CSHL showcase this weekend in Burton

The Central States Hockey League will descend on the Ice Mountain Arena Complex in Burton from December 19-22 for the league's annual showcase consisting of each team playing four games apiece.

This showcase will feature some of junior hockey's youngest and brightest stars.

The CSHL has been home to some of the top players in the midwest, such as NHLers Paul and Yan Stastny, NHL draft picks Scott Darling, Joe Vitale and Chris Butler and former Hobey Baker finalist Eric Ehn.

Tier I Junior A, Tier II Junior A, NCAA DI and DIII and ACHA teams are expected to be in attendance.

The CSHL boasts four teams from Michigan in the Flint Jr. Generals, Grand Rapids Jr. Owls, Metro Jets and Motor City Chiefs.

Spirit giving tickets to GM, Delphi employees

The Saginaw Spirit, in conjunction with local Meijer stores, Frito Lay, Nabisco and Pepsi, are pleased to invite General Motors and Delphi employees and their immediate families to this Saturday’s home game against the Erie Otters.

These great community partners are providing tickets to GM and Delphi employees as a token of appreciation given the current state of affairs affecting the automotive manufacturing industry.

“The Saginaw Spirit is a community project,” stated Spirit president and partner Craig Goslin. “Our mid-Michigan community has many GM and Delphi families hurting today as a result of the current economic state of affairs concerning the automotive manufacturing industry. We are pleased to invite these families to join the Spirit and your local Meijer stores this Saturday night when the team takes on the Erie Otters at 7:11 p.m.”

GM and Delphi employees can show their identification badge at the team's ticket and merchandise store at 5789 State Street in Saginaw to receive complimentary upper level tickets to the game. Employees can also call 989-497-7747 or email Jon Schiebner at the Spirit and give their identification badge number to have tickets left at the TheDow Event Center will call booth the night of the game.

GM AND DELPHI EMPLOYEES MUST SHOW THEIR EMPLOYEE IDENTIFICATION BADGE AT THE SPIRIT STORE OR THE ARENA WILL CALL BOOTH - AFTER THEY HAVE PUT THEIR TICKETS ON HOLD VIA A PHONE OR EMAIL ORDER - TO RECEIVE THEIR COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS.

GM and Delphi employees that have already purchased tickets for this Saturday’s contest can visit the Spirit store this Friday or Saturday to receive complimentary upper level tickets to next Friday’s home game against the Windsor Spitfires. Deadline for ticket holders to receive this offer is tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.

To assist with this great offer, the team store will be open tonight until 7:00 p.m. and tomorrow from 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Tomorrow night's game also marks the annual Meijer Teddy Bear Toss, where fans can throw teddy bears onto the ice for charity after the Spirit score their first goal of the evening. Fans can bring their own teddy bear to the game or purchase one for $5 at a special Meijer Teddy Bear Toss booth in TheDow Event Center atrium. The bears collected are being donated to the Covenant HealthCare Pediatrics Ward and the Salvation Army’s Toys for Tots Campaign. The proceeds from the sale of teddy bears is going to support local food banks on behalf of local Meijer stores.

Jets looking for improved second half

Seriously, it hasn’t been that bad for the Metro Jets this season.

But with a 3-19-0-1 record and sitting near the basement of the Central States Hockey League standings, finding positives might be a difficult task.

That said, the second half of the season starts this weekend for the Jets and if nothing else, optimism is sky-high.

“Putting the first half behind us will be hard, but we've used it as a learning experience and we now know what we have to do to get where we want to be,” said Metro assistant coach Ryan Skop. “We've gotten rid of some cancerous guys in the room and replaced them with good character guys. This will help us move forward.”

“Players must put forth their best effort,” said Jets general manager Butch Wolfe. “To get better, the players who outwardly show they want to improve must hold those who they perceive as ‘mailing it in’ accountable. This is not kid hockey; we need the leaders in the dressing room to push themselves and others.”

As for highlights, the Jets’ three wins jump out, as does the fact veteran defenseman Brett Grech (Hartland, pictured) has been near the top of league scoring for defensemen all season long. In Metro’s 9-6 win over Grand Rapids on Oct. 18, Brandon Nault (Madison Heights) registered a hat trick on goals scored three different ways (5-on-5, shorthanded and power-play) – all in the first period.

Now, if the team’s success can come more frequently, a playoff berth isn’t out of the question.

“I expect to be competitive in the second half – no more getting blasted on a nightly basis,” Skop said. “Our young guys have learned how to work and how to compete at this level. All that's left is to prove it on the ice.”

Fletcher dealt to Whalers as team's third OA

The Niagara IceDogs announced today that they have traded overage defenseman Scott Fletcher to the Plymouth Whalers for London’s eighth-round pick in 2010.

Fletcher, a Haslett native, had been a member of the IceDogs since the 'Dogs made a trade with the Saginaw Spirit midway through the 2006-07 season.

During his time with the IceDogs, Fletcher accumulated six assists and 267 penalty minutes in 83 games.

“We would like to thank Scott for his contributions to the IceDogs organization both on and off the ice and wish him the best of luck with Plymouth," said Niagara general manager Dave Brown.

The 20-year-old Fletcher is the third overage (1988 birthday) on the Plymouth roster. OHL teams can carry three overagers and Plymouth has had right wing Patrick Lee on the roster all season and acquired center Matt Caria from Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday. Caria made his debut tonight, skating on a forward line with Chris Terry and Kaine Geldart.

Fletcher was originally selected by Saginaw in the second round (22nd overall) in the 2004 OHL Priority Selection. In 201 OHL games in his career, Fletcher has scored one goal with nine assists for 10 points and 561 penalty minutes. Fletcher started the season with Providence of the American Hockey League before returning to Niagara.

Rangers head south for three games

The Marquette Rangers will head below the bridge this weekend hoping to earn six points in the North American Hockey League North Division.

The Rangers will play the Alpena IceDiggers at Northern Lights Arena Thursday night, followed by a two-game series Friday and Saturday night versus the Motor City Machine at Yack Arena in Wyandotte.

Following a split with the United States National Team Development Program, head coach Kenny Miller says his team is playing well, but needs to put together a full effort to be successful.

“We have to be better for 60 minutes,” Miller said. “When we sit back and don’t play our style, we get ourselves into trouble and that is what happened last weekend. When we’re able to put together a full three-period game we’re a very good hockey team. When we find that consistency level, our chances improve a great deal.”

Miller went on to say even though the distraction of the holiday break is approaching, he likes the attitude and character of this team.

“We have enough veteran leadership to get us through these next few games before the break," said Miller. "Personally, I think it is good to play on the road. The guys will eat together, bond together and it will give them a chance to just focus on hockey, which is what we need to do right now.”

Defenseman Mike Thompson says the team feels as though they’re heading in the right direction at the mid-point of the season

“We think we’re playing OK, but obviously there’s room for improvement,” Thompson said. “The nice thing is that we’re heading into the second half of the year and we haven’t peaked as a team yet. Last year, we were really good early, and then faded down the stretch. This year, we know we can still improve on a lot of different parts of the game and get better during the second half of the season.”

The Rangers are led in scoring by Chad Pietila with 26 points and Jimmy Gallagher with 23 points. Not far behind Gallagher is Aaron Pietila with 22 points on 10 goals to go along with 12 assists.

Marquette still remains in a fourth-place tie with the Ice Diggers at 26 points apiece. Both teams continue to chase the first-place Traverse City North Stars who are currently sitting at 33 points in the North Division standings.

The Puck drops at 7:00 p.m. Thursday in Alpena and at 7:10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Motor City.

Whalers acquire OA Caria from the Soo

The Plymouth Whalers announced today the acquisition of 20-year-old center Matt Caria from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Caria (pronounced CARY-ah) was acquired for Windsor’s third-round pick in the 2009 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection, Plymouth’s second-round pick in 2010 and the Whalers' sixth-round selection in 2011.

Ontario Hockey League teams can carry three overage players, or 1988 birthdays, on its roster. Caria, a Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., native, joins right wing Patrick Lee as the Whalers’ second overage player.

Caria, originally taken in the sixth round (118th overall) in the 2004 draft by the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors (now in Mississauga), is currently 11th in scoring in the OHL with 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points in 30 games. He is a proven offensive player with 75 goals and 125 assists for 200 points in 202 career games. In 18 career playoff games, Caria has eight goals with nine assists for 17 points.

Caria’s best offensive season came in 2006-07 when he scored 33 goals with 42 assists for 75 points in 59 games and was named to the OHL Eastern Conference All-Star team.

“Anytime you can acquire a talent of Caria’s caliber without giving up a player from your lineup, it’s a plus,” Plymouth coach-GM Mike Vellucci said. “I’m really excited to see how Caria and (Plymouth captain) Chris Terry mesh together.”

Terry is the only other Whaler player with 200 points in his career. Terry is currently 11th on the Whalers all-time career scoring list with 88 goals and 133 assists for 221 points in 220 games.

Vellucci has been stockpiling draft choices since the Whalers’ championship season in 2006-07 and that fact made the deal possible. Even with Caria’s acquisition, Plymouth still has an ample allotment of draft choices remaining.

Caria is expected to report to Plymouth in time for the Whalers game Wednesday when they host Saginaw at 7:05 p.m. at Compuware Arena.

Photo by Walt Dmoch/Plymouth Whalers

Machine signs California native Emerson

Gage Emerson, the leading goal scorer for the San Jose Jr. Sharks 18U AAA team, has left the squad to play for the Motor City Machine of the North American Hockey League, Jr. Sharks coach Tony Zasowski said Saturday.

Emerson, who is second on the team with 28 points in 38 games, has 15 goals for the Jr. Sharks.

Motor City did not play this weekend, but returns to action Friday when it plays host to Marquette.

The Jr. Sharks, meanwhile, tied the California Wave, 2-2, and the Jr. Kings, 1-1, on Saturday in their first games without Emerson.

Metro alumni making impact at all levels

When a player moves on from the Metro Jets, it’s the goal of the coaching staff and team management to see that player succeed at the next level.

Perhaps no one succeeded more than former forward Eric Ehn, who during his junior season at Air Force in 2006-2007, was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award after finishing the season with 64 points, good for second in the nation.

Ehn played in Waterford from 2000-2002 and is now stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara, Calif., in space and missiles training, but did play one game with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors this year.

“When we had Eric, you could just tell he was a special player,” Metro GM Butch Wolfe said. “But did I ever think he would go on to be one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker? Not in a million years. He showed that hard work definitely pays off, that’s for sure.”

One of two Jets’ alumni in the North American Hockey League this year is North Iowa Outlaws’ defenseman Jacob DeSano. The other is Mahoning Valley Phantoms forward Nick Kenney, who was Metro’s top scorer during the 2006-2007 campaign with 31 goals among 66 points (tied for sixth in the entire CSHL).

DeSano played with Metro last year and recorded nine goals and 23 points in 46 games along with 154 penalty minutes.

“We are proud to have given Jake the experience to get to the next level,” Wolfe said.

Several other former Jets are playing professionally such as forwards Jeremy Scherlinck (Wheeling/ECHL), Dominic Osman (Fort Wayne/IHL), Wylie Rogers (Rio Grande Valley/CHL) and Tyler Sims (Mississippi/CHL).

Steve Oleksy is playing Division I hockey with Lake Superior State and a handful of others are honing their skills at the Division III and ACHA levels.

Though their season might not reflect it, the Jets are looking to promote a handful of players next season and one in particular, goaltender Colin Greeley (Howell), was a fourth-round pick of the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit last May and had a terrific camp with the Spirit this past September before signing with the Jets.

“Colin has seen a lot of shots this year and his record may not show it, but he’s played well and kept us in a number of games,” added Wolfe. “We’ve also had inquiries from teams in the NAHL, and even some colleges about some of our players, so we look forward to seeing our players moving up the hockey ladder.”

Kenney photo by Robert Meyer/NAHL

Whalers still making adjustments

Courtesy Plymouth Whalers

The situation is starting to look up for the Plymouth Whalers.

Even after a 6-1 loss to Peterborough to close out November on Saturday, the Whalers are 3-2-1-0 with Mike Vellucci as head coach and are starting to show signs of life.

Plymouth’s 2-1 victory over the top-ranked Windsor Spitfires on Thanksgiving Eve and a 4-3 win in Sarnia November 28 is direct proof.

Whalers goaltender Matt Hackett backstopped the Windsor win as the game’s first star, stopping 34 of 35 shots in goal. After Eric Wellwood gave Windsor a 1-0 lead at 7:51 of the first period, Michal Jordan tied the game late in the period when he accepted Tyler J. Brown’s pass at center and skated into the Windsor zone to the right circle. Jordan beat Windsor goaltender Andrew Engelage with a hard shot that caught the Windsor netminder back in his blue crease.

Hackett took over from that point and was the difference in the hockey game. He saved his best work of the game in the third period when he stopped the OHL’s leading scorer Taylor Hall and then Dale Mitchell on breakaways.

The Whalers have revived their forecheck under Vellucci and used that skill to take their only lead of the game in the third period. Good work deep in the Windsor zone by the forward line of Vern Cooper, AJ Jenks and Kaine Geldart resulted in Cooper’s goal on a scramble in front of the Windsor net at 10:57.

With Jenks already serving a tripping penalty at 18:44 of the third period, Windsor head coach Bob Boughner called a time-out and pulled Engelage for a 6-on-4 manpower advantage. Hall’s shot from the right circle clanged off the cross bar in the final minute and the Whalers blocked several Windsor shots to preserve the victory.

“I’m very proud of the team,” said Vellucci after the game. “You saw at the end (of the game) there, Geldart going down, blocking shots, then he turns his back on the play to block another shot. With that kind of heart and determination, it doesn’t matter what kind of team you have – if you’re very talented or not, you have to block shots and you have to pay the price. Our guys did that tonight.”

Vellucci feels the Whalers are starting to believe they can turn things around.

“It’s all about belief,” Vellucci said. “The guys are a little down right now, but we’re 2-1-1-0 in our last four games and probably should have won against Sault Ste. Marie (5-4 overtime loss last Saturday). Our guys are working hard, working hard in practice. We’re fixing a few little things and those things are working out right now."

Hackett had a good month of November, posting a 2.84 goals against average and .907 save percentage in six games.

“'Hack' played great,” Vellucci said. “He came up big and made some big saves when we needed them. He has a calming effect in the net. He keeps everything in front of him and deserves to win tonight as much as anybody.”

Hackett was the third star in Sarnia, stopping 30 of 33 shots as Plymouth built leads of 2-0 and 4-1.

The Whalers had a territorial edge in the first period, outshooting Sarnia, 15-6, in the period and receiving a pair of goals from Ryan Hayes (pictured) at 16:46 (tap of a rebound from the right wing off Tyler J. Brown’s shot from the left boards) and 18:05 (power play goal scored with a quick one-timer from the left hashmark). Sarnia cut the Plymouth lead to 2-1 at 8:37 of the second period on Jordan Hill’s shot from the left point that deflected over Hackett’s shoulder. But Plymouth came back to score a pair of goals 1:08 apart to build a 4-1 lead and chase starting Sarnia goaltender Dan Spence when Jenks ripped a hard shot from the left hashmark at 10:16 and Patrick Lee scored on a shot from the right-wing half-wall at 11:24.

"The first period we played like we were still on the bus coming home from Sault Ste. Marie," Sarnia head coach Dave MacQueen told the Sarnia Observer. "We knew Plymouth would come in here and play with a lot of energy and we didn't respond. But in the second and third periods we played hard and generated a lot of chances. We have a few guys snake-bitten around the net right now. I think Steve Reese had five point blank shots, but couldn't put one in."

MacQueen added, "When we cut the lead to 2-1 in the second period, we needed a couple of saves and we didn't get them. Those third and fourth goals are pucks that have to be stopped."

Spence was replaced by rookie goaltender Shayne Campbell at that point in the game. Spence – playing in his 15th straight game – stopped 20-of-24 shots he faced.

Sarnia cut the Plymouth lead to 4-2 with four seconds left in the second period on Neal’s one-timer from the slot and came to within one on Jamie Arniel’s put-back of a rebound from the right doorstep off a Justin DiBenedetto shot from the slot.

Plymouth killed off two Sarnia power plays in the third period when Leo Jenner went off for holding at 5:29 and Tyler J. Brown was called for hooking at 13:30. Sarnia outshot Plymouth, 11-4, in the third period, but Hackett and the Plymouth penalty killers did a good job. Hackett made a good stop on Reese with five minutes remaining after he was set up in the slot by Neal, who was behind the Plymouth goal.

MacQueen pulled Campbell with about a minute left in regulation for the extra attacker. With a faceoff in the Plymouth zone, MacQueen called a time-out with 41.2 seconds remaining, but the Sting couldn’t find the equalizer. With 2.9 seconds left and another faceoff in the Plymouth zone, Vellucci called a time-out to set defensive strategy. Jenks lost the draw to Arniel, who tried to take a shot off the faceoff from the right circle, but his shot went wide as time expired.

On Saturday, Peterborough took a 4-0 lead after 20 minutes and rode goaltender Jason Missiaen’s goaltending in the second period when the Whaler tried to come back in the game.

"We got to their goalie who didn't have his best night," Peterborough head coach Ken McRae told the Peterborough Examiner. "We got a big lead and were able to hang on. 'Mish' played really well especially in the second period. We knew they were going to come out hard in the second period and we were kind of on our heels.

"When you get up four or five goals everybody thinks they're going to get six points and they get away from what got you the lead."

The Whalers hit the road this week, playing in Peterborough on Thursday and Oshawa on Friday before returning home on Saturday to face Sault Ste. Marie. Captain Chris Terry is back skating with the team and is listed as day-to-day, but Tyler G. Brown suffered a broken finger in blocking a shot last weekend and will be out of the lineup this weekend.

PLYMOUTH SCORING IN NOVEMBER: The Whalers featured balanced scoring in November. Four players scored eight points in November – AJ Jenks (5 goals and 3 assists), Patrick Lee (4-4), Vern Cooper (4-4) and Tyler J. Brown (2-6). Three Whalers scored seven points – Tyler Seguin (3-4), Kaine Geldart (2-5), Michal Jordan (1-6). Two more players scored six points – Joe Gaynor (2-4) and Beau Schmitz (2-4).

WHALERS STANDING PAT FOR NOW: Vellucci was recently featured by Jim Parker of the Windsor Star last Saturday and told the reporter he’ll continue to evaluate his team into December.

"In a month, I’ll know better where we're at," Vellucci said. "I believe we should be there (contending), but believing it and getting there are two different things."

Photo by Walt Dmoch/Plymouth Whalers

NTDP, Teddy Bear Toss on tap for Rangers

For the first and only time in the month of December, the Marquette Rangers will skate at Lakeview Arena, taking on the U.S. National Team Development Program this Friday and Saturday evening.

Marquette (10-12-4, 24 pts) currently sits in a fourth place tie with the Alpena Ice Diggers in the North Division. Both Marquette and Alpena trail the NTDP by two points coming into this weekend.

The Rangers come into this series with mixed results from last weekends’ NAHL North Division Showcase hosted by Mahoning Valley.

“We are obviously not happy with the 1-2 record,” Marquette head coach Kenny Miller said. “The way we were playing before the Showcase, we felt as though we could get all six points, so to get two out of six points was not what we expected.

“In order for us to win we need our best players to be better than the other team's best players, and that really showed Saturday night (a 5-2 win over Mahoning Valley.) Unfortunately for us on Sunday, we got production from those players, but it wasn’t enough to get the win against Alpena.”

The Rangers return home to take on an Under-17 team that swept the Rangers earlier this season in Ann Arbor by scores of 4-0 and 3-2. John Hynes’ team continues to be lead in scoring by Emerson Etem and Matthew Nieto, two California natives each with 11 points on the season.

The NTDP did not play in the Showcase last weekend.

Miller knows his team has to be ready to play.

“We will continue to play our game plan, but may be more physical with them then we normally would,” Miller continued. “We will stick to the things that make us successful, which is competing, playing hard, and solid goaltending. If we can do that, it will translate into offensive and everything should work out accordingly.”

The Rangers are lead in scoring by Chad Pietila with 24 points (7g, 17a) and Jimmy Gallagher with 22 points on nine goals to go along with 13 assists. The Rangers have also been getting solid offensive production from their defensive corps this season. Defensemen Michael Thompson, Reed Rushing and Ryan McGrath are all in the top 12 among defensive players in scoring in the NAHL.

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The Marquette Rangers will be conducting the team's first-ever “Teddy Bear Toss” this Friday night when they take the ice against the U.S. National Team Development Program. Once collected, the team will take all the stuffed animals to the Marquette General Foundation to be distributed among pediatric related units within Marquette General Health Systems.

“We’re very excited about this opportunity to have some fun with our fans and to help local kids,” said Rangers spokesman Mark Evans. “Other groups have conducted similar toy drives in the past and we certainly don’t want to take away from their efforts and the groups that they support. But unlike many toy drives where the animals go to charity, our bears and animals will go directly to kids who are in the hospital and away from family and friends.”

Evans added that some of the toys will go to help kids who may be facing serious distress and trauma.

“We’ve been told that MGH EMS has requested some of the animals to have for their ambulance crews," Evans said. "I have two kids and I know nothing calms a frightened child quite like a furry new friend. Sadly, some of these kids might be facing a scary situation with a sick or injured family member right in their own home, the place where they’re supposed to feel the safest. If crews in the field have these animals with them, that can go a long way to helping the situation.”

The only requirement is that the animals be new and that the store tags be attached if at all possible.

When and how the teddy bears are tossed at the game will also have a different twist to it. Fans are asked to hold their animals until the Rangers score their first goal of the game. To celebrate the goal, fans are asked to toss their animals out on to the ice. The Rangers players will then collect and bag the animals from the ice for distribution at the MGH Foundation.

North Showcase lives up to its billing

By Brian McDonough, NAHL.com

It’s only been around a couple of years, but the NAHL’s North Division Showcase is quickly becoming another highly-regarded scouting spectacle for the league to hang its hat on and it proved that again over Thanksgiving weekend.

With the exception of the U.S. National Team, every club from the NAHL’s North Division, along with the South Division’s St. Louis Bandits, converged on the Youngstown, Ohio, area for three games and, as expected, the event hit on all cylinders.

“The tournament was a tremendous success from a scouting standpoint,” said Traverse City North Stars head coach Anthony Palumbo, whose team finished 1-1-1 at the Showcase. “There were many Division I and III scouts there to provide great exposure for our players. It was a really great opportunity for our players to showcase their skills.”

No less than 40 Division I and III schools were represented at the three-day event, including Bowling Green State University, Brown University, Ohio State University and Merrimack College to name a few.

“As players, I don’t think our guys could’ve asked for a better place to showcase themselves in front of all the college recruiters in attendance throughout the weekend,” added Alpena IceDiggers assistant coach Justin Bracci, whose team posted a 2-1 mark at the Showcase.

“It's what we're all about at this level - getting our players prepared and moved onto the next level,” said Mahoning Valley Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt, whose team went 2-1. “Getting scouts and coaches into the building is a huge part of the Showcase and we're thrilled to have had so many in attendance this year.”

And speaking of attendance, the fan support didn’t disappoint either.

Well over 5,000 people made their way to the Chevrolet Centre and the Ice Zone, which played host to the nine games over the weekend, much to the delight of the Phantoms staff.

“Obviously, the scout exposure is the key to this event, but we’re very excited to have such a large fan turnout over a holiday weekend,” said Mainhardt.

One of the highlights of the Showcase was Mahoning Valley’s spirited 3-2 shootout win over Traverse City on Friday, as over 3,900 came through the Chevy Centre turnstiles to see the hometown Phantoms kick off the event with a win.

“It was an experience our boys will talk about long after their hockey careers are over,” said Palumbo. “The atmosphere was incredible and the fans couldn’t have been treated to a more entertaining game.”

And for Phantoms forward Jordy Trottier, who tallied a goal in regulation and one in the shootout, the game held extra meaning.

“I was pumped up because my uncle Bryan (Trottier) was in the crowd," said Jordy. “It always gets the juices flowing to know there's an NHL Hall of Famer in the house watching me play.”

Staged in January last year, the Showcase was moved to November this season to offer more exposure for the division’s players just two months after the NAHL Showcase Tournament, which is held annually in Minnesota.

“The timing couldn't be better,” said Mainhardt.

Neither could the competitiveness.

No team at this year’s event left with a perfect record and all but two games were decided by two goals or less.

“I think that’s just an indication of the parity in our league and that you need to be ready to play every night,” said Palumbo.

“We've been saying all year that we play in the toughest division in the league and I think the tournament results are a testament to that,” added Mainhardt, whose team sits atop the North Division heading into December. “The North Division showed that its teams can beat anyone, which is going to make for an exciting race the rest of the way.”

St. Louis forward Andrew Hamburg led the tournament's charge offensively with a goal and eight assists, with teammate Justin Kirchhevel right behind him with four goals and three assists. Marquette Rangers forward Chad Pietila tallied a goal and five assists. The Bandits’ Keith Kincaid and the Phantoms’ Jordan Tibbett each picked up two victories between the pipes.

St. Louis finished with a 2-1 record, Motor City at 1-1-1 and Marquette at 1-2.

“Having a great facility like the Chevy Center to stage this event, and the support from the city of Youngstown, was a tribute to how far the NAHL has come in the development of so many young hockey players,” said Bracci.

Machine players hope to read 10,000 books

Motor City Machine players Nate Taurence, Bennett Schneider, Ali Dakroub and Alec Thieda joined Taft Elementary School in Wyandotte in their goal to read 10,000 books by year’s end.

“Every week we get the chance to meet different kids in the communities and help them through their toughest challenge in life, school,” explains Thieda.

Motor City has been to over 12 different schools ranging from ages 5-14 throughout the Downriver area as they introduce themselves to the communities. Taft has been a hot spot for Machine players because of its location right down the street.

“The students get so excited when they hear the whispers of hockey players returning to the classrooms," says school principal Christine Mathews. "It helps us keep them focused on their reading goals as these young players demonstrate reading skills and interact with them about their school work."

Motor City will continue to visit more schools as the year goes on, but Taft has become an anchor in leading the way to promote education over everything else in life.

Team leaders hope to lead Jets' turnaround

No one is making excuses for the horrid season the Metro Jets are having, but several players are taking steps to hopefully turn things around as early as this weekend.

“I think we could have a good second half if we all buy into the systems and stop having so many mental lapses,” third-year defenseman and assistant captain Brett Grech (Hartland) said. “We just have to make simple and easy plays. As one of the older guys, we all try to lead on the ice during games and everyday at practice.”

Second-year forward Steve Wiechec (Troy) has optimism that the Jets (3-15-0-1) can get untracked, but it won’t be easy.

“The only way we are going to do this is to show more heart and working harder on and off the ice,” Wiechec said. “Some of the steps we have taken so far are leading by example during practice. If the guys see you working your bag off during practices and games, then they are going to want to do the same thing.

“Part of our problem is that we have young, immature guys that don’t have the work ethic yet. We just have to keep pushing them.”

Scoring goals and preventing goals have been the two glaring problems this year and a third, goaltending, is only a matter of time before that rights itself.

“We’ve been rotating our three goalies and we’re still waiting for one to go on a run and steal us a game,” Metro head coach Jamie Hayden said. “Or at least keep us in a game.”

As hard as it is to forget the first 19 games of the season, moving forward seems to be the only choice for Metro and Saturday night can’t come soon enough.

Rangers off to North Division Showcase

Following a three-point weekend in which the Marquette Rangers earned their first ever win against the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 squad, Marquette now heads to Boardman, Ohio, for the second annual North American Hockey League North Division Showcase hosted by Mahoning Valley.

Marquette (9-10-4, 22 pts.) will play three games over three days at both the IceZone and the Chevrolet Center. The Rangers will face the two-time defending Robertson Cup champions, the St. Louis Bandits, on Friday evening and the host Phantoms on Saturday evening before taking on Alpena Sunday afternoon.

“This is a great opportunity for our kids,” Rangers head coach Kenny Miller said. “They’ll get the chance to play in front of a lot of college scouts, which is always a good thing. We do have to make sure we go down there and do our job, though, and make sure to put on a good show for the people who are there to watch our guys.

“With three games in three days we know it will be a tough test as we have a tough schedule facing the defending champions and then the top team in our division (Mahoning Valley), so we know we need to be ready.”

Marquette has won three of their last four games to climb into fourth place in the North Division standings, two points behind the USNTDP heading into this weekend.

“We’re getting very good goaltending and we’re starting to figure things out as a team,” Miller added. “We’ve changed our style a bit with the personnel changes we’ve made, but we still need to play 60 minutes every night to have success and the past few weeks we’ve been doing that, so I like where we are heading into this weekend.”

James Gallagher and Chad Pietila continue to lead the team in scoring with 18 points apiece heading into the showcase. Eight Rangers players have scored in double digits for Marquette during the first quarter of the 2008-09 season.

Dan Sullivan continues to see the bulk of the workload in net for the Rangers. After seven games in a Rangers uniform, Sullivan has a 4-2-1 record and boasts a 2.12 goals-against average and a save percentage of .923.

This weekend’s action could see some separation in the North Division standings as Traverse City and Mahoning Valley are now tied for the top spot with 28 points apiece, followed by the USNTDP (who is not in the Showcase) with 24 points. Marquette has 22 points, Alpena 20, Motor City eight.

The Rangers return home next weekend to face the USNTDP Under-17 squad Friday and Saturday at Lakeview Arena.

Romaniski resigns as Machine coach, GM

The Motor City Machine announced today that Matt Romaniski has resigned as the team’s head coach and general manager, effective immediately.

Machine assistant coach Sean Clark will take over as the team’s interim head coach.

“Matt has been an important part of this organization from the beginning and we can’t thank him enough for all the hard work and contributions he’s made to help get this team off the ground,” said Machine president Marc Schneider.

Clark, from Troy, spent his college playing days in the WIAC at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire before moving on to the professional level with the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL.

After his playing career, Clark became an assistant coach for the Metro Jets of the Central States League before serving as head coach of the Michigan Jaguars during the 2006-07 season. After leaving the Jaguars, Clark jumped on board with the USA Hockey Select 17 staff in 2008.

Since 2006, Clark has been with CORE Sports Fitness, where he serves as a skating instructor, performance coach and business director. He’s also the creator, director and head instructor of Kris Draper’s CORE Fundamentals Hockey School.

North Stars readying for North Showcase

The Traverse City North Stars will get to enjoy an early Thanksgiving holiday in the company of kith and kin, but not for long.

After seven straight weeks of North American Hockey League action, the team enjoyed its first break of the season two weeks ago and picked up two of a possible four points last weekend in Marquette. The first-place Stars (13-3-2) will soak up a holiday respite this weekend, in advance of the Nov. 28-30 North Division Showcase in Youngstown, Ohio.

“We used that first weekend off to get healthy, and we’ve been able to work on our power play this week,” said Traverse City head coach-GM Anthony Palumbo, whose club went 0-for-16 in Marquette and fell from second in the league in power play efficiency to sixth. “It’s been struggle for us (on the power play), even before the Marquette series we could kind of see it. So this week has been just what we needed to focus on that aspect of the game.”

While players will get a chance to head home for the brief break, there’ll be plenty of scoreboard-watching as well. Second-place Mahoning Valley plays a pair of contests at the third-place Team USA U-17s, Marquette also visits Ann Arbor for two against the U-18s and Alpena visits Motor City in a Saturday-Sunday series. Mahoning can grab a share of the NAHL North lead with a sweep.

The teams will get a chance to sort it out for themselves the following weekend in Youngstown, with Traverse City facing off against Mahoning Valley, Alpena and interdivisional foe St. Louis at the three-day, two-venue showcase.

“It’s really a great event,” Palumbo added. “The response from colleges has been phenomenal and there’ll be a lot of them there to watch. Everyone will be trying to put their best foot forward all weekend.”

Jets finding rough times in '08-09 season

It’s easy to look at the standings and realize that the Metro Jets haven’t had the easiest of times early on in the Central States Hockey League season.

After all, the Jets’ 3-13-0-1 record is good for 11th overall in the 12-team CSHL.

But Metro head coach Jamie Hayden isn’t about to give up hope that the season can’t be salvaged and pointed to the obvious, while being blunt about the team’s situation.

“The past two games, we haven’t been competitive,” Hayden said. “Last year, our record wasn’t very good, but we must have lost 15-20 games by two goals or less. We weren’t getting blasted like we are this year. It’s all mental preparation where the guys aren’t ready to go when we get on the ice and it snowballs where we get down by two, three, even four goals and they get the ‘Ah, here we go again’ feeling. That needs to change.”

That said, Hayden wants the players to take ownership of the team and to start showing a sense of pride each time they put on a Jets jersey, even if the team’s next four games are against three of the top teams in the CSHL (at Dubuque, home vs. St. Louis, at Toledo) and the Jets haven’t beat any of those teams yet this season.

“We have a lot of guys who are great practice players, but when the games start, for whatever reason, they just can’t go,” said Hayden. “All of our systems are very basic and nothing, I think, that is above their ability. Every one of our players needs to look in the mirror and figure out what they’re bringing to the table or what they’ve done so far or recently. They have to make those changes individually.

“But until those changes are made or corrected, we’re not going to look too impressive out there.”

Whalers making changes in right direction

Courtesy Plymouth Whalers

If you chat informally with Plymouth Whalers president, general manager and head coach Mike Vellucci, he might tell you about the way he cuts his lawn. Like many of us, Vellucci is a creature of habit when it comes to his yard work. The grass has to be cut a certain way – and the job really isn’t finished until the lawn is edged properly.

It’s going to take a little more time than edging the lawn, but the Whalers showed definite signs of improvement during Vellucci’s first two games behind the bench. Playing before sellout crowds November 14-15 at Compuware Arena, the Whalers defeated Saginaw, 5-1 and lost, 6-2, to London.

Plymouth played with emotion and purpose over Scouts Weekend at Compuware Arena.
After taking over the team on November 10 for practice and then playing four days later, it seemed like Vellucci didn’t have a whole lot of time for changes in Plymouth’s systems. That wasn’t the case.

“I thought our forecheck struggled a bit before,” Vellucci said. “We want to get after the other team all the time and don’t let them make plays. We’re a big, strong, physical team and we want to go after the smaller defensemen. I thought we forechecked well tonight. I thought on our power play, our puck movement was very good with a lot of shots and a lot of traffic in front.”

Plymouth captain Chris Terry – out for the next couple of weeks with mononucleosis – saw a difference in his team.

“Mike is an old coach for me, but he’s actually pretty new to a lot of the guys,” Terry said during the London game. “This week in practice, we looked really good, really sharp. There’s a lot of good, positive energy out there and it showed last night and I think last night it showed in a good win. We played a good team game against Saginaw, with lots of scoring spread out. I think we can turn it around.”

In the victory over Saginaw, rookie Tyler Seguin emerged as the game’s first star with a goal and two assists. The Whalers also received goals from Tyler J. Brown, Tyler G. Brown, Vern Cooper and Ryan Hayes. In addition, goaltender Jeremy Smith was sharp, stopping 26 of 27 shots in earning the game’s third star.

“Smith made some critical stops when it was 2-1 or 3-1,” Vellucci said after the game. “Jeremy’s a great goalie. I know he’s been getting blamed lately, but I don’t think we were helping him much in our own end as much as we did tonight. There were a lot of guys blocking shots and paying the price tonight. I may have counted 25 or 30 blocked shots tonight. And that’s the kind of effort we need.”

In Terry’s absence, Vellucci put together a forward line of Seguin (the Whalers first-round pick last spring) with Hayes and Tyler J. Brown and the line clicked for three goals and four assists in the victory.

“We talked before the game as a team and (it seemed) like we clicking for the entire 60 minutes,” Seguin said. “At the beginning of the game, Coach Vellucci asked our line to have a real hard-hitting first shift so we could get things going for the rest of the game.”

“We had a great shift to start the game,” Hayes said. “One of our goals at the beginning of the game was to get it in deep and start banging bodies. Every line was going great. Seguin’s got some offensive gifts. It’s nice to play with guys like that.”

Whalers defenseman Josh Bemis – who scored his first OHL goal in the game against London – saw a difference after one period of play.

“We came out with an edge in the first period and if we continue that for the rest of the game we’ll be happy,” Bemis said. “One thing we worked on all week was our forecheck and making sure we’re pressuring them hard in their zone. It paid off, definitely.”

Bemis said that the Whalers know that with a coaching change, the onus now falls on the players.

“We know we all have to step it up for sure,” Bemis said. “We’re not happy with the way things have been so far. If we all step it up, things will improve.”

Even in losing to London the next night, the buzz returned to Compuware Arena – and it wasn’t just the fact the scouts thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The hard core Whaler fans saw a team playing with emotion.

The rest of the OHL is watching the Whalers with interest.

“There are going to be a lot of teams – not just in the Western Conference, but in the Ontario Hockey League – who will be watching Plymouth very carefully,” said London Knights play-by-play voice Mike Stubbs. “Because, as much as they may not be number one, two, or three in the standings, with Mike Vellucci back behind the bench, it’s one of those cases where this team doesn’t rebuild. You don’t get used to seeing the Plymouth Whalers down in the standings at all. I don’t think they’re going to stay there very long.

“Plymouth has always been a skating team, even dating back to the days of Peter DeBoer. Plymouth comes at you and comes at you and is relentless. If you’re not ready to play, they’ll catch you and they will make you pay for it. I have no doubt that that’s the kind of team they’ll be turned into. So the climb up the ladder has started for the Plymouth Whalers.”

Much like using a weed whacker, Vellucci and the Whalers will continue to chip away at improving and making the playoffs.

Photo by Walt Dmoch/Plymouth Whalers

Rangers travel to NTDP this weekend

Fresh off a sweep of top-ranked Traverse City, the Marquette Rangers head to Ann Arbor this weekend for a series with the United States National Team Development Program's Under-18 squad.

Marquette usually plays the USNTDP U-17 team, but North American Hockey League North Division teams must all play the U-18 squad twice each season, with both games counting in the NAHL standings.

“We feel really good,” Rangers head coach Kenny Miller said. “Any time you can take four points from the first-place team it’s always a plus. We think if we compete and play hard like we did last weekend we should have some success down there against USA.”

The coach went on to say he feels like things are coming together for his squad as the season goes along.

“We’ve made some personnel changes that most people are aware of and these guys have brought some experience and some leadership to this team and have come in done what we expected and the rest of the team has responded," said Miller. "We still need to work hard to get better every day to continue to have the success we saw last weekend.”

Going into this weekend's series, the Rangers (8-10-3, 19 pts) trail Team USA by two points for third place in the North Division and are three points ahead of fifth-place Alpena.

The USNTDP leads the season series over Marquette, 2-0, with the two wins in Ann Arbor in October. So far in four NAHL games, the U-18 squad is led in scoring by Drew Shore (4g 4a, 8pts) and Jeremy Morin (2g 4a, 6pts).

In net, head coach Ron Rolston has split time between Brandon Maxwell and Adam Murray. Maxwell is undefeated in NAHL play at 2-0 with a 4.00 goals-against average to complement a save percentage of .795. Murray sports a 3.87 GAA and a save percentage of .800.

The Rangers continue to be led in scoring by James Gallagher (6g 11a, 17pts). The recent University of Connecticut recruit also notched the game-winning goal last Saturday in a 2-1 overtime win against Traverse City. Chad Pietila (5g 11a, 16pts) and Aaron Pietila (7g 8a, 15pts) continue to keep pace with Gallagher for scoring leadership on the team.

The big story for the Rangers has been the emergence of Dan Sullivan in goal. The York, Pa., native is 3-2 since joining the team from the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League. Sullivan’s two wins this past weekend, coupled with a GAA of 1.78 and a save percentage of .928, earned him GDI/NAHL Goalie of The Week honors on Monday.

Overtime work pays off for Marquette

Courtesy NAHL.com

The Marquette Rangers couldn’t have picked a better weekend to pocket their first sweep of the season, knocking off the North Division-leading Traverse City North Stars twice in dramatic overtime fashion.

“We knew going in we would have our hands full,” said Rangers head coach Kenny Miller, whose team improved to 8-10-3 on the season. “That’s a good Traverse City team, so for us to come out and play with that kind of emotion was good to see as a coach.”

On Friday, Michael Thompson’s goal in the extra session lifted the Rangers to a 3-2 victory.

Kyle Heck and Dustin Partacz (pictured) scored in regulation for Marquette and goaltender Dan Sullivan turned aside 34 shots.

James Gallagher struck in overtime the next night as the Rangers bested the North Stars, 2-1.

Reed Rushing rang up the other Marquette marker and Sullivan made 22 saves between the pipes.

“We played hard, competed for loose pucks, won the 1-on-1 battles and we got solid play in our own end,” said Miller.

And Sullivan took care of the rest, allowing only three goals the entire weekend. Since being acquired recently from the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, the 19-year-old from York, Pa., is carrying a stingy 1.78 goals-against average along with a .928 save percentage in five appearances.

“Dan has been outstanding back there,” said Miller. “He gives us a chance to win every night and when your goaltenders do that, good things usually happen for your hockey club.”

Gallagher, who recently committed to the University of Connecticut for next season, has led the Rangers’ offensive charge in the early goings. The 20-year-old Marquette product has 17 points on six goals, including his sweep-clinching tally on Saturday.

“When Jimmy is going and playing hard and doing all the little things to help this team win, he’s a guy who can turn a game around,” said Miller. “He worked hard for his OT goal and I’m happy for him.”

Miller is also ecstatic with the early returns of Rushing, a defenseman whom the Rangers acquired in a trade for forward Josh Bussell earlier this month. In his first five games with Marquette, the 20-year-old NAHL veteran from Seattle has pitched in a goal and two helpers.

“He’s starting to take on a leadership role on the blue line and you can tell by his play,” said Miller. “He’s very poised back there.”

With a fourth-place position in the North Division standings, Miller, in his first season behind the Rangers’ bench, was hoping for a better start to the season, but is confident last weekend’s wins over the North Stars will inject some newfound energy into his locker room.

“We had a slow start, but we feel we’re starting to turn the corner and we also understand that we have to play each and every night with the kind of passion we played with this past weekend,” said the coach. “We like our team’s makeup, so it should be interesting to see how we do on this road trip we have coming up.”

That road swing entails the Rangers playing nine of their next 12 games away from Lakeview Arena, starting with a two-game set in Ann Arbor against the U.S. Under-17 Team this weekend. Marquette has only won one game on the road this season (1-7-3).

“We haven’t had much success on the road so far, but I think if we play hard and do all the little things we do when we play here at Lakeview, then good thing are bound to happen for us,” said Miller.

And that means a repeat performance of last weekend, in which the Rangers has command of all three zones of the ice for a majority of play.

“We have to compete like that every night in order to be successful,” said Miller.

Despite the sub-par start, that hasn’t stopped the Rangers from making headlines on the college front with the recent commitments of Gallagher and Kevin Gravel (St. Cloud State University). Miller has little doubt more good news will follow in that department.

“This team, in my opinion, has several players that can play at the collegiate level and there are several schools showing interest in these guys,” he said. “I’m excited about the prospects we have and we hope we can add to our list of committed players in the near future.”

Photo by RJ Meyer/NAHL