they can lean on for minutes during a playoff run. For the Scots to make a push in D-II, this third line becomes crucial to the team’s success not necessarily for its offensive output, but just dependability. Regional opponents Byron Center, Grandville and Mattawan go at least three lines deep. I’m confident guys like Mitchell, Bultema and Gorby have the ability to fulfill that role for the Scots but I’m not quite sure they’re there at present day. Good news is, playoffs don’t start tomorrow and Caledonia still has some tough games ahead including the OKC playoffs. They’ll get a ton of opportunities to play in high-pressure situations between now and the postseason. If that growth happens — and I believe it can — this Caledonia team could be a very scary contender in D-II.