Michigan juniors weekend recap

All six Michigan junior teams were in action this past weekend.

The Plymouth Whalers won another shootout, 3-2, in Guelph Friday night. James Neal and Evan Brophey scored shootout goals, while goaltender Jeremy Smith stopped all three Guelph shots. Earlier, Frank Grzeszczak scored his first OHL goal and Neal also scored. Saturday night at home, Neal scored the shootout winner and Steve Ward, Chris Terry, Dan Collins and Tom Sestito all scored. A.J. Jenks added two assists for Plymouth and Michal Neuvirth earned the win in net. The Whalers are at Owen Sound Friday and at Mississauga Saturday.

Saginaw lost, 4-3, in a shootout in Sarnia Friday night, but won their first game of the season, 5-3, Saturday night at home against Windsor. Friday, Patrick Asselin, captain Tyler Haskins and Ryan McDonough scored and Ryan Daniels made 43 saves. Tom Pyatt had two goals and two assists in Saturday's win and Asselin added two goals as well. Jack Combs potted the other and Daniels stopped 26 shots. The Spirit play two home games this weekend with Ottawa Saturday night and a Sunday matinee with Sudbury.

The Alpena IceDiggers/Traverse City North Stars rivalry continued as the teams split their weekend home-and-home series. On Friday, host Alpena dropped Traverse City, 5-1, as Erik Peterson (2), Ricardo Yesue, Ben Kitzmiller and Drew Pierson scored to back Shawn Hunwick's 20 saves. Harrison Niemann tallied for TC and Stefan Shively and Ryan Donovan combined for 27 saves. Saturday night in Traverse City, the North Stars held on for a 4-3 win. Brett Englebright, Sebastion Kimmel, Matt Hughes and Jonathan Juliano scored for Traverse City while Nolan Craner scored twice and Pierson once for the 'Diggers. Shively stopped 33 shots and Hunwick made 25 saves. Traverse City will travel to Marquette for a two-game set against the Rangers this weekend. Alpena hosts the U.S. Under-17 team on Friday and Saturday night.

Marquette was idle last weekend and hosts Traverse City this weekend.

Paul Isleib picked a good time to score his first two goals of the NOJHL season for the Soo Indians. Saturday at Big Bear Arena, Isleib's goal with less than five minutes to play in the third period tied the score before his overtime tally just 41 seconds into the extra frame gave the Indians a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Abitibi Eskimos. The victory gives the Indians a 5-1 record as they prepare to play host to the defending champion Sudbury Northern Jr. Wolves on Friday night at 7:00 at Big Bear. James Ciotti and Sean Farley had scored earlier goals for the Indians and Isleib's timely tallies made a winner out of goalie Elliot Hogue, who turned aside 27 shots for his third straight win to start the season. The win over Abitibi came a night after the Indians lost for the first time this season, a 5-3 road setback at Manitoulin. Farley, Nick Novak and Nick Zilka scored for the Indians in defeat. Jake Rosenthal stopped 22 shots for the Indians.