Thursday, November 15, 2007

IceDiggers travel to Marquette this weekend

When the Alpena IceDiggers head north on Friday for a two-game set against the Marquette Rangers, some will wonder if they should be called the road warriors.

Nine of their next 13 games are away from Northern Lights Arena with six in a row starting on Friday.

The IceDiggers will not return for another home game until Dec. 6 when they play host to the USA Under-17 Team. That is a span of 21 days without a home game.

"This road swing is very important for our season," Alpena coach-GM Kenny Miller said. "We have not been the best at home, so going on the road may be a good thing for us. This will give us a chance to spend a lot of time together as a team."

This weekend's trip to Marquette marks the first back-to-back road games for the 'Diggers since the NAHL Showcase in mid-September. During this six game road trip, the IceDiggers will travel to every team in the division except St. Louis.

The IceDiggers are 4-1-1 on the road this season, 3-0-1 in division play and 1-1 at the NAHL Showcase.

"We have played well on the road so far this season," added Miller. "Our hockey club has a point in every game expect one and that was at the showcase."

Alpena has an overall record of 9-8-1 for 19 points, while Marquette is sitting one point ahead of the IceDiggers with 20 points and a record of 10-7-0.


DIGGER NOTES:

Bryan Ross has eight points in six games since being acquired from the St. Louis Bandits.

Newly-acquired goaltender Matt Ferraro will wear No. 37 this weekend.

Several IceDiggers spent the afternoon on Thursday at Northern Lights Arena with students from Immanuel Lutheran School. Over 150 students participated in the open skate and enjoyed lunch with the players.

Alpena native Erik Peterson leads the team in scoring with 26 points in 19 games.

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