‘UP AND DOWN’
LCU achieves program benchmarks around pandemic
L’Anse Creuse Unified has been doing unusual things.
The hockey team made up of players from L’Anse Creuse and L’Anse Creuse North won its first MAC Red Division championship Wednesday night.
Last March, LCU won a regional championship for the first time.
Between reaching those milestones, the program navigated an unprecedented worldwide health crisis that cancelled the late stages of the 2020 state tournament, limited offseason training, threatened to wipe out this season and forced a condensed and jumbled schedule once the campaign was allowed to begin in February.
“A roller coaster ride,” coach Jon Nader called it.
LCU won the Red with a 7-0 victory over Romeo at Mount Clemens Ice Arena. Nader’s team finished 5-1 in the division and took an 11-3 record into its regular-season finale against Utica-Ford Unified Friday night.
“There were a lot of ups and downs to the season, but in the end, this is all that matters,” captain Jeff Deriemaker said after scoring four goals, including one with LCU shorthanded, against Romeo.
High school teams everywhere have had to adjust in order to play during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For hockey, that means limited use of locker rooms, less than usual amounts of practice time and stick taps rather than handshakes when games are over.
“We were up and down the whole time,” Nader said as he thought back to the offseason and the stops and restarts that came with the season. “We kept thinking positive and doing the right things, thinking about getting back to playing hockey.
“All these kids have worked hard to do the right things. We hope we can get through this next couple of weeks and stay healthy and have fun.”
L’Anse Creuse Unified begins Division 1 regional play against Utica-Ford Unified at Detroit Skate Club on Wednesday. The winner plays Rochester Adams
in a semifinal game Thursday.
LCU’s offense went into a slump in consecutive games against Rochester United and Romeo, the latter a 4-0 loss at Suburban Ice Macomb on March 2.
Before this week’s rematch with the Bulldogs, Nader put together a line of defenseman Deriemaker, assistant captain Jack Majchrzak and junior Cade Ringstad.
The three new linemates clicked for two goals during a 20-shot first period against Romeo, and LCU was on its way to the division-clinching victory.
“We got back to good, oldfashioned hockey,” Nader said. “Shoot the puck, crash the net.
“For eight days, we had to bear down. We knew we had to go after it. We also had to get back to having a little fun, I guess.”
Logan Barnhard, a senior goalie, made 10 saves for his second shutout and 11th victory of the season.
“Our goalie played amazing,” Deriemaker said.
L’Anse Creuse Unified won championships in the Blue and White divisions before being elevated to the Red, the MAC’s top tier.
“We’re just buying in,” Deriemaker said when asked to explain the program’s success.
Nader pointed to a coaching staff that includes Jerry Lovelace, Justin Nowak and Dan Oleksy.
“It makes it easier when you have a staff that works hard and gets along well,” he said.
Dakota is also part of the fiveteam regional field at Detroit Skate Club. The Cougars, who got a first-round bye because Port Huron had to bow out of the regional because of the virus, play host Lake Orion on Thursday in the second half of a semifinal doubleheader.
The championship game starts at 5:55 p.m. on March 19.
“I’d like nothing better for these kids than to hang another (regional) banner,” Nader said. “They deserve it.”