The 2009-2010 Catholic Central (CC) Hockey Team won the 2010 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Division I State Championship. The team finished 28-1-1, winning the first annual “Great American Rivalry Series” trophy, the Catholic High School League Championship, the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League Championship, and the MHSAA Regional crown. A season highlight was the outdoor game, in which the Shamrock defeated Cranbrook at Detroit’s Clark Park. The outdoor game had over 29 million views on various media. Scouts noted the 2010 edition of the Shamrocks for their size and physical play. They were as big and strong as many Junior “A” teams.
The Shamrocks showed they were the best team in the state in the MHSAA tournament by defeating Ann Arbor Huron 8-0 in the quarter-final, and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 2-1 in the semi-final. According to Coach Todd Johnson, “The OLSM semi was epic. The game ended with their goalie pulled and the puck in our end until the final horn.”
The Catholic Central Shamrocks faced Howell in a highly anticipated rematch in the state championship game. Ryan Keller opened the scoring with a deflection off a shot by Steven Haydon. He scored again on the power play, assisted by Eric Fragoso and Brad Wilhelm. After Howell scored to make it 2-1, Davey Middleton, who was playing through a knee injury, added two more goals for the Shamrocks. Ryan Obuchowski and Austin Hervey assisted on his first goal, while Sean Gafney and Ryan Obuchowski assisted on his second. Jimmy Peplinski, assisted by Nick Crowley, and Chris Waterstreet, assisted by Davey Middleton, finished the scoring. Goalies Zack Cisek (14) and Connor Pankow (2) combined for 16 saves.
Front Row L to R: Anthony Rossi, Jimmy Botti, Charlie Green, Nolan Gluchowski, Alex Nork. Connor Pankow, Zack Cisek (All-State), Ian Jacobs, Ryan Keller, Mike Zylik, Mitchell Gatt.
Back Row L to R: Asst. Coach Mark Johnson ’89, Head Coach Todd Johnson ’87, Asst. Coach Doug Itami, Robert Ault, David Middleton (All-State), Ryan Obuchowski (All-State), Jimmy Peplinski, Sean Gaffney, Chris Waterstreet (All-State), Jake Downing (All-State), Austin Hervey, Steve Haydon, Eric Winkler, Brad Wilhelm (All-State), Nick Crowley, Eric Fragoso, Assoc. Coach Gordon St. John, Asst. Coach Tom Nugent ’78, Asst. Coach Dan Veri.
Not Pictured: General Manager Mike Giordano, Asst. Coach Rick Buttery, Trainer Bob Ogar.
