The Riverview Cabrini United, Gold and Allen Park ice hockey teams played to a 3-3 draw in the first of two summer league games at Southgate Arena on June 20, 2024. (Samantha Elliott — Courtesy of Media News Group)
SOUTHGATE – It was blisteringly hot outside, but just cool enough inside the Southgate Civic Center as local high school hockey teams continued competing in the opening week of their summer leagues on Thursday night.
The match is a chance for veteran players to maintain their playing style and skills over the summer, and also a chance for promising ninth-graders and rookies to test themselves before the full season begins.
Along with the new players on the bench were several new coaches from various schools, including new Riverview-Allen Park Cabrini United team manager Mike Windhurst, who was pleased with his team that played to a 3-3 draw with Allen Park on Thursday.
Photo Gallery: Ice Hockey – Summer League, Southgate Arena, 06.20
“It's only my second game, but I'm happy to be part of this team,” he said. “There are a lot of talented players on this team.”
The annual summer league, traditionally held at Trenton's Kennedy Recreation Center, kicked off this Monday, featuring eight teams from Downriver and Dearborn, with each team playing two games per week for the next six weeks, with the usual dead period week in between.
Unlike a typical winter game, summer games feature halftimes instead of periods, and each match lasts 22 minutes instead of the usual three 17-minute stanzas.
The first of two Thursday showdowns sees Wyndhurst's Riverview Cabrini team take on Allen Park in the 7 p.m. slot, with Brownstown-Woodhaven taking on New Boston United immediately after.
While Windhurst and his staff are new to the RCU program this year, the team has been coaching together for nearly 10 years and is excited for the opportunity to move up to the high school level.
With a tough 2023-24 season ahead of him, Wyndhurst is pleased with the progress he has made so far this summer.
“The summer is a chance for the players to continue playing together and to give the freshmen a chance to get some college hockey experience,” he said. “They're getting some teamwork and it's going to be fun.”
“They're getting used to us and we're getting used to them,” Wyndhurst added. “It'll all get interesting as we move towards the summer series.”
In the nightcap, Woodhaven defeated New Boston United, 11–4, a match that featured a fair amount of 6-on-5 play due to an injury to New Boston's goalkeeper.
Led by New Boston Huron High School, NBU will begin next school year as a five-team collaborative with fellow Huron League schools Carlton Airport, Flat Rock, Dearborn Heights Crestwood and Garden City.
Despite only having played two games, Woodhaven coach Jeremy Klotz is pleased with the results so far.
“Overall, I'm excited about the team moving forward,” he said. “We have a lot of our core players back, so it's good to move forward.”
Woodhaven High School boasts a team with eight seniors and several newcomers for the upcoming high school season.
Klotz said one of the highlights was being able to use two goalies in both games this week.
“(We) have to make sure we're playing hard,” Klotz said. “That's the biggest thing we're looking for, especially last year, and I think the biggest issue for us has been goaltending.”
“Our goalies played really well in both games, which will be a big boost going into the fall.”
Like Riverview Cabrini, the Warriors are struggling in 2023-24 and are looking forward to getting everyone aligned heading into next season.
“I think that was one of our issues last year,” Klotz said. “Not everybody was on the same page. Getting everybody rowing the same way is what we're trying to do this summer and make sure we do that for the next eight games.”
The four teams that took part on Thursday will each play two games next week. Here is the full schedule of games to be played next week at Southgate Civic Center:
Monday, June 24
7:30p l Gibraltar Carlson vs. Dearborn Divine Child
9:00p l Riverview Gabriel Richard vs. Woodhaven
Tuesday, June 25
7:30p l Riverview Cabrini vs. Gros Ile
9:00p l Allen Park vs. New Boston United
Wednesday, June 26
7:00p l Carlson vs. Woodhaven
8:30p l Grosse Ile vs. Allen Park
Thursday, June 27
7:00p l Gabriel Richard vs. New Boston United
8:30p l Divine Child vs. Riverview Cabrini
