Grand Rapids Christian had already taken both regular season games against East Grand Rapids, entering tonight’s District final, but the Eagles didn’t care.  Tonight was more important than any bragging-rights gained over the two victories earlier this year.  Likewise, the Pioneers knew that taking down Christian would mean so much more than anything won or lost during the regular season.  The Quest Center was packed, the crowd was noisy, and both teams were eager to put their own exclamation point on the 2011/2012 season.

The Eagles came out gunning, quickly getting ahead of the Pioneers.  Midway through the first Grand Rapids Christian managed to build up a precarious seven point lead, 13-6, but given East’s comeback victory on Wednesday, one would be foolish to think  their lead would be safe.  Sure enough, the Pioneers ended the quarter on a little run, to end the first eight minutes trailing by a tally of 14-10.  To open up the second, Grand Rapids Christian stomped on the gas pedal, jumping out on a 6-0 run, and building their lead up to ten, just under three minutes into play, finding themselves ahead 20-10.  Proving that no lead would be safe tonight, in barely three and a half minutes, East Grand Rapids clawed their way back into the thick of things, putting up a 12-4 run of their own, making the score 24-22, in favor of Christian.  The Pioneers continued their surge over the last 2:24 of the half, managing to work their way ahead of the Eagles, going into break with a 27-26 lead.

Although Grand Rapids Christian had squandered a ten point lead, the Eagles were still full of fight as second half play got underway.  Christian quickly stole all the momentum away from East, charging to a 35-31 point lead in the first three and a half minutes of the third.  The teams started trading buckets for much of the rest of the quarter, but the Eagles managed to keep their lead, ending the third ahead 45-40.  The game entered the final quarter of regulation, and Grand Rapids Christian’s lead began to grow, going on a 6-0 run to gain their second double-digit lead of the night, 51-40.  Just as earlier in the night, East Grand Rapids was not about to roll over, and the Pioneers started to chip away at their rival’s lead.  Over the next five and a half minutes, East Grand Rapids started to hit shot after shot, getting some help with the occasional timely three.  With twenty three ticks left on the clock, East had pulled within two points of Christian, 58-56.  Both sets of fans were on their feet.  The crowd was at a fever pitch, and a season’s worth of hard work was going to come down to the final few seconds.  East Grand Rapids brought the ball down into the offensive zone, but was unable to sink a bucket.  This allowed Christian to storm down the court, drawing a foul with two seconds left.  Both free throws were hit, and barring a freak foul, the Eagles knew this game was locked up.  East Grand Rapids put up a hail mary of a pass, but the three point shot harmlessly missed the net, as the Grand Rapids Christian bench stormed the court, celebrating their 60-56 victory.

East Grand Rapids had four players in double digits in tonight’s thriller– DeAndre Grady (10), Austin Howell (11), Deleon Brown (12) and Marcus Hall (16).  Drake Harris led all players with 20 points in the victory, getting help from Jordan Daley (12) and DaRohn Scott  and his powerful dunks (10).  With tonight’s victory Grand Rapids Christian advances to Regionals at Coopersville, where they will face the winner from the Lakewood District.

Matt Philpott Photography was excited to bring you coverage from tonight’s game.  Like a photo featured here?  Visit his website to contact the photographer and order a copy!

The Cougars and Pioneers took the court on Wednesday night to much fanfare.  Both teams knew what was at stake– win, and play in Friday night’s District title game.  As play began, one thing was clear– the offenses came ready to put on a show early on.  East Grand Rapids and Catholic Central traded blows back-and-forth over much of the first quarter, with Catholic Central managing to cling to a slim four point lead as the horn blew, 18-14.  The game continued to be shot-for-shot in the early stages of the second, but the Cougars started to find their stride and pull away from East.  The Pioneers had trouble converting anything on offense, and Catholic Central went on a 13-2 run to end the half, to bring a comfortable 31-20 lead into the break. Victory, it would seem, was all but sealed up for the Cougars.

Shane Johnson with a jumper early in Wednesday's action.

East Grand Rapids was not about to go without a fight, which they showed almost immediately as play resumed in the third quarter.  The Pioneers opened the quarter trading buckets with the Cougars for the first three minutes of play, but suddenly exploded for an 18-7 run, to actually manage to take a 43-42 lead into the start of the fourth quarter.    Momentum was clearly on East’s side, and Catholic Central appeared to be deflated.  The Cougars tried to fight back and regain the lead they had let slip away, but the Pioneers were able to counter each Catholic Central basket.  East’s lead slowly began to grow, causing Catholic Central to resort to the three ball as a way to stop the bleeding.  The buckets would not fall for the Cougars, and East Grand Rapids had a hard-fought 58-52 victory when all was said and done.

Matt Alt charges the basket hard.

The season flew by this year, and the cream of the crop has risen to the top. Forest Hills Eastern/Northern has shown they have what it takes to beat the best, and Mona Shores has risen from the ashes and has begun to shine again. We are now seeing who is the best and who is the worst here in West Michigan. As the regular season draws even nearer to a close, our top three teams will take a lunge at FHEN in our top spot. As always, feel free to check out last weeks rankings and see who has risen and who has fallen in the rankings. Also, leave us feedback, we love to hear what fans here in West Michigan think about not only our rankings but our game coverage.

1.)Forest Hills Eastern/ Northern (18-5) OK Conference Tier 1

Two wins and the Husky/Hawks continue to hold the top spot. Oe of those wins came against Grand Haven and we were there. Check out the coverage here. Their outstanding play has continued all season long. They will play Portage Norther next Tuesday.

2.)Grand Haven (16-6-1) OK Conference Tier 1

The Buccaneers stumbled this past week and are struggling to get back up. With a 5-3 loss to Forest Hills Eastern/Northern last Wednesday and another 5-3 loss to Flint Powers on Saturday. They had another chance to rite the ship tonight but only managed a tie against Rockford. They will Face East Grand Rapids with hopes of finding the win column again this Saturday.

3.)Grand Rapids Catholic Central (14-5-1) OK Conference Tier 1

A fifty fifty week for the Cougars keeps the cougars in the number three spot this week. They lost to Rockford 4-2 but managed to win 3-1 against Big rapids on Saturday. They will face off at Edge Ice Arena against Kenowa Hills.

4.)Mona Shores (16-8) OK Conference Tier 1

Two more wins this week and Mona brings its win column to 16. Do they deserve to be higher? While many of you think so, they struggled so much at the beginning of the season that its hard to place them much higher than the third or fourth spot.

5.)East Kentwood(15-8) OK Conference Tier 2

The Falcons had a great week last week as they sealed up tier two with two huge wins over West Catholic 9-1 and South Christian 8-3. The player of the week had to be Brett White as he sunk five of those eight goals according to Advance reporter Jud Johnson. The Falcons will look to stay on fire as they play Brighton on Saturday.

6.)Rockford (13-9-1) OK Conference Tier 1

Rockford had a busy week this past week and gave our top teams a run for their money. The Rams beat Catholic Central on Friday, Manistee on Saturday and tied with Grand Haven last night in a game that saw both goaltenders let in four goals. The Rams will face Reeths Puffer on Friday. 

7.) Kenowa Hills (15-7) OK Conference Tier 2

After being jousted into a losing slide, the Knights managed to lose another game last week as they fell to Forest Hills Central. With so many late season losses, the Knights have dropped a few spots this week.

8.).Lowell-Caledonia (18-4) OK Conference Tier 3

Lowell-Caledonia played only one game last week and beat Grand Rapids Christian 9-4. They will close out their season this week as they play Mattawan on Friday and West Ottawa on Saturday.

9.)Reeths Puffer (14-6-1) OK Conference Tier 2

The Rockets were of last week as they prepared for playing Rockford tommorow.

10.)Jenison (12-7) OK Conference Tier 2

Jenison had two wins this past week as they beat Northview/Comstock Park 4-3 and beat Grand Rapids Christian 7-3. They will play Hudsonville tomorrow at Southside Community Ice Center. The game will be at 8:00pm.

Honarable Mention (In No Specific Order)

East Grand Rapids (11-11) OK Conference Tier 1

The Pioneers didn’t have a good week last week as they dropped another two games to Forest Hills Norther/ Eastern and to Grandville. The Pioneers will face Portage tomorrow night.

West Ottawa (14-9-1) OK Conference Tier 3

The Panthers didn’t play last week and will face off against South Christian this Friday.

Hudsonville (6-16-1) OK Conference Tier 2

Hudsonville has once again failed to find the win column as they drop two more games since our last rankings. These losses came at the hands of DeWitt /St Johns and Kenowa Hills. Both games were lost by one goal. The Eagles however turned it around last night with a resounding 6-1 win over West Catholic. They will play Grandville next Monday at Georgetown Ice Center.

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (8-14) OK Conference Tier 2

One win, One loss, was the story of the past week. The Rangers loss came against South Christian and the win was over the struggling Kenowa Hills. The Rangers will play Reeths Puffer on Saturday.

Northview/Comstock Park/Sparta(9-11-2) OK Conference Tier 3

The Cats got another win last week as they downed Benzie Central 4-3. They will play South Christian on Saturday and will have to beat a team who is really on a roll right now.

East Grand Rapids came into tonight’s showdown riding a four game win streak, during which they outscored opponents by an average of twelve points.  If keeping the streak alive wasn’t enough motivation, the Pioneers were also looking to avenge a loss at home against Northview during their earlier match-up this year.  With emotions running high for both squads, the Pioneers and Wildcats both put on an offensive show, and in the end East extended their winning streak to five, with a 72-62 victory over host Northview.

The Pioneers found themselves in an 0-2 hole before tip, after Northview was awarded two free throws to start the game, but that was the only time East would trail.  East quickly fought their way back as play began, and the Pioneers ended the first quarter with a 14-10 lead.  Northview was not about to go quietly, however, as tough defense kept the game within reach.  The Wildcats had hoped to end the half without giving up much ground to the Pioneers, but a last-second turnover near mid-court resulted in a dramatic buzzer-beating bucket by East, giving them a 15-12 edge for the quarter, and a 29-22 overall score.

Both offenses came out hot in the third quarter.  Emotions were hot, too, with East’s Brandon Belke getting ejected from the game.  According to comments overheard by referees, Belke was caught throwing a punch at a Northview player.  The Pioneers managed to extend the gap yet again during the third, outscoring the Wildcats 20-19, and going into the final quarter of play the score was 49-41, in favor of East Grand Rapids.  Offense again was on showcase as the game entered the home stretch, with both teams putting up over twenty points on the scoreboard, but Northview was unable to outscore the Pioneers for the fourth straight quarter.  As the final horn blew, East celebrated a ten point 72-62 win.

East’s Marcus Hall led all scorers tonight with 25 points.  Freshman Deleon Brown chipped in 21 points for the Pioneers.  Leading the way for Northview were Kevin Rich, with 23 points, and Ryan Ruschmann with 17 points.

With the victory, East Grand Rapids improves its record to 8-10, 4-5 in the OK White.  The Pioneers will head toward the lake shore on Tuesday, when they play Reeths-Puffer on the road.  Northview falls to 10-7 on the season, 4-5 in the OK White.  The Wildcats take the court next on Tuesday when they face Forest Hills Central on the road.

[View with PicLens]

Matt Philpott Photography was happy to bring you coverage of tonight’s game.  Please visit his website to learn more about the services he can offer you!

We hope you enjoyed all the great hockey coverage last week and spent some time looking over the great photos from the games our reporters made it out to. We want to keep bringing you great coverage as the season draws to a close and the playoffs begin. As always check out last week rankings and see who has moved up or down in the rankings for this week.

1.)Forest Hills Eastern/ Northern (16-5) OK Conference Tier 1

The Husky/ Hawks beat Saginaw Heritage 6-1 last week and will play Grand Haven in a big game tomorrow night.We will be there covering it for you!

2.)Grand Haven (16-4) OK Conference Tier 1

After beating Kenowa Hills 5-4 in a narrow win on Wednesday, the Bucs went on to defeat the Holt rams 3-1 on Saturday. They will face Forest Hills Eastern-Northern this Wednesday and we will be bringing you coverage of the game, so make sure to check back in on Thursday for pictures and more.

3.)Grand Rapids Catholic Central (13-4-1) OK Conference Tier 1

The Cougars didn’t face any competition this week but will look to win again when they play Rockford this Friday on the Ram’s home ice.

4.)Mona Shores (14-8) OK Conference Tier 1

Two more wins this week show that the Sailors are well over their slump. They drop the puck with Traverse City West on Friday. The game will begin at 7:00pm

5.) Kenowa Hills (14-7) OK Conference Tier 2

The Knights had a busy week and paid for it last week as they dropped three games in just as many nights. They will get a nice chance to recover against Forest Hills Central on their home ice tomorrow at 8:00pm.

6.) Rockford (11-9) OK Conference Tier 1

Rockford beat EGR 4-1 last week and will have a huge challenge when they face GR Catholic Central on Friday.

7.)East Kentwood(11-7) OK Conference Tier 2

The Falcons will play West Catholic on Wednesday after being off for a while. They should be able to beat West Catholic as they have struggled so far this season and have a fairly poor record.

8.)Reeths Puffer (14-6-1) OK Conference Tier 2

Dean Griffin scored a hat trick to lead the Rockets on their way to a win over Forest Hills Central on Wednesday. They have a nice break until they play Rockford on the 24th.

9.).Lowell-Caledonia (17-4) OK Conference Tier 3

Lowell-Caledonia won three games this past week. They managed to pull out a close one against Jenison in a high scoring thriller with a final score of 8-6. They also beat Sparta in one of our games of the week last week.

10.)Jenison (10-8) OK Conference Tier 2

 Jenison scored three goals on three shots in the third to pull close to Lowell-Calendonia, but they still ended up losing. A hard fought game with negative results will be very hard to overcome in the following week.

Honorable Mention

 11.)East Grand Rapids (11-9) OK Conference Tier 1

The Pioneers lost to Rockford 4-1 on friday, but Beat Big Rapids 3-1 the following day. They face Forest Hills Eastern-Northern. Jenison (10-8) OK Conference Tier 3

12.)West Ottawa (14-9-1) OK Conference Tier 3

West Ottawa had a good week this past week as they beat Grand Rapids Christian in a close game 4-3 They will play South Christian Friday.

13.) Hudsonville (6-14-1) OK Conference Tier 2

Hudsonville tried for three periods and an overtime to win this past week but ended up tieing with South Christian 3-3 on Friday. Their will need to recover their energy in order to beat a fast moving Kenowa Hills team this Saturday.

14.)Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (7-13) OK Conference Tier 2

The struggling Rangers lost again this past Wednesday at the hands of Reeths Puffer. The final score was 7-5.

15.)Northview/Comstock Park/Sparta(8-11-2) OK Conference Tier 3

The Cats tied with West Ottawa but lost to both Hudsonville 5-4 and Lowell Caledonia 7-2 this past week.They will face non conference opponent Royal Oak Shrine on Thursday.

]]> http://westmiallstar.com/2012/02/week-10-rankings/feed/ 3 http://westmiallstar.com/2012/02/rams-butt-pioneers-off-the-ice/ http://westmiallstar.com/2012/02/rams-butt-pioneers-off-the-ice/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:24:29 +0000 Matt Philpott http://westmiallstar.com/?p=11778

Our very own Chris Carlisle took to the roads last night to catch the Rockford Rams as they hosted the East Grand Rapids Pioneers in some spirited hockey action.  Joining him, and providing the following commentary was Chris’s son, Joshua.

Traversing the treacherous roads on Friday night was worth the effort, as two power house hockey teams from West Michigan took to the ice– with the Rockford Rams hosting the East Grand Rapids Pioneers at Griff’s IceHouse.  The game started off slowly as the two teams battled, feeling each other out.  At the end of the first period the scoreboard sat frozen at 0-0, with Rockford getting the upper hand in shots, 12-4 over East Grand Rapids.  The second period started like a mirror image of the first, until Rockford’s Nate Hill scored with 5:58 left in the period.  As the second period drew to a close, Rockford already had the advantage on the scoreboard, but the Rams also controlled the tempo of the game, once again out shooting East Grand Rapids, with a two-period tally of 24-11.  The third period of play started off with a bang when Rockford’s Ben Glass scored the second goal of the game for the Rams, with 12:43 left in regulation.  Rockford found the net twice more in the third with Cam Bathum and Zack Schwandt scoring, respectively.  When the final horn blew, the score was 4-1 in favor of Rockford, with the Rams out shooting the Pioneers 37-19.

Chris Carlisle was proud to bring coverage of this OK Conference battle.  Chris has photos from this, and many other events, available for purchase.  Please visit his website to order your shots today!

The Road to the championship is getting shorter and shorter as teams struggle to hold on to the lead in their respective conferences. Will West Michigan be well represented in the playoffs again this year? We think so! What do you think? Who do you think is the best team in the Midwest? Here is our rankings for this week. As always check out last weeks rankings to see if there has been any changes.

1.) Grand Haven (14-4) OK Conference Tier 1

The Bucs never dropped their sails this week as they spent time preparing to play Kenowa Hills on this coming Wednesday.

2.) Grand Rapids Catholic Central (13-4-1) OK Conference Tier 1

The Cougars roared their way to a very solid win this past Saturday. They defeated East Grand Rapids by five points as they won 6-1. They will face Rockford next Wednesday at Griff’s Ice House.

3.) Forest Hills Eastern/ Northern (12-4) OK Conference Tier 1

The Husky/Hawks keep plowing forward as the season goes on. They got past Big Rapids this Saturday and will look to do the same when they face off against East Grand Rapids next week Saturday.

4.) Mona Shores (12-8) OK Conference Tier 1

The Sailors had started the season horrible and almost didn’t even exist on the rankings when the season began. They are showing they have what it takes to climb the ranks however as they won two of their three games this past week.

5.) Kenowa Hills (14-4) OK Conference Tier 2

Beating Grand Rapids Christian on Saturday may help boost the Knights confidence as they go against our number one team this Wednesday. They are going to need all the help they can get as Grand Haven shows no sign of laying down and playing dead.

6.) Rockford (10-9) OK Conference Tier 1

Rockford started strong but has struggled as the season has progressed. They lost to Macomb Dakota on Friday, but will look to turn things around again when they play East Grand Rapids this Friday 8:00pm at Griff’s Ice House.

7.) East Grand Rapids (10-8) OK Conference Tier 1

The Pioneers loss to Mona Shores and Grand Rapids Catholic Central this week, but managed to pull out a win against Grand Rapids Christian. They will play Rockford on Friday.

8.) Lowell-Caledonia (16-4) OK Conference Tier 3

Lowell-Caledonia has cooled off as of late and this week continued to cool even more as they dropped another game to Bay Area Thunder on Saturday by a score of 3-2. They have a chance to get back on track this week as they will be playing three games in four days.

9.) Jenison (10-7) OK Conference Tier 2

Jenison lost this week as the sticks of West Ottawa handed them a 4-1 defeat. Their next game will be against struggling Lowell–Caledonia.

10.) East Kentwood(11-7) OK Conference Tier 2

East Kentwood beat both Hudsonville and Forest Hills Central this past week. They will look to continue winning against South Christian next week Friday.

Honorable Mention

11.) Reeths-Puffer (13-6-1) OK Conference Tier 2

A three win week is just what the Rockets needed to get back into our rankings this week. They will play Forest Hills Central Wednesday.

12.) West Ottawa (12-9-1) OK Conference Tier 3

West Ottawa had a busy week this past week as they hosted their pink game and also recorded two wins and a loss for the week. They will drop the puck with GR Christian on Saturday.

13.) Hudsonville (6-14) OK Conference Tier 2

Hudsonville needs to drink some coffee and wake up as the season continues. They lost twice this week at the hands of Reeths-Puffer and East Kentwood. They will get a rematch with Kenowa Hills next Saturday in hopes of paying the Knights back for the blowout they received earlier this season.

14.) Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (7-12) OK Conference Tier 2

Another one win, one loss, week keeps the Rangers right were they were in the rankings. They, like Hudsonville, will look to finish strong as the season winds to a close.

15.) Northview/Comstock Park/Sparta(8-6-2) OK Conference Tier 3

The Cats had a rough week as they dropped three games. They did put up a great fight however against West Ottawa and only lost by one goal 6-5.

We apologize for the delay in getting the rankings to you this week! Here they are. Hockey is picking up its pace as we breeze towards the playoffs. This past week and a half gave fans the opportunity to see a Tier 2 face off for first place and numerous well played games across the Midwest as teams battle it out to move up the rankings. Make sure to check out last weeks rankings to see who moved up as there has been a lot of movement this week. As always feel free to tell us what you think.

1.) Grand Haven (14-4) OK Conference Tier 1

Grand Haven had another two game win last week as they beat Catholic Central in a big game 3-2 and also blew out West Catholic 7-2. They will face Kenowa Hills next Wednesday at 6:30pm.

2.) Grand Rapids Catholic Central (12-4-1) OK Conference Tier 1

The Cougars had a busy 3 game week and a half last week, and struggled. Their week began with a 3-2 loss to Grand Haven on Wednesday in a game that came down to the third period. They beat Forest Hills Central 2-1 on Friday but lost 2-0 against Portage Central. Their Next game will be on Saturday 8:58pm against East Grand Rapids. The game will be at Southside Community Center.

3.) Forest Hills Eastern/ Northern (12-4) OK Conference Tier 1

The Husky/Hawks beat Grandville this week as they continue to fight for first place in our rankings. Their next game will be Saturday against Big Rapids at Ferris State University. The game time is 2:00pm.

4.) Kenowa Hills (13-4) OK Conference Tier 2

A two game week gave the Knights an opportunity to hold onto first place in their tier this week. After beating West Catholic 4-2 on Wednesday, they were unable to hold onto first place as they lost to East Kentwood 4-3.

5.) Mona Shores (9-7) OK Conference Tier 1

The Sailors had a packed full week and a half as they managed to win two of their three games. They lost the first game to Plymouth Salem 6-5 on a late third period breakaway goal, but managed to bounce back with two wins against Rockford and Traverse City Reps.

6.) Rockford (10-8) OK Conference Tier 1

Rockford loss in a rematch with Mona Shores last Wednesday to the tune of a 4-1 score. They rebounded on Friday however as they doubled up the score on their way to a 8-4 win over Saganaw Nouvel. Their next game is this Friday at 8:00pm vs Macomb Dakota.

7.) East Grand Rapids (9-6) OK Conference Tier 1

The Pioneers improved their record this week and won 4-2 against Granville who continues to struggle.

8.) Lowell-Caledonia (14-2) OK Conference Tier 3

Lowell-Caledonia split their two games this past week and a half as they dropped a 6-3 game against West Ottawa but beat South Christian. They continue their strong season and hope to win when they play the Bay Area Thunder on Saturday.

9.) Jenison (10-6) OK Conference Tier 2

Jenison pounded the Unity Knights 10-2 but lost to Grand Rapids Christian 2-1 this past week and a half. They play West Ottawa tonight at 6:30pm at Edge Ice Arena.

10.)East Kentwood(9-9) OK Conference Tier 2

In a hard fought game for first place in Tier 2, the Falcons squeaked by Kenowa Hills 4-3. They will look to hold onto the top spot as they play Forest Hills Central Tonight at 8:00pm.

Honorable Mention

11.) Grand Rapids Christian (10-6-1) OK Conference Tier 3

The Eagles pushed by Jenison 2-1 this past week. Their next game will be against Kenowa Hills tonight at Jolly Rogers Ice Arena. The game will begin at 7:30pm.

12.) West Ottawa (10-7-1) OK Conference Tier 3

Two wins against Grand Rapids City and Lowell-Caledonia improved West Ottawa’s record this past week and a half. They stand at 5-2-1 in their tier and will look to improve when they puck drops against Jenison tonight at 6:30. Check out the coverage of their win against Lowell-Caledonia here.

13.) Hudsonville (6-11) OK Conference Tier 2

Hudsonville suffered two losses this week. They continued to struggle for the second week in a row and will hope to turn it around against Reeths-Puffer on Friday.

14.) Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (6-11) OK Conference Tier 2

A five hundred week for the Rangers keeps them at the bottom of the rankings this week. They lost to Catholic Central 2-1 but beat South Christian with a five goal second period on their way to a 7-2 victory. They also will play tonight as they face off against the East Kentwood Falcons at 8:00pm

15.) Northview/Comstock Park/Sparta(8-6-2) OK Conference Tier 3

The Cats pulled out two wins this past week and a half. Both wins came against the Grand Rapids Ice Hawks. They shut out the Hawks 8-0 on Friday and beat them soundly on Saturday as well 6-2.

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Our coverage of hockey took another step this week as new reporter Alex Porter was able to cover his first hockey game between Grand Haven and Reeths Puffer on Saturday. (Coverage Here)We look forward to bringing you more coverage of more games each week, and we are excited to grow our hockey division here at West Michigan Allstar. If you can all remember, last week our ranking were really shook up as Forest Hills Eastern/Northern jumped into the top two. Let us know what you think about this weeks rankings! Who does and doesn’t belong? Who should be higher? Who should be lower? We look forward to your feedback!

1.)Grand Rapids Catholic Central (11-2-1) OK Conference Tier 1

With a big 7-0 shut out win against Hartland on Saturday the Cougars have 11 wins on the season. They will look to grow their win column when they play number 2 Grand Haven on Wednesday Febuary 3rd.

2.)Grand Haven (12-4) OK Conference Tier 1

Grand Haven had a two win week this past week as they downed both East Grand Rapids and Reeths Puffer to take back the second spot.

3.)Forest Hills Eastern/ Northern (11-4) OK Conference Tier 1

The Husky/Hawks won another game last week as they beat West Catholic on Tuesday. Their next game will be against Grandville on Wednesday. The game will be at Georgetown Ice Arena at 5:30.

4.)Kenowa Hills (12-3) OK Conference Tier 2

The Knights had a great win against Hudsonville by scoring 5 goals in the second period to dash the Eagles hopes of a win. Their strong showing moves them up in the standings. Check out the game coverage here.

5.) East Grand Rapids (7-5) OK Conference Tier 1

A 5-3 loss to Grand Haven on Friday drops the Pioneers out of the fourth spot but they have a chance to turn things around as they play Mattawan tonight and Grandville on Friday.

6.) Rockford (8-7) OK Conference Tier 1

Rockford beat Lake Orion 3-2 last week to improve their record so that it is now over .500. Their next game is Wednesday 8:00pm at Griff’s Ice House vs Mona Shores.

7.)Mona Shores (7-6) OK Conference Tier 1

After struggling for much of the first half of the season, Mona Shores had a great week as they won two games. They beat Grandville 6-2 last Sunday and beat the Traverse City Bay Reps 7-4 on Saturday. If they keep up their winning ways they will move up the rankings in the next few weeks.

8.)Lowell-Caledonia (13-1) OK Conference Tier 3

Lowell-Calendonia won again this past week as they knocked off their rival Jenison 5-3. They will play Grand Rapids South Christian on Friday.

9.)Jenison (9-5) OK Conference Tier 2

Losing to Lowell-Calendonia doesn’t hurt Jenison this week but it doesn’t help them either. They will stay the same in the rankings and will look to improve when they face off against Grand Rapids Christian on Wednesday. The game will be at Jolly Rogers Ice Arena at 7:30.

10.)East Kentwood(7-7) OK Conference Tier 2

A painful 10-4 loss against Livonia Churchill on Saturday drops the Falcons to a five hundred record.

Honorable Mention

11.)Grand Rapids Christian (9-8-1) OK Conference Tier 3

The Eagles had two wins this week to get themselves into our standings for the first time this year. They will play the Grand Rapids Ice Hawks this week. Barring a disastrous showing, they should improve their record even more as the Hawks have struggled this season.

12.)West Ottawa (8-7-1) OK Conference Tier 3

With a win against GR West Catholic last Sunday and a 8-0 shut out win against the Ice Hawks on Saturday, the Panthers improve their record and move themselves up in the rankings.

13.) Hudsonville (6-9) OK Conference Tier 2

Hudsonville suffered a staggering loss on Wednesday to Kenowa Hills and suffered another hard 7-3 loss to Flushing. Their only win this week came on Friday as they beat Goodrich 5-3.

14.)Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (5-10) OK Conference Tier 2

A win and a loss this past week keeps the Rangers down in the rankings this week as they look forward to facing South Christian/Calvin Christian on Wednesday.

15.)Northview/Comstock Park/Sparta(6-6-2) OK Conference Tier 3

The Cats lost another game this past week at the hands of Grand Rapids Christian on Saturday. The final score was 7-3 and leaves the Cats at the bottom of our standings this week. They wont play another game until February 3rd when they face off against Jenison.

/p

Hockey is really starting to heat up the cold winter month of January. In this past week, our number one team from last week stumbled again, and other teams took this opportunity to climb the ranks and seat themselves higher in the standings. What will this week’s games hold? Will other teams step up this week to try and take the top spot? Let us know what you think!

1.)Grand Rapids Catholic Central (10-2-1) OK Conference Tier 1

With Grand Haven’s two losses opening the door to the top spot this week, the Cougars took the opportunity to take back the top spot. With 5 goals in both of their games, Catholic Central won both matches easily. 

2.) Forest Hills Eastern/ Northern (10-4) OK Conference Tier 1

The Husky/Hawks are looking very good as the season goes on. With a win against Grand Haven this past week, they showed they have what it takes to take down our top teams and claim the number one spot. 

3.)Grand Haven (10-4) OK Conference Tier 1

Grand Haven had a tough week this week as they lost two games. The first loss was to Forest Hills Northern/Eastern, and the second loss came at the hands of Grand Rapids Catholic Central. This tough break drops them down this week to the third spot.

4.)East Grand Rapids (7-4) OK Conference Tier 1

Stagnant this week, EGR will play Grand Haven at Patterson Ice Center this Friday. The game will be at 8pm.

5.) Kenowa Hills (11-3) OK Conference Tier 2

The Knights also found a way to a two win week last week as they beat Reeths Puffer 4-3 and Portage Central 6-4.

6.) Rockford (7-7) OK Conference Tier 1

With 1-1 record for the week, Rockford still can’t break the threshold of .500. They need to put together some consecutive wins as the season continues.

7.)Mona Shores (5-6) OK Conference Tier 1

Struggling to get back to their winning ways, the Sailors fell back onto the losing road this past week when they lost to Rockford. Their next chance to rite the ship will be on Wednesday against Grandville.

8.)Lowell-Caledonia (12-1) OK Conference Tier 3

Lowell-Calendonia was able to beat Grand Rapids Christian Saturday after an easy win over the Grand Rapids Ice Hawks in a shortened two period game on Friday. Check out the coverage of their game vs the IceHawks here.

9.)Jenison (9-4) OK Conference Tier 2

Another team with a two win week, Jenison continues to climb. They beat Northview/Comstock Park 4-3 on Friday and beat Manistee 4-1 on Saturday.

10.)East Kentwood(7-6) OK Conference Tier 2

An 8-3 win over Reeths Puffer added another win to the Falcon’s record. They now are one game above .500.

Honorable Mention

11.) Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (4-9) OK Conference Tier 2

Two losses and the Rangers continue to look at the rest of the pack from the bottom of the rankings . They will hope to win when they play Rockford on Wednesday at 8pm.

12.)Hudsonville (4-8) OK Conference Tier 2

Hudsonville Lost to South Christian this week. They managed to score two goals, but it wasn’t enough as S. Christian went on to win 3-2. The Eagles next game will be on Wednesday against Kenowa Hills.

13.) West Ottawa (6-7-1) OK Conference Tier 3

With a nice 5-2 win against Madison Heights Bishop Foley this week, West Ottawa adds another win to their record and get one step closer to getting back on track to a winning season.

14.)Northview/Comstock Park/Sparta(6-5-2) OK Conference Tier 3

The Cats fell in both of their games this past week, losing to both Jenison and West Catholic. A two loss week hurts them this week in the rankings.

15.) Grand Rapids West Catholic/Cedar Springs (4-8) OK Conference Tier 2

After a very tough week last week, GRWC/Cedar Springs managed to get a win this week against Northview Comstock Park on Saturday. The score was 6-2.