Whalers struggling, still trying to find way

It’s fair to say that the Plymouth Whalers are going to have to work for every one of their wins and subsequent points this season.

That fact became evident last weekend. After losing to London, 6-3, last Friday at the John Labatt Centre, the Whalers came back with a 6-2 victory over Kitchener on Saturday at Compuware Arena and then lost, 4-3 in overtime, Sunday evening in Sarnia against the Sting.

“We are making some strides,” said Plymouth head coach Greg Stefan. “It’s slower than expected, but it (Kitchener win, Sarnia OT loss) is a bright spot. We’re working collectively as a team and I think that’s important. We have to have everybody on the same page with our work ethic and our game plan has to be structured. If you are cheating the system a little bit, we don’t have the players that are going to score a lot of goals. So we have to be stronger defensively, pay the price and earn our goals with hard work.”

On Saturday, Plymouth earned the victory by outworking Kitchener over the final 40 minutes.

Although Florida prospect AJ Jenks (Wolverine Lake) led the Whalers attack with a pair of goals as the game’s first star, Plymouth received excellent offensive balance in the victory.

Import defenseman Jan Látal scored his first OHL goal and added an assist as the game’s second star, while rookie Myles McCauley (Sterling Heights) scored his first OHL goal and fellow rookie Jamie Devane scored his second-ever OHL goal. Veteran Joe Gaynor scored his fourth goal of the season and defensemen Michal Jordan and Beau Schmitz (Howell) contributed two assists apiece in the Whalers victory.

“That was the game plan coming in,” Jenks said. “We wanted to get everyone going and make sure everyone was working together. It was a good team victory tonight. It’s great to see guys get their first goal, especially a guy like Jan – he was pumped up for that and we’re all happy for him. You can’t depend on the same people night after night – you have to get contributions from everyone.”

“Obviously, with AJ and Chris (Terry) our two top scorers, teams are going to try to shut them down and see if we can beat them with anybody else,” Stefan said. “When we have that contribution from others, we’re going to have some success. If we can play four lines like we did against Kitchener, we can have some success.”

Goaltender Matt Hackett earned points against Kitchener and Sarnia and continues to give the Whalers an excellent compliment to Jeremy Smith (Brownstown).

“Matt got a chance to play last year when Jeremy was at World Juniors and held himself pretty well,” Stefan said. “Then down the stretch last year when Jeremy got hurt, Matt got some good experience and played for us again. Right now, we need both guys to play well for us to have success.”

Like Hackett, count veteran defenseman Leo Jenner (pictured) among the bright spots on the Whalers blue line this season. Jenner has developed is a dependable stay-at-home defender who is usually first on the Whalers penalty kill.

“Leo’s an outstanding penalty killer,” Stefan said. “He reads the situation quite well; he’s pretty aggressive and obviously real strong. We count on him quite a bit and missed him when he was suspended (five-game suspension September 19). You could tell then it hurt us. With him back there, with his size and strength and his penalty killing, Leo’s real important for us.”

Even though he’s a Whaler pup, Schmitz continues to receive more ice time as the season unfolds. Schmitz skates well back at the blue line and Stefan realizes Schmitz is going through a bit of a learning curve. Justin DiBenedetto worked around Schmitz to score the game-winner in Sarnia 23 seconds into overtime on Sunday.

“Beau is getting tons of ice time and he’s only 17-years-old,” Stefan said. “When you have a 17-year-old defenseman in his first year in the league playing against the top lines of the other team, you’re going to have some growing pains. But all in all, we’re thrilled with Beau and he’s playing over 20-plus minutes per game, which is more than he was playing at the start of the year. There are going to be mistakes, even in overtime. And it wasn’t just him (on the play) – you want your goaltender to take away the short side. An overage player like DiBenedetto is going to do some damage.

“But having said that, we’re very happy with Beau’s development and he’s going to be an outstanding defenseman for us in the future.”

Watching Schmitz now might remind Whalers fans of the progress of Jordan. Almost a year to the day after coming to Plymouth, Jordan skated nearly 35 minutes on Sunday in Sarnia in his third game in three days and played well.

“Michal’s obviously our best defenseman and he’s going to be out there quite a bit,” Stefan explained. “Sometimes we don’t want him out there as much as we have to, but we are. He's capable and he wants to be out there. Hopefully, we can wean back some of his minutes. If we can do that, he’ll be more effective and then so will everyone else.”

Photo by Walt Dmoch/Plymouth Whalers

Justice is served with gritty Jets forward

The points may not show it, but Jared Justice is a valuable component of the Metro Jets.

“Justice is a good kid and a hard worker,” Metro assistant coach Ryan Skop said. “He’s not very big, but he plays bigger than his size (5-foot-8, 145 pounds). You’re not going to find him at the top of the scoring list, but Jared does a lot of the little things to be effective.”

Justice, a Clarkston native who turns 17 in December, has three goals and five points this season and most recently has been on a line with Steve Wiechec (Troy) and Mark Malcolm (Casco Township). His offensive numbers, according to Skop, are a bonus considering where the team had Justice penciled in at the beginning of the season.

“He’s really taken to, and accepted, his role as an agitator on this team,” said Skop. “He does a really good job getting under the opposition’s skin. We didn’t give him much of a chance coming out of camp, but with roster spots opening up, he’s definitely made the most of the opportunities given to him.”

Still, Skop said there is work ahead for Justice, but if his season progresses like it has to this point, there is a very distinct possibility of seeing Justice in a different uniform come next season.

“Jared needs to continue to work hard,” Skop noted. “If he does that and keeps improving his overall game, he has the potential to advance to the next level.”

Machine players preach education importance

The Motor City Machine has been actively involved in local Downriver schools for the past month and this week wasn’t any different.

Sodt Elementary in Monroe was the target for the morning shift for players Mike Monfredo, Nick Grams and Jared Williams.

“Each week we visit different kids and talk to them about the importance of their studies, because with without proper schooling, I wouldn’t be here today,” commented Williams.

The final stop of the day saw Nick Taurence, Alec Thieda, Ali Dakroub, Kurtis Anton and Josh Bussell show their support at Taft Elementary in Wyandotte.

Taft students are working together to read 10,000 books by year’s end.

“We were thrilled to have the Machine players in to talk about their schooling growing up and how it’s still affecting their lives today,” said principal Christine Mathews.

The players talked to all levels of young and attentive students before handing out tickets and signing autographs.

“The most import thing in every kid’s life is school, especially reading," said Thieda. "I’m pumped to come back and read to these youngsters."

More school visits are to come as the Machine gets deeper into the home schedule.

Marquette's Gravel verbals to St. Cloud

Courtesy St. Cloud Times

Jim Gravel was a forward for the St. Cloud State hockey team from 1977-81. Like most fathers, he has high hopes for his son. Unlike many, he'll someday enjoy watching him play for his alma mater.

Kevin Gravel, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound, 16-year-old chip off the ol' block, elected to verbally commit to the Huskies on Tuesday.

"I was fortunate that my dad had the experience of playing in St. Cloud and he's taught me a lot in my hockey career," said Kevin Gravel, a defenseman who has two assists and is minus-1 with eight penalty minutes through 16 games for the NAHL's Marquette Rangers. "What he told me about St. Cloud attracted me from the start. I went there on a visit this summer and, after that, I pretty much knew that was the place for me. It's going to be a great fit."

Kevin Gravel elected to commit to SCSU despite a pair of full-scholarship offers from Michigan State and Northern Michigan.

"Both of those schools are in the CCHA and, nothing against them because they're great programs, I just think the WCHA is the best conference in college hockey," Kevin Gravel said. "Every weekend you're playing in some of the best buildings and in front of the best fans in the country."

Those schools had family connections, too. His older sister, Kelly, is a senior at Michigan State, and his mom, Kathy, graduated from Northern Michigan.

"His sister is disappointed and, of course, Northern Michigan would've been a lot closer to home, but I can't say I don't have a lot of pride in the fact that he's going to St. Cloud," said Jim Gravel, who lives in Kingsford. His son has moved in with his aunt and uncle's family in Marquette, about an hour-and-a-half northeast, so he can play in the NAHL.

"I always kind of hoped for this, but I also told him 'Hey, it's your decision. Don't do anything for me. You have to be comfortable with the choice you make,' " said Jim Gravel, who is vice-president at a bank in Kingsford. "He had other offers, but I think Mike Gibbons and Bob Motzko and Eric Rud recruited him hard and made an impression on him."

Jim Gravel, who is originally from Minneapolis, played on the same line with Jeff Passolt, who has since become more famous as a Twin Cities TV news anchor. Gravel also skated against Gibbons, then a defenseman at Bemidji State. Gravel coached his son in youth hockey, and Kevin was a forward until he reached bantam age and was playing for a team in Escanaba.

"He's a big, athletic kid with room to grow," said Jim Gravel, who scored 51 goals and totaled 101 points in his career under former head coach Charlie Basch. "Kevin's also got really good skating ability, which is why I think the SCSU coaches were so interested."

The Huskies' coaching staff is prohibited by NCAA regulations from making any public comment on recruits until they've signed a letter of intent.

"My points don't show it, but I like to jump up in the play," said Kevin Gravel, who won't turn 17 until March 6. "I'm a defense-first kind of guy, but I think I can add something in a lot of areas."

He's been drafted by Sioux City of the USHL, and likely will play there at least next season -- his senior year of high school -- before eventually coming to SCSU.

Photo by RJ Meyer/NAHL

Rangers host Alpena for three this week

The welcome mat at Lakeview Arena will be busy this weekend for the Marquette Rangers as the team will entertain the Alpena IceDiggers for three games Thursday, Friday and Saturday and will also introduce some newly-acquired players.

Along with defenseman Reed Rushing and the rights to forward Andy Inderieden, acquired in a trade with the Motor City Machine, the Rangers also obtained the rights to goaltender Dan Sullivan from the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League for future considerations.

Both Rushing and Sullivan are expected to be in the lineup this weekend against Alpena.

“Sullivan has been a junior player for a couple of years," said Marquette head coach Kenny Miller. "He has experience in the Eastern Junior Hockey League and the United States Hockey League and his numbers speak for themselves.”

The Rangers are hoping for continued success on home ice this weekend, as the team is 3-0 at Lakeview this season, including a 4-3 win over NAHL North Division leader Traverse City on September 26.

Marquette will be looking for some separation from Alpena in the standings as the Rangers lead the IceDiggers by a single point for fourth place in the North. So far this season, the IceDiggers hold a 2-1 advantage over the Rangers in head-to-head competition, with one of those wins coming in a shootout on October 11.

Something else the Rangers will try and change this weekend will be Alpena success above the bridge. Since joining the league in 2006-07, the Rangers have struggled at home against the IceDiggers with Alpena winning 11 games at Lakeview Arena; Marquette has won only three.

Marquette continues to be lead in scoring by Jimmy Gallagher (5g 10a, 15pts.) and Chad Pietila (4g 9a, 13pts.) with Aaron Pietila a close third on the team with 12 points (6g 6a.) Three Rangers players have nine points heading into the weekend.

Alpena has only one player with double-digit scoring so far this season in Erik Peterson, who has totaled 11 points on four goals and seven assists. The big addition to the IceDiggers' lineup has been the re-acquisition of goaltender Nick Graves from the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. So far Graves is 2-1 in his second tour with Alpena, and boasts a goals-against average of 2.77 to go along with a .922 save percentage.

Machine and Rangers swap big names

The Motor City Machine and Marquette Rangers completed a trade today that will see Machine forward Andy Inderieden and defenseman Reed Rushing head to the Upper Peninsula and forward Josh Bussell and a third-round draft pick coming back Downriver.

Bussell, a LaSalle native, has played in 72 games with 32 goals and 35 assists for Marquette over his year-and-a-half in the league. This season, he has eight goals and 13 points in 15 games.

“Josh has put up numbers every since he came into the league and we’re thrilled to have him on our team," Machine coach-GM Matt Romainski said. "He will be a great addition to our lines of Jared Williams and Billy Ballent, just to name a few."

Inderieden leaves with 13 games played with seven points, while Rushing skated in all 16 games and also tallied seven points.

“They have both been in the league a long time and have logged respected numbers throughout and I wish them the best of luck,” Romaniski added.

“We’ve said from the beginning that we needed to shore things up in our own end,” said Rangers head coach Kenny Miller. “Reed Rushing was an all-star defenseman last year and has proven he can play at a high level, so he’ll be a good compliment to our young guys and be a leader on the blueline. As young as we are, adding players who understand what it takes to compete and be successful at this level is important if we’re going to start a run heading into the middle part of our season.

"These guys are leaders who we’re confident will make a big difference for our club.”

Photo by RJ Meyer/NAHL

Soo hockey ambassador Giddings passes away

Traverse City's streak ends Saturday night

It was bound to happen eventually.

After winning 12 of their first 14 games this season – including the previous nine consecutive contests – the Traverse City North Stars lost a 6-2 decision to Mahoning Valley on Saturday night at Centre ICE arena in the second of a three-game series.

The Phantoms rattled off the first four goals of the contest over the first 12:37 of the first period and the host Stars couldn’t recover, despite outshooting Mahoning by a 35-24 margin. It was TC’s first home loss of the season.

“We did not come out ready to play and they did,” said Stars head coach-GM Anthony Palumbo. “I think we may have come out thinking it was going to be easy, though I have no idea why anyone would think that against a team like Mahoning. That surprised me, but we try not to get too high after wins and too low after losses.”

Down 4-0, the North Stars (12-3) made a bid in the second stanza, halving the deficit on goals by Dean Pawlaczyk and Nate Urbaniak, but couldn’t get any closer. Dan Radke and Eric McLintock assisted on Pawalczyk’s goal, while Kyle Bonis set up Urbaniak’s goal on a pretty give-and-go rush in the Mahoning zone.

The Phantoms, however, made it 5-2 just 1:05 into the third period to blunt any momentum TC had amassed.

With the loss – and Team USA’s rout of Motor City on Saturday – the Stars’ lead in the NAHL North shrunk to five points over the second-place Nationals, and seven over third-place Mahoning.

“If we come out and duplicate our effort tomorrow (Sunday), then I’ll be very disappointed,” Palumbo added. “It’s pretty easy to go out and enjoy winning games, but it’s the bouncing back from games like this that might be a more true measure of a team’s makeup.”

North Stars' winning streak now at nine

It might be Halloween season, but the Traverse City North Stars are playing the role of Scrooge these days, becoming miserly in the goals-allowed department after a 1-0 victory over Mahoning Valley on Friday at Centre ICE arena.

It was Traverse City’s second straight shutout win and extended the franchise-best streak to nine consecutive triumphs.

“We knew that Mahoning was coming in here ready to play,” said Stars goalie Brandon Stephenson, who also blanked Team USA by a 3-0 margin back on Oct. 11. “We knew we had to have one of our better efforts to play with them, and we were able to get it done.”

Kyle Jean scored the game’s only goal at 15:15 of the second period on assists from David Johnstone and Eric O’Hearn, while Stephenson and the TC defense made it stand up.

“It makes it easier on our defense and penalty killing unit to have to go out and kill off only three penalties tonight,” said TC head coach-GM Anthony Palumbo. “And instead of having to face 30-35 shots tonight, Bandon had to contend with 24 of them. Those things make a huge difference.”

Stephenson made several “huge saves at huge moments,” according to Palumbo, but none we bigger than when he stoned Erik Higby on a penalty shot early in the third period.

“Brandon came up huge for us right there,” Palumbo added. “It doesn’t get much bigger than that.”

Traverse City improved to 12-2-0 on the season and went a full nine points up on the third-place Phantoms (7-3-1). Team USA knocked off Motor City, 4-0, to move into sole possession of second place at 8-6-1. The Stars and Mahoning square off again tonight at 7 p.m., followed by a rare Sunday matinee at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Ceccolini dedicated to daily improvement

His Metro Jets teammates jokingly call him “Dexter,” but once game time rolls around and it’s his turn in net, Nickolas Ceccolini can be called a competitor.

Ceccolini, with the aforementioned nickname due to his hometown just outside of Ann Arbor, started this season as the Jets’ No. 3 goaltender, but through hard work and dedication to improvement is now the backup to starter Colin Greeley (Howell).

After riding the bench the first five games of the season, Ceccolini got the call Sept. 21 in Peoria and made 47 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss.

“He never complained about not getting into the lineup,” Jets assistant coach Ryan Skop said. “I think Dexter's been a good team guy. Certainly, there's always room to work harder and I think he's a guy who's still learning how to work at this level. His practice habits have come a long way since the beginning of the season.

“He's a pretty big kid (6-foot-3, 180 pounds), and there isn't much to shoot at when you're looking. Almost always he does his job and makes the first save.”

Ceccolini, 18, earned his first win of the season on Oct. 4 with a 49-save outing in beating Flint, 6-3. Metro head coach Jamie Hayden thinks more wins can come the young goaltender’s way if he keeps tweaking each facet of his game.

“Its great to have two good goalies that have both played very well even the team has had a slow start, but it is good to create that type of competition between them to push each other to get better,” said Hayden. “Nick still has some things to work on to get his game and himself to the next level, but so long as he continues to put in the hard work there is no reason to think he can’t move on to either the NAHL or college within the next two years.”

Machine goalie Rogers off to Notre Dame in '09

Motor City Machine goaltender Joe Rogers has committed to the University of Notre Dame for next season.

In eight appearances for the Machine this year, the 18-year-old from Marysville holds a 1-5-0 record to compliment a 3.81 goals-against average and an .838 save percentage.

“We couldn’t be happier for Joe,” said Machine head coach and general manager Matt Romaniski. “He comes from a great developmental background and has worked very hard for this deserving opportunity at Notre Dame.”

Prior to the NAHL, Rogers played Midget AAA in Michigan for Belle Tire and Little Caesars. He backstopped Belle Tire to a national championship in 2006, posting a 34-1-2 record.

“The biggest thing I’ve noticed since moving up to junior hockey has been the pace and intensity,” said Rogers. “I've never prepared harder in my life.”

Rogers, who started playing goal at age seven, has also had to overcome the disability of being born with one hand.

“I’ve never used my disability as an excuse,” he said. “I could’ve chosen another sport, but hockey was passion and the crease was where I was going to play.”

Rogers is the first player in Machine history to commit to a Division I program.

Photo by RJ Meyer/NAHL

Rangers heading into a Blizzard this weekend

The Marquette Rangers hit the road this weekend for a three-game set against the Alexandria Blizzard of the North American Hockey League's Central Division Thursday through Saturday.

Following a pair of home wins against Motor City and a Saturday loss at Alpena, head coach Kenny Miller says he’s still pleased with where things are going for his hockey club.

“We’ve been great at home,” Miller said. “Now it’s a chance for us to hit the road, spend some time together as a team, and hopefully figure out why we start so slowly on the road. I didn’t think our effort Saturday was what it needed to be at Alpena, but this is a new week and a new chance for us to go work out some of the bugs and hopefully gets some points out of Alexandria.

“One of the nice things from this past weekend was the chance to get some of our veterans scoring goals and gaining some confidence in their play. Tie that in with some of our newcomers who are really starting to play well and I’m confident we’ll improve every week and become the hockey team I think we can be.”

Three veterans led the Rangers last weekend in 6-3 and 6-4 wins over Motor City, including a hat trick from Josh Bussell (pictured) and two-goal nights from both Mike Thompson and Garrett Ladd. Defenseman Ryan McGrath notched a five-point weekend on a goal and four assists on his way to being named NAHL North Division Player of The Week.

Alexandria comes into the weekend tied for the lead in the Central with the North Iowa Outlaws and is coming off a 5-4 win over the Albert Lea Thunder last Friday.

The Blizzard’s leading scorer so far is Jerry Freismuth (Grosse Pointe Woods), who has scored 22 points in 13 games. Freismuth is also one point behind Topeka’s Jordan George for the overall league scoring lead.

For Marquette, it’s been more of a balanced attack up front with James Gallagher, Bussell and Chad Pietila leading the offense. Following his performance against Motor City, McGrath is the team’s highest scoring defenseman with seven points on the season.

Miller says this weekend will go well for his club if one thing can improve.

“I’d like to see us get stronger in our own end and cut down on some of the mistakes we’ve been making in our half of the ice,” he added. “Offensively, we’re fine. We’re getting good production from our forwards and that will also improve once we shore-up things in our end.”

Photo by RJ Meyer/NAHL

North Stars win team-best eighth straight Friday

It’s becoming difficult to slow down the Traverse City North Stars these days, and the Alpena IceDiggers got a front-row seat for the latest TC triumph, a 3-0 shutout victory on Friday at Centre ICE arena.

The win is a franchise-record eighth straight for the Stars, who got 22 saves from goalie C.J. Motte in the second home shutout of the season.

“You can’t win without good goaltending and we’re getting that from both our guys right now,” said Traverse City head coach-GM Anthony Palumbo. “C.J. made big saves tonight when we needed him to and I think it’s safe to say the kid’s a goalie.”

Once again, the North Stars (11-2-0) got across-the-board production, and scored a goal in each of Friday’s three periods. Eric O’Hearn got the hosts on the board first, banging home a power-play marker 5:11 into the affair. Kyle Bonis and Marc Thompson drew assists on the play. Bonis broke off a highlight-reel shorthanded lamplighter at 13:49 of the middle stanza, turning a defender inside-out before five-holing the puck for a 2-0 lead. Phil Wendecker set up the danglefest.

In the third, Garrett Thompson streaked betwixt a pair of defenders to corral a chip-ahead from Mike Schenfeld and put the game away with an even-strength backhander.

“We’ve been trying to achieve more of a consistency,” Palumbo added. “And while it wasn’t a flashy win, it was more of a complete team victory. There were some stretches where we weren’t as sharp, but I’d say it’s as solid an all-around win as we’ve had (this year).”

Motte won his sixth straight start, and dropped his goals-against average to 2.00, raising his save percentage to .926. In front of Motte, the Stars’ penalty kill was once again insurmountable, rebuffing all six of Alpena’s man-up spurts. Traverse City now leads the NAHL in penalty kill efficiency at 90.70%.

“Our team defense just continues to get better,” Palumbo added. “It isn’t exactly where we want it to be, but those guys are a big part of why we’ve been able to win a few games. Look at the teams that succeed at any level of the game: St. Louis in our league, the (Red) Wings in the NHL – they get good defense and good goaltending, an they win hockey games.”

The Stars have the rest of the weekend off and will wrap up their nine-game homestand next weekend against perennial NAHL North powerhouse Mahoning Valley.

Cunningham added to Spirit radio booth

The Saginaw Spirit announced yesterday the addition of OHL veteran broadcaster Leigh Cunningham to its full-time staff. He will serve as the team’s director of broadcasting and communications and will join color commentator Dennis Desrosiers in the radio booth as the play-by-play broadcaster.

Cunningham, with nearly 10 years of experience broadcasting in the league, is scheduled to broadcast the team’s game tonight against the Niagara IceDogs. The road game broadcast airs on FM Talk and Sports 100.5, starting at 6:30 p.m. with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop.

“Our organization has been successful for many reasons and one of them is because we have great people working for us,” stated Spirit president and partner Craig Goslin. “With the addition of Leigh Cunningham to our full-time staff, we add a level of professionalism and integrity to our program. We are excited to have Leigh join us and are looking forward to his play-by-play call of the game alongside our color commentator Dennis Desrosiers.”

Cunningham brings extensive OHL broadcasting experience to the Spirit, having called major junior hockey games since 1998, including three OHL finals, four OHL conference championships, and an OHL All-Star game. The Sarnia, Ont., native also co-hosted the 2005 Memorial Cup post-game special for Rogers Television.

Prior to coming to the Spirit Cunningham did play-by-play broadcasting for the Sarnia Sting (2007-08), the Windsor Spitfires (2006-07) and the London Knights (2002-06). He also served as the director of broadcasting and media relations for the North Bay Centennials (2000-02), prior to their move to Saginaw in 2002. While with the Centennials he directed and executed the radio broadcasts, created and distributed the team’s media releases and prepared the Centennials statistics.

“Leigh’s extensive and exceptional OHL experience will educate and entertain our fans greatly," added Goslin. "With Leigh and Dennis in the broadcast booth, we feel that we have one of the best radio teams in the entire 62-team Canadian Hockey League.”

Plymouth plays home-and-home with Spits

Although young ghosts and goblins can find treats on Saturday when the Plymouth Whalers (5-5-1-0) host the Windsor Spitfires at 7:05 p.m. at Compuware Arena, the Whalers hope to turn a trick or two against the top-ranked Spitfires (12-1-0-0).

Corporate partners of the Whalers will be passing out treats to ghosts and goblins of all ages on Saturday. Plymouth plays in Windsor on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Whalers last scheduled game at venerable Windsor Arena. The Spitfires are scheduled to move into the new Windsor Family Credit Union Arena in December, with the first game set for December 11 against Belleville.

The weekend series represents a bit of a role reversal between Plymouth and Windsor. The Whalers – with 10 division titles, two OHL titles and a run of 17 straight years in the playoffs, the best current active streak of any OHL team - have dominated the overall series with Windsor, posting a 90-53-8-1 edge since the two teams started play in 1990. Plymouth has also gone 43-30-3 at Windsor Arena.

Since winning the OHL championship in 2007, the Whalers have gone younger and come into this weekend with a two-game winning streak. Carolina prospect and captain Chris Terry (9-3-12) leads Plymouth in scoring, while Ryan Hayes (5-3-8), Vern Cooper (3-5-8) and another Carolina pick, Michal Jordan (2-6-8, +9), have eight points apiece. Three other Whalers – Joe Gaynor (3-4-7, +7), Kaine Geldart (2-5-7) and Tyler Seguin (0-7-7) - have seven points each. Whalers goaltenders Jeremy Smith and Matt Hackett have both had success against the Spitfires.

Windsor has been on the rise since former National Hockey League players Warren Rychel and Bob Boughner, along with Windsor businessman Peter Dobrich, purchased the team in 2006. Windsor comes into the weekend as the top team in the Canadian Hockey League Mosaik Mastercard rankings and currently leads the OHL with 52 goals scored through 13 games.

Second-year player and top-prospect Ryan Ellis (8-14-22) leads all OHL defensemen in scoring and is second in the OHL to Oshawa’s John Tavares. Forward Taylor Hall (7-12-19) and Toronto draft pick Dale Mitchell (7-8-15) are fourth and ninth, respectively, in the OHL in scoring.

Bigger things coming for Jets' Nault

Brandon Nault had been in and out of the Metro Jets’ lineup all season, but last Saturday night, he officially arrived.

And in a huge way.

Nault put a first-period hat trick on the board against Grand Rapids. Impressive? Yes. But consider he scored at even strength, shorthanded and on the power play and it’s obvious the 18-year-old from Madison Heights is valuable on the ice whatever the situation.

His three goals doubled his season scoring output as well. Last year,

“He works hard in practice and we put him on the first unit of the power play to be the big body in front of the net,” Jets head coach Jamie Hayden said. “He’s actually got real decent hands for a guy his size (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) and his skating needs work to go to the next level, but (assistant coach) Ryan (Skop) put him out there on the first unit with (captain) Adam (Novack) and Mick (Kolbasowski) to add the size dimension. That’s what we’ve been expecting of him, but I definitely didn’t expect him to score a hat trick.”

Nault missed a handful of games in late-September battling an illness that kept him from hockey-related activities. He’s now 100 percent and, it appears, then some.

“For him to get a hat trick, and in the first period, was a bonus for us,” added Hayden. “That got us going in the right direction right off the bat.”

If that consistency can keep going for Nault in the near future, it’s not out of the question for more notches in the “win” column for Metro to be attributed to Nault.

Rangers players wait tables for charity

The Marquette Rangers will take the ice tonight dressed in pink jerseys and socks to help raise awareness and money for the Cancer Center at Marquette General Health Systems.

The team got an early start to the fundraiser at the Marquette Big Boy restaurant on Monday, taking the role of “celebrity servers” for three hours.

“This was a blast,” said Rangers forward Josh Bussell. “It was great to get out in the community and promote this game. I don’t know if I’d want to wait tables for a living, but for one night we all had a really good time.”

Bussell was one of 12 players who gave their time for the event.

For three hours, the players seated customers and waited tables with the Big Boy staff with all tips the players earned going directly to the Cancer Center.

In all, the team raised around $350 to kick off a campaign that reached $20,000 in 2007.

NAHL's Michigan players on NHL draft list

Several North American Hockey League players were recognized on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's "Players to Watch" list for 2009 draft-eligibles released on Oct. 20.

The preliminary listing is comprised of players who have been identified by NHL Central Scouting using the following criteria: A Rating: A must-see player who is predicted to be a potential first- or second-round draft selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft; B Rating: A player to note if a scout is in the area, a potential selection in the third-to-fifth round; C Rating: A player that Central Scouting is tracking, a potential late-round selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

C-Rated players with Michigan connections from the NAHL include Traverse City forward and Lake Superior State University recruit Kyle Jean and Alpena defenseman Alex Kuqali.

Twenty players from the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-18 Team were recognized, among them seven A Players: forwards Ryan Bourque, Chris Brown, Jeremy Morin, Kyle Palmieri and Drew Shore, defenseman William Wrenn and goaltender Brandon Maxwell.

B Players include forwards Jerry D’Amigo, John Henrion, Kevin Lynch, Chris McCarthy, Kenny Ryan and David Valek, defensemen Tyler Amburgey, John Ramage and Brendan Rempel and goaltender Adam Murray.

C Players listed from the NTDP are forward A.J. Treais and defensemen Sam Calabrese and Richie Crowley.

NHL Central Scouting will release its midseason rankings of 2009 draft-eligibles in January, followed by its final rankings in April.

The 2009 NHL Entry Draft will be held on June 20-21 in Montreal.

Marquette seeing pink this Thursday

Marquette Rangers fans will see two unique things when the team takes the ice Thursday night at Lakeview Arena.

First, the team will be wearing pink jerseys that will be auctioned off following the game to benefit the Cancer Center at Marquette General Health Systems.

Secondly, and most important for head coach Kenny Miller, fans will get to see the team play at home.

After 10 games, the Rangers (3-5-2) have only one home game under their belt - a 4-3 win against North Division-leading Traverse City on September 26.

“It’ll be good to play in front of the home crowd,” Miller said. “As much as this is a great event for the community, we still need to come out and play the way we’re capable of playing and get some points out of these games and keep things moving forward.

“It’s a great event and we’re happy to do what we are doing for the Cancer Center, and even though we’re wearing the pink jerseys, it’s still an important game for our guys and they realize they still need to get things done out on the ice. Once the puck drops and we get settled in, things will be good”

Following last weekend, the Rangers find themselves two points behind Alpena for fourth place and two points ahead of this week’s first opponent, the Motor City Machine.

Marquette will play at Alpena Saturday night following the two games with the Machine Thursday and Friday.

The Machine played last year in the NAHL Central Division as the Southern Minnesota Express before moving to suburban Detroit during the summer.

Motor City (3-9-0) is led in scoring by Jared Williams (4g 3a, 7pts) and Reed Rushing (2g 4a, 6pts) The Rangers continue to be led by James Gallagher and Chad Pietila, who enter the weekend with 11 points apiece. Josh Bussell is third in scoring with eight points.

The game Thursday is at 7:00 p.m. instead of the usual 7:30 p.m. to allow for the post-game jersey auction. Marquette General will be selling “Paint the Rink Pink” T-shirts at the game to help supplement the fundraiser, which raised nearly $20,000 last season.

Wiechec more than points for Jets

Take a look at the scoring leaders for the Metro Jets and you have to scroll down a tad to find Steve Wiechec's name.

Granted, the 18-year-old second-year Troy native only has two goals and three points in nine games, but his game is more than getting on the scoresheet.

"Steve will probably never be a big-time scorer," Metro GM Butch Wolfe said. "But he plays the game right and does all the little things. He blocks shots, finishes his checks, things like that. Every team should have a Steve Wiechec on their team."

Wiechec (pronounced WEE-check) scored his first goal on Sept. 14 against Cleveland and then made his second count as it proved to be the game-winner on Sept. 27 against Motor City in the Jets' first win of the season. His 33 penalty minutes are also among the top 15 in the Central States Hockey League.

"He's a quiet kid off the ice," Wolfe added. "But when we need a big play or someone to just make something happen to try and turn the tide of a game, Wiechec will be out there."

Case in point. In the 2007 Midget A state championship game, Wiechec scored the first goal of the game (the eventual game-winner) as the Troy Sting beat the Canton Crush, 5-0.

He was then drafted by the Jets that May and put up 10 points in 45 games last season.

Whalers' McGillis traded to hometown Wolves

The Plymouth Whalers have traded overage left wing Cory McGillis to the Sudbury Wolves in exchange for a third-round draft choice in 2010.

McGillis, just acquired by the Whalers September 30 from Barrie, scored one goal in three games for the Whalers.

McGillis’ trade leaves Plymouth with just one overager in right wing Patrick Lee.

McGillis is from Coniston, Ont., not far from Sudbury, so he receives an opportunity to play for his hometown team.

Highland native Moran dealt to Windsor

The Windsor Spitfires today announced that they have acquired defenseman Patrick Moran (Highland) as well as seventh- and ninth-round picks from the Guelph Storm in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection for sixth-, seventh-, eighth- and ninth-round picks in 2009.

“Patrick will bring a defensive presence with experience in the OHL to our lineup," Windsor general manager Warren Rychel said. "Hewill also add grit and toughness to our back end."

Moran will be in the Spitfires lineup for tomorrow’s game against the Ottawa 67’s.

Photo by Paul Surette/surettephotography.com

North Stars sweep Team USA at home

The Traverse City North Stars have won five straight games after their two-game sweep of the U.S. National Under-17 Team last weekand at home.

FRIDAY RECAP

SATURDAY RECAP

The goaltending tandem of CJ Motte and Brandon Stephenson each tallied a win with Motte's coming on Friday night and Stephenson (pictured) getting the shutout Saturday.

Traverse City's 8-2-0 start marks the club's best start, but the team has never had a losing record after 10 games in club history. TC was 5-2-3 last year through 10 outings, 5-4-1 in 2006-07 and 4-4-2 in its inaugural season of 2005-06.

The North Stars continue their month-long homestand this weekend, playing host to the Motor City Machine in a Friday-Saturday series. The Machine (3-6-0) moved to metro Detroit this season from Southern Minnesota and will be making their first-ever Centre ICE appearance.

Photo by BJ Stephenson/Kidz Play Photography

Saginaw to also play PINK OUT game

The Saginaw Spirit are proud to partner with National City Bank and the St. Mary's of Michigan Seton Cancer Institute for the second annual 'PINK OUT,' a game being played in support of breast cancer awareness.

The 'PINK OUT' game will take place on Saturday when the Spirit take on the Niagara IceDogs at 7:11 p.m. at TheDow Event Center in Saginaw.

Breast cancer survivors from the mid-Michigan region will be participating in a ceremonial puck drop starting off the night's activities. The first 5,000 fans will receive a free pink rally towel, courtesy of National City Bank and the St. Mary's of Michigan Seton Cancer Institute.

The Spirit team will hit the ice wearing a limited edition pink Spirit jersey, which will be auctioned off in a silent auction taking place during the game to raise funds in support of breast cancer awareness.

There will also be post-game Skate with the Players event where the jerseys worn by Adam Comrie, T.J. Brodie and Nick Crawford during the 'PINK OUT' will be auctioned off live.

Grosse Pointe Woods native has 'come full circle'

By Brian McDonough/NAHL.com

Jerry Freismuth has always set high expectations for himself and his teammates and this year is no exception.

After helping the Alexandria Blizzard to its first Robertson Cup Championship Tournament appearance a year ago, the third-year forward wants nothing more than another crack at an NAHL title.

“We definitely want to get back really bad, because we thought we underachieved there last year,” said Freismuth, whose team was winless at the tournament, which was hosted and won by St. Louis. “It was a great experience and we wish we could have done better, but that’s over with.

“Now that the season has started, we have our eyes focused on getting back and we really want it more this year, because we know what it’s like to face adversity and we to get back there and take it.”

And Freismuth is leading the charge early on, sitting atop the NAHL’s scoring chart three weeks into the season. The reigning Central Division Player of the Week has three goals to go along with 12 assists in eight games for the Central Division-leading Blizzard.

“We’re off to good start, the team’s playing with confidence and I’ve had some good players around me helping me out, so I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates,” said Freismuth, who did his offensive damage last weekend on a line with Garrett Grimstad and Joe Knoepke.

After his final year of midgets with Little Caesars in Detroit, Freismuth, who calls Grosse Pointe Woods home, ventured out to Minnesota where he began his junior career with the Minnesota Junior League’s Minnesota Ice Hawks.

Halfway into that 2006-07 season, he was summoned to Alexandria where he put away four goals for 23 points in team’s final 34 games. He more than doubled that point total last year and finished at a plus-32.

“My first year I was lucky enough to play with some good players - some older players - so they really helped turn me into the player I am now. They helped me out coming into the league, and gave me some more confidence and that’s huge for younger guys,” said Freismuth. “Now I’m the older guy helping out the younger guys, so it’s kind of come full circle.”

Freismuth, who turns 20 on Oct. 28, stayed in Minnesota for the first part of the summer before returning home to Michigan in July to spend time with friends and family. Wherever he was, off-season conditioning was a priority for the 5-foot-10, 170-pounder.

“We have a really good training program in the summer and I did that every day,” he said. “I worked out as hard as I could every day, skated as much as I could, dryland, all that good stuff.”

Freismuth is high on the potential of this year’s team. From the returning vets to the promising newcomers, he’s confident the Blizzard has the all the ingredients to make another charge at the Robertson Cup.

“I said this in the locker room, that out of my three years here, this is the most talented team I’ve been on, right up from our new, young guys to our older guys… very talented, very talented group of guys,” Freismuth said.

And Freismuth, a Division I hopeful, is counting on the team’s success to generate college interest for not just himself, but for his teammates as well.

“I have confidence in my coach (Brad Willner) that he’s going to work hard to move myself and other players (to college),” said Freismuth, who spoke with a few schools at last month’s NAHL Showcase Tournament. “I just look at it like the better we do as a team, the better opportunity we’ll have to go to a school that we want to go to.”

Photo by RJ Meyer/NAHL

Whalers skate for breast cancer Friday night

The primary colors of the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers are blue and green.

The primary colors found on a hockey player after a collision are black and blue.

The Whalers will be skating for an excellent cause of a different color on Friday at 7:05pm when they take on the Niagara IceDogs at Compuware Arena during the team’s first annual Pink Out! For Breast Cancer Awareness.

The event is first for the Whalers and something they hope to make an annual event during the month of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month as well as Hockey Fights Cancer Month.

“Our Pink Out! is a chance for our players, our sponsors and our fans to rally together to increase breast cancer awareness and raise funds in a way that is familiar and fun for us. We promise it will be pink. And, it will be memorable,” said Denise Ronayne, Whalers director of sales and marketing. “We are so grateful to all of our corporate partners who helped us make this event relevant in our community. And importantly, there’s a natural tie-in with the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, who will receive the proceeds.”

Plymouth owner Peter Karmanos, Jr., who is also the CEO and co-founder of the Compuware Corporation, established the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in 1995. Based in midtown Detroit, Karmanos is one of 41 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Caring for more than 6,000 new patients annually on a budget of $216 million, conducting more than 700 cancer-specific scientific investigation programs and clinical trials, the Karmanos Cancer Center is among the nation’s best cancer centers.

Several of the Whalers corporate sponsors are contributing to make the Pink Out! a special event:

Vanity Salon, located at 857 Penniman in Plymouth, will be dyeing Whaler players hair pink tomorrow from 5-8pm. Everyone is encouraged to attend the event. In addition, Vanity Salon will have stylists at the game creating fancy pink ribbon up-dos for a donation.

Woody's Bar-B-Q, located at 44741 Five Mile Road, will be donating 500 pink bandanas. You'll also see their Pink Pig Mascot at the event on October 17.

Bianco Tours will be bringing in the Eastern Michigan University Sports Marketing Group, who donated their time and effort to sell tickets for the event.

Vanessa's Flowers, located at 545 Ann Arbor Road, will be donating pink carnations.

The Whalers were recently affected by cancer with the passing of co-owner Thomas Thewes, who lost his battle with leukemia on September 28. In addition, Mary Beth Bloom, a land parent of Whalers' defenseman Leo Jenner and a breast cancer survivor, will drop a ceremonial faceoff at the start of the game.

“It would be an honor to represent all the women and men with breast cancer,” said Bloom.

Jets add young defenseman Schofield

The Metro Jets added defenseman Tyler Schofield to the active roster on Thursday.

Schofield, a 17-year-old Clio native, was playing with the Flint Icelanders midgets and made his season debut tonight.

"Tyler is a young defenseman that we feel can add depth and potentially play some big minutes for us," Metro GM Butch Wolfe said. "We hope we can help continue his development over the course of this season."

Spirit prospect a calming influence for Jets

A calm, cool under pressure goalie can do wonders for a team and Colin Greeley appears to be that player for the Metro Jets.

And oh yeah, he’s also the youngest player on the team having just turned 16 last month.

Greeley earned his first win of the season Sept. 27 against Motor City in a fight-filled game at home. On one of his saves, the red light went on behind him, but the goal was disallowed.

“My family and friends were at that game, so it was special to get the win in front of them,” said Greeley, a Howell native. “On that disallowed goal, it was funny, because I looked over at the bench and ‘Skopes’ (Metro assistant coach Ryan Skop) was motioning to the ref that it’s only a goal if it goes over the line.”

Last year, Greeley played for the Victory Honda minor midget team and was then drafted in the fourth round of the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection by the Saginaw Spirit. He went to camp this year with Saginaw, had a good showing, and plans on playing in Saginaw next year. That said, Greeley knows he has options, including the Jets.

“I don’t think they’d want me back,” laughed Greeley. “The goal here is to move players on. Right now, I want to play for Saginaw, but I’m keeping all my options open. The USHL (Futures) draft is coming up (Oct. 14) and I’ll have to see what happens there.”

In the present, however, the Jets have a capable goaltender that has taken the No. 1 role and run with it. Metro has five of six points in their last three games and a great deal of the credit goes to Greeley.

Combs back in Saginaw after pro camps

The Saginaw Spirit have announced the return of overage forward Jack Combs to the lineup.

Combs, a St. Louis native, was away at the respective rookie camps of the Colorado Avalanche and their minor league affiliates.

'It was a positive experience in camp," stated Combs. "I learned a lot and my goal is to bring that back to Saginaw in hopes of having another great year."

Combs is one of the highest scoring forwards to play for the Spirit in the team's seven-year history. Last season, he notched 42 goals and 58 assists for 100 points, setting a new single-season scoring record for the Spirit. Combs served as one of the team's leaders on and off the ice last season and his efforts were recognized when he was selected to represent the Spirit at the 2008 OHL All-Star Classic.

"We have a very hard-working team right now and I am excited to play with these guys," added Combs. "We have all molded and gelled really well and we are all looking forward to winning some games."

Jets, MRSN form broadcast agreement

The Metro Jets have announced an agreement with the Michigan Regional Sports Network (MRSN) to broadcast select home games online this season, starting with Saturday’s game against the Queen City Steam.

“The Michigan Regional Sports Network is expanding their scope to include hockey and when they contacted us, it was an easy decision,” Jets GM Butch Wolfe said. “We think this coverage can be nothing but great publicity for our team and the Central States Hockey League and we are very excited and looking forward to Saturday night.”

Metro Jets games to be broadcast by MRSN:

Sat. Oct. 11 vs. Queen City
Sat. Oct. 18 vs. Grand Rapids
Sun. Nov. 2 vs. Cleveland
Sun. Dec. 14 vs. Motor City
Sat. Jan. 10, 2009 vs. Flint
Sat. Jan. 31, 2009 vs. Flint

The MRSN, based in Flint since 2004, broadcasts the high school football game of the week, as well as college club hockey and high school basketball and baseball. Next spring, MRSN will be the exclusive home for the Michigan Admirals minor league football team.

"We were looking to branch out from broadcasting just football and junior hockey is the next step up," MRSN play-by-play broadcaster Bill Schnorenberg said. "We are happy to be involved with a quality program like the Metro Jets."

More information about MRSN can be found on their official website at http://www.mrsn.us/.

Saginaw re-acquires Skellett from Otters

The Saginaw Spirit has completed a trade with the Erie Otters, picking up forward Jordan Skellett and a seventh round pick in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection in return for defenseman Chris Breen and a fifth round pick in 2009.

Additional terms of the trade were not disclosed.

“We are excited to get a player of Jordan’s caliber and look forward to his arrival in Saginaw," stated Spirit head coach Todd Watson. "We wish Chris the best of luck in Erie and we are happy for the opportunity he will get there. It’s always tough to move someone with the character and class like that found in Chris.”

Skellett is a 1989-born native of London, Ontario. The Niagara IceDogs, then located in Mississauga, drafted Skellet 17th overall in the 2005 OHL Priority Selection. He played a season and a half with the IceDogs before being traded to Saginaw along with Cody Bass in the 2006 blockbuster trade that saw Matt Corrente and Scott Fletcher go to Niagara. Immediately following the trade, Skellett was sent to Erie in return for Andrew Hotham.

Skellet has accumulated 33 goals and 44 assists during his career in the OHL.

From loosepucks.com, more on the deal and more Spirit news:

Sources say this deal was originally agreed to between former Saginaw GM Don Edwards and Otters GM Sherry Bassin. Just as it came time to do the paperwork, Edwards is said to have changed his mind and pulled the plug. With Watson now in charge, the deal returned to the table and was quickly completed.

Meanwhile, the Spirit will give goaltender Zac Fryia a tryout. The Peterborough Petes third-string goaltender is behind Trevor Cann and Jason Missiaen on the depth chart. If the Spirit choose to keep Fryia, a deal will then be completed between Watson and Petes GM Jeff Twohey.

Edwards out as Saginaw general manager

Nothing official from the Saginaw Spirit (yet), but word on the street is that Spirit general manager Don Edwards has been relieved of his duties.

Head coach Todd Watson is now in charge of hockey operations.

LoosePucks.com has more.

The Saginaw News also has the story.

UPDATE: Spirit confirms move

The Saginaw Spirit hockey club announced today that a decision has been made to change the hockey operational model of the franchise. Through the changes and adjustments, Don Edwards has been relieved of his duties as general manager, effective immediately.

Head coach Todd Watson will assume the role of director of hockey operations in addition to his coaching duties, and will be responsible for all hockey operations. Assistant coach John Kisil and director of scouting Dan Halliburton will take on additional duties with the team as part of this new hockey managerial structure.

More HERE.

North Stars off to solid start, sweep Alpena

Slow out of the gates in recent years, the Traverse City North Stars are doing their best to buck that trend this season, jumping out to a 6-2 start thanks in part to a two-game sweep of the Alpena IceDiggers last weekend.

“Last season a slow start really hurt our ability to challenge for a playoff spot in March,” said North Stars head coach Anthony Palumbo. “So those wins are big; it keeps us in a good position in our (North) division, which is again proving to be as tough as they come.”

Kyle Bonis and Marc Thompson (game-winner) struck for the North Stars’ goals and netminder C.J. Motte turned aside 21 shots as Traverse City downed Alpena on Friday, 2-1.

The next night, Bonis’ overtime tally lifted the North Stars to a 5-4 triumph. Chris Salomone rang up two goals for TC and Nate Urbaniak chipped in with three assists. Between the pipes, Brandon Stephenson stopped 18 shots.

“It was a pretty solid effort all weekend,” Palumbo said. “We got to play every single skater on our roster, and I’ve yet to find a weak link - that’s a good sign.”

Bonis, 19, named the team’s captain last week, has returned in top form. The second-year forward from Lindsay, Ont., has found an early knack for coming up big in critical moments.

“Kyle just finds a way to score goals,” said Palumbo. “They're important, timely goals, usually. He's obviously got the talent, but he's also an intense leader and the guys pick up on that and sort of feed off that.”

The third-year Urbaniak, a 20-year-old from Perrysburg, Ohio, is also starting to find his groove offensively.

“He and Kyle form a really good one-two punch,” said Palumbo.

Only 16-year-old, Motte, from Port Huron, has risen to the occasion, delivering a clutch performance on Friday to pick up his third win of the young season.

“He was definitely a key in that win,” said Palumbo. “He’s proven he can play at this level and make a huge impact. We knew he was good coming in, but C.J. has been even better than we expected even sooner than we expected.”

Second-year forwards Kyle Jean, a Lake Superior State recruit, and Eric O’Hearn are also establishing themselves as versatile contributors.

“They’ve really stepped up this year and taken on big roles with our team,” said Palumbo. “They’re logging minutes on the penalty kill and the power play and they’re also providing us another line with an ability to create offense at any time.”

Pleased with the North Stars’ start - particularly his team’s balanced attack up and down the lineup – Palumbo’s focus now is tightening the screws defensively.

“Timely goals and timely saves - that’s the formula we’re winning with right now,” said the coach. “It’s still early in the season, but we like the determination and grit we’ve been playing with.

“I think the big thing is that everyone has contributed. It seems that every night someone has stepped up for us.”

With a 2-0 record at home this season, the North Stars have a chance to improve on that mark over the next month. The team’s next eight games are slated for Traverse City’s Center ICE arena commencing this weekend against the U.S. Under-17 Team.

“You always want to take advantage of your home games and I think this upcoming stretch could provide us with a great opportunity,” said Palumbo.

Courtesy NAHL.com

Saley a 'pleasant surprise' for Metro

Will Saley made the Metro Jets’ roster this year after being drafted by the team in May’s Central States Hockey League draft.

He was originally penciled in as a depth player, but has shown a willingness to work hard and improve. That work ethic has moved Saley, a 17-year-old Milford native, to the second line with linemates Mick Kolbasowski and captain Adam Novack (Rochester Hills) where he has been a consistent scoring threat and currently leads the Jets in goals with five through seven games.

“When we got Will, it was with the idea that he’d be a two-year project for us,” Metro head coach Jamie Hayden said. “He’s shown us he can be an impact player right now and he’s been a pleasant surprise thus far.”

“Will’s not the biggest kid in the world (5-foot-9, 165 pounds), but he’s quick and knows how to effectively use his speed,” Metro GM Butch Wolfe said. “If he continues to improve for the remainder of this year, he should attract several North American Hockey League teams for next season. But in the meantime, we’re elated to have him with us this year.”

Saley played last year at Milford High School. He’s also just one of three draft picks to make Metro’s opening game roster this season along with goaltender Andrew New and Justin Vinson (Livonia).

Whalers pick up McGillis from Colts

The Plymouth Whalers acquired 20-year-old left wing Cory McGillis from the Barrie Colts today in exchange for an eighth-round draft choice in 2009 and a third-round draft choice in 2010.

“Cory is a big, physical power forward who has a nice scoring touch around the net,” Plymouth GM Mike Vellucci said.

McGillis is 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds and can play center or left wing.

Ontario Hockey League teams can carry three overage players (1988 birthdays) on the roster. Along with right wing Patrick Lee, the acquisition of McGillis gives Plymouth two overagers.

McGillis, a Coniston, Ont., native, is no stranger to the West Division. He was originally selected in the first round (seventh overall) by the Windsor Spitfires in the 2004 draft, where he played for 2 1/2 seasons. McGillis was acquired by Barrie at the 2007 trade deadline and enjoyed his best offensive season last year with Barrie when he scored 18 goals with 21 assists for 39 points in 48 games.

Overall, McGillis has scored 51 goals with 56 assists for 107 points with 394 penalty minutes in 205 career games.

Jets captain Novack leads by example

Adam Novack was one of just a handful of skaters to return to the Metro Jets from last season and he’s brought back improved leadership qualities that have made the team brass name him captain this year.

Novack, a 19-year-old native of Rochester Hills, posted seven goals and 19 points a year ago, but seems primed to break those totals this season.

More than points, though, is why Novack has the ‘C’ on his left shoulder this year.

“Adam is your typical lead-by-example captain,” Jets GM Butch Wolfe said. “But if something needs to be said on the bench or in the locker room, you can bet he’ll speak up. He is very mature and knows how to conduct himself in a professional manner on and off the ice.

“‘Novy’ is a great ambassador for not only our hockey club, but for the entire Central States Hockey League.”

Alternate captains under Novack are third-year defenseman Brett Grech (Hartland) and 20-year-old forward Jonathan Asher.

Grech has been steady all season, prompting Metro assistant coach Ryan Skop to say he’s been playing “out of his mind,” while Asher signed with the Jets over the summer, had a tryout with the Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, and then rejoined the Jets for their season opener on Sept. 6 against Toledo. His plane landed in Windsor at 5:30 that afternoon and he drove to Waterford, missed warm-ups, but dressed in time to play in the game.

Whalers deal Yovanic to Knights for pick

The Plymouth Whalers traded 19-year-old left wing Mike Yovanic to the London Knights today in exchange for an eighth-round draft choice in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection.

Yovanic, a Highland native, was signed by the Whalers as a free agent at the beginning of last season. He played in 21 games last year, compiling 25 penalty minutes.

This season, Yovanic played in Plymouth's first two games and compiled 10 PIMs.

Photo by Donna Roberts

Challenge Cup series starts tomorrow night

Last season, the Marquette Rangers and Traverse City North Stars introduced the Smith Barney Challenge Cup to their fans. The Cup, sponsored by Smith Barney offices in Marquette and Traverse City, is awarded to the team who wins the head-to-head competition between the two squads at the end of season.

Traverse City claimed the title of the Challenge Cup in its inaugural season when the team came from behind to win it in the last game of the season against the Rangers.

"Winning the Cup last season was a bright spot in a season where we had higher expectations, but it's something we look at that happened last season that we can build on," North Stars head coach Anthony Palumbo said. "We made a strong push at the end of the season and that became one of our main goals as the playoffs became out of reach. We wanted to win the Marquette series."

The creation of the Challenge Cup not only added to the two teams' competition, but also has given fans another reason to cheer louder.

"It was new to our fans last season and it gained some popularity as the season went on," Palumbo added. " I think as we continue to build the rivalry with Marquette the Cup will become more of a focus for our fans."

However, Rangers head coach Kenny Miller views the Challenge Cup in a different light as he hopes to capture the title this season.

"It's a terrific added prize for the season, but in all honesty it's only a piece of the bigger picture," he said. "Sure we'd like to claim the Challenge Cup this year, and I think if we're successful through the season, winning the Cup will kind of fall into place.

"The Smith Barney Challenge Cup certainly adds to the fun of playing the game and to playing against Traverse City. I know some of our guys were disappointed after last year so we're going to making winning it one of many goals this season."

For the players, the Challenge Cup is an added incentive on the season as well.

"Watching them (Traverse City) skate off the ice with that thing last year didn't sit very well," said Rangers forward and captain Aaron Pietila. "We want to make some noise in our division this year, and I think if we do that, winning the Cup will hopefully be one of a lot of things we accomplish this season."

Palumbo added, "Winning the Challenge Cup will be part of our goals for the upcoming season. We're hoping to win all our series against the teams in our division but the Challenge Cup will definitely provide some additional incentive for our team against Marquette."

The first game of 12 contests between the Rangers and North Stars begins on Friday at Marquette's Lakeview Arena with an 8 p.m. faceoff.

Two points are awarded to a team for a win, one point is awarded for an overtime loss and no points are given for a regulation loss. At the end of the season, the points are totaled and the team with the most points claims the Challenge Cup.

Saginaw acquires OA Bochek from Fronts

The Saginaw Spirit completed a trade with the Kingston Frontenacs today, acquiring forward Kyle Bochek from the Fronts in return for the Spirit’s seventh-round pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection.

Bochek, an overager from Port Severn, Ont., spent the last two season with the Frontenacs, accumulating 17 goals and 17 assists. Last season, he notched 10 goals and 10 assists in 54 games.

“Having watched Kyle play on multiple occasions, he is a natural centerman and a gritty grinder that competes on every shift,” stated Spirit GM Don Edwards.

Eagles goalie coach signs CHL deal

Grech playing 'out of his mind' for Jets

Though the Metro Jets have stumbled to an 0-4-0 mark in the Central States Hockey League this season, there are positives to be taken.

One of those is 17-year-old Hartland native and third-year skater Brett Grech, the anchor on Metro’s defense corps. Grech, who came to the Jets from the Lakeland Hawks Midget A team in 2006, is currently tied for the team lead in scoring with five points (four on the power play)through four games and has been logging important minutes on the back end.

Thing is, he’s a natural forward playing defense this year.

“I’m really happy with what ‘Grechy’ has done for us so far,” Metro head coach Jamie Hayden said of his alternate captain. “We moved him back to ‘D’ and skill-wise, he’s as good as anyone in the league. I just think to get better it’s just a matter of getting his bearings back there. At the end of the year, he could be one of the best defensemen in the league.”

“Grech has been playing out of his mind,” Jets assistant coach Ryan Skop added.

Grech has points in every game this season and scored his first goal in Wednesday night’s 5-4 loss in Flint. During the 2007-2008 season, Grech led the Jets in scoring with 16 goals among 33 points and seems poised to top that mark this season.

“He’s been a bright spot for us,” said Hayden. “He moves the puck well on the power play and blocks shots down low. As far as returning guys, he’s been the one that’s stepped up to the plate for us.

“We just have to get some of the other guys to follow his lead, but until that happens, we’ll probably be on the tail end of more games like we’ve been playing.”