The M-1 Griffins earned their 14th win of the season, defeating Bloomfield Hills 8-3 Saturday night at John Lindell Ice Arena. The team maintained a strong lead for the entirety of the game, creating another impressive showing of their talent. The team now stands at 14-3-0, leading the OAA Red with 28 points in 17 games played. 

The Griffin’s starting lineup consisted of forwards Jacob Carter, Lucas McIrney, and Nolan Emmons, defenders Kyle Paswater and Bobby Ring, and goalie Charlie Francis. Since winning the opening faceoff, the Griffins dominated the first period. Holding a majority of the possession, the team broke through when senior Logan Eland netted a power play goal to give the Griffins a 1-0 lead. M-1 went on to score two more goals in the next four minutes, giving themselves a three-goal lead to close out the first.

To keep the momentum going, junior captain Paswater opened the second period with a goal 30 seconds into the period, and senior Justin Stewart followed less than two minutes later to extend the Griffins lead to five. Bloomfield wasn’t going to go down without a fight, though, as they responded with two goals within a minute and a half of each other. Despite the hiccups, the team came back to score another goal and close out the period leading 6-2. 

Junior captain Charlie Price, the team’s goals and points leader, scored his 16th goal of the season on a power play 13 minutes into the third period. After controlling the period and netting their eighth goal of the game, the Griffins gave up a goal with thirteen seconds left in the game. Regardless, the team was able to walk away with another convincing victory.

Throughout the game, there was a total of  87 — 33 from M-1 and 54 from Bloomfield Hills — penalty minutes served. M-1 showcased their grit and toughness to ensure they obtained another victory. Junior goaltender Francis faced 24 shots, saving 21 to help strengthen his team’s record. A variety of players put up multiple points, notably senior Griffin Przybylo (3A), junior Cash Stillwell (1G 2A), senior Logan Eland (1G 2A), and senior Justin Stewart (1G 2A). The Griffins will face Clarkston next at Detroit Skating Club on Thursday to defend their place as leader of the OAA Red Division.