Brother Rice and Detroit Country Day Varsity Hockey Advance to Quarterfinals

If the Brother Rice High School varsity hockey team keeps playing like this, the Division 2 state title will be coming to Birmingham.

The Warriors beat Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League (MIHL) conference rival Warren-De La Salle 4-1 Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals. The De La Salle Pilots may have been the top-ranked team in Michigan going into the regional final, but they faced a team that’s playing some of the best hockey in the state.

Brother Rice has allowed only two goals in the first three rounds of the playoffs and has outscored its opponents 23-2.

While playing each other during the regular season, Brother Rice and De La Salle split their two games, with Brother Rice winning 3-2 Nov. 20 and De La Salle winning 6-2 Feb. 8. The loss to the Pilots in February was a turning point for the Warriors; they closed out the regular season by winning five of their last six games.

The school is looking for its third state title in team history and will have to beat Waterford-Mott on Tuesday at Novi for a chance to play in the semifinals at the Compuware Arena in Plymouth.

The other Birmingham-area team headed to the quarterfinals is the boys from Detroit Country Day. The Yellowjackets beat Grosse Pointe Woods 2-1 Saturday in the Division 3 bracket to advance. They will play either Ortonville Brandon or defending state champions Cranbrook-Kingswood on Wednesday at Goodrich.

Birmingham Unified, comprising a cross-section of players from Seaholm and Groves high schools, will not be joining Country Day and Brother Rice in the quarterfinals. Birmingham’s season ended Saturday with a 4-2 loss to St. Clair Shores.

Who's advancing and what's next:

• Brother Rice will play Waterford-Mott on Tuesday.
• Detroit Country Day will play either Ortonville Brandon or Cranbrook-Kingswood on Wednesday.