Brother Rice captures 2017 MHSAA Division 2 state title

Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey


By @MichaelCaples –

PLYMOUTH – Forest Hills Northern/Eastern hung around for a while.

But after Jack Clement scored for Birmingham Brother Rice one minute into the second period, things changed in a hurry.

A dominant second period guided the Warriors to a 7-0 victory over FHNE Saturday morning at USA Hockey Arena in the MHSAA Division 2 state title game.

The win gives Brother Rice its fifth state title in school history, and first for new coach Kenny Chaput, who was promoted to head coach after the departure of longtime bench boss Lou Schmidt, Jr.

Six different Warriors scored in the contest en route to the state title. Clement, Mitchell Shults and Will Duncan scored in the game-changing second period for Brother Rice, while Garrett Moore (twice), Jack Reinhart and Alec DeLuca increased the Warriors’ lead in the third.

Senior goaltender Ryan Hoffmann led the Warriors to a victory between the pipes, concluding his high school career with a state title.

Brother Rice finishes the season with a 25-4-1 record.

The game brings to an end an impressive run by the FHNE club, which made its first appearance in the MHSAA finals. The unified program has been led by coach Tom Bissett for the last six seasons.

Stay tuned for more coverage and photos from USA Hockey Arena…