Traveling Crowd Energizes Brother Rice Hockey to Defeat Cranbrook 4-3

Every time Brother Rice scored a goal Wednesday night, the student section put a large “Easy Button” poster against the glass and the goal scorer would imitate pushing it.

However, not much about Brother Rice’s 4-3 victory over two-time defending state champion Cranbrook-Kingswood was easy on Wednesday night at Cranbrook's Wallace Ice Arena.

For starters, the No. 4 Warriors were up against a red-hot No. 5 Cranbrook squad that had rattled off four straight wins, including a victory over No. 1-ranked De Le Salle over the weekend, with rankings complied by United States High School Hockey Online.

Every time Brother Rice would tally a goal, Cranbrook would respond — providing a perfect setting for a packed arena full of fans of both teams, as the schools are separated by less than three miles.

And the fans from both sides were into it.

The Brother Rice student section had more than 40 members in attendance for the road game, all donning Mexican themed attire, including sombreros and maracas.

Brother Rice forward John Hickman said the Warriors student section, which for most of the game was louder than the home crowd, helped him get energized. The senior captain recorded a hat trick for the Warriors in the team's third straight victory and second in as many tries against Cranbrook this season.

“We are right down the street and we brought a lot of fans tonight,” Hickman said. “They are a big part of how we played. We can always hear them when we are out on the ice and we do our best to keep them in the game.”

The intense atmosphere was no surprise for Brother Rice Head Coach Lou Schmidt.

“You know you are going to get that kind of game when you get here,” Schmidt said. “That’s what high school hockey is all about, in my opinion. These kids get to play in big games with their friends and in front of their friends. They get a chance to show off a little bit and have some fun.”

Hickman had the most fun in the first period. He notched both goals for Brother Rice, but Cranbrook tallied two goals of its own, sending both teams in the locker room at the end of the first intermission locked at 2-2.

Neither team lit the lamp in the second period, but Hickman finished off his hat trick early in the third on a goal that went off a Cranbrook defenseman’s skate and snuck under junior goaltender Justin Kirk.

Then, 23 seconds later, senior forward Andrew Sohn extended the Warriors’ lead to 4-2, sending the student section into a frenzy.

“Our student section really brought the noise tonight,” said junior forward Mackenzie MacEachern, who had two assists. “They definitely helped us win the game.”

Brother Rice senior goaltender PJ Bridges made a fantastic sprawling save with 11:50 remaining during Cranbrook's power play to keep the two-goal lead intact.

However, with 6:48 remaining, senior forward Jarett Friedland recorded his second tally of the game to bring the Cranes within a goal.

Cranbrook was awarded a power play with 2:50 remaining in the game, but Brother Rice’s penalty kill was aggressive and didn’t let the home team get set up in the offensive zone.

“There weren’t many empty seats tonight,” Cranbrook Head Coach Andy Weidenbach said. “The game was pretty exciting from the fans point of view, but it just wasn’t one of our best games. But sometimes when the other team is playing real aggressive, they can make you do things that you don’t normally do. We gave up the puck a couple times, and they capitalized on it.”

Brother Rice outshot Cranbrook 33-23, including a 17-11 spread in the third period.

Both teams will face tough tests before the playoffs begin at the end of the month. Brother Rice will square off on the road against No. 13 Orchard Lake St. Marys then return home for games against No. 19 Grosse Point North and No. 11 Livonia Stevenson, while Cranbrook will play two home games against No. 2 Catholic Central and No. 12 Trenton.

“Any time you can come into this building and beat Cranbrook, you’ve accomplished something,” Schmidt said of his team’s victory. “But both teams are just getting ready for the playoffs still. You know Cranbrook is going to make a run in the playoffs, we just need to do the same thing.”