M1 Griffins hockey shining in OAA as regionals loom

ROYAL OAK — The M1 Griffins Unified varsity hockey team is heading into the end of the regular season as the Oakland Activities Association Red Division leader and has its eyes on ending a three-year regional final losing streak.

“We started off rocky … and then found our stride,” M1 Griffins head coach Alex Gregorich said. “The boys are really working hard. … We’re prepared for regionals.”

The M1 Griffins play home games in Royal Oak and have a team that consists of players from Royal Oak, Berkley, Clawson and Ferndale. The growth of the program has been noticeable, with an improved record in each of the past three seasons and a regional finals appearance streak of three years.

“We brought in a few guys to a big core,” Gregorich said. “We had players buying into the system. … We have 10 seniors and they’re really leading the way.”

This season, with all the seniors and talent on the roster, the team is looking to not only win the OAA, but also a regional championship.

“The big goal has been regional finals,” junior goalie Todd Butler said. “We’ve been (in the finals) the last three years and have just never been able to get that final win. … It’s been what we’ve been looking forward to for the past couple of years, actually sealing that regional championship.”

Butler has been vital to the team’s success this season and will certainly be a huge factor in the Griffins’ aspirations going forward. The goaltender has put up an impressive save percentage of .923 and a goals against average of 2.95 as he’s been in net for all but one of the team’s wins this year.

“He’s our backbone,” Gregorich said. “We rely on him to steal games for us.”

Along with Butler, the team is held together by senior Charlie Price. Price is a four-year player and a three-year captain for the Griffins who is leading the team in goals (20), assists (22), and points (42).

“(Price) is in the running for Mr. Hockey right now,” Gregorich said. “On top of him being a huge character and leader in the locker room … he really establishes what being a Griffin is and what Griffin standards are.”

The senior-heavy Griffins sit atop the OAA Red as the regular season comes to an end, which marks the first time in four years the program has won the Red Division.

“It’s always a competitive game. It doesn’t matter if (the opponent) is at the top or the bottom of the OAA,” Price said. “It’s always a tough battle.”

One of the highlights of the Griffins’ season was the honor of participating in an outdoor game at Clark Park in Detroit on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

“It was my first outdoor game, so I thought it was really fun,” Price said. “I think every high school team should try and do it because it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The Griffins lost the game 7-4 to Novi, but being chosen to play in an outdoor game at the high school level will stick with the players and the program for a long time.

“It just creates a different atmosphere,” Butler said. “It brings you back to just playing pond hockey with your fellas. It reminds you of the (NHL) Winter Classic a little bit too. You just feel sweet out there.”

Now, all eyes shift to regional playoffs. The Griffins will be the three seed in Division 1 Region 8 with Plymouth and Salem taking the top two seeds, respectively. With the top two teams getting a first-round bye, M1 may have to beat both Plymouth and Salem to finally bring home the regional title.

“Getting there still won’t be easy,” Butler said. “Salem and Plymouth will still both be two strong teams. Hopefully, we win and then we can keep going from there.”

The M-1 Griffins will kick off the regional tournament with a home game against New Boston Unified at 7 p.m. on Feb. 18. The regional final will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at John Lindell Ice Arena in Royal Oak.