The Little Caesars-HoneyBaked rivalry is big every season.

For the girls on this year’s Little Caesars Tier I 16U hockey team, it’s about revenge. HoneyBaked downed Little Caesars two years ago in a triple-overtime thriller in the 14U Michigan state championship game.

“Ever since that loss, the girls have really have made it a point to work hard and win that game,” Little Caesars 16U coach Paul Goleniak said.

Little Caesars got its rematch in this year’s state title game. In the first 10 minutes of the game, Little Caesars led HoneyBaked by four goals and after the second period it was 6-0. Little Caesars cruised to an 8-1 victory in Taylor, Michigan, on March 6 to advance to the Toyota-USA Hockey National Championships.

“We talked about playing as a team,” Goleniak said. “This is the first group I’ve ever had where they do everything together. There’s no cliques and there’s not anybody off doing their own thing. They do everything together and so we talked about that before the game. ... They went out and played like a team. They did everything they could as a team and not as any individual.”

Little Caesars beat HoneyBaked 3-2 in the opening round of the state tournament. The second game, Little Caesars downed Compuware 11-0 and then trounced Belle Tire 7-3. The team then took care of the USA Eagles 9-1 to set up the title game.

This is the third year in a row that the Little Caesars girls are headed to nationals — once at 14U and last year at 16U. The team has lost in the national quarterfinals the past two seasons, so advancing a step farther this year is a goal.

“This year was the first year that right after the team was picked from Day 1 that was our focus was doing well at nationals,” Goleniak said.

HoneyBaked Tier I 19U Back at Nationals

The players on the HoneyBaked Tier I 19U team didn’t waste the opportunity to get to the national tournament.

HoneyBaked, ranked No. 10 in the nation, went 4-0 at state and took home the title along with a trip to nationals.

“A lot of them have been to nationals before, some of them have been there four times,” Honey Baked coach Lyle Phair said. “They’ve been there, so many of them understand what it’s about.”

HoneyBaked (38-20-7) took down the USA Eagles 4-2 in the state opener. The team had its tightest matchup of the tournament against Lansing and pulled off a 4-3 overtime victory as Jacquelin White netted the game winner.

“I think that was a little bit of a wakeup call for us,” Phair said.

In the third game, HoneyBaked took down Little Caesars 8-2 and then beat Belle Tire 4-2. For the title, HoneyBaked defeated the USA Eagles for a second time 9-4.

Phair has a lot of depth on his squad with 10 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies. It features three balanced scoring lines.  

“On any given night, any of our 10 forwards can score,” Phair said. “Some nights when they’re all scoring, good things happen. ... It’s pretty hard for teams to stick with us when we skate, because we do have a lot of depth. We wear teams down.”

Last season, HoneyBaked fell in the national semifinals. The players are looking forward for another chance at a championship.

“We think we’ve got a shot,” Phair said. “We’ve played against many of the nationals teams during the regular season and have done pretty well. ... I don’t think we’ll see anything that we haven’t seen before. You’re at nationals, you never know what’s going to happen.”

HoneyBaked Tier I 14U Upsets Little Caesars

The HoneyBaked Tier I 14U is heading into nationals on a high note.

The team got a goal from Courtney Hall with about five minutes remaining in the state championship as No. 10-ranked HoneyBaked upset second-ranked Little Caesars to win the title on March 6.

“Goaltending on both teams was great,” HoneyBaked coach Ryan Pardoski said. “We played a strong defensive game and we got a timely goal.”

Little Caesars shut down HoneyBaked in the state tournament opener 3-0. HoneyBaked (15-31-3) rebounded with a 7-1 triumph over Belle Tire in the three-team tourney. In the championship, HoneyBaked goalie Natalie Ferent was unstoppable against one of the best teams in the nation.

Little Caesars (40-13-5) earned an at-large bid to nationals after a phenomenal season.

It’s the first trip to nationals for the HoneyBaked girls playing at 14U. Beating the second-ranked team should give the players plenty of confidence heading into the biggest stage.

“We’ve got to play well,” Pardoski said. “I think we’ve gotten better throughout the course of the year as a team. We’re a split of first- and second-years, so at the beginning it took us a little bit longer to get going and to get confidence. But the girls should have that going into nationals. By no means are we going to be a favorite, but by no means should we be intimidated by anybody as well.”

Kensington Valley Ravens Advance at Tier II 14U

It’s been a good month so far for the Kensington Valley Ravens Tier II 14U team.

The girls won the state tournament on March 6 and two weeks later took home a prestigious tournament hosted by Little Caesars.

“They’re getting it now. We had to crack some eggs to make this omelette, but it’s going,” joked Kensington Valley coach Michael Wainwright.

Kensington Valley (25-10-5) lost its state tournament opener 2-0 to Fox Motors. That lit a fire in the girls knowing one more loss and their season was over.

“We had just squeaked past Fox Motors during the regular season,” Wainwright said. “I don’t think they beat us during the regular season. Every single game with them was a one-goal game.”

The Ravens players refocused and beat Livonia 2-1 and the Michigan Icebreakers 6-1. Kensington Valley, ranked No. 10 in the country, downed Livonia 2-0 in the semifinals and then took down the Northern Michigan K Stars 3-0 for the title.

“We battled all year with the 14U Tier II teams,” Wainwright said. “Fox Motors, Livonia Knights, were two formidable competitors and I think any one of those could have walked away with the title.”

It’s the first time to nationals for the Kensington Valley 14U team, which is comprised of all first-year players.

“We are so excited, because from my vantage point there are so few opportunities to go to the national tournament being that it only starts at the bantam level,” Wainwright said. “So for most of these girls they have anywhere from two to four opportunities to get there. For us to get there in year one is so exciting.”

Marquette City Insurance Returns to Nationals at Tier II 19U

Two years ago, the Tier II 16U Marquette squad made it to the national title game before falling. Last year, it was the 19U team that got to the national semifinals.

The 19U girls are back this season for another shot at the championship. Marquette (13-22-3) returns six players who skated at nationals in 2015.

“Our first goal is just to make the quarterfinals and then after that you never know what can happen,” Marquette City Insurance coach Jeff Cornock said. “I hope we’re a quarterfinalist and then we go from there.”

In the state tournament opener, Marquette was down two goals on two different occasions but scored four-straight tallies for a 6-4 victory over the Westland Mustangs. Marquette following up by defeating the Grand Rapids Griffins 9-0 and then beat Saint Claire Shores 7-2.  In the championship, Shae Blewett scored midway through overtime as No. 20-ranked Marquette defeated Westland for a second time 3-2.

“It was a great game,” Cornock said. “We definitely had to earn it.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.