State Rankings - NOW Will You Give Rockford Some Respect!!
It is painfully obvious that the state hockey rankings are derived from data input and human manipulation. The one thing missing is 'common sense'. How else can you explain why East Grand Rapids would be ranked ahead of Rockford?
Going into Friday's game (2/17/12), the Pioneers had been ranked ahead of the Rams all year. Despite identical 11-9 records and similar 'strength of schedule' ratings, EGR was ranked 62 and Rockford was ranked 66. What's the big deal, you ask? Rockford held a 5-5 Tier 1 record while East was a breath out of last place at 2-7. So? Rockford has beaten East twice this year. Oh...
When the Friday scores are logged in, the rankings will not be able to deny Rockford. The Rams upended 24th ranked GR Catholic Central while EGR was beaten by Grandville, ranked 99th.
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2011-12 State Hockey Tournament Pairings
| Date | Time | Team 1 | Team 2 | Arena | Score |
| Division 1 | |||||
| Tue 2/28/12 | 7:30 | Manistee - 52 | Reeths-Puffer - 37 | West Shore | |
| Tue 2/28/12 | 7:30 | Rockford - 26 | Trav City West - 22 | Howe | |
| Thu 3/01/12 | TBD | Winner above | Winner above | TBD | |
| Tue 2/28/12 | 6:00 | Lowell/Cal - 30 | Grand Rapids - 61 | Kentwood | |
| Tue 2/28/12 | 8:00 | Northview - 53 | E. Kentwood - 23 | Kentwood | |
| Thu 3/01/12 | 6:00 | Winner above | Winner above | ||
| Mon 2/27/12 | 6:00 | Jenison - 43 | W. Ottawa - 47 | Georgetown | |
| Mon 2/27/12 | 8:20 | Hudsonville - 51 | Grandville - 39 | Georgetown | |
| Wed 2/29/12 | 7:20 | Winner above | Winner above | Georgetown | |
| Mon 2/27/12 | 8:00 | Wayland - 60 | Kzoo United - 54 | Wings | |
| Division 2 | |||||
| Mon 2/27/12 | 7:00 | W. Catholic - 50 | Grand Haven - 15 | LC Walker | |
| Wed 2/29/12 | 7:00 | Winner above | Mona Shores - 11 | LC Walker | |
| Tue 2/28/12 | 5:30 | Portage Cent - 34 | FH Central - 35 | Lawson, WMU | |
| Tue 2/28/12 | 7:15 | Portage North - 38 | FH N/E - 12 | Lawson, WMU | |
| Thu 3/01/12 | 6:45 | Winner above | Winner above | Lawson, WMU | |
| Division 3 | |||||
| Tue 2/28/12 | 7:30 | GR Cath Cent - 6 | Kenowa Hills - 16 | GR Edge | |
| Thu 3/01/12 | 7:30 | Winner above | GR Christian - 34 | GR Edge | |
| Tue 2/28/12 | 6:30 | East GR - 15 | Mattawan - 28 | Patterson | |
| Thu 3/01/12 | 7:00 | Winner above | S. Christian - 36 | Patterson | |
Number next to each team is the State Ranking within that Division as of 2/20/12
Note: Details of this schedule may change without notice. You should verify date, time and location prior to attending each event.
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Top Six Hockey Games
With just four weeks left in the regular season, WMSP compiled a list of the Top 6 hockey games played by OK Conference teams during the 2011-12 season – so far:
Tyler Ploeg is mobbed after one of his two goals against Mona Shores
#6 – Grand Haven vs Mona Shores; 12/14/11; The Holland Edge Ice Arena – As the new entry to the Tier 1 division, Grand Haven entered this game undefeated on the season (6-0), but they had never beaten Mona Shores in a hockey game. The Sailors ended Grand Haven’s dream season in 2010/11 by a 5-0 score in the playoffs. Shores scored first in this game, but the Buccaneers made it 1-1 on Tyler Ploeg’s first goal of the season in the 2nd period. Ploeg scored the game winner in the final period, as goalie Zach Kooi stopped 21 of 22 shots. Grand Haven 2 – Mona Shores 1
Josh Keller #2, EGR
#5 – East Grand Rapids vs Jackson Lumen Christi; 12/10/11; at Gaylord – One day after Jackson Lumen Christi played Grand Rapids Catholic Central to a 5-5 tie, they faced East Grand Rapids in a Division 3 tournament at Gaylord. Chris Dickow broke a tie with a minute left to play to put the Pioneers up 6-5. Josh Keller added an empty net goal for his third score in the game. JLC has gone on to an 11-4-1 record and a #8 Division 3 ranking. EGR is currently ranked #14 in D3. East Grand Rapids 7 – Jackson Lumen Christi 5
Doug Zelenka #17
#4 – Grand Haven vs Grand Rapids Catholic Central; 1/25/12; The Holland Edge Ice Arena – Just a couple weeks removed from losing to GRCC on the road, Grand Haven hosted the league-leading Cougars with their 8-0 record. The Buccaneers dealt the defending Division 3 State Champions their first Tier 1 loss on the strength of Doug Zelenka’s 3-goal hat trick and strong goaltending from Zach Kooi. Grand Haven holds 2nd place in the competitive Tier 1 division. Grand Haven 3 – GRCC 2
Austin Adams #2
#3 – East Kentwood vs Grand Rapids Catholic Central; 12/29/11; Kentwood Ice Arena – GR Catholic Central brought a 6-0-1 record, and a lofty ranking, to Kentwood to take on a Falcon team sporting a 5-4 record. EK held a 2-0 lead early in the 2nd period before the Cougars would charge back to tie the game by the end of the 2nd. Kentwood goalie Zack Casavant stopped 15 CC shots in the 3rd period forcing the game into overtime. One minute into the OT, EK’s Austin Adams poked in a rebound for the winning goal. East Kentwood 3 – GR Catholic Central 2, overtime
Luke Gaudette faces a 2-on-none; fans surround the ice because there are no seats available in the stands
Nick Allen #4, Cullen Beaufait celebrate a goal
Sam Rennaker #18
#2 – Forest Hills Central vs Forest Hills Northern/Eastern; 12/16/11; Patterson Ice Center – Putting a losing team in the #2 spot has more to do with the circumstances than the outcome. FHC came in with a 2-6 record that included a 7-3 loss to N/E in the season opener. The circumstances: This game was played before the largest crowd to see an area high school game this year. The Rangers roster includes six freshmen, including the goaltender who started this game. The Rangers tallied four goals – scored by two freshmen. FHC held a 4-3 3rd period lead built on two goals by freshman Nick Allen, then two goals by freshman Cullen Beaufait. The game went into OT and remained tied at the end of the extra eight minutes. N/E got the game winner in the 2nd overtime. Freshman goalie Luke Gaudette was stellar in net for the Rangers, playing an intense rivalry game in front of a packed house. Central coach Rob Feenie, “Luke in net was outstanding. He stopped multiple breakaway scoring opportunities from FHNE‘s top scorer.” The referenced ‘top scorer’ was FHNE’s Sam Rennaker, and to be fair to him, he did score the OT game winner. FH Northern/Eastern 5 – FH Central 4, double overtime
Justin Ullrey #9
#1 – Rockford vs Lake Orion; 1/21/12; Griff’s Ice House – Lake Orion came to the west side of the state and shutout Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 3-0, improving their record to 9-4-1. The following night, they took on the Rams who had spent the season hovering around the .500 mark and were 8-7. LO held a lofty ranking and is currently #10 in Division 1 while Rockford is at #26 in the same division. Keegan Knight and Justin Ullrey staked the Rams to a 2-1 lead with just a few minutes left in regulation, but LO tied the game while skating shorthanded. The 3rd period ended in a 2-2 tie. 30 seconds into the extra session, Justin Ullrey netted his second goal of the game to give the Rams a well earned win. Rockford goalie Todd Millar stopped 43 of Lake Orion’s 45 shots. Rockford 3 – Lake Orion 2, overtime
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Follow Your School In The State Hockey Rankings
You can follow your school in the state's hockey rankings. The schools are ranked collectively and separately by Division
The ranking can be found at:
http://www.ushsho.com/mirank.htm
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Current Content
Below is a list of recent posts, interviews and game summaries. Older articles can be viewed by clicking on 'View Archive' at the bottom of a page. REMINDER: If you want your school's sports results posted, send an e-mail with details to - ron@wmsportspage.com 2011-12 Sports Coverage:
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Hockey Coverage at WMSP
WM Sports Page has kicked off the 2011-12 hockey season with coverage of Forest Hills Central vs Forest Hills Northern/Eastern and GR Catholic Central vs Mona Shores. The following hockey info can be found on this site for OK Conference schools: Schedules, Scores, Standings, Rosters, Summaries, Photos. Click on a conference, click on a school, click on hockey. Standings are available from any of the conference pages.
If you would like to submit summaries for your team, email them to ron@wmsportspage.com and they will get posted.
Coverage from the 2010-11 season are still posted. Photos of area All-State players can be seen on the Blog Page.
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