Sports
Brother Rice and Cranbrook Icers in Contention for 'Player of the Year'
Local stars are among 10 nominated for the Suburban Collection High School Hockey Player of the Year. Voting is open online through the season.
Two local athletes are under consideration for High School Hockey Player of the Year by a statewide television show.
center Mackenzie MacEachem and defenseman Cameron Heath are among the 10 local athletes nominated for the honor presented by the State Champs! High School Sports Show. The show, broadcast on Channel 50 for most Comcast and AT&T U-verse subscribers, is working in conjunction with The Suburban Collection auto dealers to present the inaugural award.
As of 9 a.m. today, MacEachem and Heath ranked sixth (742) and seventh (362), respectively, in the online poll. Trenton High School goalie Blake Wojtala led all candidates with 6,128 votes and was followed by Tyler Groat of Wyandotte Roosevelt High School with 5,937.
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Anyone can nominate a player by emailing idea@statechamps.tv. The top 10 candidates at any given time are listed on the show's website. Fans can vote for their favorite as many times as they'd like, as long as they do so with a valid email address.
At the end of the season, the top vote-getter will earn an automatic berth into the final four. Simply receiving the most votes does not automatically make that person the High School Hockey Player of the Year; however, it does increase the player's chance by 20 percent.
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The potential accolade is nothing new to MacEachem, a senior standout known for his formidable size at 6 feet 3 inches and for his scoring ability. MacEachem was named the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League's co-Most Valuable Player last season and hasn't disappointed so far in his senior campaign. As of last weekend, he led the MIHL in scoring with 12 goals and 13 assists. The Troy resident has committed to play at Michigan State University and is projected to be selected within the top 200 players eligible for the NHL draft this summer, according to www.draftsite.com.
Though Heath technically plays at the other end of the ice, the 6-foot senior defenseman also has a penchant for scoring. The Troy resident returned as co-captain this season and has six goals and eight assists so far. The Cranes are 7-2 and ranked No. 1 in Division 3.
Wyandotte Patch Editor Jason Alley contributed to this report.
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