Photo from the Oakland Press

It’s a bit odd, but for some reason, the entire state seems to be in agreement that the night before Thanksgiving is when you put your biggest rival on the schedule. Maybe because it does lead into a holiday break? A good portion of recently-graduated alumni return from college to take in a game before spending the weekend with their families. Or, maybe it’s better to take your best shot at a rival early in the season, when your team is likely to be the healthiest it’ll be. Hard to say why exactly, but this Wednesday will certainly have plenty of intense tilts take place across the state.

Detroit Catholic Central vs. Brother Rice
8pm at USA Hockey Arena

The night’s action is highlighted by arguably the biggest rivalry in all of Michigan high school hockey; Brother Rice and Detroit Catholic Central. This matchup has taken place on this date going as far back as the Hub history goes. The Shamrocks have won seven of the last nine meetings on this date, and the winner of this particular matchup has gone on to win the rematch later in the season each of the last three seasons (excluding the 2021 COVID-shortened season). Plenty will be on the line when the reigning Division-I state champion takes on the defending Division-II state champion.

Rochester United vs. Rochester Stoney Creek
5:30pm at Suburban Ice Rochester

Vaughn Putz referred to Stoney Creek’s opponent as ‘those guys over there.’ Rochester United’s schedule reads: The Team Up North. Could the battle between RU and Stoney Creek be the nastiest rivalry in Oakland County?

The two teams meet twice a year, but the meeting on Thanksgiving Eve is the one you wanna win most. Rochester United carries a 13-5-2 advantage over the past decade, and has won the holiday matchup four meetings in a row. The Cougars haven’t spoiled their Thanksgiving appetite with the taste of victory since a 4-1 win in 2017. With key forwards like Carson Cagigal, Christian Gojcaj and Dylan Smith, is this the year Stoney Creek steals a ‘W’ before holiday break?

Brighton vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
7pm at Kensington Valley Ice House

Maybe an unlikely Michigan high school hockey rivalry, as the two teams don’t play in the same conference and don’t share a school district border. The only commonality is both Brighton and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s are Division-I state playoff teams. And from 2016 to 2019, the Bulldogs and Eaglets clashed at various rounds of the state tournament, eliminating one another from title contention for four straight years. This particular rivalry has a surprisingly rich history with 12 meetings over the last eight years, and a Thanksgiving Eve matchup that dates back to 2013. OLSM has won six of the nine holiday hockey matchups, but they’ve also been eliminated from the playoffs at the hands of Brighton three times in that span as well. Whenever these two teams meet, tensions are high and the stakes are even higher.

Novi vs. Northville
7:30pm at Novi Ice Arena

Neighboring cities with two schools sharing an ice rink. The rivalry is obvious. The KLAA teams meet just once during the season, which means the winner holds bragging rights until they meet again the next Thanksgiving Eve. This matchup was moved to the iconic Wednesday slot in 2014, and since then, Northville has won seven of the eight meetings. It hasn’t been easy though. If you factor out the anomaly 8-0 mercy in 2017, this holiday series matchup has an average margin of victory of 1.7 goals per game. The Mustangs hold a 14-7-0 advantage in this rivalry going back to 2012.

Plymouth vs. Canton
7:30pm at Plymouth Cultural Center

I’m not sure outsiders fully understand the dynamic of Plymouth-Canton-Salem schools.

A 300-acre campus with three full-sized high schools, intertwined between football fields, baseball fields, tennis courts and parking lots all on the same city block in Wayne County. Plymouth students could literally have classes inside the Canton high school building. Chieftains students sit across the aisle from Wildcats during third-hour Chem class. 

This rivalry returned to a Thanksgiving Eve slot last season after a five-year absence. Plymouth holds 15-3-0 record in this series and has won every pre-holiday meeting on record dating back to 2012. However, Canton has won three of the last five meetings and Wednesday will be the lone matchup between these two on the calendar for the ‘23-24 season.

Saline vs. Ann Arbor Pioneer
7:30pm at Ann Arbor Ice Cube

The ultimate ‘they don’t like me and I don’t like them’ rivalry. In addition to sharing a rink, they share the same conference and most seasons, share the same MHSAA regional draw. Not only are Saline and Ann Arbor Pioneer slated to play twice this season, they’re also in Region 7 of the Division-I state playoffs in February. These two teams have clashed five times in the last two years, and could play three more times in the next four months. The Hornets have won three in a row after losing the previous six meetings dating back to the ‘19-20 season.

De La Salle vs. Utica Eisenhower
7:30pm at Suburban Ice Macomb

The matchup pre-dates the Hub, as the meeting has been a mainstay on the calendar the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The series is an even five wins apiece dating back to 2012, when the website’s history picks up this rivalry. Utica Eisenhower once won four of six meetings, but De La Salle has won three of the last four. One thing’s for certain, it delivers in excitement with eight of the last nine meetings being decided by three goals or less. It’ll be a close one when the Eagles clash with the Pilots on Wednesday night.

Portage vs. Mattawan
7:30pm at Wings West

They’ll meet again on Jan. 31st, but the Thanksgiving Eve matchup always seems to mean a little more. The Portage-v-Mattawan rivalry predates the merging of Portage Northern and Portage Central hockey programs. In 2020, the two schools co-opped to form the Portage Muskies. However, Mattawan’s axe to grind with Portage schools prior to Thanksgiving dates as far back as 2013, according to the Hub. Since the formation of the co-op, Mattawan holds a 5-2-0 advantage in the series, including the most recent meeting in the Division-II regional final. 

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