Sports
In Brief: Defending State Hockey Champ Joins League With Brother Rice
Brother Rice's conference adds Trenton and defending Division 2 champions Wyandotte-Roosevelt.
Looks like Brother Rice won’t have to wait long for that rematch.
The Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League (MIHL) announced last Thursday that Wyandotte-Roosevelt and Trenton accepted invitations to join the powerhouse conference for the 2011-2012 season.
“As a league, we thought the time was right to expand as we continue to adjust to the changing landscape of high school hockey,” MIHL President Andy Weidenbach said. “Both schools will help to maintain the MIHL as one of the strongest leagues in the state.”
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. It was the school’s first championship, but the Bears are recognized as one of the up-and-coming programs in the state.
“We are pleased to be accepted into the MIHL,” said Wyandotte-Roosevelt coach Mike Quint said. “Our schedule just got a little harder, which is good. We expect the competition in the MIHL, where every contest has playoff intensity, to be excellent preparation for the state tournament. Every game will be challenging.”
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Trenton is a perennial contender with 13 state titles and six runner-up finishes. The school has won the Division 2 title five of the last eight years.
“This move should make it possible for our program to compete at the highest level and the competition will continue to develop our players. We are proud to be part of the MIHL and its initiatives,” Trenton Head coach Mike Turner said.
The MIHL was founded for the 1999-2000 season by Birmingham Brother Rice, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Detroit Catholic Central and Port Huron Northern. The conference added one team each of the following two years. Grosse Pointe North joined in 2000-2001 and Detroit Jesuit joined in 2002-2003.
The last two expansions were in De La Salle in 2007-2008 and last year with Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.
Detroit Catholic Central coach Todd Johnson called the latest expansion a no-brainer.
“Once again, it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved,” Johnson said. “We strengthened our league and our schedules. Some members of the league already have a natural rivalry with Trenton and we all look forward to developing a rivalry with Wyandotte. Additionally, expanding to ten teams at this time gives us options for future scheduling.”
