The Kensington Lakes Activities Association’s annual Hockey Media Day at Novi High School is always quite the pizza party, with rival coaches and players catching up and sharing laughs before facing off weeks later in some of the state’s toughest conference games.
But this year’s event on Nov. 3 was also a going-away party.
Livonia Public Schools announced in March it will leave the league after this school year to join the Lakes Valley Conference, which better aligns its three schools — Churchill, Franklin and Stevenson — with similar multi-school districts in size and competition.
The trio joined the KLAA when it was formed ahead of the 2008-09 school year, and their hockey programs have thrived against the high-level competition ever since.
While the conference switch should help most sports, many believe it’ll be a step down for hockey given how strong the KLAA has been. Since its formation 17 years ago, 23 KLAA teams have reached the state championship, and six have won titles. The LVC, meanwhile, has never had a team get that far, though White Lake Lakeland reached the final four two years ago at USA Hockey Arena.
That doesn’t mean Stevenson and Livonia Red — the co-op between Churchill and Franklin — will cruise through their new league. But the KLAA’s competition and prestige have long helped the Livonia programs gear up for deep playoff runs.
“The great thing about the KLAA has always been that, year in and year out, you’re never going to have an easy schedule,” said 14th-year coach Jason Reynolds, who spent 11 years leading Churchill and the past two coaching the Red co-op. “It was always going to be a challenging schedule, no matter what you did. It was such a great building ground for that stretch run when you get into the state playoffs because you were up against some of the best competition all season long in regular-season play.”
Ain’t that the truth.
Reynolds said Churchill never would’ve won back-to-back regional titles in 2017 and 2018 without facing KLAA opponents that toughened the Chargers for those runs. They likely wouldn’t have been ready to make it to the 2018 Division 3 state final, where they narrowly lost 2-1 to powerhouse Detroit Country Day.
Fortunately, the MHSAA allows hockey teams to schedule up to 25 regular-season games. With the LVC likely set to have only 10 league games next year, that leaves 15 open dates for Stevenson and Churchill to keep old rivalries alive.
“I think it makes perfect sense to play the Plymouths, the Cantons, the Salems,” Reynolds said. “They’re all within such close proximity. Even Northville and Novi make a lot of sense for us to schedule.”
What should make the move to the new league smoother is that both programs will bring very different rosters to the LVC.
Red graduated 10 seniors from last season. While the Stallions have a full bench, most of their lineup is made up of young players eager to prove themselves at the varsity level. This season will likely be about Reynolds building the foundation for a team that can compete when it joins the new league.
Stevenson, meanwhile, returns 17 seniors, including 15 key contributors from last year’s D2 state runner-up team that lost 3-2 in overtime to Flint Powers Catholic. The Spartans also have a new head coach, though one with deep ties to the program. Jay Thompson spent 11 years as an assistant under David Mitchell, who led Stevenson to four state finals and the 2013 state title over 17 seasons before leaving for the NAHL’s Aberdeen Wings.
“We have 17 seniors graduating, so it’ll be a brand new group of players we’ll be taking to the Lakes Valley Conference who really won’t know any different,” Thompson said. “We’ll make the best of the new league by continuing to do what we do and prepare how we’ve always prepared for every opponent, regardless of what opponent we have on the schedule. Fortunately, we’ll be able to play most of our games against strong nonconference opponents, so not much should change otherwise.”
No, the only real change is that showdowns with Brighton and Hartland won’t decide the final KLAA standings anymore. Those games will still be on the schedule, but they’ll carry a little less weight. And that’s what both Stevenson and Red will miss most about leaving for the LVC — the constant high-stakes battles the KLAA brought.
“The KLAA has meant everything to us,” Thompson said. “To be able to go out every night and play the best teams in the state, that really did prepare us to make our state finals runs over the years. The battles we’ve had with Brighton, Hartland every night, they were always competitive. There are very few nights when there’s a lopsided game or you’d face an opponent not on par with us in the KLAA. We’ll miss it. But at the same time, we’ll still have a really tough schedule.”
Needless to say, as Stevenson and Red take their final lap through the KLAA, every game should feel a little more meaningful. Each puck drop, goal celebration and trip to the penalty box will serve as a reminder of what made playing in one of the state’s most prestigious leagues so special.
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: Livonia Stevenson, Livonia Red hockey prepare for final season in KLAA
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
