Lapeer skates onto Div. 1 ice

Lapeer’s Braydin Walters skates past the goal after slipping one in against Oxford last week. Photo by Don Nelson LAPEER — Lapeer East and Lapeer West high schools moved into uncharted waters when they combined hockey teams this season.

The co-op program elevated the newly created Lapeer High Schools team from Div. 3 to Div. 1 for the state tournament, a significant step up in competition. Lapeer will find out how big a step that is when it opens tournament play at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday with a pre-regional game against Lake Orion at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills.

“It’s a difference,” said Lapeer coach Brian Macdonald. “You’re dealing with the bigger schools, most of them down in the city (Detroit area). They’ve got a lot of talent to draw from.”

If Lapeer gets past Lake Orion, it would play host Clarkston at 7:30 p.m. March 1. Both those schools have been ranked by Hockey Weekly, according to Macdonald.

Lapeer is 8-13-1 going into tonight’s non-league game against Goodrich at the Polar Palace, but the record is deceptive. Ten of the losses have been by two goals or less.

“We’ve been close all along,” said Macdonald. “I’m disappointed we don’t have more wins, but the guys have been working hard and that’s all I can ask. We’ve just got to get a little more scoring.”

Sophomore Braydin Walters leads Lapeer with 17 goals and 32 points. Dan Delvecchio has 13 goals in 22 points, Nate Richards has 19 points with 12 assists and Jeff Ryeson has 10 goals.

Delvecchio had two goals in last Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Macomb Lutheran North at the Polar Palace. Mike Fearson started the scoring with a power-play goal assisted by Walters at 9:23 of the first period. Matt Hunyady made it 2-0 with 3:18 left in the second on a pass from P.J. Westphal. Westphal and Fearson assisted on Delvecchio’s first goal with 6:44 left in the third period. After Lutheran North scored on a power play at 3:34, Delvecchio iced the victory with an unassisted, shorthanded goal at 1:02.

After tonight’s game, Lapeer will finish its regular season with a home game at 8 p.m. Saturday against Fraser.

LAKEVILLE

The LakeVille/Dryden/North Branch co-op hockey team has the unfortunate draw of playing in Div. 2 because of the combined enrollment of the three schools.

The Falcons will open up tournament play on Feb. 27 in pre-regional 26 against the host Davison Cardinals at Perani Arena at 5 p.m. Port Huron will face Port Huron Northern in the other semifinal at 7:30 p.m. with the winners playing on March 1 at 7:30 p.m.

The winner of the pre-regional will move on to play the winner of the other pre-regional in Region 13 that features Midland versus Midland Dow and Saginaw Heritage.

LakeVille started the season slow, but has since played much better hockey and currently sit at 5-17 overall and faces off with Shrine Catholic today.

The Falcons will look to leading scorer Eric Dhooghe, who has 14 goals and four assists on the season to be a catalyst on offense. Austin Hendrickson has nine goals and six assists, Evan Paupert has seven goals and seven assists and Jeff Versagli- Ullman has two goals and eight assists on the season. Goalie Dylan Bates has been spectacular at times this season, but needs help in front of him.

After facing Shrine Catholic tonight, the Falcons will conclude the regular season on Friday at the Northwest Warriors.