ANCHOR BAY OPENS TOURNEY WITH WIN
Tars’ momentum key in blanking Utica Ford Unified, 5-0, in D1 regional tournament
Momentum is truly a key in sports, especially in the state playoffs.
Anchor Bay seized that momentum when Cade Carr scored on a rebound 32 seconds into its Division 1 regional contest against Utica Ford Unified on Wednesday night. The Tars never let up, coasting to a 5-0 victory.
“High school sports is all about momentum,” Anchor Bay coach Joe Zuccaro said. “Not just gaining it but controlling it. You scoring first is great, but keeping them off the board and then scoring another goal is great. It was very important tonight.”
The Tars extended their lead to 2-0 midway through the first period when John Sheker scored during a scramble in front of the net.
“We want to go into periods with momentum and then that happens and it takes the wind out of our sails,” Utica Ford Unified
coach Evan Gizinski said. “I thought we battled the whole game but had a couple bad bounces. Overall, I am proud of them.”
Anchor Bay added two power play goals in the second period as Kaden Leigh and Andrew McCabe each lit the lamp.
“Anchor Bay has a little more depth than I think we do,” Gizinski said. “I think they’re a younger team, too, with only two seniors. They’re set up to be good for a few years I think.”
The Tars tacked on an insurance goal by Christian Steele in the final period. That was more than enough support for Anchor Bay goalie Luke Christensen, who turned away all 33 shots, posting his ninth shutout of the season.
“We pride ourselves on defense, sometimes a little too much,” Zuccaro said. “Luke has been a rock for us. He’s our only goalie and tonight was his ninth shutout. He’s a senior, and the best thing about him is that he’s cool under pressure. Nothing bothers him.”
Leigh led the Tar charge with a goal and two assists,
“Caden is one of our captains and he was here last year,” Zuccaro said. “He’s our leading scorer and is a horse in the zone. He’s tough to get off the puck and has a good shot. We go as he goes sometimes. He’s a leader.”
McCabe added a goal and an assist for Anchor Bay, while Wyatt Blaskowski and Tayden Jones each had two assists. Ethan Peacock and Gavin Sherby each had one.
“We brought a lot of guys back from last year so they were excited for the playoff run to begin again,” Zuccaro said. “We’ll take it one day at a time. It’s exciting.”
The win advances the Tars into the regional semifinals, where they will face Chippewa Valley United next Monday night at 7:30 p.m. at Macomb Suburban Ice Arena.
“Chippewa Valley is very talented, and we beat them once, and they beat us once,” Zuccaro said. “This next one will be the equalizer. It will be a tough matchup. We’ll fly under the radar and give them a game.”
Utica was led by goalkeeper Eli Chodun, who made 44 saves in the loss.
“He played really well,” Gizinski said. “The second chances are not on him. We weren’t picking up the loose sticks in front of our net. He played great this season.”
The loss ended Utica-Ford Unified’s season at 12-14 overall. Gizinski said this was a learning experience for his young squad that only had four seniors on it.
“The last three years we’ve graduated 30 kids,” Gizinski said. “We’ve had a lot of turnover and knew it was going to be a little tough going into this season. With the younger guys we have now, I think this is a good lesson for them going forward to see how they need to compete at this level.”