Coming in to their OAA I matchup against Royal Oak United on a two game losing streak, the last thing Clarkston’s hockey team was hoping to find was a hot goalie ? but such was the case as Royal Oak’s Rick Hennard turned away 49 Wolves? shots in a 3-3 tie on Dec. 22 at the Detroit Skate Center.
‘We salvaged a tie,? Clarkston Coach Bryan Krygier said. ‘I don’t like to tie or lose OAA games. But that one point still means a lot.?
Senior Kyle Chartrand tied the game, 3-3 with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
Clarkston never led in the contest, trailing 2-0 after one period. Senior Ricky Spano scored two goals, one in the second period and another in the third to tie the game 2-2. But Royal Oak regained a one-goal advantage with eight minutes left to play in the third period.
‘I’m glad we didn’t give up. We had some energy and we didn’t want to lose,? Krygier said.
The Wolves record now stands at 5-4-1 overall and 4-1-1 within the OAA Division I, good for second place in the league standing behind Troy. Troy, 7-3-0 (5-0-0) beat Clarkston 3-1 on Dec. 10.
In the practice time afforded to them by the Clarkston Schools winter break, Krygier intends to emphasize the Wolves recent legacy in the OAA.
‘This is my eighth season. In that time we have finished first five times and in second place twice. They can’t accept anything but first,? Krygier said.
For all practical purposes, the OAA crown will be decided soon after the Wolves’s layoff with six OAA games in a row in the month of January.
On Jan. 6 Clarkston plays at West Bloomfield, then on Jan. 7 at Stoney Creek. A home stand featuring West Bloomfield on Jan. 12 and Farmington on Jan. 14 follows. On Jan. 26 the Wolves travel to face Royal Oak, then are at home on Jan. 28 for a rematch with Troy.
After the spate of OAA action upon returning from the break, Clarkston only has one remaining league game left on their schedule, Feb. 15 against Farmington.