Canton icers' trademarks:
speed, strength and unity

  Ask any Canton hockey player what they like best about this year's team, and you'll get a pretty similar answer.

  "We're a team; we have no stars," said senior AJ Rosales. "Whatever we do, we do as a team. No one stands out."

  "Twenty-three players, one direction," added senior forward Matt Rodgers.

  Canton's all-for-one-one-for-all philosophy has already paid dividends. On Friday, the Chiefs opened their season with a resounding 6-3 triumph over Waterford Mott.

  "When we need to be serious, we're serious," Rodgers said, when asked about the team's mind-set. "But we have a lot of fun together, too. I like how close this team is."

  Head coach Jeremy Majszak likes what he has seen of his deep and talented squad so far this fall.

  "We're very big, very fast and the guys have been working extremely hard," said Majszak. "In both of our two pre-season scrimmages, we out-shot our opponents about 70 to 20, so hopefully we can carry that over to the regular season."

   Canton's balanced offense will be led by Rosales, Jordan Smith and Rodgers, all of whom can light the lamp with regularity.

  "AJ has the ability to score goals and make plays for his teammates," said Majszak. "Jordan is really stepping up this year. He has a lot of speed. Both AJ and Jordan are proven scorers. They'll be on separate lines, so we'll have a lot of depth.

  "Matt Rodgers is right there, too. He's a very talented player. Non-senior who are stepping up include Brandon Grillo and Taylor Baker. They can both put the puck in the net."

  Other key forwards include Shawn May, Phil Baciak, Dugan Tear, Parker Pakula, Garrett Bryden, Jon Rizzo, Matt Cox and Martin Sisolak.

  "We're expecting a big year from Bryden," Majszak said. "He was our leading scorer the second half of last season."

  Defensively, the Chiefs are led by senior Jimmy LaFontaine.

  "Jimmy is big, smart and he has great vision," said Majszak, "His game has sky-rocketed since last year."

  Joining LaFontaine as key blue-liners include Brandon Schlieger, Brad Ceci, Josh Dickson. Zach Cox, Trevor Moore, Zack McArdle and German exchange student Matti Prasdorf.

  "Brandon has been playing very well," said Majszak. "He's a hard-hitting player. And Brad's one of those players who's not afraid to get his nose dirty. He's a very physical player."

  Spencer Craig returns to give the Chiefs an experienced and athletic net-minder. Craig will be backed up by freshman Robbie Beydoun, who has impressed Majszak and his teammates during the early going.

  "Spencer's our No. 1 guy, but Robbie's future is very bright," Majszak said.

  The Chiefs return to action Saturday at 8:30 p.m. against Salem. The game will be played at the Plymouth Cultural Center.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.