When CHS netminder Aaron Catanese broke his stick late in the third period of the state quarterfinals against Marquette on March 10, you had to wonder if that was a sign of things to come.
With the Wolves clinging to a 1-0 lead with only 14 seconds left in regulation, it looked like they were headed for the semifinals.
With the face-off in the Wolves zone, Marquette pulled their goalie for a six on five. Clarkston’s Kyle Buzzo won the draw, but the Redmen gained possession. Marquette’s Curt Ano sent a shot wide, but it hit a shake in front and redirected just past Catanese’s outstretched leg and trickled past the goal line with 7.6 seconds left on the clock.
Marquette’s luck carried into OT as Scott Koski’s shot from the blue line found the net as Catanese (23 saves) was screened and never saw the puck until the game was over.
‘It was tough,? Buzzo, team captain, said. ‘You work hard for six months and we were seven seconds away from where we wanted to be.?
While the Wolves were devastated to see their season end this way, they could relate to Marquette’s thrill. Last season the Wolves were on the receiving end of the quarterfinal OT victory.
It was an exciting game. Marquette came out strong in the first period and Catanese had to make some big saves. But the Wolves came alive and both teams ended with 10 shots on goal in a scoreless first period.
The Wolves out-played Marquette in the second, outshooting them 11-5, but Redmen goalie Caleb Downs made some incredible saves. Midway through the second Trevor Johns scored on assists from Buzzo and Adam Peters. It looked like that was going to be all the scoring the Wolves needed.
‘I feel sorry for the seniors having to lose like this in OT,? Bryan Krygier said. ‘We kept working hard, but they just got the break.?
‘We played well but had a breakdown in the last few seconds,? Griffin Cummings, co-captain and four-year player, said. ‘But they are a successful team, too.?
Cummings was right as Marquette (20-5-3) went on to dethrone 2003 state champions Detroit Catholic Central 3-2 in the title game on March 13.
‘It has been so much fun and the talent on the team got better every year,? Peters, co-captain and four-year player, said.
Krygier added that this is the first time in his tenure at Clarkston that he has had four 20-plus goal-scorers: Steven Morin, Trevor Johns, Mike Fogg and Adam Peters. With only five players graduating, the Wolves (19-5-4) should be a competitive force again next season, when they will be defending their league and regional titles. The Wolves will return 11 juniors and eight sophomores from this year’s team.
‘Those kids gave us great leadership and helped build our program. It takes a long time to do that and those kids are part of the reason we were as strong as we were this season,? Krygier said.
This was the sixth consecutive season the Wolves have finished in either first or second place in its league, their top priority Krygier said. ‘Our kids know the league is the most important goal for us every season. I definitely think we’ll be competitive again next year.?
Michael Brach, who played roughly 10 games in net for the Wolves this year, will take over Catanese’s place as the Wolves starting goalie next season, Krygier said.
‘Have fun and work hard,? Buzzo said to his returning teammates. ‘It goes by fast. Your season can be over in seven seconds.?
Actually, 7.6 to be exact.