With numerous Oakland County high school hockey teams ranked in the state in all three divisions, it is entirely possible tht the county could produce a state champion in boys’ hockey again this season.
In Division 1, Detroit Catholic Central (No. 1) and Rochester United (No. 2) are both off to impressive starts this winter. Both have enough talent to reach the Final Four or beyond. St. Mary’s Preparatory slides into the fifth position, and Troy is ranked No. 11.
Brother Rice is the top-ranked squad in Division 2, with Berkley-Ferndale Unified (No. 4) and Novi (No. 5) also posting strong showings.
Cranbrook Kingswood is the top-ranked team in Division 3, and Walled Lake Western cracks the lineup at No. 14.
While many of the aforementioned teams have enjoyed much success over the years, Rochester United is quite the rising force. It started to make an impact 6 or 7 years ago and actually won one regional crown in recent years. This is the fourth straight campaign that the team, which is made up of players from Rochester and from Rochester Adams high schools, has found itself in the top 10.
Rochester United is hoping for a long tournament run this season, although it can’t get caught looking ahead. The program lost in overtime in the regional final last season to Lake Orion, and two years ago suffered a first-round exit at the sticks of Macomb Dakota.