The thought of possibly playing Northville in the Division 1 hockey state final kept Detroit Catholic Central senior Eian Szerlip up for the two nights leading up to the March 7 crosstown matchup.
Six Shamrocks grew up in Northville — nine if you include three JV White and Blue players — and Szerlip, who attended Hillside Middle School, was one of them.
Only Beck Road separates CC and Northville, and the chance to face old friends fueled the Shamrocks (29-1-1) in a 6-0 win over the Mustangs (23-9-0) that clinched their seventh straight state title since 2019.
“We have a lot of kids who grew up in that area, so playing them, of course the emotions are going to run a little higher,” CC coach Brandon Kaleniecki said. “We just said, ‘Hey, it’s a hockey game. Don’t get caught up in it and maintain your composure,’ because you’ve got to put those things to the side and worry about being on the ice. Our guys managed that well, and I thought a lot of those guys from that area played great.”
The Northville natives certainly did.
Szerlip’s goal early in the third period gave the Shamrocks a 4-0 lead.
Senior Dominic Testani assisted on two goals.
Junior goalie Nick Kogut kept CC’s shutout streak alive, turning away 15 shots.
Christian Calloway, Jack Dorgan and Jackson Leiter are also from Northville.
“I grew up playing with some of these guys in youth on the KV Rebels, so it meant a lot to come out here on a big stage and play against them,” Szerlip said. “It’s buddy-buddy off the ice, but when we get on the ice, we know it’s strictly business when playing for a state championship.”
It wasn’t all buddy-buddy.
Kogut said when he checked his phone following CC’s 8-0 win over Rockford in the state semifinal the night before, he heard from many of his old Hillside friends.
“They were all talking about how they were going to beat me,” said Kogut, named to the all-state team after the win. “Coming out here and finally playing this game, I’ve been wanting to play them for my whole career, so doing this was awesome. It was just amazing.”
He said his favorite moment was stopping a scoring chance by Northville junior Caden Conner in the third period. The two played together for the Novi Ice Cats, and Conner’s father, Chris, who played for five NHL teams, including the Detroit Red Wings, was their coach.
“I’ve known them a long time,” Kogut said. “Doing that felt pretty special.”
Lopsided score aside, the evening meant more than just a game, as USA Hockey Arena brought together two close-knit communities where everyone knows someone from the rival school.
“It was a special thing, and certainly it added some emotions,” Kaleniecki said. “When all of a sudden you’re playing against a team that’s right around the corner, it just builds in the anticipation, and it created a situation where the rink was awesome. The rink was buzzing from the get-go, and our boys were amped up for it, as you knew they would be.”
The Mustang faithful didn’t disappoint, with their fanbase helping to pack the 3,504-seat arena in Plymouth. The fire department even escorted the team’s bus on the 2.5-mile trip north on Beck to the game, ensuring the players knew the entire city was behind them as they made their first state title game appearance.
“Northville, as a community, showed up,” said fourth-year Northville coach Ryan Ossenmacher, a 1997 CC graduate. “The number of texts we’ve got from people in the community who haven’t necessarily been to our games but all of a sudden were on board for this year showed that we have a tremendous community. When you walk through downtown, there’s a sign that says, ‘Let’s go Northville hockey.’ This place was full, and the band was here. How cool is that? This is a memory our guys are going to remember forever.”
And the Northville natives on the other side will remember it, too, highlighted by Kogut hoisting the wooden mitten first and carrying it to CC’s student section for the team’s annual celebratory photo in front of its fans.
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: 6 Northville residents help Detroit Catholic Central blank Mustangs
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
