Brighton hockey newcomer continues hot start in win over Livonia Churchill
LIVONIA — Dominic Vincent arrived at a new high school known for its hockey success with no intentions of becoming part of that legacy.
It took a sales pitch from some of the players to convince him to skate for Brighton.
“I had a lot of buddies who were already playing for Brighton,” Vincent said. “They told me all the good things about the team and about the school. It was kind of a no-brainer at that point. I want to win a state championship. I think we’ve got the group to do it.”
That group has a stronger chance of achieving the ultimate goal because Vincent is wearing a Brighton sweater.
The senior forward continued his hot start by scoring two goals in a 5-0 victory over previously unbeaten Livonia Churchill Wednesday night at Eddie Edgar Ice Arena.
Vincent has a goal in each of his first five games, collecting seven goals and five assists to lead the team in scoring.
“He’s really competitive,” Brighton coach Kurt Kivisto said. “He’s always buzzing. You notice him, he’s on pucks, he creates stuff that way with his energy. He has a lot of skill, too. He makes stuff happen pretty much every time he’s on the ice.”
While Brighton was making a run to the state Division 1 championship game last season, Vincent was attending Bloomfield Hills High School and playing for Honeybaked’s 18U AAA team.
“I’ve only heard good things about Brighton,” Vincent said. “I’m fortunate to end up here.
“It’s a great group. They made me feel welcome right away. There was never a doubt where I felt unwelcomed. I think everyone did a great job. We’ve got a lot of leaders in that room. It was an easy transition.”
Also scoring twice for Brighton was senior Evan Wohlart, a third-year varsity player. Wohlart has a three-game goal-scoring streak after not scoring in the first two games, boosting his totals to four goals and two assists.
“It’s a step up from last year, definitely,” said Wohlart, who had 12 goals and 14 assists in 29 games as a junior. “I’m starting to produce more, but there’s a ton more I can do on the ice and off the ice, leadership and scoring more goals. It’s starting to come together the last couple games.”
The Bulldogs won by five goals, but the final margin would have been considerably more lopsided if not for the stellar play of Churchill goalie Ryan Price. Price made 42 saves as Brighton had him under siege throughout the game.
Brighton had some concern going up against Price, who made 40 saves last season in a 2-2 tie between the teams.
“Ryan Price is a really, really good goaltender,” Kivisto said. “We knew that going in. It’s one of those things that’s scary playing a team like that. He’s a guy who can win a game for them. He was really, really good tonight.”
It looked like the Bulldogs would put up a huge number against Price when they scored three goals in a 3:45 span of the first period, but they had only two the rest of the game.
Freddie Londo scored at 7:41, Vincent at 8:16 and Wohlart at 11:26 to give Brighton a 3-0 lead.
Wohlart scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 2:54 of the second period before Vincent ended the scoring with 3:46 left in the third.
“We played decent,” Wohlart said. “We could do a lot better. We should’ve ended the game a lot sooner. Price is in net. Price is a great goalie. I used to play with him. There’s not much you can do when he’s stopping some of the shots he was stopping.”
Brighton junior Ryan Nickerson had an easier night on the other end of the rink, making 13 saves for his fifth career shutout.
Brighton improved to 3-2, while Churchill fell to 4-1.
Hartland 9, Novi 0
Ben Pouliot, Nick Halonen and Braden Pietila each scored twice for Hartland (3-2), which led 7-0 by the 2:14 mark of the second period in a game that ended after two periods.
Peter Halonen had three assists, while Jacob Lewis, Ian Kastamo and Lucas Henry also scored for the Eagles.
Flint Powers Catholic 4, Howell 0
Howell's Alex Herter made 22 saves against Powers (3-0), the second-ranked team in Division 3.
The Chargers led 1-0 before Westin Reinig scored with 26 seconds left in the second period. Howell fell to 1-2.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Brighton hockey newcomer continues hot start in win over Churchill
