I want to thank all the coaches for your help in selecting the 2012-13 all-county hockey team. It's never easy, especially with the amount of talent in Oakland County. But it's always enjoyable to reward the players for a great season. To all those coaches who did respond with information, it was very helpful. I'm always able to grab some information from websites or other honor teams, but your opinions go a long way to help me select the teams.
I also want to thank those of you who called or emailed in your results this year. I still want to work on having more games reported next year, but I feel we had better coverage this season than ever before.
If you haven't already seen the team, it's posted on MIPrepZone, and it also ran in Sunday's Oakland Press (Page B2). As always, there was a tremendous amount of talent to choose from. It's never easy to decipher who should be on which teams. But I try my best.

Remember, you can always read about all our hockey coverage on our HOCKEY HOME PAGE. And you can follow us on Twitter HERE.

Or, you can scroll down this list to see all of our game coverage from this season. We covered 145 games across Oakland County in 2012-13. Click on the blue linked headline under each game score to read our story:

March 9

Brighton 2, Catholic Central 1

Catholic Central falls just short, as Brighton wins 2nd straight D1 title

March 9

Cranbrook 4, Sault Ste. Marie 2

Cranbrook returns to glory, beating Sault Ste. Marie for its 16th state title

March 8

Catholic Central 8, East Kentwood 0

Catholic Central breezes past East Kentwood, back into D1Final

March 8

Cranbrook 7, Riverview 0

Cranbrook steamrolls Riverview to get back to D3 title game

March 7

Hartland 3, Port Huron Northern 2 (OT)

Hartland advances to D2 state championship game with OT win over PH Northern

March 6

Catholic Central 5, Plymouth 1

Catholic Central earns trip to Division 1 state semifinals, taking down Plymouth

March 6

Cranbrook 7, Liggett 2

Cranbrook skates into state semifinals with convincing win over Liggett

March 5

Hartland 7, West Bloomfield 1

Hartland routs West Bloomfield in Division 2 quarterfinal

March 2

U-D Jesuit 8, Troy 0

Troy no match for U-D Jesuit in regional final

March 2

Liggett 7, Country Day 4

Country Day's comeback bid falls short in regional final loss to Liggett

March 2

Catholic Central 3, Brother Rice 1

No. 1 CC asserts itself in 3-1 win over Brother Rice

March 2

Eisenhower 11, Grand Blanc 4

Eisenhower blasts Grand Blanc in D1 regional final

March 2

West Bloomfield 5, Royal Oak 2

West Bloomfield takes out Royal Oak to win D2 regional title

March 2

Grosse Pointe South 5, Stoney Creek 2

Grosse Pointe South puts an end to Stoney Creek's season

March 2

Cranbrook 11, St. Clair 0

Cranbrook skates past St. Clair and into quarterfinals

Feb. 28

Country Day 2, Farmington 0

Country Day's defense dominates Farmington

Feb. 27

Grand Blanc 3, Lake Orion 2 (OT)

Lake Orion drops heartbreaker to Grand Blanc in overtime

Feb. 27

Anchor Bay 4, Oxford 2

Anchor Bay ends Oxford's season prematurely

Feb. 27

West Bloomfield 7, Waterford Mott 2

West Bloomfield cruises past Mott into regional finals

Feb. 26

Lake Orion 5, Clarkston 3

Lake Orion scores four second-period goals in win over Clarkston

Feb. 25

Walled Lake Western 6, Walled Lake Central 3

Walled Lake Western breaks tie, blows past rival Central

Feb. 25

Macomb Dakota 4, Rochester 3 (OT)

Riehl lifts Dakota past Rochester United in overtime

Feb. 25

Troy 3, Sterling Heights Stevenson 2 (OT)

Overtime goal from Meyers leads Troy past Stevenson

Feb. 25

Brother Rice 3, St. Mary’s 2

Brother Rice bounces St. Mary's with 3-2 pre-regionalvictory

Feb. 25

Troy Athens 4, Chippewa Valley 1

Big second period leads Troy Athens past Chippewa Valley

Feb. 25

Walled Lake Northern 4, Novi 3 (5OT)

W.L. Northern outlasts Novi in five overtimes

Feb. 25

Oxford 4, Romeo 2

Oxford doubles up Romeo in hockey tournament opener

Feb. 25

Farmington Unified 6, Birmingham Unified 4

Timely goals help Flyers oust Kings

Feb. 23

Otisville-Lakeville 3, Bishop Foley Unified 2

Bishop Foley Unified victimized by late penalty, go-aheadgoal

Feb. 23

Bishop Foley Unified 3, Capital Area Patriots 3

Bishop Foley settles for tie with Capital Area Patriots

Feb. 23

Rochester United 4, Stoney Creek 1

With target on its back, Rochester United breezes to OAA Red title

Feb. 23

Farmington Hills Unified 4, Clarkston 1

Farmington Unified nabs third place in OAA Red with win over Clarkston

Feb. 22

Royal Oak Shrine 7, Dearborn Heights Crestwood 2

Shrine rebounds from tough loss with big win on 'Senior Night'

Feb. 22

Bishop Foley Unified 3, Capital Area Patriots 3

Bishop Foley settles for tie with Capital Area Patriots

Feb. 20

Canton 2, Berkley-Ferndale 0

Berkley-Ferndale Unified falls to Canton

Feb. 19

South Lyon Unified 4, Hartland 3

Haas's late-game heroics lead South Lyon Unified past Hartland

Feb. 17

Bishop Foley Unified 4, Allen Park Cabrini 3

Bishop Foley tops Cabrini in the CHSL Showcase

Feb. 16

South Lyon Unified 4, Pinckney 3

Robertson's late goal leads South Lyon Unified past Pinckney

Feb. 16

Riverview Gabriel Richard 6, Royal Oak Shrine 1

Riverview Gabriel Richard bests Shrine in CHSL Division 2 finals

Feb. 16

Brother Rice 4, St. Mary’s 3 (OT)

Brother Rice needs OT to knock off St. Mary's for Catholic League title

Feb. 16

Rochester United 5, Clarkston 1

Rochester United cruises past Clarkston and into OAA Red final

Feb. 16

Stoney Creek 5, Farmington Hills Unified 4

Stoney Creek edges Farmington Hills Unified

Feb. 15

Clarkston 3, Farmington 2

Late goal helps Clarkston advance in OAA Red tourney

Feb. 15

Cranbrook 9, Brother Rice 3

Cranbrook crushes Brother Rice in mighty matchup

Feb. 15

Berkley 9, Avondale 2

Berkley skates past Avondale on "Senior Night"

Feb. 14

Bloomfield United 1, Romeo 1

Bloomfield Hills Unified ties Romeo in non-league matchup

Feb. 13

Troy 6, Fraser 5

Troy hangs on to knock off Fraser on 'Senior Night'

Feb. 10

South Lyon Unified 3, Stoney Creek 2

South Lyon Unified wraps up perfect Showcase with win over Stoney Creek

Feb. 9

South Lyon Unified 3, East Grand Rapids 1

South Lyon Unified rallies to pick up win over EGR at MPHSHS

Feb. 8

Warren-Mott 9, Bishop Foley Unified 0

Bishop Foley falls to Warren Mott, 9-0

Feb. 8

Royal Oak Shrine 8, Notre Dame Prep 4

Royal Oak Shrine earns spot in CHSL finals with win over Notre Dame Prep

Feb. 6

Troy Athens 5, Royal Oak 3

Late goals propel Athens to win over Royal Oak

Feb. 4

Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 5, Bishop Foley Unified 1

Penalty Shot Highlights Bishop Foley loss to Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard

Feb. 2

Riverview Gabriel Richard 6, Bishop Foley Unified 1

Riverview Gabriel Richard skates by Bishop Foley Unified

Feb. 2

Rochester United 4, Macomb Dakota 0

Rochester United hands Macomb Dakota its first loss ofthe season at Showcase

Feb. 2

Eisenhower 2, Farmington Unified 1
Eagles get game-winner in third to knock off Farmington Hills Unified in battle of Oakland-Macomb county elite

Feb. 2

Romeo 4, Clarkston 1

Romeo comes to play in 4-1 victory over Clarkston

Feb. 2

Farmington 8, Utica 0

Heffron’s hat trick leads Farmington to blowout win over Utica

Feb. 2

Birmingham Unified 4, Marysville 1

Power play leads the way as Birmingham Unified rolls past Marysville in Showcase

Feb. 2

Berkley-Ferndale 5, Anchor Bay 1

Berkley-Ferndale kicks off Showcase with win over Anchor Bay

Feb. 1

South Lyon Unified 4, Livonia Churchill 3

South Lyon Unified remains hot, knocks off another Top-10 team

Jan. 31

Liggett 6, Lake Orion 1

Liggett spoils "Senior Night" in Lake Orion

Jan. 30

Royal Oak 3, Berkley-Ferndale 1

Royal Oak pulls off upset of OAA White champion Berkley-Ferndale

Jan. 30

Brother Rice 5, St. Mary’s 3

Brother Rice skates past rival St. Mary's in victory

Jan. 30

Farmington 7, Lakeland 4

Five third-period goals propel Farmington to win over Lakeland

Jan. 29

Stoney Creek 5, Clarkston 5

Clarkston and Stoney Creek play to a high-scoring draw

Jan. 26

Bloomfield Hills United 3, Troy 1

Bloomfield United knock off Troy in third period thriller

Jan. 26

Country Day 7, Royal Oak 1

Big brother gets best of little brother as Country Day routs Royal Oak

Jan. 26

Clarkston 5, Lake Orion 3

Clarkston remains hot with win over rival Lake Orion

Jan. 26

Berkley-Ferndale 6, West Bloomfield 0

Berkley-Ferndale wraps up second-straight OAA White championship

Jan. 25

Freeland-Nouvel 8, Bishop Foley Unified 0

Freeland Pounces on Bishop Foley Unified

Jan. 25

South Lyon Unified 8, Waterford Mott 1

South Lyon Unified rolls past Waterford Mott

Jan. 25

Rochester United 7, Birmingham Unified 1

Rochester United wins share of OAA Red title

Jan. 25

Novi Detroit Catholic Central 3, Birmingham Brother Rice 1

Catholic Central hands Brother Rice its first loss inover a year

Jan. 24

Bloomfield Hills United 3, Auburn Hills Avondale 1

Bloomfield United rally past Avondale in OAA White action

Jan. 24

Bloomfield Hills United 3, Auburn Hills Avondale 1

Bloomfield Hills Unified defends home ice against Avondale

Jan. 23

Walled Lake Western 3, Lakeland 2

WL Western grabs one-goal win over Lakeland

Jan. 22

South Lyon Unified 6, Plymouth 3

South Lyon picks up big win over No. 6-ranked Plymouth

Jan. 19
South Lyon Unified 5, Farmington 1
South Lyon Unified extends winning streak with win over Farmington

Jan. 19
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 5, Bishop Foley Unified 0
Gabriel Richard too much for Bishop Foley to handle

Jan. 19
Berkley-Ferndale Unified 8, Bloomfield United 2
Berkley mauls Bloomfield United in OAA White matchup

Jan. 19
Royal Oak 9, Auburn Hills Avondale 1
Royal Oak explodes past Avondale, 9-1

Jan. 18
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 5, Orchard Lake St. Mary's 2
Cranbrook tops St. Mary's behind quick start

Jan. 17
Farmington Hills Unified 1, Lake Orion 1 (FH won 2-1 in OT)
Late empty-netter gives Farmington Hills Unified win over Lake Orion

Jan. 17
Birmingham Unified 4, West Bloomfield 1
Second-period spurt propels Birmingham Unified past West Bloomfield

Jan. 17
Clarkston 6, Oxford 2
Big third period lifts Clarkston past Oxford

Jan. 16
Troy 3, Royal Oak 1
Troy skates past Royal Oak, 3-1

Jan. 12
Bloomfield United 4, Troy Athens 3
Late-game heroics lead Bloomfield United past Troy Athens

Jan. 12
Oxford 2, Lake Orion 0
Oxford's Gizinski steals the show, and a win against rival Lake Orion

Jan. 12
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 5, Novi Detroit Catholic Central 1
Cranbrook looks sharp after long layoff, dominates Catholic Central

Jan. 10
South Lyon 5, Livonia Franklin 2
South Lyon returns to winning ways in victory over Livonia Franklin

Jan. 10
Waterford Mott 8, Walled Lake Northern 4
Early surge leads Waterford Mott past Walled Lake Northern

Jan. 10
Berkley-Ferndale Unified 4, Troy 1
Berkley-Ferndale Unified skates past Troy in victory

Jan. 9
Rochester United 2, Lake Orion 1
Rochester United squeaks out 2-1 win over Lake Orion

Jan. 8
Northville 4, South Lyon Unified 1
Northville shuts down South Lyon, snaps Unified team's unbeaten streak

Jan. 8
Stoney Creek 3, Farmington 1
Two goals by Niederhauser push Stoney Creek to win over Farmington

Jan. 5
Bloomfield United 3, New Boston Huron 1
Bloomfield United wraps up solid finish at Berkley Invitational

Jan. 5
Birmingham Brother Rice 7, Orchard Lake St. Mary's 4
Brother Rice explodes in 2nd period to take out St. Mary's

Jan. 5
Notre Dame Prep 3, Bishop Foley Unified 0
Notre Dame Prep clutch on the penalty kill in win over Bishop Foley

Jan. 4
Goodrich 4, Bishop Foley Unified 1
Undermanned Ventures fall to Goodrich

Jan. 4
South Lyon Unified 5, Heritage 4 (SO)
South Lyon beats Heritage in 13th round of shootout

Jan. 4
Berkley-Ferndale Unified 6, New Boston Huron 2
Berkley-Ferndale Unified's first line explodes in win over New Boston Huron

Jan. 3
Royal Oak Shrine 9, Monroe United 1
Shrine stays perfect with blowout win over Monroe United

Dec. 29
Utica Eisenhower 4, Rochester United 2
Eisenhower rallies late to get past Rochester United, 4-2

Dec. 28
Stoney Creek 4, Utica Eisenhower 4
Stoney Creek can't make leads stand up, ties Eisenhower

Dec. 22
Farmington 2, Farmington Hills Unified 1
Farmington exacts some revenge with win over Farmington Unified

Dec. 21
Allen Park Cabrini 6, Bishop Foley Unified 4
Cabrini rallies from two down to knock off Bishop Foley Unified

Dec. 21
Detroit Country Day 4, Walled Lake Northern 1
Country Day gets back on the winning track

Dec. 21
Birmingham Brother Rice 2, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 2
Fit to be tied, Brother Rice and Cranbrook play to 2-2 stalemate

Dec. 20
Farmington 1, Lake Orion 1 (Farmington won 2-1 in OT)
Kozoro's game-winner vaults Farmington past Lake Orion in OT

Dec. 20
Clarkston 6, Rochester United 4

Clarkston wins high-scoring contest against Rochester United

Dec. 19
Utica Eisenhower 4, Detroit Country Day 3
Eisenhower scores late in OT to hand Country Day its first loss

Dec. 19
Hartland 4, Lakeland 1
Hartland wins KLAA clash with Lakeland, 4-1

Dec. 19
Lake Orion 2, Oxford 1
Lake Orion capitalizes late to beat Oxford, 2-1

Dec. 15
Bishop Foley Unified 7, Macomb Lutheran North 2
Bishop Foley rolls past Lutheran North for first CHSL victory

Dec. 15
Novi Detroit Catholic Central 3, Orchard Lake St. Mary's
Shamrocks get the best of St. Mary's, for second time in two weeks

Dec. 15
Birmingham Unified 4, Bloomfield Hills Unified 0
Birmingham Unified shuts down Bloomfield Hills

Dec. 12
Brighton 6, South Lyon Unified 1
Brighton uses spurt to get by South Lyon Unified

Dec. 12
West Bloomfield 6, Troy Athens 5 (OT)
Jones' goal pushes West Bloomfield past Troy Athens in overtime

Dec. 8
Allen Park Cabrini 3, Bishop Foley Unified 2
Cabrini edges out Bishop Foley

Dec. 8
Walled Lake Central 2, Walled Lake Northern 1
Walled Lake Central avenges last year's playoff loss to Walled Lake Northern

Dec. 8
Dearborn Divine Child 6, Notre Dame Prep 0
Divine Child takes it to Notre Dame Prep in Metro League play

Dec. 7
Royal Oak Shrine 6, Bishop Foley Unified 0
Shrine skates away with shutout victory over Bishop Foley

Dec. 7
Birmingham Brother Rice 4, Trenton 2
Brother Rice jumps out strong, holds off Trenton

Dec. 7
South Lyon Unified 4, Novi 1
South Lyon's defense helps it turn away Novi

Dec. 7
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 5, Novi Detroit Catholic Central 2
Romund's hat trick helps Cranbrook rally past Catholic Central

Dec. 7
Berkley-Ferndale Unified 6, Bloomfield Hills United 1
Berkley skates past Bloomfield Hills United, 6-1

Dec. 6
Lake Orion 3, Howell 3
Kerchner's last-minute goal helps Lake Orion tie Howell

Dec. 1
Bishop Foley Unified 5, Wayland Unity 1
Bishop Foley takes advantage of Wayland mistake in big win

Dec. 1
South Lyon Unified 5, Walled Lake Northern 2
Big guns help South Lyon Unified past Walled Lake Northern

Dec. 1
Farmington Hills Unified 5, Oxford 1
Farmington Hills Unified picks up win over Oxford in OAA Red opener

Dec. 1
Novi Detroit Catholic Central 6, Orchard Lake St. Mary's 1
Catholic Central trio helps Shamrocks roll past St. Mary's

Nov. 30
LakeVille 5, Bishop Foley Unified 2
Bishop Foley drops physical game to LakeVille

Nov. 29
Livonia Stevenson 5, South Lyon Unified 3
South Lyon's comeback bid falls short in loss to Stevenson

Nov. 28
Waterford Mott 6, Milford 5
Waterford Mott pulls out close win over Milford

Nov. 27
South Lyon Unified 2, Northville 2
South Lyon Unified rallies late to eke out tie with Northville

Nov. 24
Chelsea 5, Walled Lake Central 3
Chelsea finds a way past Walled Lake Central

Nov. 24
South Lyon Unified 6, University Liggett 4
Hot start propels South Lyon Unified past Liggett at Clarkston Invite

Nov. 24
Bishop Foley Unified 4, Capital Area Patriots 3
Bishop Foley rallies to get first win of the season

Nov. 24
Rochester United 5, Stoney Creek 2
Rochester United takes down Stoney Creek to retain Scipione Cup

Nov. 23
Troy 4, L'Anse Creuse North 3 (OT)
Troy beats LCN in thrilling overtime game of Thanksgiving Showcase

Nov. 17
Farmington Hills Unified 2, South Lyon Unified 1
Farmington Unified rallies past South Lyon Unified

Nov. 16
Clarkston 2, South Lyon Unified 1
Clarkston edges South Lyon Unified in Metro Invite

Nov. 14
Detroit Country Day 7, Troy Athens 2
Country Day easily skates past Athens

As you may have seen, the all-state hockey teams were announced earlier this week. And once again Oakland County was well represented - as it should be. At least on the first teams.
There were 18 first-team all-state kids from the county and 23 more earned second team or honorable mention honors. In all, there were 204 kids honored throughout the state.
I understand the politics of picking postseason teams. Many organizations and leagues do things in different ways. There's some give and take involved. You win, you tend to be heard. That doesn't always mean all the best players are represented.
I would have liked to have seen better county representation in Division 2. Though the county had just one quarterfinalist, West Bloomfield, it still was underrepresented. The Lakers had just one honorable mention representative (J.J. Bloom). Stoney Creek, stuck in a tough region, had just two. Heck, Romeo, which was beaten in the first round by Oxford, had four players honored. Oxford had zero.
And again, I know it's a give and take. But no Austin Alger in Division 3? Yes, the first-team all MIHL selection (which means more to most kids) is just a sophomore, but he is one of the best players in the state. To leave him off, to me, kind of diminishes the team a bit.
But hey, who am I to complain? People might criticize the way I pick my all-county team. I try to balance other postseason honors, statistics, competition and coaches' opinions to come up with my teams - which by the way will come out in a week or two.
OK, moving on. Thanks to the MIHL and OAA for forwarding on their all-league teams to me. You can find the MIHL squad here, and the OAA Red and White teams here.

Mr. Hockey and the Dream Team
The state's biggest honors will be handed out at the annual awards banquet this Sunday. Oakland County should see a couple players get the nod. And Cranbrook's Alex Alger will be in the mix for Mr. Hockey. His name is floating out there, along with Livonia Stevenson's Dominic Lutz.

Hellebuyck continues his dominance
Former Walled Lake Northern goalie Connor Hellebuyck continued his stellar play for sixth-ranked UMass-Lowell, stopping 32 of 33 shots to lead River Hawks past Providence College, 4-1, to win its first-ever Hockey East regular season championship.
Hellebuyck is on the fast track since graduating high school in 2011. After playing juniors last year, he's moved on to big-time college hockey. Drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round of this year's NHL Entry Draft, Hellebuyck is 14-2, allowing just 1.49 goals per game. He's a big reason for his team's turnaround after a dismal 4-7-1 start.

Welcome home Scotty
Former Waterford Mott star Scott Cuthrell returned back to Lakeland Ice Arena and stole the show this past weekend for the Cleveland Jr. Lumberjacks (NA3HL), which split a pair of games with the Metro Jets. Cuthrell, a first-team all-county selection last year, picked up where he left off with the Corsairs. He scored five goals in a 9-2 Lumberjacks win Friday night. He added another goal in a 4-3 loss to the Jets on Saturday. Cuthrell has scored a goal in an incredible 21-straight games and leads the league in scoring (47 goals, 41 assists). Oh yeah, the Lumberjacks ran away with the East title.

Coaches, I need your cooperation
I'm currently looking to put together our all-county hockey team. For that, I will need information on your top players. That information includes post-season honors, statistics, etc. Please email me the information to jason.schmitt@oakpress.com as soon as possible. An email has already been sent out. Remember, if I don't hear from you, I may miss some of your best kids. Thanks!

I redeemed myself slightly with my quarterfinal predictions. Nine out of 12 isn't all that bad. Yeah, that's 75 percent - or a C average. But I'm a sports writer. Give me a break.
I'm back to make one final set of predictions, through Saturday's hockey finals at Compuware Arena.

Semifinal and Final predictions

DIVISION 1
Semifinals
Detroit Catholic Central 6, East Kentwood 0
Detroit U-D Jesuit 4, Brighton 2
Finals
Detroit Catholic Central 3, Detroit U-D Jesuit 1
THOUGHTS: The Shamrocks edged out Jesuit 2-1 way back in December. Both teams are playing some good hockey right now. I just think CC will bring it Saturday night.

DIVISION 2
Semifinals
Port Huron Northern 5, Hartland 2
Livonia Stevenson 5, Saginaw Heritage 1
Finals
Livonia Stevenson 4, Port Huron Northern 2
THOUGHTS: Port Huron Northern finished 1-1 against KLAA teams this season. And that's exactly how I see them faring against that league this weekend. Stevenson entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the state. And that's how they'll leave the tournament.

DIVISION 3
Semifinals
Cranbrook 8, Riverview 1
Sault Ste. Marie 4, Flint Powers 3 (OT)
Finals
Cranbrook 6, Sault Ste. Marie 1
THOUGHTS: The Cranes run to a state title began last season, after an overtime loss to Marysville in the regional final. They've been focused all year long and will have NO problems this weekend.

We're now down to the elite eight in each division. The state quarterfinals kick off today, with Division 2 taking center state. Divisions 1 and 3 will be played tomorrow. I feel I have to redeem myself after stumbling a bit with my regional predictions. Six out of 10 isn't all that great. So here are my predictions for the 12 games being played over the next two days:

DIVISION 1 Wednesday
Quarterfinal 1 at Big Rapids
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer over East Kentwood
Quarterfinal 2 at Flint Kearsley
Brighton over Bay City Central
Quarterfinal 3 at St. Clair Shores Lakeview
Detroit U-D Jesuit over Eisenhower
Quarterfinal 4 at Ann Arbor (Yost)
Detroit Catholic Central over Plymouth

DIVISION 2 Tuesday
Quarterfinal 5 at Big Rapids
Grand Haven over Saginaw Heritage
Quarterfinal 6 at Ann Arbor (Yost)
Hartland over West Bloomfield
Quarterfinal 7 at Romeo
Port Huron Northern over Grosse Pointe South,
Quarterfinal 8 at Ann Arbor (Yost)
Livonia Stevenson over Ann Arbor Pioneer

DIVISION 3 Wednesday
Quarterfinal 9 at Marquette
Sault Ste. Marie over Houghton
Quarterfinal 10 at Lansing Catholic
Flint Powers Catholic over East Grand Rapids
Quarterfinal 11 at Farmington Ice Arena
Cranbrook over Liggett
Quarterfinal 12 at Allen Park
Chelsea over Riverview

Oakland County will have 10 representatives wrestling for state titles this afternoon at The Palace. Some were expected to be here. Some were not. Either way, they'll all have a shot at the ultimate goal of any individual wrestler.
Below is a list of the matchups and my predictions of each of them. Last year there were six state champions from Oakland County. Can the guys reach that number in 2013?

DIVISION 1

103 pounds

Michael Volyanyuk, Farmington Hills Harrison (45-7) vs. Benny Gomez, Holt (48-0)

Talk about your classic David vs. Goliath matchup. Gomez is a returning state placer and the #1 ranked wrestler in the state for his weight. Volyanyuk can learn a lot in this match, regardless of the outcome. But this is not his year. MY PREDICTION: Gomez maj. dec. Volyanyuk, 15-5.

135 pounds

Ken Bade, Catholic Central (39-7) vs. Matt Miller, Davison (29-6)

Talking about a kid on a mission. Bade lost his match in the team state finals. Despite his team going on to pull out yet another state championship, I'm sure it didn't sit well with him leading up to this weekend. He picked up a big win over Miller's teammate, Justin Oliver, in the semis, and beat Miller 11-3 back in December. MY PREDICTION: Bade dec. Miller, 8-4.

140 pounds

Malik Amine, Catholic Central (39-6) vs. Eric Rybarz, Anchor Bay (54-2)

Don't let the records fool you. CC wrestles a national schedule. Amine is very much battle tested. He's ranked #1 in the state - Rybarz is #5. All signs point to Amine winning a close match. The only thing I don't like about this matchup is that it's a rematch from last year's second round, which Amine won, 2-0. If Amine stays focused, he wins. MY PREDICTION: Amine dec. Rybarz, 5-3.

145 pounds

Andrew Napieraj, Brother Rice (50-2) vs. Travis Mann, Westland John Glenn (31-3)

Napieraj is one of the great stories of this tournament. He told our Marvin Goodwin that despite his semifinal opponent Jordan Amine of Brighton having a broken foot, he didn't want to take advantage of the injury. Most would have. It would be nice to see him carry that momentum into today's final against Mann. But I'm not seeing it. Mann is ranked #1 for a reason. MY PREDICTION: Mann dec. Napieraj, 6-3.

152 pounds

Nick Vandermeer, Clarkston (43-5) vs. Jordan Atienza, Livonia Franklin (58-0)

Any kid that can put together 111 wins over two seasons - including a perfect 58-0 record this season - he's legit. And Atienza is wrestling extremely well. But so is Vandermeer, who beat #1 ranked Dominic Letora in the quarterfinals. Still, I like Atienza here, in a close one. If it goes the distance, Atienza wins. MY PREDICTION: Atienza dec. Vandermeer, 6-4.

160 pounds

Logan Marcicki, Catholic Central (35-5) vs. Jordan Cooks, Davison (42-1)

Cooks beat Marcicki in a close match at the team state finals last week, 5-3. So much of me wants to pick Marcicki, a former state champion, to come back and win this week. But a small part thinks Cooks will pull away today. I guess it all depends on which Marcicki shows up. MY PREDICTION: Cooks dec. Marcicki, 8-3.

171 pounds

Drew Garcia, Catholic Central (51-0) vs. Mitchel Thomas, Hartland (59-1)

He's Oakland County's lone unbeaten wrestler, and I don't see that changing after today's match with Thomas. Garcia can win big, he can win close. Thomas has proven in this tournament that he's a force and that his 59 wins are no fluke. But if Garcia wrestles his match, he won't be beaten. MY PREDICTION: Garcia dec. Thomas, 9-4.

189 pounds

Shwan Shadaia, Rochester (53-1) vs. Chris Calvano, Clarkston (40-4)

Guaranteed county champion thanks to these two OAA Red foes. Both were Oakland County champions - Calvano at 189, Shadaia at 215. Really, how can you go wrong here. I guess if I pick the wrong guy, I suppose. Too hard to pick against Shadaia. MY PREDICTION: Shadaia dec. Calvano, 5-3.

285 pounds

Bob Coe, Catholic Central (44-4) vs. Parker Tillman, GR Forest Hills Central (41-3)

Coe may have already wrestled his toughest opponent, Holland West Ottawa's Miguel Correa, in the semifinals. That doesn't make this match an easy one. Though I do think Coe will catch Tillman in the second period. MY PREDICTION: Coe p. Tillman, 3:35.