Larman part of Knights CHL championship

Drew Larman came to the London Knights early in the Ontario Hockey League season from the Sarnia Sting and had his season extended into late May.

Sarnia didn't qualify for the playoffs and London dominated the OHL from wire to wire en route to their first OHL Robertson Cup title and then Sunday night, a Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup championship on their home ice.

Larman, a 20-year-old Canton native, was an integral part of the Knights run to their dual championship. Larman tallied two goals against the Kelowna Rockets in the Memorial Cup round-robin on May 23 after totalling just 13 goals in 70 regular-season games.

"It (felt) pretty good to be able to contribute offensively and getting those two goals was huge, especially to get it started because we were struggling a little bit in the beginning," said Larman in the London Free Press, who tied it 1-1 at 7:16 of the first period.

His second goal came seven minutes into the third period, giving the Knights a 4-1 lead.

The Knights beat Sidney Crosby and the Rimouski Oceanic in the opening game and championship game of the Memorial Cup. Kelowna and the Ottawa 67's also fell to London. The final was a 4-0 shutout for the Knights.

The trade from Sarnia wasn't expected, but proved to be a turning point for Larman's season.

"I was a little nervous coming in, especially to a team already 10-0," Larman said in the same Free Press story of the Knights' record at the time of the trade. "I didn't want to shake things up too much, but it didn't take too long for me to get comfortable."

Larman is eligible to return to the OHL next season as an overage (20-year-old) player.

Another Michigan native, Sterling Heights defenseman Frank Rediker, was hurt much of the year and didn't see any action in the OHL playoffs or Memorial Cup. His career may be done, but he has an overage option next season as well. Rediker came to the Knights at the 2004 OHL trade deadline from the Windsor Spitfires, the team that took him in the first round of the 2001 OHL Priority Selection.

Lerg garners top junior, goalie honors

Omaha Lancers goalie Jeff Lerg, a Livonia native, has been named the USA Hockey/Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year as well as USA Hockey's Junior Player of the Year.

While setting a new United States Hockey League (Junior A Tier II) record for wins in a single season with 36, Lerg helped the Lancers to a share of the 2004-05 regular-season championship. In addition, the USHL honored him with the 2005 USHL Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year awards.

Lerg also earned All-USHL First Team honors, was named to the 2005 Prospects/All-Star Game and led the league in wins and goals against average (2.16). He was named Itech/Goalies World Goalie of the Month in both November and February and Player of the Week on Sept. 29. In addition, Lerg boasted six shutouts and a .916 save percentage in 52 games and was voted the Most Valuable Player of the Lancer team.

In his rookie season (2003-04), Lerg was named to the All-USHL Second Team and the USHL All-Rookie Team and received Player of the Week honors twice as he recorded 24 wins in 35 games with four shutouts and a 2.20 GAA. Prior to joining the Lancers, he played for the HoneyBaked organization in Michigan.

Lerg signed a National Letter of Intent with Michigan State University of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association last fall and will join the Spartans for the 2005-06 season.

He is the son of Ken and Jane Lerg.

The recipient of the Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year Award is chosen from the pool of goaltenders that annually attends the USA Hockey National Goaltenders Camp and the USA Hockey Select 16 and Select 17 Festivals.

The USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year Award is presented annually to the most outstanding American-born player in junior hockey. Chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of junior coaches and administrators, criteria for the award also includes having played for a U.S.-based junior team.

Mantha hired to run Spitfires

Former Saginaw Spirit head coach and general manager Moe Mantha has been hired to fill the same dual position with the Windsor Spitfires.

Mantha was introduced at a press conference at Windsor Arena this morning.

Last summer, Mantha was named head coach of the rejuvenated World Hockey Association's Detroit Gladiators, but the WHA never got off the ground. He coached the Spirit the latter half of the 2003-2004 season and also has experience with the London Knights and the U.S. National Team Development Program.

Mantha has also spent time as a head coach in the American Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League and over 650 games played in the National Hockey League.

“We look forward to having Moe Mantha guide the Spitfires," Windsor president and owner Steve Riolo said. "I believe that we have the right person to build a very competitive program for our organization and the Spitfires fans. He offers a wealth of experience from all different levels of hockey.”

Mantha is married to wife Kathy and they have three children, Ashley (19), Devin (16) and Brody (12).

Michigan teams participate in CSHL Draft

The five Michigan teams in the Junior B Central States Hockey League have released their draft lists from Sunday's CSHL draft.

All lists are in alphabetical order.

FLINT JR. GENERALS
David Adams, Commerce, Livonia Midgets
Reid Allison, Flint, Compuware Midgets
Antony Bain, Pinckney, Livonia Midgets
Adam Bolton, Metamora, Lapeer HS
Josh Brown, Grand Blanc, Flint Powers HS
Gorman Casey, Rochester, Minn., Rochester High School
Mike Crowder, Flint, Flint Powers HS
Anthony Francis, Grand Blanc, Livonia Midgets
Joshua Jean, Saginaw, Flint Midgets
Charles Margosian, Sterling Heights, Lakeland Midgets
Blake Miller, Hancock, Hancock HS
Christopher Noonan, Portage, West Michigan Warriors
Nick Podgorski, Metamora, Lapeer HS
Peter Radecki, Hancock, Hancock HS
Bruce Simms, Montrose, Flint Powers HS
Ben Warda, Oxford, Compuware Midgets
Nick Williams, Davison, Davison HS
Randy Wills, Davison, Flint Kearsley HS

GRAND RAPIDS JR. OWLS
Joe Battaglia, Joliet, Ill.,Chicago Flames AAA
Brandon Dault, Mattawan, Mattawan HS
Clayton Gallup, Rockford, West Michigan AAA
Zach Grover, Kentwood, East Kentwood HS
Jonathan Gulch, Temperance, Toledo Chiefs Midget Minor AA
Matt Harris, Okemos, Capitol Center Pride AAA
Joe Hess, Ada, Capital Center Pride AAA
Adam Hull, Kentwood, Southern Ice Lightning AAA
Erik Jansen, Lindenhurst, Ill., Barrington Red Wings AA
Trevor Jewell, Muskegon, Florida Everblades AAA
Max Keagle, Elkhart, Ind., Southern Ice Lightning AAA
Bill Krueger, Pewaukee, Wis., Team Powerade AAA
Steve Mankowske, Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Gamblers AAA
Tony Martin, Laotto, Ind., Indy Checkers AAA
Kevin Mixon, Ft. Meyers, Fla., Florida Everblades AAA
Tad Norris, Snowmass, Co., Aspen HS
Zach Root, Grand Rapids, Capital Center Pride AAA
Andrew Sobiech, Mooresville, NC, Southern Ice Lightning AAA
David Solway, Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Gamblers AAA
Shawn Steggles, Kentwood, East Kentwood HS
Kyle Tejchma, Fruitport, Indy Checkers AAA
Derek Thocker, Grand Ledge, Soo Indians AAA
Nolan Tuma, Greenfield, Wis., Wisconsin AAA
Isaac Viau, Cheboygan, Cheboygan HS
Chris Waterstradt, Tulsa, Okl., Tulsa Blues Jr. B
Brett Wysopal, Chicago, Ill., Chicago Chill AAA

METRO JETS
Sal Asaro, St. Clair Shores, St. Clair Shores Midget A
Chad Bazin, Troy, Troy HS
Austin Brown, Bloomfield, Birmingham Unified
Steve Chandonais, St. Clair Shores, St. Clair Shores Unified
Ryan Compeau, Oakland, East Side Falcons
Mike Dohko, Sterling Heights, Belle Tire Midget A
Matt Grassley, Grosse Pointe Woods, St. Clair Shores Midget AA
Chris Harvey, Waterford, Waterford Kettering HS
Robert Howe, Bloomfield, Birmingham Unified
Nick Kenney, Wixom, Walled Lake Western HS
Robert Laing, Waterford, Compuware Midgets
Stephen Luongo, Ann Arbor, Huron HS
Jason Maltese, Shelby, St. Clair Shores Midget AA
Doug Miller, Lake Orion, St. Clair Shores Midget A
Eric Miras, Brighton, Howell HS
Mike Murray, Romeo, HoneyBaked AAA
Darren Narr, Beverly Hills, Birmingham Unified
Steve Parry, Clearwater, Fla., Belle Tire Midget A
Christopher Sarnowski, Fraser, St. Clair Shores Midget A
John Schruga, Shelby Township, Detroit Trackers AAA
Brad Townsend, Davisburg, Lakeland Midget AA
Brett Traub, Shelby, Troy Midget AA
Jon Valantege, Shelby Township, Troy Midget AA

MICHIGAN ICE DOGS
Chris Bartholomew, New Carlisle, Ind., John Adams HS
Colin Brown, Grosse Pt. Woods, North HS
Kenny Cobb, Grosse Ile, Grosse Ile HS
Mike Fogg, Clarkston, Clarkston HS
Dan Koslowski, Livonia, Franklin HS
Dan L'Esperance, Brighton, Brighton HS
Reece McCabe, Canton, Canton HS
Rob McTavish, Northville, Northville HS
Justin Petterle, Allen Park, Cabrini HS
Justin Stadler, Livonia, Churchill HS
Tim Taylor, Southgate, Anderson HS
Justin Tonti, Livonia, Churchill HS
Kevin Vlazny, Ann Arbor, Dexter HS
Shawn Wilson, Riverview, Riverview HS

MOTOR CITY CHIEFS
Jake Butchback, Marysville, Belle Tire AAA
Evan Carpenter, Clawson, Royal Oak Blades
Chris Giebe, Overland Park, Kan., Russell Stover HS
Chad Hammer, Roseville, East Side Falcons
Alex Handley, Clarkston, Clarkston HS
Graham James, Oxford, Detroit Trackers AAA
Jonathon Juliano, Macomb, Belle Tire AAA
Adam Krefski, Lake Orion, Marquette Electricians
Zak Lewis, Colorado Springs, Co., Colorado Rampage
Scott Luther, Southlake, Tex., Alliance Bulldogs
Anthony Martin, South Bend, Ind., Team Indiana
Anthony Oddo, Warren, Compuware AAA
Todd Orlando, Clinton Township, St. Clair Shores Midget AA
Steve Popp, Dearborn Heights, Crestwood HS
Jay Sandy, Napparwe, Ind., Team Indiana
Brett Storm, Livonia, Catholic Central HS
Nick Stroup, Fairhaven, Port Huron AA
Bryan Wallerman, St. Clair Shores, St. Clair Shores HS
Mitch Washer, Leonard, Motor City Chiefs AAA
Tom Whalin, Madison Heights, Royal Oak Blades
Matt Wiegand, Dearborn Heights, St. Clair Shores Midget AA

Spirit ink top three 2005 draft picks

The Saginaw Spirit have signed forwards Zack Torquato, Anthony Soboczynski and Thomas Craig to OHL contracts. Torquato was Saginaw's top pick, third overall, in the May 7 draft while Soboczynski and Craig were selected in the second round.

Torquato, a 15-year-old native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, signed last week and has his new head coach excited.

“We feel he’s a great fit for our club and has the character and determination that we hope to see in every Saginaw Spirit draft pick," Bob Mancini said.

Torquato, 6-foot and 185 pounds, played with the Stratford Cullitons Junior B team during the 2004-05 season and had 34 goals and 75 points in 47 games while being named the Midwestern Junior Hockey League's rookie of the year. He was also fourth in league scoring.

“Anthony and Thomas are great additions to our roster," said Mancini on his second-round picks. "They both bring the much needed elements of size, skill, skating and hockey sense to the future of the Saginaw Spirit.”

Soboczynski was chosen 21st overall and is a 15-year-old, 6-foot-1, 185-pound winger from London, Ontario. Craig was chosen 23rd overall. He is a 16-year-old, 6-foot-2, 215-pound forward from St. Louis, Missouri.

All three are expected to attend Spirit training camp this fall.

Michigan players taken in NAHL draft

The Alpena IceDiggers and Traverse City North Stars participated in their first NAHL Entry Draft and each team selected five players during yesterday's conference call.

Alpena took Zach Barron (St. Louis Jr. B), Alex Handley (Clarkston High), Keith Manowske (Green Bay AAA), Tim Okicki (Cleveland Jr. B) and Ian Slater (Madison Capitals AAA).

The North Stars drafted Lucas Dubay (Quad City Jr. B), Kyle Jendra (Chicago Chill AAA), Daniel Lawson (Chicago Chill AAA), Jarrett Rush (Cobourg Cougars - OPJHL) and Mark Thompson (Davison High).

Other state players drafted by NAHL member teams:

Billings - Sam Ectles (Marquette AAA)

Bozeman - Shawn Hunwick (Victory Honda AAA)

Cleveland - Joe Greener (Soo AAA)
Cleveland - Mike Hull (HoneyBaked AAA)
Cleveland - Anthony Schooley (HoneyBaked AAA)

Fairbanks - Toby Brune (Soo AAA)

North Iowa - Shaun Fulton (Belle Tire AAA)
North Iowa - Austin Rugal (Belle Tire AAA)

Springfield (IL) - Brad Reck (Little Caesars AAA)

Springfield (MO) - Oliver Saint-Victor (Detroit Trackers AAA)

Texarkana - Kerry Bence (Belle Tire AAA)
Texarkana - Todd Pococke (HoneyBaked AAA)
Texarkana - Myles Williams (Soo AAA)

Texas - Andrew Rowe (Mona Shores High)

Youngstown - Tony Yearego (Belle Tire AAA)

Black Bears move to Big Bear Arena

After playing their first two seasons in St. Ignace at the Little Bear East Arena, the Northern Michigan Black Bears are moving into the Soo Indians' old digs, the Big Bear Arena in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Black Bears are members of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Click here for the Black Bears' Web site.

IceDiggers tender two more players

The Alpena IceDiggers have signed defensemen Evan Carrick and Eric Roman to tenders for the 2005-06 season.

Carrick (5-foot-11 and 185 pounds) is from Belle River, Ontario. This past season, he played for the Sun County (outside Windsor) Panthers major midgets and recorded 15 goals and 35 assists in 45 games. In 2003-04, he played for the Sun County midget minor team and had four goals and 35 assists and was invited to the Ontario Under-17 Camp.

Carrick, born April 22, 1988, is the youngest player protected by the IceDiggers to date.

Roman (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) is from Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep School. He was team captain of St. Mary's last season and led the Eagles to the 2005 Michigan High School Divison III state championship. He was also invited to participate in the 2005 Prospects Tournament in Toronto.

USHL draft yields state-bred talent

The USHL held their annual entry draft yesterday and several prominent Michigan hockey players were selected by the 11 teams.

Defenseman Chad Morin of the U.S. National Team Development Program, based in Ann Arbor, went to the Clark Cup runner-up Sioux City Musketeers with the eighth pick of the first round. Soo Indians forward Ray Kaunisto went to the Clark Cup champion Cedar Rapids RoughRiders with the tenth pick of the first round. Kaunisto has committed to Northern Michigan for the 2006-2007 season.

Other players with Michigan ties with round and (overall pick):

2 (17) - Ben Ryan, F, Des Moines (Victory Honda AAA)
2 (19) - Frank Grzeszczak, D, Sioux City (HoneyBaked AAA)
2 (20) - Chad Langlais, D, Lincoln (Cranbrook Kingswood H.S.)

3 (25) - Patrick Tiesling, F, Sioux Falls (Marquette Electricians AAA)
3 (30) - Dustin Gazely, F, Sioux City (Compuware AAA)

4 (37) - Jon Madden, F, Indiana (Howell H.S.)
4 (38) - Derek Roehl, F, Lincoln, (Youngstown Phantoms - NAHL)
--Roehl is a Clinton Township native.
4 (40) - Kyle Page, D, Indiana, (Victory Honda AAA)
4 (43) - Scott Wietecha, D, Cedar Rapids (Victory Honda AAA)

6 (59) - Cody Reichard, G, Indiana (Capital Centre Pride AAA)

7 (71) - Michael Guzzo, F, Chicago (Victory Honda AAA)

8 (83) - Andrew Rowe, F, Sioux City (Mona Shores H.S.)

9 (92) - Brian Hogan, G, Lincoln (Catholic Central H.S.)

14 (110) - Matt Jones, F, Sioux City (Soo Indians - NAHL)

15 (119) - Travis Paeth, F, Waterloo (Mona Shores H.S.)
15 (122) - Bobby Reiners, D, Lincoln (Cranbrook Kingswood H.S.)

16 (128) - Tony Yearego, D, Indiana (Belle Tire AAA)

18 (150) - Harrison Niemann, F, Indiana (Catholic Central H.S.)
18 (152) - Anthony Schooley, F, Waterloo (HoneyBaked AAA)
18 (155) - Stephen Balint, F, Lincoln (Chilliwack Chiefs - BCHL)
--Balint is a Grosse Ile native.

20 (172) - Kevin Piepsney, F, Indiana (HoneyBaked AAA)

NAHL commish hypes IceDiggers and North Stars

NAHL commissioner Mike Santos recently chatted with the fine people at HockeyRefs.com and offered his take on the future of the NAHL with a heavy emphasis on the new Michigan teams in Alpena and Traverse City and what may happen in Sault Ste. Marie.

Read the interview here.

Clark Cup Finals featured Michigan natives

Sioux City’s Michigan Connection:
from L-R, Jimmy Spratt, Steven Kampfer,
assistant coach Marty Quarters, Corey Elkins and Jeff Zatkoff
Photo by Robert Meyer

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Sioux City Musketeers went to a deciding Game 5 in the USHL Clark Cup Finals and the RoughRiders prevailed last night with a 4-1 win on home ice.

Sioux City won Game 4 Saturday night at home, 2-1 in overtime after Cedar Rapids took a 4-3 double-overtime win in Sioux City in Game 3. The teams split Games 1 and 2 in Cedar Rapids.

Both teams featured Michigan natives and all but one are college-bound.

For the Muskies, goalies Jimmy Spratt and Jeff Zatkoff are both Chesterfield natives and both will play for CCHA schools this fall. Spratt is off to Bowling Green while Zatkoff will play at Miami-Ohio.

Defenseman Steven Kampfer, a Jackson native, will attend Michigan in the fall of 2006 and forward Corey Elkins, from West Bloomfield, is going to Ohio State this fall.

On the RoughRiders' side of things, forward Justin Abdelkader (Muskegon) will head to Michigan State in a couple months and will be joined in the CCHA by Rochester's Alec Martinez, a defenseman, and West Bloomfield's Billy Loupee, a forward, as both will head to Miami. Another Cedar Rapids player, forward Gary Steffes (Grand Blanc) will head to Miami next fall.

Hulking Cedar Rapids forward Phil Axtell (6-foot-5 1/2, 260 pounds) is on his way to Michigan Tech in 2006 after playing from 2002-2004 with the Marquette Electricians midget major team up north.

Cedar Rapids forward Jon Grabarek is the lone Michigan player (Sterling Heights) not committed to the NCAA next year.

Whalers draft Petrecki, Spirit nab Torquato

In last Saturday's OHL Priority Selection, the Plymouth Whalers and Saginaw Spirit both made a splash in the first round by drafting blue-chip prospects.

The Whalers, at ninth overall, took defenseman Nick Petrecki while six picks earlier, Saginaw nabbed forward Zack Torquato.

Torquato will be in mid-Michigan this fall while Petrecki is reportedly 50-50 at this point as he told the Whalers, and the rest of the OHL, he'll stay home in New York this upcoming season with his Capital District Selects (EJHL) team.

Read about Saginaw's draftees here and Plymouth's here.

Indians end season, franchise with 5-2 win

Tornado repeat as NAHL champions

The Soo Indians closed out their ten-year run in the North American Hockey League with a 5-2 win over the host Bismarck (N.D.) Bobcats in the Gold Cup consolation game Saturday afternoon.

Though maybe a tad bittersweet, it was a win nonetheless.

"I think the guys just decided they were going to take advantage of this opportunity," Soo coach Joe Shawhan told the Bismarck Tribune. "It was nothing fancy, the guys just made good plays. They had good jump and good emotion."

Marty Gurnoe, Kellen Chamblee and Matt Jones scored power-play goals for the Indians and Ryan Ward and Drew Satterley (empty-net) completed the scoring.

Troy Redmann made 33 saves for the win.

"I think we lost a little confidence over the last couple days, but we know we're a pretty good hockey team," Shawhan said. "The guys were disappointed that we couldn't have done better here, but we're fortunate that things worked out this way. It was great to go out on a winning note."

In the Gold Cup championship game Saturday night, the Texas Tornado repeated as national champions with a 6-1 win over the Fargo-Moorhead Jets.

Indians downed by Tornado, 4-1

The final season of the Soo Indians will not have a happy ending after their 4-1 loss to the Texas Tornado on Friday afternoon.

With the loss, the Soo is relegated to the consolation game of the Gold Cup to play Bismarck, 3-0 losers to Fargo-Moorhead in Friday's late game.

Jason Kearney stopped 31 shots and Drew Satterley scored the lone Indians' goal.

Billy Skwarczewski (Macomb Township), Derek Danowski (Warren), Jordan Mowbray and Karl Sellan all tallied for Texas. Goalie Ben Bishop, a Maine recruit, stopped 20 shots to help advance Texas to the Gold Cup championship game.

The Indians' last game will be Saturday afternoon with the championship game slated for that night.

Kearney named NAHL MVP

Taormina honored as Rookie of the Year

Soo Indians goalie Jason Kearney was named the North American Hockey League's Most Valuable Player Thursday night at the Banquet of Champions in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Kearney’s play sparked a turnaround in the fortunes of the Indians after he was acquired from the Texarkana Bandits in November. The Indians stumbled out of the gate with a 2-7-1 mark, but brought it to 7-9-2 thanks to a good performance at the NAHL Showcase against the EJHL.

Kearney, a native of Gibsonia, Penn., posted a 24-8-3 record with a league-leading six shutouts. His 1.82 goals against average led the NAHL and his .922 save percentage trailed only the .923 mark of Bozeman’s Matt Cleveland, who also played 13 fewer games.

Texarkana defenseman Matt Taormina (Washington Township) was named NAHL Rookie of the Year. The 5-foot-10, 183-pounder stepped right into the Bandits lineup and became an impact player for the club.

Taormina was second in scoring among all NAHL defensemen this season and fifth in team scoring with 14 goals and 30 assists for 44 points. He was the only rookie to get an All-Star selection, being named to the second All-Star Team, and he was also selected to the NAHL All-Rookie team.

Texarkana head coach Jon Cooper won top coach honors. Cooper is a former HoneyBaked midget major AAA, Metro Jets Jr. B, Capital Centre Pride (NAHL) and Lansing Catholic Central High coach.

Soo forward R. G. Flath won the NAHL Community Service Award. A four-year member of the Indians, Flath has demonstrated outstanding leadership and citizenship as part of a Soo club that has long been more than just a hockey team, but also a community service organization. On a team that as a whole accumulated over 1,200 hours of community service this season -- an average of over 50 hours per player -- Flath, from Park City, Utah, contributed twice as many hours as the average. The list of his activities is extensive as he participated in four United Way/Soo Indians Benefit Spaghetti Dinners, worked at Sault Hockey Association Tournaments, the United Way Chili Cook-offs, the Halloween Community Hunted Houses, Valentine’s Day activities with local long-term care patients, as well as countless others.

Typical of the Soo captain’s involvement was his work in the Indians March Reading Month activities. Flath single-handedly organized the entire club -- all the members of the Indians organization visited eight elementary schools and over 30 classrooms to emphasize to the children in the community the importance of reading. As part of the program, each classroom was entered into a drawing to win a pizza party and a skate with the team and Flath was responsible for working with local businesses to acquire the donations of the pizza, drinks and ice time. He also volunteered each Tuesday and Thursday mornings for the pre-school “Learn to Skate” program at Pullar Stadium in Sault Ste. Marie.

Tom O’Brien of the Youngstown Phantoms won the Academic Achievment Award. He carried a perfect 4.6 grade point average in all advanced college placement classes. He achieved a 1540 score on his SATs this year and has received an academic scholarship from Notre Dame University.

IceDiggers sign first Alpena player

The Alpena IceDiggers have signed defenseman Erik Peterson for this coming season.

See the story from the Alpena News here.

Soo lambasted by Fargo-Moorhead, 8-2

After their impressive win yesterday over Bismarck, the Soo Indians suffered an 8-2 loss to the Fargo-Moorhead Jets on Wednesday afternoon.

Troy Redmann started in goal and made 17 saves on 21 shots before Jason Kearney played the last 32:20 and allowed four more goals on 13 shots.

Matt Jones (power-play) and Ryan Ward scored the Soo goals.

In Wednesday's late game, Texas beat Bismarck, 4-1.

The Indians play Texas Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Indians open Gold Cup with win

The Soo Indians opened the NAHL Robertson Cup/Gold Cup Finals with a 3-1 win last night against the host Bismarck Bobcats.

Drew Satterley, recent Lake Superior State recruit Marty Gurnoe and Nik Sellers scored for the Soo, who got a 42-save outing from goaltender Jason Kearney.

Dusty Delisle scored Bismarck's goal and Matt Koenig stopped 30 shots for the Bobcats.

In the early game Tuesday, the Fargo-Moorhead Jets beat the defending champion Texas Tornado, 4-1.

The Indians play the Jets today at 4:30 p.m. and Bismarck plays Texas at 8:30 p.m.

North Stars sign three more players

The Traverse City North Stars have signed center Travis Paeth and defenseman Ryan Reid, both of whom were first-team all-state selections this season for Muskegon Mona Shores High School, and defenseman Rich Zobak of the Peoria Mustangs in the Jr. B Central States Hockey League.

Read the rest of the story from the Traverse City Record-Eagle here.

Livonia native Naurato inks with U-M

Brandon Naurato will be one of the older freshman on the Michigan roster this fall, but as one of his future coaches notes, that's what the Wolverines need.

Nauarato, a Livonia native, signed with Michigan during the spring signing period and will start his college career this fall.

"Brandon Naurato has always been known for his scoring ability, and the reason we recruited Brandon to Michigan is because we feel he can bring some offense to our team," Michigan associate head coach Mel Pearson said. "He played for a strong program the last couple years in the Omaha Lancers, who have turned out a number of successful college players, and we expect Brandon to make an impact offensively on our team."

Of the nine incoming recruits, all are 1987 birthdates, with the exception of Tyler Swystun, a 17-year-old from Alberta. Naurato is the lone 20-year-old frosh.

"I think it is important that you have the right mix for your team," added Pearson. "You need the right chemistry and you need a little bit of everything in your recruiting class, and because this class is so large it was important that we have a couple experienced players. Brandon is an older player and should be more ready to contribute right away."

For the Lancers this season in the USHL, Naurato, a 6-foot, 185-pound forward, tallied 15 goals and 10 assists for 25 points and was plus-7 in 49 regular-season games. Naurato will join fellow Lancer and fall 2004 signee Tim Miller (Davisburg) on the Wolverines roster for the 2005-06 campaign.

Michigan will have four Lancer alumni on its roster next season as current defensemen Jason Dest (Fraser) and Tim Cook also played for the Lancers from 2001-2003.

USA takes Game 7, Indians advance

The U.S. Under-17 Team took Game 7 of its NAHL North Division series with the Soo Indians, 4-2 Sunday night, but it was a no-lose situation for the Indians.

Team USA won the series, but the Indians advance to the national tournament in Bismarck, N.D., by virtue of the U.S. team not being eligible to participate past the second round of the playoffs.

The game started nearly three hours late as the Indians had bus problems heading to Ann Arbor. Matt Jones and Jim Pentecost scored for the Soo.

Game story from the Soo Evening News here.

The Indians open the tournament against the host Bismarck Bobcats at 7:30 p.m. Central Time (8:30 p.m. Michigan time) on Tuesday. The other teams in the tournament are the defending champion and South Division champion Texas Tornado and West Division champion Fargo-Moorhead Jets.

In Game 6 last Saturday in Sault Ste. Marie, Brett Bennett stopped all 28 Soo shots he saw last night on the road as the U.S. Under-17 Team defeated the Indians, 2-0, to knot their NAHL North Division final at three games apiece.

Chris Atkinson (power-play) and Bill Sweatt (empty-net) scored for Team USA.

Jason Kearney made 35 saves for the Soo.

Game 6 recap is here.

Caledonia native commits to Robert Morris

The soon-to-be Alpena IceDiggers are proud to announce that veteran Jeremy Barber has committed to play for Robert Morris University beginning this fall.

Barber, a 20-year-old defenseman from Caledonia, appeared in 52 games this season and recorded three goals, eight assists and 54 penalty minutes. During the 2003-04 season, Barber led all IceDiggers defensemen in scoring with four goals and 11 assists in 29 games after being acquired from the Soo Indians through a mid-season trade.

"We are very excited and proud of Jeremy," said IceDiggers GM and head coach Mike Mankowski. "He is a dynamic skater and has worked extremely hard the last twelve months for this opportunity.

"Robert Morris is not only getting a great defenseman, but also a great young man."

Robert Morris University is located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh, and is a member of College Hockey America conference. The Colonials just finished their first season as a NCAA Division I varsity program by recording a 4-14-2 record in the CHA and 8-21-4 record overall.

NAHL names All-Star and All-Rookie Teams

Players with Michigan ties among the award winners

The North American Hockey League today announced its First and Second All-Star Teams and the All-Rookie Team for the 2004-05 season.

Goalie Jason Kearney of the Soo Indians was named to the First Team after posting a 1.82 goals-against average, which led the NAHL, and a .922 save percentage that ranked second. He is a nominee for the USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year as well.

Texarkana Bandits' blueliner Matt Taormina, from Washington Township, tied for second in scoring among all defensemen with 44 points and led the league in shorthanded goals with five. He was named to the Second Team and All-Rookie Team.

Shelby Township native Rob Rassey tied for second in the league with 43 assists, was fifth in league scoring and led the Youngstown Phantoms with 72 points.

Soo forward Ray Kaunisto was second on his hometown team in scoring with 20 goals and 20 assists and made the All-Rookie Team.

Individual NAHL award winners (Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Community Service Award and Academic Achievement Award) will be announced on Thursday, April 28, at the Banquet of Champions during the NAHL Robertson Cup/USA Hockey Gold Cup Championships in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Indians up 3-2 after OT win Thursday

Ray Kaunisto's second goal of the game, 3:49 into overtime, gave the Soo Indians a 5-4 win and a 3-2 lead in their North Division final with the U.S. Under-17 Team in Ann Arbor last night.

Nik Sellers had tied the game with eight seconds left in the third period after Joe Beaudry made it 4-3 at 17:49 of the third period with his second goal of the game.

Troy Redmann made 29 saves in net for the win while at the other end, Brett Bennett stopped 36 for Team USA.

Zac MacVoy (incoming Michigan recruit), Blake Geoffrion, Trent Palm and Rhett Rakhshani scored for the Under-17 Team.

Game 6 is tomorrow night in Sault Ste. Marie. If Game 7 is needed, it will be Sunday night back at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

Alpena gets NAHL team for this fall

It's official - the Toledo IceDiggers are moving to Alpena.

In a press conference held at the Northern Lights Arena last Saturday night, Mike Mankowski, head coach and general manager of the IceDiggers, the team's owners, and Norm Sommerfeld, manager of Northern Lights Arena, made the announcement that the North American Hockey League unanimously approved moving the team to Alpena and an agreement has been signed with the rink.

The team will be re-named the Alpena IceDiggers.

"It's been a long three to four weeks working out the final details," Mankowski said. "Obviously, this is an exciting time for us and the Alpena community. We're excited to go to a community where we're wanted and appreciated. Norm has done a tremendous amount of work to get this done and our owners have done a tremendous amount of work to get this done. The Northern Lights Arena and the IceDiggers see this as a great opportunity - a win-win situation."

The IceDiggers are signed to a one-year contract with two one-year options.

"First off, we're glad it's over," Sommerfeld said. "There have been a lot of revisions to make it happen. There hasn't been any one sticking point, but we've been going back and forth. This is huge for us economically and for the community. This is going to bring $70-80,000 in revenue to the rink. There are a lot of expenses, but the revenue outweighs the expenses."

The NAHL playoffs are in full swing and although the IceDiggers aren't in the postseason things aren't going to slow down for long.

"April and May are big recruiting months," Mankowski said. "In June and July are open tryouts."

The IceDiggers will be holding their invitational camp in Alpena July 31-Aug. 2. Rookies will report on Aug. 14 and veterans on Aug. 21. Mankowski said the IceDiggers are holding open camps in Toledo and Philadelphia and there are plans to hold an open camp in Alpena in late July.

ICEDIGGERS TENDER THREE FOR '05-06
Goalie Phil Greer, center Andrew Wilcox and left wing Darin Holland have all signed with Alpena for this coming fall.

Wilcox and Holland were teammates this past season with the Rochester (Minn.) Century High team while Greer tended goal for for Kimball Union (Mass.) Academy in the New England Prep League where he played 897 minutes posting a 3.01 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

Kvapil named to OHL All-Rookie Team

Saginaw Spirit forward Marek Kvapil is the first runner-up for the OHL Rookie of the Year honors, earning a spot on the league's All-Rookie squad for 2004-05.

Kvapil was the OHL Rookie of the Month in November and January. He had 25 goals and 37 assists in just 53 games with the Spirit and also represented Saginaw during the World Junior Tournament on the Czech Republic squad and earned a bronze medal.

The 20-year-old native of Prague was the Spirit's selection in the 2004 Canadian Hockey League European Draft.

Sudbury Wolves forward Benoit Pouliot won Rookie of the Year honors.

2004-05 OHL All-Rookie Teams

First Team
Centre - Justin Azevedo, Kitchener (59)
Left Wing - Benoit Pouliot, Sudbury (93)
Right Wing - Marek Kvapil, Saginaw (78)
Defence - Michael Vernace, Brampton (67)
Defence - Andrej Sekera, Owen Sound (43)
Goal - Daren Machesney, Brampton (67)

Second Team
Centre - Jordan Staal, Peterborough (55)
Left Wing - Mike Duco, Kitchener (33)
Right Wing - Matt D'Agostini, Guelph (51)
Defence - Bob Sanguinetti, Owen Sound (40)
Defence - Ben Shutron, Kingston (37)
Goal - Kyle Gajewski, Sault Ste. Marie (53)

Voting points in brackets

Martinez, Zatkoff commit to Miami-Ohio

Miami University signed two Michigan natives to play for the RedHawks, announced last week.

Defenseman Alec Martinez (Rochester) and goaltender Jeff Zatkoff (Chesterfield) will call Oxford, Ohio, home this fall. Miami also signed five student-athletes in the fall.

Alec Martinez
D 6-1 190 7/26/87
Rochester, Mich.
Cedar Rapids Roughriders - United States Hockey League
2004-05 Statistics: 58 games 10-11-22, +16, 30 PIMS.
Coach Enrico Blasi's Comments: "Alec is a tremendous skater and is extremely efficient offensively while also providing a strong presence in the defensive zone."

Jeff Zatkoff
G 6-2 150 6/9/87
Chesterfield, Mich.
Sioux City Musketeers - United States Hockey League
Statistics: 24 games 2.55 GAA, .914 save percentage.
Coach's Comments: "Jeff is a great young goaltender with a lot of upside. He plays his size well and is very athletic."

RedHawks press release here.

Indians rally to tie series with USA

Down 2-0 in their NAHL North Division series with the U.S. Under-17 Team, the Soo Indians scored back-to-back wins last weekend on home ice to knot the series at 2-all.

Friday night, Matt Buckley's goal 1:45 into the third period stood as the game-winner and made Troy Redmann's 27 saves hold up in the 3-2 win. Ricky Akkerman and Marty Gurnoe also scored for the Soo.

Saturday, Redmann pitched a 21-save shutout as the Indians got three goals in the third period for a 3-0 victory. Buckley, Ray Kaunisto and Joe Beaudry tallied for the Indians.

Game 5 is Thursday night at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube with Game 6 Saturday in Sault Ste. Marie. If a deciding seventh game is needed, it will go Sunday in Ann Arbor.

North Stars sign first three players

The Traverse City North Stars, who will play in the NAHL this fall, announced their first three player signings Tuesday. Centers Patrick Nagorsen and Ryan Bond and winger Tommy Higgins will join the North Stars for their inaugural season.

Read the story from the Traverse City Record-Eagle here.

Indians in 2-0 hole to Team USA

The U.S. Under-17 Team and goalie Brett Bennett pitched a 2-0 shutout over the Soo Indians last night in Ann Arbor to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven NAHL North Division final.

Chris Summers (Ypsilanti) and Patrick Kane scored for Team USA.

Jason Kearney made 27 saves in the Soo net. Bennett finished with 16 saves.

Games 3 and 4 go Saturday and Sunday in Sault Ste. Marie.

Michigan natives take USHL honors

Omaha goaltender Jeff Lerg, who set a new USHL record for wins in a single season by a goaltender while helping the Lancers to a share of the regular season championship and the Anderson Cup, was honored as the USHL Player of the Year and USHL Goaltender of the Year.

Lerg, from Livonia, also earned All-USHL First Team honors, named to the 2005 Prospects / All-Star Game and led the league in wins (36) and a goals-against average (2.16). He was named Itech/Goalies World Goalie of the Month twice (Nov. '04, Feb. '05) and Player of the Week on Sept. 29, 2004.

In his rookie season, Lerg was named to the All-USHL Second Team and the USHL All-Rookie Team.

The 2004-05 CCM Forward of the Year Award was earned by the league-leading scorer in Dan Riedel of the Lincoln Stars. Riedel, a Rochester Hills native, also earned a spot on the 2004-05 All-USHL First Team and tallied 30 goals and 51 assists for 81 points. He was selected as the Player of the Week (Feb. 14) and named to the 2005 Prospects/All-Star Game.

Jackson native and Sioux City Musketeers' defenseman Steven Kampfer was also named to the USHL All-Rookie Team.

Indians drop Game 1 to Team USA

The Soo Indians are in a 1-0 hole after losing 5-4 in Game 1 of their NAHL North Division finals to the U.S. Under-17 Team last night in Ann Arbor.

Game 2 is tonight in Ann Arbor.

Jim Pentecost scored twice and Joey Bacon and R.G. Flath netted the others for the Indians. Jason Kearney started and suffered the loss in net, but did make 14 saves on 18 shots in the first two periods. Troy Redmann played the other 18:54 and stopped 10 of 11 shots.

Spirit and Whalers represented at Under-18's

The Saginaw Spirit and Plymouth Whalers will be well represented at the 2005 IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship. Spirit defenseman Patrick McNeill and forward Tom Pyatt have both earned spots on Team Canada. Plymouth forwards Dan Collins (United States) and James Neal (Canada) were also named to their respective teams.

“This is a great honor for Patrick and Tom and recognition for their hard work and talent,” Saginaw head coach and general manager Bob Mancini said. “The Spirit wish them and their teammates well.”

McNeill says he’s looking forward to the chance to bring home some hardware.

“We won gold last summer,” McNeill said. “So it’s a great chance to repeat. Personally, I look forward to getting back on the ice. It’s a great chance to play with very talented players and test yourself against the best players of your age in the world.”

“We’re very happy for Dan and James,” said Plymouth head coach and GM Mike Vellucci. “Both are deserving of this honor. They’ve worked very hard over their two seasons here and are considered among the top players in their age group. It’s a thrill for anyone to represent their country in international competition. I’m sure playing in this tournament will be a boost in their development as players and citizens.”

UPDATE: McNeill fell awkwardly during practice today and dislocated his shoulder and will be unable to participate.

The tournament takes place in in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, from April 14-24.

Indians sweep away Phantoms in OT

The Youngstown Phantoms jumped out to a 3-0 lead Wednesday night over the Soo Indians, but it was the Indians who rallied and won, 4-3, in overtime on a goal by Jim Pentecost.

The Indians will now play the U.S. National Under-18 Team in the North Division finals. Team USA swept the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in their semi-final series.

Steven Kaunisto, R.G. Flath and Matt Jones scored the other Soo goals. Jones' tied the game at 3-all five minutes into the third period and then Pentecost won it 8:49 into the fourth period.

Jason Kearney earned the win in the Indians' net making 28 saves.

The Soo-USA series will begin this weekend in Ann Arbor.

Whalers hand out year-end awards

The Ontario Hockey League's Plymouth Whalers officially closed out the 2004-05 season with a season-ending awards banquet held April 5 at Ginopolis on the Ice Restaurant at the Compuware Sports Arena.

The following players received awards:

REGULAR SEASON MOST VALUABLE PLAYER – Goaltender Ryan Nie, who posted a 2.56 goals against average, 3 shutouts and a .914 save percentage in 57 games.

REGULAR SEASON SCORING LEADER - Center John Mitchell, who scored 25 goals with 50 assists for 75 points in 63 games. Mitchell is the franchise career leader with 258 regular season games played and is seventh on the Whalers all-time scoring list with 80 goals and 150 assists for 230 points.

BEST DEFENSEMAN - Mike Knight, who had 8 goals with 40 assists for 48 points in 64 games.

SCHOLAR ATHLETE – Veteran left wing-center Tim Sestito, who attended Schoolcraft Community College full-time this season while playing and maintained a GPA greater than 3.0.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Left wing-center James Neal, who scored 18 goals with 26 assists for 44 points in 67 games.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER - Right wing Dan Collins, who scored 25 goals with 21 assists for 46 points in 68 games.

LABATT'S BLUE COLLAR PLAYER of THE YEAR – Rookie Cory Tanaka, who scored 10 goals with 11 assists for 21 points in 67 games.

ALICE IAFRATE AWARD (Overage Player of the Year) - Tim Sestito, who scored a career-high 14 goals with 18 assists for 32 points in 67 games.

WHALERS' BOOSTER CLUB PLAYER of the YEAR: Tim Sestito.

WHALERS' BOOSTER CLUB GRINDER of the YEAR: Cory Tanaka.

WHALERS' BOOSTER CLUB SCHOLASTIC PLAYER of the YEAR: John Vigilante.

MOVING UP: With the Whalers' season completed, Sestito, Mitchell, Jonas Fiedler and Knight are all making their pro debuts this spring. Sestito signed the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League and Mitchell with the St. John's Maple Leafs of the AHL. Both played last weekend with Sestito scoring a goal in two games, while Mitchell was scoreless in one game. Fiedler will make his professional debut this weekend with the Florida Everblades of the East Coast Hockey League, while Knight signed with the Greenville Grrrowl of the ECHL.

Indians up 2-0 on Phantoms

The Soo Indians won their first two games against the Youngstown Phantoms in their NAHL North Division semi-final series last weekend and can sweep the series with a win in Youngstown tomorrow night.

Friday night, Joe Beaudry had a goal and two assists and Ricky Akkerman, Jim Pentecost, Tommi Maata and Nik Sellers also scored in the 5-2 win in Sault Ste. Marie. Goalie Jason Kearney made just 17 saves.

Ray Kaunisto was the hero Saturday night as his goal 9:24 into overtime gave the Indians a 4-3 win. Tiger Marcotte, Sellers and Kellen Chamblee, whose short-handed goal at 13:39 of the second period tied the game, scored the others. Kearney stopped 36 shots for the victory.

Game 3 is Wednesday night at Youngstown.

Whalers swept by Owen Sound

The season ended last night for the Plymouth Whalers as the Owen Sound Attack swept the Whalers in a first-round playoff series, winning 7-2 in Game 4.

James Neal and Jonas Fiedler, in his last OHL game, scored for Plymouth and goalie Ryan Nie made 33 saves.

Owen Sound goalie Mike Brown needed to stop just 13 shots for the win.

Brad Richardson scored two goals and an assist and Bobby Ryan, Patrick Jarrett, Robin Big Snake, Jeff Kyrzakos and Stefan Ruzicka added goals for the Attack.

The Whalers were outscored 19-3 in the series.

Whalers in 3-0 hole to Attack

Last night in Owen Sound, Brad Richardson scored three goals and added an assist to pace the Attack to a 5-0 win over the Plymouth Whalers.

Owen Sound leads the series 3-0 and can sweep with a win in Game 4 on Thursday in Plymouth.

Patrick Jarrett and Igor Gongalsky also scored and Bobby Ryan and Mike Angelidis each chipped in with a pair of assists. Mike Brown made 18 saves for his second shutout of the series.

Plymouth goaltender Ryan Nie stopped 24 of 28 shots before being replaced by Justin Garay to start the third period. Garay stopped four of five shots.

The Whalers have scored just one goal in the three playoff games so far.

Saginaw hands out year-end awards

Saginaw captain Thomas Harrison inked an ECHL deal with the Reading Royals after winning two awards at Saginaw's awards banquet.

The Saginaw Spirit hosted their 2004-05 Awards Ceremony at the Dow Event Center last Tuesday.

The 2004-05 award winners:

Leading Scorer
Marek Kvapil

Wren Blair Leadership Award
Jeff Weber

Community Service Award
Thomas Harrison

Nouvel Spirit Achievement Award
Jamie Klie

Davenport Spirit Academic Award
Daniel Borges

Heart and Soul Award
Thomas Harrison

Rookie of the Year
Marek Kvapil

Most Improved Player
Jamie Klie

Most Valuable Defenseman
Patrick McNeill

Fan Favorite
Marek Kvapil

Team Most Valuable Player
Marek Kvapil, Tom Pyatt

On a side note, Harrison inked a deal with the Reading Royals of the ECHL last week.

Indians finish season with sweep

The Soo Indians finished what could be their final NAHL regular season with a two-game sweep at home against the Youngstown Phantoms last weekend.

Ending with a 33-18-5 record, the Indians finish in second place in the North Division and will play Youngstown in a semi-final playoff series starting this weekend.

Friday night, Glenn Ylitalo scored twice and Jim Pentecost added a solo as the Soo took a 3-2 win. Goalie Jason Kearney made 16 saves.

Drew Satterley was the overtime hero Saturday as his goal 1:57 into the extra session gave the Indians another 3-2 victory. Ylitalo and Marty Gurnoe also scored for the Soo, who got a 20-save performance out of goalie Troy Redmann.

The U.S. National Under-18 Team finished first in the division, followed by the Soo, Youngstown and Fairbanks IceDogs. The Cleveland Barons and Toledo IceDiggers did not qualify for the playoffs. Team USA will play the IceDogs in the other semi-final series.

Whalers down 2-0 to Attack

Scoring just one goal in two games won't get it done in the playoffs, but maybe the Plymouth Whalers are hoping to be the exception.

The Whalers opened their first-round OHL playoff matchup with the Owen Sound Attack last weekend and lost 1-0 in Owen Sound Friday night and 6-1 Saturday night at the Compuware Sports Arena.

Friday, former Western Michigan forward Jeff Kryzakos scored the lone goal and goalie Mike Brown, formerly of the Saginaw Spirit, stopped all 21 shots he saw for the shutout. Plymouth goalie Ryan Nie made 33 saves.

Brown was again stellar Saturday night as he stopped 26 shots, only allowing a late second-period goal to Whalers co-captain John Mitchell. Nie finished with 32 saves.

Game Three is Tuesday night in Owen Sound with Game Four going Thursday night in Plymouth at 7:30 p.m.

Jackson native Kampfer earns USHL honors

Sioux City Musketeers' defenseman Steven Kampfer (Jackson) earned top honors for USHL Defensive Player of the Week by posting four points in two games played last week.

Kampfer scored both of his goals on the power play in two victories that helped put Sioux City into the postseason. He put the Musketeers on the board first against Des Moines in a 4-3 win and tallied three points against Waterloo the next night.

Kampfer has committed to the University of Michigan of the CCHA for 2006.

Whalers & Spirit players drafted by UHL teams

In yesterday's United Hockey League North American Amateur Draft, several Ontario Hockey League players with Michigan ties were taken by the 14 member teams.

Four Plymouth Whalers were drafted, all by the Richmond (Va.) RiverDogs, including defenseman Mike Knight fifth overall in the first round. Knight had actually signed with Richmond last summer before deciding to come back to Plymouth for his overage season.

Plymouth defenseman Mike Letizia went in the fourth round to Richmond as did forward John Vigilante, a Dearborn native, in the fifth round and goalie Ryan Nie in the sixth round.

Saginaw Spirit captain Thomas Harrison and leading scorer Marek Kvapil were both selected in the first round by the Flint Generals.

Erie Otters captain and Berrien Springs native Brian Lee went in the third round to the Kansas City Outlaws.

Players that are 19 years of age or older who played in North America during the 2004-05 season are eligible for the draft.

The draft consisted of six rounds with each UHL team selecting in reverse order of their current winning percentage. Each UHL team is permitted to protect up to four of their six drafted players and place them on their final roster. In addition, each UHL team is allowed to protect two players for their team's playoff roster. These two selected players are exempt from the six games played requirement for players on the postseason roster.

There is no guarantee that any of the players taken will report to their respective teams, however.

Shouneyia commits to Michigan State

The Cleveland Barons of the North American Hockey League are proud to announce that defenseman Matt Shouneyia has committed to Michigan State University for the upcoming 2005-06 season.

Shouneyia, a 6-foot, 185-pound left defenseman, is a native of West Bloomfield. He currently has 30 pts (9G-21A) in 54 games, which ranks him in a tie for fifth place among defensemen in the NAHL.

Shouneyia, the Barons captain, is in his second season with the club. He started his career in the Compuware organization and from there he joined the Danville Wings in the USHL in 2003-04. Cleveland acquired Shouneyia in October of that year. Shouneyia is noted for his speed and a great passing skills, which earned him a place on the NAHL All-Star team this past February.

Matt will be the fourth Baron to wear the Green and White colors of Michigan State. He joins current Spartans Tommy Goebel and graduating senior captain Jim Slater and current teammate Kurt Kivisto, another 2005-2006 recruit.

"I congratulate Matt and his family for committing with MSU," said Barons head coach and general manager Tim Alexander. "Matt has the potential to be a top defenseman in the CCHA. I wish him all the best at Michigan State.”

Shouneyia becomes the fifth current Baron to commit to a CCHA school this year joining defenseman Steve Silver (Western Michigan), defenseman Nick Biondo (Ohio State University), forward Kurt Kivisto (Michigan State) and forward Jacob Cepis (Bowling Green).

John Shouneyia, Matt's older brother, played at Michigan from 1999-2003 and had a free-agent tryout with the Detroit Red Wings in 2003.

Saginaw goalie Weber goes pro

Former Buffalo draft pick signs first professional contract

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies of the ECHL, a proud affiliate of the New York Islanders, have announced that the club has signed rookie goaltender Jeff Weber to a contract for the remainder of the season. Weber is expected to be in uniform when the Bullies face-off with the Trenton Titans Friday at Sovereign Bank Arena.

Weber, 20, recently completed his final season of major junior hockey with both the Barrie Colts and Saginaw Spirit of the prestigious Ontario Hockey League. The Manotick, ON native finished with a record of 15-28-4 along with a 3.41 goals against average and a .906% save percentage in 48 games between Barrie and Saginaw.

A former eighth round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres from the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Weber led all OHL goaltenders with a 2.32 goals against average and a .925% save percentage in 2002-03 as a rookie with the Plymouth Whalers.

In a separate transaction, the Bullies have released goaltender Dave Marlin.

Indians swept by U.S. Under-18 squad

The Soo Indians dropped both games to the United States Under-18 Team last weekend and will finish in second place behind Team USA in the NAHL North standings.

Jason Kearney made 26 saves Saturday night, but lost 2-1 in a shootout. Ray Kaunisto scored the lone goal for the Indians (31-18-5).

Sunday, Ryan Ward scored for the Soo in the 3-1 loss. Kearney stopped 10 shots.

Team USA had pasted the Toledo IceDiggers 13-0 Friday night and earned a weekend sweep over their North Division rivals.

The Indians host the Youngstown Phantoms this weekend to close out the regular season. Game time Friday and Saturday night at Chi Mukwa Arena is 7 p.m.

Saginaw finishes season on high note

The Saginaw Spirit downed the Erie Otters, 5-1, in Erie Saturday night. The Spirit victory locked the team in 17th place in the OHL, the highest place the Spirit have finished in team history.

Saginaw opened scoring in the first period when forward Tommy Mannino connected with linemate Joe McCann. Matt Corrente also assisted on the goal. The Otters equalized at the thirteen-minute mark, when forward Andrew Shennan scored on the power play. The Otters outshot Saginaw 22-5 in the period.

Saginaw took the lead at the five minute mark of the second period, when hustle from forward Chris Ferguson created a scoring opportunity. Ferguson took the puck deep into Erie's zone, then flipped the puck in front of the net where Corrente put the puck in on the backhand. The Spirit opened the lead to 3-1 twelve minutes later when forward Michal Birner hit Mannino in stride on a breakaway.

The score remained 3-1 into the third period, when Birner set up another scoring opportunity. Birner fired the puck into Erie's zone, where Marek Kvapil put the puck on net. Linemate Tom Pyatt crashed the net and put in Kvapil's rebound for the Spirit's fourth goal. The Spirit opened the lead to 5-1 three minutes later on the power play, when Mannino tipped in a Birner shot. Pyatt also assisted.

Mannino's three point night helped him break the 50-point mark for the season. Birner's three assists pushed him over the 40-point mark in his first OHL season. Pyatt and Corrente had two-point nights. Spirit goalie Jeff Weber turned back 49 shots in the effort.

The Spirit finish the season 18-42-4-4 on the season, fourth in the OHL West Division and ninth in the Western Conference.

Whalers end regular season beating Knights

John Vigilante’s power play goal at 14:32 of the second period proved to be the game-winner as the Plymouth Whalers went on to defeat the London Knights 4-3 played Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 3,916 at the Compuware Sports Arena.

The victory was Plymouth’s first against the Canadian Hockey League’s best team. London is now 59-6-2-0. The Whalers finish the season with a 30-29-6-3 record good for 69 points and second place in OHL’s West Division.

Plymouth fell behind 2-1 in the first period when London’s Danny Fritsche scored two goals (17, 18) just 17 seconds apart. Plymouth countered when the game’s first star Tim Sestitio scored on a backhand shot that beat Kinights’ goaltender Adam Dennis just above the glove-hand side.

In the second period, Plymouth scored three times to take a 4-2 lead into the third. Jonas Fiedler scored his 19th goal of the season by taking a beautiful pass from Cory Tanaka and firing it into the back of the net. Vaclav Meidl’s (12th) persistency paid off by slapping at a rebound until it slid passed Dennis at 10:35 of the second. Vigilante (24th) ripped a slap shot from the left point that lit the lamp and gave the Whaler’s 4-2 lead after two periods of play.

London’s Jordan Foreman (11th) scored the lone third period goal, but it wasn’t enough to top Plymouth.

Plymouth starts the playoffs next Friday night in Owen Sound against the Attack. The game can be heard at 7:15 p.m. on WSDS 1480-AM. Game Two of the series is back at the Compuware Sports Arena next Saturday. Tickets are available for the Plymouth Whalers playoff games at the Compuware Sports Arena Box office. Tickets can be ordered by phone by calling (734) 453-8400. The CSA box office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday game days from 11:00 a.m. until the end of the second period.

IceDiggers closer to calling Alpena home

DAN STRAWSER
Alpena News

A few final details aside, it looks like Alpena may be the new home for the North American Hockey League IceDiggers franchise.

The team, currently based in Toledo, has rescheduled its final home game of the season to be played at Northern Lights Arena on Monday night.

“We’re looking at this like it’s Alpena’s team,” IceDigger coach and general manager Mike Mankowski said. “This is our last home game. We thought we might set the table for next season by introducing the possibility of season tickets plans and some early-bird specials. We want to continue to make our guys feel at home up there. We’re going to be returning 8-12 guys from this year’s squad and it’s a situation where we’d like to continue to let them get comfortable.”

Northern Lights Arena manager Norm Sommerfeld said the M-PAC board voted on Tuesday night to approve going after the Junior A program, believing it was a better fit for Alpena than the Junior B proposal NLA received.

“We selected a six-member panel to look over the contract and that’s where we’re at,” Sommerfeld said. “The committee seemed very positive. I think we have a good shot at doing this. We need to get approval from the Alpena Area Recreation Commission, but we’re putting together a contract.”

Two of the IceDiggers’ three owners were able to visit Alpena for the game against the Sault Kewadin Indians on Sunday and it’s likely the third owner will be available to come up for Monday night’s game.

“We were very impressed with the hospitality,” Mankowski said. “We were impressed with how hockey-savvy the people are up there and we were impressed with the amount of support shown to the players, owners and staff.”

The game between the IceDiggers and Sault Kewadin Indians, which attracted 852 fans, set a new franchise attendance record for the IceDiggers.

“The facility was awesome,” Mankowski said. “From a coaches’ standpoint it would make recruiting life much easier. A facility that’s less than two years old and is state-of-the art will certainly make a great recruiting tool.”

In Monday’s home finale, which begins at 7 p.m., the IceDiggers (18-31-3) will face their long-time rivals the Youngstown Phantoms.

“The rivalry is very good,” Mankowski said. “Both of us were in the CEHL (Continental Elite Hockey League) and we both entered the NAHL last season. I think the rivalry will continue to be good.”

Plymouth to face Owen Sound

Erie defeats Owen Sound, 4-2, on Wednesday night to clinch fifth spot in the Western Conference standings. The Plymouth Whalers will finish sixth and draw the No. 3 seed Owen Sound Attack in the first round of the playoffs.

Here are the Plymouth-Owen Sound playoff dates and times:

The series is best four-out-of seven:

Game 1 - Fri. Mar. 25 - Plymouth at Owen Sound, 7:30 pm.

Game 2 - Sat. Mar. 26 - Owen Sound at Plymouth, 7:30 pm.

Game 3 - Tues. Mar. 29 - Plymouth at Owen Sound, 7:30 pm.

Game 4 - Thur. Mar. 31 - Owen Sound at Plymouth, 7:30 pm.

* Game 5 - Sat. Apr. 2 - Plymouth at Owen Sound, 7:30 pm.

* Game 6 - Sun. Apr. 3 - Owen Sound at Plymouth, 6:00 pm.

* Game 7 - Tues. Apr. 5 - Plymouth at Owen Sound at 7:30 pm.

* if necessary.


The other Western Confrence playoff pairings are also set:

#1 London vs. # 8 Guelph

#2 Sault Ste. Marie vs. #7 Windsor

#4 Kitchener vs. #5 Erie

Lerg named February's best

The United States Hockey League, in conjunction with Goalies' World Magazine, announced that Omaha Lancers goaltender Jeff Lerg (Livonia) was named Itech-Goalies' World Magazine/ USHL Goaltender of the Month for February 2005.

The 5-foot-6 150-pound goaltender has been among league leaders in all goaltending statistics throughout the season. February of 2005 will mark the second time this season that Lerg has been named Goalie of the Month, he was awarded the honor in November of 2004.

Through 52 games played by the Lancers, Lerg has manned the station been between the pipes 45 times. In 45 games played, he has a league leading 31 victories including 5 in which were shut-outs.

Two seasons in the USHL has provided an environment for the 19-year-old to develop his skills on the ice and mature off the ice as well. He feels that the transition from high school to the USHL will definitely help him as he continues onto the NCAA Division 1 ranks. Jeff will be heading back to his home state of Michigan where he will play his college hockey for the Spartans of Michigan State University.

When asked how the USHL has helped prepare him for the next level of play, Lerg said, "Playing in the USHL for the last two years has definitely helped me as far as moving on into Division 1 hockey. Every team in this league has quality players and anyone can beat anyone on any given night, much like Division 1 hockey".

With the help of Lerg, the Lancers have clinched a spot in the play-offs and are battling for the Anderson Cup, which is awarded to the team with the best regular season record.

In the Goalies' World Magazine scoring system, Lerg accumulated 102.9 points to top the list that includes: Chicago's Shane Connelly (102.88), Cedar Rapids' Dan Tormey (102.27), Sioux City's Jimmy Spratt (101.89), and Lincoln's Steve Jakiel (101.68).

Saginaw to host 2007 All-Star Game

The Ontario Hockey League announced Saturday that the Saginaw Spirit will host the 2007 Bell OHL All-Star Classic.

“The Ontario Hockey League is elated to take this opportunity to award the Saginaw Spirit with this special event,” said OHL commissioner David Branch. “The mid-Michigan community has passionately supported the Spirit and the Ontario Hockey League since the team’s arrival in 2002 and we look forward to shining the spotlight of the entire league on the city of Saginaw and the Dow Event Centre in 2007.”

Forty of the league’s brightest stars will face-off in an Eastern Conference versus Western Conference showdown format.

“We are thrilled that the OHL Board of Governors awarded the Bell OHL All-Star Classic to the City of Saginaw,” said Spirit owner and OHL governor Richard Garber. “This is a great opportunity to thank the fans in our community for their support of the franchise and to bring the entire Ontario Hockey League to Saginaw in 2007 for this special event.”

Spirit managing partner Craig Goslin echoed Garber’s comments.

“The entire Saginaw Spirit organization is committed to hosting this first class event,” Goslin said. “The Bell OHL All-Star Classic is one of the of the most prestigious sporting events to be hosted by our community. I know our town has what it takes to showcase Saginaw to the rest of the hockey world. This helps cement Saginaw’s image as a “Cool City”, as designated by Governor Jennifer Granholm.”

The OHL All-Star Game was first played in 1977 in Sudbury when the Emms Division defeated the Leyden Division 6-5 in overtime. The Emms vs. Leyden format continued for nine seasons through 1985 following which the game was replaced by the OHL/QMJHL All-Star Challenge Series. The East-West format was re-introduced for the 2004 OHL All-Star Classic in Peterborough in 2004 and the Owen Sound Attack hosted the most recent game this past February.

The Belleville Bulls will host the 2006 Bell OHL All-Star Cup next February.

Saginaw plays to Spirited tie with Hounds

The Saginaw Spirit notched a come-from behind tie in Saturday's 3-3 game with divison-leading Sault Ste. Marie before a sellout crowd at the Dow Event Center.

The season home finale also marked the team's Fan Appreciation Day and live jersey auction to benefit the Spirit Charitable Foundation.

Spirit head coach and general manager Bob Mancini said the team demonstrated a "no-quit" attitude in the game.

"It's important to finish hard," Mancini said. "It was a good effort tonight. We cut our openings and played smart defense along the blue line. A lot of our younger players got to play more tonight, and demonstrated the promise and potential for next year."

Tommy Mannino, Joe McCann and Matt Corrente scored for the Spirit with Corrente's game-tying goal coming at 14:30 of the third period.

Saginaw goaltender Jeff Weber turned back 28 shots in the effort. The tie takes Saginaw's record to 17-41-4-4 on the season and the Spirit finish the season with a pair of road games Friday and Saturday in Guelph and Erie, respectively.

Soo falls to 2nd spot in NAHL North

The Soo Indians dropped to second place in the NAHL's North Division after losing both games at home last weekend to the then-second place U.S. National Under-18 Team.

Team USA is now four points up on the Indians (30-17-4) with two games in hand.

Friday night, Jim Pentecost scored the lone Indians' goal and Jason Kearney made 15 saves in the 4-1 loss.

Saturday night, R.G. Flath and Pentecost scored, but fell by a 3-2 mark. Troy Redmann stopped 19 shots in net for the Soo.

There was no information readily available from Sunday's game in Toledo.

The Indians travel to Ann Arbor for a rare three-game series this Friday, Saturday and Sunday against the same Under-18 squad.

Whalers clinch 2nd place in West Division

The Plymouth Whalers clinched second place in the OHL's West Division yesterday with a 2-0 shutout over the first-place Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at the Compuware Sports Arena.

Mike Looby and John Vigilante scored for Plymouth (29-28-6-3), while goalie Ryan Nie stopped all 26 shots for his thid shutout of the season.

There is still a question as to who Plymouth will meet in the playoffs. Owen Sound is a distinct possibility, but the Whalers could also catch the Erie Otters for fifth in the Western Conference race.

If that's the case, Plymouth could meet the Kitchener Rangers in the first round of the playoffs.

The Whalers beat Erie, 3-1, on the road Friday night behind short-handed goals from Dan Collins and John Mitchell and a power-play tally from Tim Sestito (also his 100th career point). Goalie Justin Garay, from nearby Monaca, Penn., made 25 saves in front of more than 35 friends and family.

Next up for Plymouth is a road game in Sarnia Friday night and their regular season home finale Saturday night against London. The OHL playoffs begin March 24.

Spartans get Brighton native for this fall

The Cleveland Barons of the North American Hockey League are proud to announce that center Kurt Kivisto has committed to Michigan State University for the 2005-06 season.

Kivisto, a 5-foot-7, 175-pound left-handed center, is a native of Brighton. Currently, he has 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points in his second year with the Barons. Before joining the Barons, Kivisto attended Brighton High School where he started as a team manager in freshman year. With his hard work and dedication, by his senior year (2002-2003) he made the state of Michigan’s hockey “Dream Team." Kivisto is noted for his work ethic and steady two-way play on the ice, which makes him a valuable asset on the power play and penalty kill.

Barons head coach and general manager Tim Alexander had this to say: “I congratulate Kurt and his family on this occasion. He has had to work for everything in his hockey career, he came to Cleveland, earned his ice time, which has now led him to the next level at Michigan State. I wish him all the best at MSU.”

Kivisto has become the fourth Barons to commit to a CCHA school. He joins Steve Silver (Western Michigan), Nick Biondo (Ohio State), and Jacob Cepis (Bowling Green).

Whalers tripped up in Windsor, 5-2

It looked more like two teams gearing up for a playoff showdown than simply playing out the stretch.

The Windsor Spitfires and Plymouth Whalers showed there's still plenty of fire left in their rivalry in Windsor's 5-2 win Thursday at Windsor Arena.

Read the rest of the game recap in today's Windsor Star here.

Former Soo standout named top CHA rookie

Wayne State freshman and former Soo Indians forward Stavros Paskaris (2002-2004) was named College Hockey America's rookie of the year at the CHA tournament banquet last night in Grand Rapids, Minn.

Paskaris, 20, was the top-scoring newcomer in the CHA with 20 points on six goals and 14 assists in 20 games, Paskaris finished tied-for-eighth among all players in scoring. He tied-for-third in league assists (14) and tied-for-eighth in league power-play points (9). His four conference power-play goals was tied-for-fifth.

Overall, Paskaris led WSU in scoring with 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in all 34 games.

Livonia native nets USHL honors

Lincoln Stars forward Erik Condra (Livonia), earned top honors for Offensive Player of the Week by posting seven points in four USHL games last week. He also had a +6 plus/minus rating. Condra is now tied for second in scoring on the Stars with 53 points. In the four games last week, Condra tallied four goals and three assists while helping the Stars clinch a playoff spot in the West Division.

Spirit downed by Greyhounds, 7-2

The Saginaw Spirit went through the motions Wednesday night with a 7-2 loss on the road to the West Division-leading Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Rookie goalie Ryan Daniels made 37 saves and Tom Pyatt recorded a goal and an assist. Jesse Gimblett tallied the other goal for the Spirit (17-41-3-4), who played with just 16 skaters due to team-imposed suspensions (see below).

Saginaw returns home for the last time this season to face the Greyhounds at 7:00 p.m. Saturday on Fan Appreciation Day.


Spirit Discipline Six Players
The Saginaw Spirit hockey club is disciplining six players for violating team policy. Patrick Asselin, Chase Crowder, Jesse Gimblett, captain Thomas Harrison and Steven Whitely will each serve two-game suspensions between now and the end of the season. Scott Fletcher will serve a four-game suspension.

Spirit head coach and general manager Bob Mancini says he's disappointed with the players.

"It's a violation of the team's rules and the trust of these players' teammates," Mancini said. "Team rules are in place for a reason and there are consequences for violations.”

The suspensions began with last night's game.

Whalers tie, win, lose

The Plymouth Whalers got a notch in each column of their record last weekend as they tied Sudbury, beat Sarnia and lost in Sault Ste. Marie.

The loss against the Greyhounds was huge, as Sault Ste. Marie is now six points up on Plymouth for first place in the West Division.

Against the Wolves at home Friday night, rookie Cory Tanaka scored with the extra attacker at 19:37 of the third period to knot the game at 1-all. Ryan Hastings had given Sudbury a 1-0 lead just 62 seconds earlier.

Plymouth goalie Ryan Nie turned aside 27 shots.

Saturday night against the lowly Sting, Michael Haley scored at 19:40 of the third period to send the game into overtime for Sarnia. But Plymouth rookie James Neal stripped Sarnia defenseman Erik Schwanz, a North Lakeport native, and scored the game-winner on goalie Ryan Munce at 2:18 of OT for the 4-3 win.

Jonas Fiedler scored twice and Mike Letizia also scored for the Whalers. Rookie goalie Justin Garay made 26 saves.

Sunday, Nie made seven saves on 11 shots before being replaced by Garay, who finished with 17 saves on 19 shots. The lone Plymouth goal was scored by Dan Collins midway through the third period.

The Whalers (27-27-6-3) are in Windsor Thursday night and in Erie Friday night before a 2:00 p.m. matinee at home Sunday against the Greyhounds.

Spirit eliminated from OHL post-season

Saginaw dropped all three games over the weekend and in doing so were eliminated from the OHL post-season for the third consecutive year.

The Spirit went into London Friday night and came out suffering a 12-0 defeat, their worst in the three years in Saginaw, to the top team in the OHL. Goalie Jeff Weber did make 35 saves in the lone bright spot for Saginaw (17-40-3-4).

Then Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd, Sudbury escaped with a 3-2 win as Saginaw rookie goalie Ryan Daniels stopped 29 shots in his home debut.

"I had a lot of confidence in the players," Daniels said. "It was nice playing in front of so many fans. They're noise gives us guys energy on the ice."

Tom Mannino and Tom Pyatt scored for the Spirit.

Sunday against Windsor, the visiting Spitfires took a 3-2 win that mathematically eliminated Saginaw from the playoffs.

"No one gave up today. We played with a lot of effort and pride," Spirit head coach and general manager Bob Mancini said. "We're going to battle hard in the remaining games. Everyone on this young team is still learning."

Jesse Gimblett and Marek Kvapil scored for Saginaw and Weber had 25 saves.

Third-year forward Daniel Borges said he and his teammates knew what was on the line for the game.

"We competed longer and later than ever before," Borges said of the playoff run. "This year's loss is next year's gain."

The Spirit return to action Wednesday night in Sault Ste. Marie against the division-leading Greyhounds. The Hounds travel to Saginaw Saturday for the Spirit home finale.

Indians split with Phantoms

The Soo Indians (30-15-4) continute to lead the NAHL's North Division by four points over the U.S. National Team after a split last weekend with the Youngstown Phantoms at home last weekend.

Friday night, five different players - Ricky Akkerman, R.G. Flath, Matt Jones, Jim Pentecost and Drew Satterley - scored for the Soo and Jason Kearney made 29 saves in the 5-2 win.

The next night, Ray Kaunisto gave the Indians a 1-0 lead early in the second period, but Youngstown rattled off four unanswered goals to take a 4-1 win. Kearney finished with 21 saves.

Team USA visits the Soo Friday and Saturday night for games at 7:00 p.m. The Indians then play at Toledo Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

Future Traverse City forward reluctant to move

Leaving parents, who are deaf, will be tough for Howell's Madden

BY JEFF ARNOLD Ann Arbor News Sports Reporter

HOWELL - Surrounded by chaos, Sandy Madden sits in silence. After years of watching hockey, she's aware of what's going on around her. A lifetime of being deaf keeps her from hearing it.

She feels the wooden bleachers shiver underneath her when one of her son's Howell High School teammates is driven into the boards. Even through she can't hear a referee's shrieking whistle, Sandy, who has been unable to hear since the age of 3, expresses her displeasure with an emotional moan.

At one end of Howell's cavernous ice rink, Sandy's husband, Bob - also deaf since the age of 3 - stands behind a glass partition with a hand-held camcorder pressed against his eye. He can't believe how far his son, 17-year-old Jon Madden - a junior forward - has come since the days when he'd form two pieces of masking tape into an "X" and press it onto kitchen cabinets.

Read the rest of the story from the Ann Arbor News here.

Bighorns ink Rauch for '05-06

The Helena Bighorns of the NAHL signed three players to tender sheets on Monday and one was defenseman Philip Rauch, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound native of Lambertville, Michigan.

Rauch has been a solid performer for the Toledo Cherokee (CSHL) this season. In 37 games, Rauch has piled up eight goals and 13 assists to go along with 78 penalty minutes, proving he is every bit of the player Bighorns head coach Brent Agrusa has come to know.

“Rauch is a rugged two-way defenseman, who does it at both ends of the ice,” claimed Agrusa. “He has a good knowledge of the defensive zone and is a good candidate to step in next year a fill a solid role.”

Agrusa attributes the signing of Rauch to Cherokee GM Mike Robertson.

“Mike was instrumental in recruiting current Bighorn and former Cherokee Larry Willard to our program,” says the Bighorns coach. “Larry is having a good season and Mike likes our program so he was very helpful in the signing process.”

Agrusa also attributes Rauch’s development to solid coaching from Toledo’s Chris Varga. Rauch is the second Cherokee to sign with the Bighorns in the last two years and the ninth player from the CSHL in that time span.

Helena president Mike Butters also had good things to say about Rauch.

“Philip is the only 1987-born defenseman in the top ten scoring of the CSHL," noted Butters. "He has a lot of raw tools and possesses plenty of upside. We all look forward to seeing him in Chicago this May.”

Rauch will get his first opportunity to impress the Bighorn brass at their summer prospect camp this May in Chicago. Players from all over the country will attend this prospect camp with hopes of joining Rauch in a Bighorns uniform in September.

Defenseman takes Case to Ferris State

Evan Case, a rookie defenseman with the NAHL's Youngstown Phantoms, has committed to Ferris State for this coming fall.

The 18-year-old Grosse Pointe Woods native played for the state champion Little Caesar's midget AAA team last season before jumping to the Phantoms.

Saginaw gets just one point over weekend

Fighting to make the OHL playoffs, the Saginaw Spirit may have done themselves in last weekend as they tied and lost after a loss Wednesday night to Plymouth.

Saturday night at home to the Kitchener Rangers, the Rangers scored with an extra attacker at 19:06 of the third period to gain the 2-2 tie. Jesse Gimblett and Matt Corrente scored for Saginaw and goaltender Jeff Weber made 35 saves.

"We're in a fragile state right now," Saginaw head coach and general manager Bob Mancini said. "But the players battled back from a 1-0 deficit. I think we played our best hockey tonight when we were down."

Sunday in Windsor, the hometown Spitfires took a 6-2 decision. Erik Lundmark and Gimblett scored for the Spirit. Weber turned back 17 shots. Rookie Ryan Daniels played the third period and made nine saves on ten shots.

The loss takes Saginaw's record to 17-37-3-4 on the season, nine points behind the eighth-seed Guelph Storm for the final Western Conference playoff spot.

Saginaw returns to action Friday night in London and home Saturday to face the Sudbury Wolves at 7:00 p.m. Detroit Red Wings national anthem singer Karen Newman will do the honors in Saginaw that evening.

Whalers fall behind 'Hounds in OHL West

After a 3-1 win Wednesday night in Saginaw, the Plymouth Whalers decimated the Windsor Spitfires Friday night before falling to the dominant London Knights Saturday and Erie Otters Sunday.

In Friday's home sellout, rookie Cory Tanaka scored twice and John Mitchell and John Vigilante each had a goal and two assists in the 7-2 win over the Spitfires. Jonas Fiedler, Gino Pisellini and Mike Looby also scored for the Whalers, who got a 26-save performance out of goalie Ryan Nie.

Saturday, the CHL-leading Knights put three on the board in the first period and never looked back in the 5-1 win, another sellout. Dan Collins ruined Adam Dennis' shutout bid with a power-play goal at 15:45 of the third period. Rookie Justin Garay, in net for the previous two losses at London, finished with 26 saves.

Then Sunday in Erie, Penn., Vigilante and Tanaka scored, but couldn't overcome the Otters and lost, 5-2. Nie was back in goal and made 20 saves. Erie’s victory is their first against Plymouth at the Tullio Arena since March 1, 1998. The Whalers had gone 16-0-3 during that time in Erie over 16 regular season games and three playoff games.

Plymouth is now three points back of the first-place Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL's West Division. The Whalers (26-26-5-3) host the Sudbury Wolves (Friday) and Sarnia Sting (Saturday) this weekend before venturing to Sault Ste. Marie Sunday night. Game time Friday and Saturday is 7:30 p.m.