Brother Rice advances to D2 semis
BURTON » A little over a year later, Birmingham Brother Rice hockey is back where it was supposed to be.
As it did in the 2020 Division 2 quarterfinals, the Warriors overwhelmed Port Huron Northern again in the 2021 quarterfinals at Crystal Field House, cruising to a 6-0 win behind a four-goal first period.
Now the Warriors hope they can finish the journey toward a state championship this weekend, an opportunity they didn’t receive in 2020.
“We’ve waited a long time to get back to this spot,” Brother Rice coach Kenny Chaput said. “These guys have dealt with a lot in the last year and coming into the game we didn’t have to say much. It was just reminding them that this is what they had been working hard toward and waiting a year for. This was their opportunity and they made the most of it in that first period.”
Rice (13-4) didn’t waste any time jumping on the Huskies, as sophomore forward Peter Rosa found the net in the opening 45 seconds.
Minutes later, junior defenseman Luke DuCharme scored the second goal of the game on a Brother Rice power play. The Warriors swarmed the Northern net and DuCharme was able to slide the puck past the goalie after a number of Rice attempts.
Sophomore Andrew Marone would make it 3-0 10 minutes into the period when he got a 1-on-1 opportunity at the goalie from the side and just managed to beat him.
Senior Ryan Marone capped off the dominant period with a goal three minutes later.
“Our guys have done a great job of staying motivated throughout the playoffs. If they are relying on me to fire them up right now, then we have a problem,” Chaput said. “Our seniors and our leaders have been stepping up and they have a good understanding of the magnitude of where we are at in the season and how to keep everyone focused.”
Port Huron Northern would see improved play in the second and third periods, but still were unable to put a goal on the board against the Rice defense and the goaltending of senior Drake Danou and sophomore Tommy O’Donnell.
“When we are locked in, I like that we are playing the
game the right way,” Chaput said. “We don’t always stay locked in for the full 51 minutes. That’s been our challenge all season. When we are on, we are really tough to play against. When we stray, we give opponents opportunities that we shouldn’t.”
Senior forward Max Brown would score midway through the second while Ryan Marone tallied his second goal in the final minute of the second off a great pass from senior Brett Harris.
Ryan Marone would also tally a pair of assists in the win, as would Harris, Andrew Marone and senior Sam Yono.
Brother Rice advances to Thursday’s Division 2 semifinal, which will take place at 8 p.m. from USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.
The Warriors will be looking to earn their first state championship since 2017.
“We’ve been a text away or a phone call away from something bad happening and your whole season being turned upside down. A lot of teams have found that out unfortunately. We have really tried to embrace every game for the last month because you never know if it will be your last,” Chaput said of the journey of getting back to the semifinals. “It’s a great opportunity for our kids to finish out this season on the ice and I know they are excited about it.”