It was a gesture that muted for the moment an intense border rivalry between two high schools that began in 1957.

Berkley Unified and the Royal Oak Ravens happened to have scheduled a game against each other on the same inconvenient day that a disturbed young man took the lives of 27 people in Newtown, Connecticut. Berkley Unified head coach Jeff Fleming called his good friend and rival Royal Oak head coach Craig Ward with a suggestion.

“I thought that it would be appropriate to have a moment of silence for the victims and their families,” said Fleming, “and Craig was all for it.”

So, with only cursory pre-game instructions from the coaches, the players from both teams knelt at center ice in a rafter-packed Berkley Ice Arena to reflect on circumstances that simply overwhelmed the senses and also rendered immaterial the entire previous school week’s smack talk that streamed through virtually all reliable communications channels. 

“There was a lot of talk leading up to the game through the social media and at other sporting events,” said Fleming. “It’s a big rivalry, and the moment of silence was a gesture that put it in perspective. I was impressed with the kids on both teams.” 

The game itself, a 5-1 Berkley win, illustrated the Bears’ continued commitment to remain awake and alert to the matters that make a team perform to its pre-determined expectations. Two weeks earlier, Fleming issued a wake-up call to his young group after it allowed West Bloomfield to rebound from a 0-2 hole and win 3-2. 

“We sat down, watched the game film, and there seemed to be a lack of execution,” said Fleming. “So we reviewed all aspects of our game—defensive zone, offensive zone, penalty kill, power play and faceoffs.” 

Fleming also advised his players to get introspective. 

“We re-established some team and individual goals,” said Fleming, “and we have a lot better understanding of what is expected from each of us.” 

Fleming called out his group of third liners as integral to the team's resurgence. 

“Jeremy Paczos, Kyle Kube, Riley Lenhard and Joey Woylnski have run our forecheck very effectively," said Fleming. "We can't go A-B, A-B all the time. They are gaining confidence, and they have made a huge contribution."

There's also considerable balance in the scoring. Six players are averaging at least a point per game: Ian Melrose, Gianni Bonello, Joey Leider, Zach Segall, Curtis Crane and Max Dooley. 

After that December 1 meeting, the Bears have peeled off five of six victories to sport a 7-3 record, having just lost 4-2 to Macomb Dakota on December 21. It was the Bears' stiffest test of the season to date, because the Cougars are currently ranked seventh in Division 1.

“I tell them that mediocrity is not an option,” said Fleming. “It’s either 100 percent or nothing. They are either in out. We all have to make sacrifices, both social and personal, for the good of the program. I expect the kids to come to the rink prepared and that they compete to the best of their ability.” 

With only three seniors, a freshman as the current leading scorer and a junior goalie who was first-team all-state last year, the Bears are on the path to greater things as a team and as a program. 

But perhaps the most significant thing they did this season already happened when they knelt in silence at center ice with their bitter, next-door rival.