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Digging Deep For Gems

By Craig Peterson, 12/11/19, 8:00AM EST

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Unsuspecting names headline the Dream Team of the Week

Week Three was a relatively quiet stretch for the Starting Six. Dylan Dooley and Mason Kelly had massive runs for our Dream Team of the Week, combining for seven goals and 13 points between the two of them. Dooley helped Detroit Catholic Central to a Catholic League championship, after the Shamrocks went 3-0-0 on the week, capping it off with a two-goal night in a 4-0 win over rival Brother Rice in the finale. 

TOP PERFORMERS

WEEK 2

Austin Combs, Milford

6 G, 4 A

16 FPS

WEEK 1

Doug Wood, University Liggett

3 G, 8 A

14 FPS

WEEK 3

Mason Kelly, Forest Hills Central

4 G, 3 A

11 FPS

WEEK 2

Andrew Potyk, Lake Orion

4 G, 1 A

9 FPS

WEEK 3

Dylan Dooley, Detroit Catholic Central

3 G, 3 A

9 FPS

 

Week Four! I’m going in hard on a couple MIHL-KLAA Showcase participants this weekend, as well as a pair of west-siders and a fan favorite in the middle of the Mitten. It may be a short week for a few picks but I’m expecting big performances from some popular names in high school hockey. Let’s get to the picks!

Week Four

Monday, December 9th - Sunday, Dec. 15th

FORWARD, Senior Luke Blasy, Midland Dow

SCHEDULE: 12/11 @ Davison, 12/13 @ Lake Orion

Tendered with the Austin Bruins of the NAHL, the 5-foot-9 senior is one of Michigan’s biggest hidden gems. Well, I guess if he’s already signed with a junior team for 2020-21 he’s not so “hidden” anymore but Blasy is off to an awesome start to the season with the Chargers. He’s got four goals and eight points through the first four games of the season and scored the game-winning goal in overtime against rival Midland last Wednesday. I expect both of this week’s matchups to be highly competitive as both Davison and Lake Orion have plenty of offensive firepower, meaning Blasy and company will need strong performances to keep pace.

 

FORWARD, Senior Krzystof Petryla, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s

SCHEDULE: 12/11 @ Port Huron Northern, 12/13 @ Cranbrook, 12/14 @ Salem

What’s not to like about this three-game slate? Through seven games, Petryla leads OLSM in scoring with three goals and 12 points. His play-making skills are off the charts and Petryla has accounted for 70 percent of the team’s total goals thus far. The Eaglets are off to a quiet 3-3-1 start but Petryla has been an awesome bright spot and a rising star already this season. With three matchups that I anticipate to be high-scoring, look for Petryla to continue that trend in Week Four and keep piling up the points.

 

FORWARD, Senior Ian Smith, Plymouth

SCHEDULE: 12/11 vs. Brighton, 12/14 vs. Cranbrook

Now I’ll admit, I was a skeptic of Smith after the Top 80 Showcase this fall. I had multiple scouts rave about his ability and how capable he is of playing at a high level but I just didn’t see it on display back in August. However, the first couple games I’ve caught this season for the Wildcats, the senior captain has made me a believer and I am ALL IN on this kid now. Very similar to Petryla, he makes plays all over the ice and has a real knack for finding his teammates, putting them into good spots to be effective. Smith has three goals and 12 points in five games and if he can continue to produce this week against two tough opponents, he’ll really solidify himself as a top prospect in the state.

 

DEFENSEMAN, Senior Nick Dippre, Brother Rice

SCHEDULE: 12/12 @ De La Salle, 12/4 vs. Hartland

The top eight scorers for Rice are all forwards and that comes as no surprise, given that the strength of their squad is up front. Dippre is a bit of a sleeper pick as the 6-foot-1 defender has two goals and three points through six games. I think the Warriors may erupt on Thursday night against DLS after being shut out against Detroit Catholic Central, and after watching that Catholic League championship last Saturday, Dippre looked like an aggressive shooter who wants to be involved in the offense. I think that will come in handy, especially on Saturday which could prove to be a track meet between two teams with a wealth of offensive options.

 

DEFENSEMAN, Junior Trevor Davis, Byron Center

SCHEDULE: 12/13 vs. West Ottawa, 12/14 vs. Traverse City Central

I didn’t even care which Bulldog it was, I just knew I needed to get a piece of this Byron Center team. The BC boys are quickly becoming one of my favorite under-the-radar squads and they are an exciting bunch to watch. They’ve got 10 different goal scorers through four games, literally everyone is involved in the offense, and I’ll roll with Davis here because when a defenseman leads the team in points you have to take advantage of it! Five of his six points have come on the man advantage, which is just bananas, so not if but when BC gets power play opportunities, Davis is the guy to produce from the blue line.

 

GOALIE, Senior Tate Potteiger, East Grand Rapids

SCHEDULE: 12/11 @ Okemos, 12/13 @ Clarkston, 12/14 @ Birmingham Unified

East has had shut-down defensive efforts in their three wins and not-so-stellar outings in three defeats. They’ve outscored opponents 11-2 in victories and given up five-or-more goals in each of their losses but I think this week serves up some very favorable matchups. Each contest coming up is on the road, but I’d lean towards EGR having a significant edge in all of them. Potteiger probably won’t get the nod in all three but a couple of wins this week would definitely build some momentum for the senior goaltender as we creep closer to winter break.

Love the picks? Let’s have some fun on Twitter and tell me who I should be taking in the Dream Team of the Week.