Dedicated Parent Murphy Optimistic for Lakers Hockey

Dave Murphy is optimistic about the varsity team this season and when he speaks, parents listen. Not that they always want to.

That's because Murphy — whose son Andrew is a senior defenseman — while generally genial and soft-spoken, is reputed to be one of the most passionate, knowledgable parents on the team.

"He's really knowledgable, but that's a long way from where I am," said Debbie Lipson, whose son, Brian Lipson, a senior forward, has played with Andrew since they were six years old. "I try to stay in the stands, but he likes to be by the ice all the time."

Murphy can be seen at every game watching from a spot in front of the glass, always happy to speak with parents from the Lakers' or the opposing team about the game at hand, as well as hockey life in general. He offers insight to the game rooted in common sense, but more importantly, an intimate knowledge of the Lakers' strengths and weaknesses gleaned from a strong focus on the individual players.

"I've never been a hockey player and only coached only sparingly, but my time on the bench was interesting because you get great insight to the players' personalities," Murphy said.

Murphy added that he likes what he sees, this season. The Lakers may have lost the top scorers in the Oakland Activities Association White Division in Dylan Kamen and Zach Rogow due to graduation, but talented forwards in Lipson, Jacob Charlip, and Chad Galloway are set to provide scoring, along with the scoring defenseman Murphy.

In fact, the top players are all seniors (although Murphy said that many of them haven't played ice hockey for more than four years), which should prove to benefit first-year head coach, Rick Reed.

Captain Murphy leads the defense

Andrew Murphy's time is now. He tallied 28 points for last year's team (which finished 13-10-1 for second in the division) as one of the division's leading scoring defensemen. Now a senior captain, his father said that he's taking the position very seriously.

"Last year, he deferred to the seniors. This year, he's taking the time to talk to his teammates and offer his insights on how he can be better. He's like a coach on the ice, and I see a lot of self-sacrifice from him," Dave Murphy said.

Murphy, who would like to go to Michigan State to study marketing, said his father, will be aided by a duo of friends who he's played with since grade school. Charlip is a talented scoring forward and Max Dubin, a defenseman, and the three have played together at the 's Orchard Lake Pirates roller hockey team in years past — with Dave at the center of it.

"(Dave) always packs up the van and brings the kids to the games out of state. This year, they went to Grand Rapids. Before that, it was Cheboygan. He's a very committed parent," said Debbie Lipson.

The team is currently 3-3, including two losses on the road at Grandville in Grand Rapids. However, Dave thinks that as soon as the team is able to understand each other, it could contend for a division championship.

"They've lost about 10 players from last year's team due to graduation, so I think they need some time to gel," Murphy said. "But they're good hockey players. They've really progressed quickly in the time they've been on the team."