MiHockeyNow.com
V.23 : I.7 | DECEMBER 10, 2012
FIRST CLASS
TIME TO START
CELEBRATING THE LEGACY The CCHA conference schedule is in full swing — we’re here to catch you up
THE BIGGER YOU DREAM, THE BIGGER YOU PLAY.
OWN THE MOMENT
#OWNTHEMOMENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECEMBER 10, 2012 VOLUME 23: ISSUE 7 6 THE LOCKER ROOM
Talking hockey on social media and beyond
8 SLIDESHOW
Jimmy Howard and Jonas Gustavsson sign autographs at Perani’s in Livonia
10 YOUTH HOCKEY
‘Round Up At The Rink’ for charity
12 GET BETTER
Swedish shooting drill
14 YOU SHOULD KNOW
Michigan goaltender Steve Racine
16 JUNIORS
An update on the NAHL, NA3HL, USHL and MWJHL
20 HOMETOWN HEROES Trenton’s Andy Greene
28 COLLEGE HOCKEY
28-30
THE CCHA’S FINAL SEASON IS UNDERWAY — get caught up with MiHockey
The final season of the CCHA is underway
32 PLYMOUTH WHALERS
Connor Carrick is adjusting to life in the OHL
34 GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS
Adam Almquist is earning his spot in GR
36 RED WINGS INSIDER
Optimism is fading for members of the Wings
10
YOUTH HOCKEY
How a freshman at Novi HS is trying to make a wish come true
4
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36
RED WINGS INSIDER
Optimism fading for members of the Red Wings
38
LOOK FOR OUR NEXT ISSUE LAST LINE
98 Degrees of lockout separation
MiHockeyNow.com
DECEMBER 24, 2012
To advertise in MiHockey please contact Lucia Zuzga at (248) 479-1134 or lucia@mihockeynow.com, or Michael Caples at (248) 479-1136 or mcaples@mihockeynow.com
December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
FROM THE EDITOR MIHOCKEYMAG EDITOR Michael Caples
mcaples@mihockeynow.com
ADVERTISING & DISTRIBUTION Lucia Zuzga lucia@mihockeynow.com
DESIGN Emily Huston Chuck Stevens CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Darren Eliot Brian Kalisher Stefan Kubus Kyle Kujawa Matt Mackinder Dave Waddell
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTORS Amy Jones Anne Ellis
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: MICHIGAN HOCKEY® welcomes Letters to the Editor. E-mail mcaples@mihockeynow.com
MICHIGAN HOCKEY is published by SUBURBAN SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS, LLC 23995 Freeway Park Drive, Suite 200, Farmington Hills, MI 483352829.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MICHIGAN HOCKEY®, 23995 Freeway Park Drive, Suite 200, Farmington Hills, MI 48335-2829. ©2011 by Suburban Sports Communications. All Rights Reserved. The opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of MICHIGAN HOCKEY or its advertisers. All editorial copy, photographs and advertising materials remain the property of MICHIGAN HOCKEY.
MICHIGAN HOCKEY 23995 Freeway Park Drive • Suite 200 Farmington Hills, MI 48335-2829 (248) 478-2500 • FAX: (248) 478-1601 E-MAIL: mh@mihockeynow.com WEBSITE: mihockeynow.com
PHOTOS AT LEFT: Michigan vs. Michigan State photo courtesy of the CCHA and Michigan State Spartans, Ryan Rabinowitz (Michael Caples/MiHockey), Dan Cleary (Tom Turrill/MiHockey) COVER: Photo by Michael Caples/MiHockey, design by Emily Huston/MiHockey
Cover reprints available e-mail: mcaples@mihockeynow.com
December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
@michaelcaples
BY MICHAEL CAPLES
A LEGACY WORTH CELEBRATING As I’m sure you noticed from the cover, this issue’s main feature is on the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Like most hockey seasons, we have barely managed to blink, and we’re already staring at the holiday season. Hockey flies by and stops for no one. By the time this magazine reaches some of the rinks in our state, our CCHA schools will have played nearly half of their conference schedules. That means, in simple terms, you only have half a season left to enjoy a conference that has been in operation since 1971. It’s the last chance for you to watch the majority of the major teams in our state compete for the same conference championship (Michigan Tech is the lone NCAA D-1 program competing in a difference conference). Get out there and enjoy it. While the changes that are coming next year will ultimately help college hockey - in my opinion, at least – it will make for a strange adjustment period. For the Big Ten schools, things will look a lot more similar to the college football and basketball schedules we have grown accustomed to. But for Western Michigan, it is uncharted territory, as they begin play in the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference. And for Ferris State, Northern Michigan, and Lake Superior State, it is off to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, for dates with both familiar faces and foreign territories. But for the next four months, you have a chance to follow college hockey the way you grew up with it. Conference battles between schools for the last time. The rivalries will continue, and the games will continue, but it won’t be the same. The CCHA has been a wonderful thing for hockey
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in our state. By increasing the popularity of the sport at the college level, we have been able to appeal to new fans, and that means new players at the same time. After all, we’re all here for the same reasons – to participate, watch, and grow the game we love. On a separate note, I hope you read our article about Ryan Rabinowitz, an exceptionally-ambitious freshman at Novi High School. I sat down with Ryan to talk about his ‘Round Up At The Rink’ project, and was blown away by his mission, his reasons for pursuing it, and the way he carries himself at such a young age. His story serves as a reminder to go above and beyond, and to help those less fortunate. After all, we are blessed to be able to be a part of hockey – some people will never know some of the things we take for granted on a daily basis. Also, I wanted to give a quick shout-out to all the guys out there that grew moustaches during Movember. I know it wasn’t easy, because I was one of the ones being ridiculed for…a look that probably wasn’t my best. In fact, I apparently looked like Ned Flanders from “The Simpsons”...at least according to some co-workers and friends. As we enter December, I hope that you all have a great holiday season. Remember that we, the hockey people of Michigan, are more fortunate than most, and we should try to spread some holiday cheer whenever we can. Let people like Ryan inspire you. A little help can go a long way. Oh yeah, and hopefully all the ponds freeze this year. Not a single skate outdoors last year for this writer, and that’s not cool. See you at a rink soon, oon,
MiHockeyMag
5
THE LOCKER ROOM
THE
LOCKERROOM
ON THE FLY
Are you following us on Instagram (@MiHockeyNow)? We’re posting hockey photos almost every single day. Here are some of our most recent photos shared on the social network.
TWO FOR TWEETING
6
MiHockeyMag
MiHockey took on the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in a “Movember” battle last month. Four members of the MiHockey staff and four members of the CCHA staff grew moustaches for men’s health awareness. Meltdown, on-air personality for 101 WRIF and celebrity judge for the event, deemed that the CCHA had more impressive facial hair growth, which means the people assembling this magazine will be buying them lunch sometime in the near future. The photos included are from the halfway report for both teams.
It was great to see so many people sharing our high school preview content. Here are just a few of the examples.
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December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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SLIDESHOW
MICHIGAN HOCKEY IN PICTURES: WARRIOR, HOWARD AND GUSTAVSSON COME TO LIVONIA FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @MIHOCKEYNOW
On Dec. 1, Warrior Hockey hosted a demo day at Perani’s Hockey World in Livonia for players to test out their new Covert line of sticks. Warrior also brought along two of their ‘Players Club’ members – Red Wings goaltenders Jimmy Howard and Jonas Gustavsson. The netminder duo signed autographs and posed for photos with fans during the event. (Photos by Michael Caples/MiHockey)
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December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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MiHockeyMag
9
YOUTH HOCKEY
ROUND UP AT THE RINK BY MICHAEL CAPLES
For more information on how your rink can participate, email Ryan at abini44@att.net.
10
MiHockeyMag
Ryan Rabinowitz knows he is more fortunate than most. As a freshman on Novi High School’s prep team, Rabinowitz has grown up with the blessings afforded to most hockey players. And like most students his age, Rabinowitz is beginning community-service projects, both to fulfill requirements for his school and for his church. Yet Rabinowitz wants to do more than what a normal student his age would want to do. Rabinowitz wants to make another kid’s wish come true. When he was in fourth grade, Rabinowitz and a group of classmates worked with the Make-A-Wish foundation to make a wish come true for a local girl battling a terrible illness. Years later, he helped serve food to homeless people on Cass Corridor in Detroit - a second eye-opening experience for a fortunate kid. “I went down there and I didn’t know what to expect,” Rabinowitz said. “I had never really done something like that before. It was really cold, and I was like ‘boy, I kind of regret coming down here.’ It was pretty tough. All of a sudden, we start setting up to give them food, and there’s just lines of people. I look down the lines, and there are little kids there, and they haven’t eaten in a week. It’s like, wow, I can go home to a nice warm house, have a cup of hot chocolate, sit down and watch TV, and these kids are probably walking around the streets with their little peanut butter and jelly that we just handed them, and after this meal they might not eat for another week. It’s so unfortunate, especially in the hard economic times and for other reasons, that there are people who can’t
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come to a nice rink like this, or can’t go to a nice home. Especially with the kids; my whole life, I think I’ve been handed a lot of things.” So when it came time to pick a communityservice project, Rabinowitz gravitated back to the foundation he knew could make a difference in a child’s life. “I have such a blessed life, and I’m so grateful for everything that I have,” Rabinowitz said. “A lot of kids, they don’t have the opportunity to play hockey like you and I could - and hockey, it’s the greatest sport in the world - so kids were really what I was trying to focus on. I was talking with my mom trying to get ideas for community service, and everyone does the food bank and little things just to go along with it, but I really wanted to kind of reach out, do a little bit more, and especially with Make-A-Wish, because I think they do a great thing.” Rabinowitz started a program he named “Round Up At The Rink” – asking arenas across the state of Michigan to round up on their concession stand sales, and donate the extra money to Make-A-Wish. “My mom, she would always say that [when] my brother comes to the rink to watch the games, she spends a small fortune with him at the concession stand, and that’s all he comes to do. We thought it would be a good idea that when people come to the concession stand, they round up their order. So if it’s a $1.20, they round up 80 cents, and that money goes to Make-A-Wish. We just felt that because there are a lot of people coming to rinks to watch games and stuff, we thought it would be a good way to raise money.” Rabinowitz contacted MAHA president George Atkinson, who assisted the Novi Prep defenseman with reaching out to rinks across the state. The freshman has been sending out packets of information about his mission, and while he has yet to hear back from most, he did land one big partner already – the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Red Wings’ AHL affiliate ‘round up’ for their home games on Nov. 23 and Nov. 25. “When I heard from the Griffins, I was like ‘Wow’, I never knew that that could reach out to them, they’re such a big-market team and they’re affiliated with the Red Wings,” Rabinowitz said. “They got a little flyer out, they had a press release out…they had posters up and stuff. They really tried to get the word out. It was real cool to talk to people from the Griffins and they said that if we need any help, to reach out with marketing or anything, that would be cool...I’ve always loved watching the Griffins play.”
December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
YOUTH HOCKEY
Livonia Midget A captures Motown Cup The Livonia Midget A Travel team captured the Motown Cup Tournament with a thrilling 3-2 victory Sunday over the Whitby (Ontario) Wildcats at Farmington Hills Ice Arena. The Knights, led by head coach Ken Hunt, earned wins over Oakridge (Ontario), Howell JV Green and the Michigan Jaguars, and a tie over the Wildcats to advance to
the title game. The team is comprised of Cullen Barber, Alex DeFlorio, Bobby Diegel, Jeff Flannigan, Vince Glenn, Jay Hague, Luke Justice, Max McCrory, Robert Schneider, Drake Shepard, Nick Smith, Christopher Tripi, Michael Warner, Alec Wells, Alex Williams, and assistant coaches Craig Justice, Bob Warner and Don Barber.
Hockey Player Age Hometown Height Weight Team Position Coach School Grade Favorite Team Favorite Player
Carter Schram
Hockey Player Age Hometown Height Weight Team Position Coach School Grade Favorite Team Favorite Player
Devan Grayshaw
9 East Lansing 4'9" 90 lbs Lansing Spartans Sq AA Right Wing Andrew Scriver Murphy Elementary 5th Tampa Bay Lightning Steven Stamkos
’99 Travelers win Rock ‘n’ Roll Cup Congratulations to the ’99 Michigan Travelers, who won the 2012 Rock ‘n’ Roll Cup Tournament held in Cleveland from Oct. 5-7. In the championship game, Sami Vicari scored the winning goal in a shoot-out. The Travelers are: Front Row – Jackson Benning, Chris Prange Second Row – Alllen Willman, Trevor Oberliesen, Zach Djordjevic, Nathan LaFalce, Louie Sboukis, Max Stempien, Drew Stempien, Sami Vicari, Anthony Candella, Brendan Moriarty Back Row – Coach Dave Vicari, James
Nowak, Coach Rick Lopez, Ben Currie, Coach Mike Sempien, Coach Tom Emery, Jacob Franco, Max McKay
10 Canton 4'6" 77 lbs '02 Novi Icecats Center Mark Berke Eriksson Elementary 4th Detroit Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk
GRAHA’s “Try Special Hockey For Free” Thanks to the Grand Rapids Amateur Hockey Association, 12 kids got to try our sport for the first time. GRAHA hosted a “Try Special Hockey For Free” event at the Patterson Ice Center on Nov. 18, letting able-bodied children with mild cognitive impairments get on the ice and experience the joys of playing hockey. Jean Laxton, a GRAHA board member and one of the event organizers, said that seeing one of the reactions from the parents was almost as rewarding as helping the children. There was a man that attended with his son, you could tell that the guy played or plays in a men’s league,” Laxton said. “We were encouraging his son to shoot the
December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
puck and he put one in the net. He looked at his dad and said, “Dad, do you think I am a good hockey player?” The dad was tearing up as our coach skated away. He caught me later and said he never thought he would see this day happen.” Sherri Powers, whose 10-year-old son, William, participated in the event, shared this note with the event organizers. “Thank you to all of you that were there Sunday,” Powers said. “My son enjoyed the encouragement. It boosted his selfconfidence and made him feel like he could do things if he just tried hard. The smile that it put on his face was amazing and it is something that we will not be forgetting anytime soon. Thank you so much!”
Make your player a "Star of Tomorrow" Every player appearing on Reebok's Stars of Tomorrow will win a new Reebok hockey stick! Go to MiHockeyNow.com and fill out the form on the 'Stars of Tomorrow' page. We will contact you about a photo to appear in the paper.
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"STARS OF TOMORROW" c/o Michigan Hockey 'SFFXBZ 1BSL %SJWF t 4VJUF Farmington Hills, MI 48335-2829 mh@mihockeynow.com
MiHockeyMag
11
GET BETTER
GETBETTER
POWERED BY
SWEDISH SHOOTING WARM-UP DRILL
DRILL OBJECTIVE: QUICK HARD PASSES, PUCK CONTROL Excellent drill for youth teams as a pre-game warm-up. In a short duration, there is backward skating, pivoting, passing/receiving, skating and shooting. KEY ELEMENTS: • Give-and-go passing • Tight turns • Backward to forward • Off-angle shot for goalie warm-up ORGANIZATION: Line up players and pucks as shown on four blue lines. Begin from both ends, diagonally opposite blue lines. Player 1 leaves skating backward across blue line at mid-ice he gets pass from own line, turns and passes to other line, player in other line catches pass and gives puck right back to Player 1, who enters zone down boards and takes a warm-up shot on the goalie. GOALIE: Follow play across blue line, angle awareness
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December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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MiHockeyMag
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YOU SHOULD KNOW
you should know FAVORITE SPORTING EVENT: US Open of Tennis.
FIRST CONCERT: Rolling Stones.
MUST-SEE TV:
Homeland.
FAVORITE BREAKFAST FOOD: Huevos Rancheros.
FAVORITE MOVIE:
The Pursuit of Happyness.
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE: Lightning-fast reflexes.
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE WISH GRANTED, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH IT: Win a national championship. NICKNAME:
Racine, Racer, Raciner, etc.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH $1 MILLION DOLLARS: Spend $100,000, invest the rest.
THREE PEOPLE YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH:
Carey Price, Gael Monfils, Adam Scott.
PRE-GAME ROUTINE:
Yes, I try to do the same things every game day.
WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE: Audi FAVORITE MEAL:
Braised short ribs.
FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY:
Summer hockey tournaments in Canada.
WHO WAS MOST INFLUENTIAL ON YOUR HOCKEY CAREER:
Steve Racine
University of Michigan goaltender Steve Racine is one of two players tabbed with the daunting task of replacing Shawn Hunwick in goal for the Wolverines. The 21-year-old freshman has plenty of experience in the junior ranks, having played in both the Ontario Junior Hockey League and the United States Hockey League while waiting for his shot at the NCAA. He made his collegiate debut on Oct. 12 against RIT, where he stopped 21 shots en route to a 7-2 home win for UM. The Williamsville, N.Y., native checks in at 6-foot-2-inches and 191 pounds.
Growing up in Buffalo and the Buffalo Sabres.
Photos courtesy of: tennisnoise.wordpress.com (U.S. Open), en.wikipedia.com (Homeland, Carey Price, Buffalo Sabres), swotti.starmedia.com (Pursuit of Happyness)
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December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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JUNIORS
NAHL, NA3HL, USHL, MWJHL Roundup BY MATT MACKINDER The Port Huron Fighting Falcons continue to churn out NCAA Division I prospects and recently, two more Falcons committed to play college hockey down the line. Defenseman Mark Evan Auk will play for Michigan Tech University, while fellow blueliner Ryan Nick gave the nod to Army. Auk, a native of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, is currently in his first year with the Fighting Falcons after leading the University Liggett to the Division 3 Michigan state high school championship last year. “Mark Evan is just starting to develop into a top defenseman and Michigan Tech will be getting an excellent player and person when Mark Evan steps on that campus,” said Port Huron coach-GM Michael Gershon. “We have tried to make sure that he is playing two-way hockey, but his offensive abilities have shined through. He takes good care of the puck and continues to be a very pleasant surprise for us this season.” “It has been the best year so far for me in hockey-wise and I have learned a lot in just the couple of months that I have been here,” said Auk. “At this level, mistakes can really cost you, so I have tried to make smart decisions with and without the puck. I think we have a smart and experienced team. We get better as the game goes along and I think that has played into our success thus far.” A native of Plymouth, Nick is in his second year in Port Huron after being acquired early in the 2011-12 season from the Traverse City North Stars. “Ryan has worked extremely hard to get this commitment and I think that Army is going to be getting a great Cadet and someone that we know will work hard to achieve great results on the ice and in the classroom,” said Gershon. Outside of the Mitten, Zach Diamantoni, a forward with the Janesville (Wis.) Jets and a Brighton native, has accepted a scholarship offer to play at Northern Michigan University starting in the 2014-15 academic year. More than 40 NAHL players to date have committed to play college hockey over the first few months of the season.
gathered together for a special night with the Muskegon Lumberjacks as host and all of hockey as spectators.” The game will take place just after NHL Central Scouting releases its mid-term rankings of players eligible for the 2013 NHL draft. “We are proud that our organization and city can host this event and showcase this community to NHL personnel,” said Lumberjacks’ owner and CEO Josh Mervis. “It will be the highlight event of ‘Hockey Week in Muskegon’ and fans will be treated to an event featuring young talent that will be playing professional hockey in the very near future.” The inaugural USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game last January saw Team East earn a 5-3 win over Team West.
The Granite City (Minn.) Lumberjacks have players from all over the United States, but recently added forward Mitch Humphries, a native of Australia. “I’d like to make it to the NAHL some day,” said Humphries to sctimes.com. “It would be cool to play college hockey here.” Humphries played youth hockey in Australia until he was 15 and a coach Down Under suggested he see what North America could offer. He played the past four years for Banff Hockey Academy, a prep school in the Rocky Mountains of western Alberta. “(America) is pretty much the same as Canada,” concluded Humphries. “I’d probably move back (to Australia), but I have a lot of friends here all over the U.S. and Canada.”
The best United States Hockey League players are coming back to Muskegon next month for the second annual USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Jan. 23 at the L.C. Walker Arena. The game features the top NHL Draft-eligible players from the USHL competing in front of a full battery of NHL scouts, front office personnel and media at the home of the Muskegon Lumberjacks. A total of 40 players will be chosen for the event based on a selection process that includes input of the 16 USHL general managers, NHL Central Scouting and NHL scouts. “We’re excited to have the Prospects Game return to Muskegon, one of the proudest and longest-standing hockey markets in the United States,” said USHL president and commissioner Skip Prince. “These are America’s best,
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In the first-year Midwest Junior Hockey League, the Hartland Hounds have gone undefeated (25-0) so far, with their two biggest wins coming last weekend in a homeand-home series with Tennyson Chevrolet, the MWJHL’s second-place team based in Brownstown. “[The second game with Tennyson] was a hard-fought game and we had adversity with a short bench, but good teams find ways to win and that’s what I think was the case (Sunday),” said Hounds’ goalie Andrew Brownlee. “I think sweeping Tennyson was a message that not only can we play with a bull’s eye on our back, but we can do it even in the face of adversity.” Hartland boasts the MWJHL’s top scorer in Jake Henrikson, a 20-year-old Commerce native who has 31 goals and 50 points in 20 games, and the top netminder in Brownlee, who is 16-0 with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage – all tops in the league. The Soo Firehawks have won five straight and sit in third place, the Wayne-based Michigan Ice Dogs are in fourth, the Holland River Bandits sit fifth and Fraser’s Great Lakes Lightning have had a rough go and sit in the cellar of the 10-team MWJHL.
NA3HL’S LUMBERJACKS ADD FORWARD FROM THE OUTBACK
NHL PROSPECTS COMING BACK TO MUSKEGON
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HARTLAND STILL UNDEFEATED IN MWJHL PLAY
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COMPLETE AND UP-TO-DATE TOURNAMENT LISTINGS AT
TOURNAMENT CALENDAR MICHIGAN DECEMBER 2012 Peewee B “Deke into December” Scottville, MI December 7-8, 2012 Pee Wee B 231-843-9712 westshoreice.com Get Into the Cold Tournament Mt. Pleasant, MI December 7-9, 2012 Pee Wee House B 989-772-9623 fo@mpicearena.org mpicearena.org FSU-BRAJHA Bantam B Tournament Big Rapids, MI December 7-9, 2012 Bantam B (231) 591-2881 ferris.edu/icearena or bigrapidshockey.org Danglers Cup Muskegon, MI December 7-9, 2012 Squirt – Bantam Travel/House, JV 231-739-9423 lakeshoresportscentre.net GTHA Tournament Series Traverse City, MI December 7-9, 2012 Bantam House 231-933-4842 gthatournaments@yahoo.com tchockey.com Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI 12/7/2012 - 12/9/2012 Mite through Midget: House, B, A and AA, High School Varsity and JV Hockey Time Productions (216) 325-0567 itshockeytime.com Get Into the Cold Tournament Mt. Pleasant, MI December 14-16, 2012 Squirt House B 989-772-9623 fo@mpicearena.org mpicearena.org GTHA Tournament Series Traverse City, MI December 14-16, 2012 Squirt House 231-933-4842 gthatournaments@yahoo.com tchockey.com
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St. Ignace Bridge Brawl St. Ignace, MI December 14-16, 2012 Bantam B 906-643-8676 lbe@cityofstignace.net littlebeararena.com Yost Holiday 3-on-3 Tournament Ann Arbor, MI Thursday, December 27, 2012 2003 and 2004 age divisions 734-764-4600 Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI December 29–31, 2012 Mite through Midget: House, B, A and AA, High School Varsity and JV Hockey Time Productions (216) 325-0567 itshockeytime.com
JANUARY 2013 GTHA Tournament Series Traverse City, MI January 2-4, 2013 JV 231-933-4842 gthatournaments@yahoo.com tchockey.com FSU-BRAJHA Mite ADM Studio Rink Tournament Big Rapids, MI January 4-6, 2013 Mite ADM (231) 591-2881 ferris.edu/icearena or bigrapidshockey.org St. Ignace Bridge Brawl St. Ignace, MI January 4-6, 2013 Squirt Travel A & AA 906-643-8676 lbe@cityofstignace.net littlebeararena.com 8th Annual January Freeze Tournament Bay City, MI January 11-13, 2013 Mite-Midget B & BB 989-671-1000 chaffint@baycounty.net Bottle Knocker Muskegon, MI January 11-13, 2013 Squirt – Bantam House, Midget BB, Mini-Mite/Mite Jamboree 231-739-9423 lakeshoresportscentre.net
GTHA Tournament Series Traverse City, MI January 11-13, 2013 Squirt House 231-933-4842 gthatournaments@yahoo.com tchockey.com 32nd Annual “B” Friendship Tournament Saginaw, MI January 11-13, 2013 Mite & Bantam B 989-799-8950 david.westner@gsaha.org FSU-BRAJHA Mini-Mite & IP ADM Tourney Big Rapids, MI January 18-20, 2013 Mini-Mite & IP ADM (231) 591-2881 ferris.edu/icearena or bigrapidshockey.org FSU-BRAJHA Mite Full Ice Tourney Big Rapids, MI January 18-20, 2013 Mite (231) 591-2881 ferris.edu/icearena or bigrapidshockey.org King’s Cup Dimondale, MI January 18-20, 2013 Squirt – Bantam B, A & AA & Midget AA 517-319-1000 thesummitsportsandice.com 32nd Annual “B” Friendship Tournament Saginaw, MI January 18-20, 2013 Squirt & Pee Wee B 989-799-8950 david.westner@gsaha.org Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI January 18-21, 2013 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Great Lakes Midwinter Classic Holland, MI January 19-21, 2013 Squirt through Midget; House, B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855-
898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com
OUT OF STATE DECEMBER 2012 Shootout Classic Hockey Tournament Niagara Falls, NY December 7-9, 2012 House – AAA, Boys & Girls Divisions 781-710-6560 bh@nahockey.com AMERICAN CUP GIRLS TOURNAMENT December 13-15, 2012 Lake Placid, NY Peewee, Bantam,Midget AA, A, B Canadian Hockey Enterprises 1-800-461-2161 chehockey.com AMERICAN CUP December 13-15, 2012 Lake Placid, NY Midget AA, A, B, - Minor/Major/Mixed Canadian Hockey Enterprises 1-800-461-2161 chehockey.com AMERICAN CUP HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT December 13-15, 2012 Lake Placid, NY High School Boy’s and High School Girl’s Canadian Hockey Enterprises 1-800-461-2161 chehockey.com Schwan Cup High School/ Youth Blaine, MN December 26-January 1, 2013 Youth Squirt-Bantam & High School 763-717-3240 Superrink.org AMERICAN CUP December 27-30, 2012 Lake Placid, NY Atom, Peewee, Bantam AA, A, B, Select - Minor/Major/ Mixed divisions Canadian Hockey Enterprises 1-800-461-2161 chehockey.com
JANUARY 2013 AMERICAN CUP January 3-6, 2013 Lake Placid, NY Novice, Atom, Peewee, Bantam AA, A, B, House Select - Minor/ Major/Mixed divisions Canadian Hockey Enterprises 1-800-461-2161 chehockey.com
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Hockey Time Productions South Bend Cup Tournament Series South Bend, IN January 11-13, 2013 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Rock ‘n Roll Cup Tournament Series Cleveland, OH January 18-21, 2013 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Three Rivers Cup Tournament Series Pittsburgh, PA January 18-21, 2013 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 itshockeytime.com CHICAGO CUP Tournament Chicago Midwinter Classic Chicago, IL January 19-21, 2013 Mite through Midget; House, B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Buckeye State Tournament Series: Cincinnati Midwinter Classic Cincinnati, OH January 19-21, 2013 Squirt through Midget: House, B, A and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com Music City Tournament Series: Music City Cup Nashville, TN January 19-21, 2013 Squirt through Midget: B, A and AA, High School Varsity and JV Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com
Steel City Tournament Series: Pittsburgh Midwinter Classic Pittsburgh, PA January 19-21, 2013 Squirt through Midget: B, A and AA, High School Varsity and JV Girls U10, U12, U14, U16, U19 Contact MYHockey Tournaments Toll Free US and Canada 855898-4040 myhockeytournaments.com
CANADA JANUARY 2013 Weekend Hockey Tournament Burlington, ON Canada January 4-6, 2013 Adult men & women 19+, 25+, 30+, 35+, 40+, 45+ & 50+ A, B, C, D, E 1.877.702.5701 weekendhockey.com
FEBRUARY 2013 Weekend Hockey Tournament Brampton, ON Canada February 15-17, 2013 Adult men & women 19+, 25+, 30+, 35+, 40+, 45+ & 50+ A, B, C, D, E 1.877.702.5701 weekendhockey.com CANADIAN CUP – Family Day Weekend February 15-17, 2013 Montreal, Quebec Novice, Atom, Peewee, Bantam, Midget, High School Boys AA, A, B, House Select -Minor/ Major Mixed division Canadian Hockey Enterprises 1-800-461-2161 chehockey.com
MARCH 2013 Weekend Hockey Tournament Niagara Falls, ON Canada March 8-10, 2013 Adult men & women 19+, 25+, 30+, 35+, 40+, 45+ & 50+ A, B, C, D, E 1.877.702.5701 weekendhockey.com CANADIAN CUP March 15-17, 2013 Montreal, Quebec Novice, Atom, Peewee, Bantam, Midget AA, A, B, House Select - Minor/ Major/Mixed divisions Canadian Hockey Enterprises 1-800-461-2161 chehockey.com
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Ferris State ICE ARENA Big Rapids Area Junior Hockey Association 2012 – 2013 Youth Tournament Schedule
Premier Tournament Sponsor — Holiday Inn Sept 28-30 = HS Fall/Midget AA-AAA Showcase 8 – 10 teams ($700-$800) 4 games Oct 12-14 = HS Fall/Midget AA-AAA Showcase 8 – 10 teams ($700-$800) 4 games Nov 9-11 = Squirt B Tourney weekend, 8 teams ($725) Nov 16-18 = Pee Wee B Tourney weekend | 8 teams ($750) Dec 1-2 = Mite ADM Studio Rink Tournament 8 teams ($450) 4x4/3x3 hockey played on the Ferris State Studio Rink. FSU vs Michigan, Fri/Sat, Nov 30-Dec 1 — call early for group tickets Dec 7-9 = Bantam B Tourney weekend, 8 teams ($800) Jan 4-6 = Mite ADM Studio Rink Tournament 8 teams ($450) 4x4/3x3 hockey played on the Ferris State Studio Rink. FSU vs Michigan State, Sat, Jan 5 — call early for group tickets Jan 18-20 = Mini-Mite & IP ADM Tourney weekend 8-10 teams ($400) 4x4/3x3 hockey played on the Ferris State Studio & Full Sheet. FSU vs Michigan State, Sat, Jan 19 — call early for group tickets Jan 18-20 = Mite Full Ice Tourney weekend 8 teams ($650) Games start Friday afternoon. FSU vs Michigan State, Sat, Jan 19 — call early for group tickets. Jan 25-27 = JV/Midget A Tourney Weekend, 8 teams ($850)
32ND ANNUAL
“B” Friendship Tournament – Saginaw
Feb 8-10 = Midget B/BB Tourney weekend, 8 teams ($850) Feb 16-17 = Mite ADM Studio Rink Tournament 8 teams ($450) 4x4/3x3 hockey played on the Ferris State Studio Rink. FSU vs Bowling Green, Fri/Sat, Feb 15-16 — call early for group tickets (tourney discount) Feb 16-17 = Mini-Mite ADM Studio Rink Tournament, 8-10 teams ($400) 4x4 / 3x3 hockey played on the Ferris State Studio Rink. FSU vs Bowling Green, Fri/Sat, Feb 15-16 — call early for group tickets (tourney discount) All Tournaments are 4-game guarantees, with Fri/Sat/Sun games unless noted Studio Rink Dimensions — 100 x 85 with radiused corners Midget and Bantam tournament games = 1.5 hours All participants/teams must be USA registered Tournament Info: printable application, tournament rules, etc – www.ferris.edu/icearena or www.bigrapidshockey.org
Tournament Hotline: 231-591-2881 Ferris State Ticket Hotline: 231-591-2888 Hotel Sponsor, Holiday Inn: 231-796-4400 www.hibigrapids.com/ please call 3-4 weeks prior for reservations.
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MITE & BANTAM “B” January 11-13, 2013
SQUIRT & PEE WEE “B” January 18-20, 2013 $200 deposit due December 22, 2012
NO GATE CHARGE! FEES: Mite – $500 | Squirt – $600 Pee Wee – $600 | Bantam – $625 MAHA Sanction #MIT130147 MAHA Sanction #MIT130148
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Phone: 989-799-8950 Email: david.westner@gsaha.org LOCATION: Saginaw-Bay Ice Arena 6129 Bay Rd. | Saginaw, MI 48604
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HOMETOWN HEROES
ANDY GREENE NCAA TOTALS (MIAMI, 2002 – 2006)
159 27 GAMES
GOALS
87
114
256
85
101
102
ASSISTS
POINTS
PIM
NHL TOTALS
347 16 GAMES
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GOALS
ASSISTS
POINTS
PIM
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Andrew Knapik/MiHockey, other photos courtesy of the Miami RedHawks and the New Jersey Devils via the MIHL December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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5th Annual
E G D E D OAKLAN ament
ONYX ICE ARENA - ROCHESTER, MI
n r u o T y e k c Adult Ho
3 1 0 2 , 4 1 2 1 l i Apr
*Goalies age 25+ **Goalies age 45+
Women’s Divisions Upper – age 21+ Lower – age 21+
Sled Division
Co-ed – age 15+
up to 5 games total Three 15 minute running-time periods USA Hockey rules Individual & team trophies Free team pictures
Men’s Divisions
A – age 21 + B – age 30+* C – age 30+* D – age 30+* 50+ Upper – age 50+** 50+ Lower – age 50 +**
Each team is guaranteed 3 games,
All participants receive an Oakland Edge tournament t-shirt AFTER PARTIES and DISCOUNTS at local bars and restaurants
$750 per team Same as last year.
Presented by:
save $50
$700 if paid in full by January 31, 2013
For more information contact
Register at
Ed Joss 248-721-1204 josse@oakgov.com
oaklandedge.com
Tournament Sanctioned by MAHA & USA Hockey #MIT130194
Registration deadline: March 11, 2013
UPCOMING EVENTS Mount Clemens Ice Arena & Fitness Center:
Holiday Break Ice for Sale December 21 - January 6 Some ice as low as $100 per hour
www.mountclemensicearena.com
Mount Clemens Fire Department Charity Adult Hockey Tournament December 2012 Open to all Fire, Police and EMS
Mount Clemens Ice Arena & Fitness Center 200 N Groesbeck Phone: 586-307-8202 Fax: 586-307-8245 Email/Website info@mountclemensicearena.com mountclemensicearena.com Contact Info: Contact Carly Harris for more info
For more information contact Chuck Jawor:
cjawor@cityofmountclemens.com
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January 18 – January 20, 2013 At The Summit Sports and Ice Complex
Divisions Available: x x x x
Midget B, A, AA: $800 Bantam B, A, AA: $750 PeeWee B, A, AA: $700 Squirt B, A, AA: $650
- Four Game Guarantee - USA Hockey Sanctioned - Trophies for Champions and Finalists - Great Hotels within Walking Distance - Tournament Apparel Available - Photos and Videos available Hospitality Room for Coaches and Managers! C ontact Ka a rri Hobbs for more information: 5 17-- 3 19-- 1 000 ext. 112 s enatorsteam@thesumm m itsportsandice.com
9410 Davis Hwy Dimondale, MI 48821 Ph: 517-319-1000 Fax: 517-319-1004 www.thesummitsportsandice.com
December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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Suburban Ice-Macomb will run a special Suburban FUNdamental hockey session for Mighty Mites (ages 4-7).
It’s not too late to get in the game! Great schedule and excellent ice times all at one location! One 50-minute skate each week for 24 weeks on Sundays at 4:30 pm Emphasis is placed on creating a fun, challenging environment for players to learn the beginning principles of skating in equipment, stickhandling and puck skills at their competitive level. Skill stations and skillbuilding games will be a part of each session Program serves as the initiation program for the Macomb Hockey Club Full equipment required - equipment available to borrow
OPEN, OPEN O PEN P EN TIER T ER 2 TI & HOUSE DIVISIONS MITE | SQUIRT | PEE WEE BANTAM | HIGH SCHOOL | ADULT
NEW GIRLS 10U | 12U | 14U
TM
54755 Broughton Road | Macomb, MI 48042 | (586) 992-8600
www.suburbanicemacomb.com 24
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PRESENTS THE 2012 ROYAL OAK
Holiday Classic DECEMBER 27TH – 30TH DIVISIONS OFFERED HOUSE DIVISIONS
JOHN LINDELL
Squirt B | Pee Wee B | Bantam B
I C E A R E NA
1403 Lexington Blvd | Royal Oak, MI 48073 Phone: 248.246.3950 | Fax: 248.246.3951
ROYA L OAK
ROYALOAKICEARENA.COM
2013 U.P. 4-on-4 Youth Pond Hockey Championship February 23 rd -24 th
St. Ignace, Michigan
All Levels Welcome Mite, Squirt, Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget, Girls, House and Travel Divisions
$200 per team or $150 or less when registering multiple teams
www.littlebeararena.com Little Bear East Arena • Phone: 906-643-8676 • Fax: 906-643-6082 • lbe@cityofstignace.net
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GOALIE SCHOOL
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north american hockey league 33
TOP PROSPECTs TOURNAMENT
Six teams comprised of the NAHL’s top committed and uncommitted college players, including those recognized on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s “Players to Watch” list for 2012 draft-eligible players Over 160 NHL and NCAA scouts attended the 2012 Top Prospects Tournament Over half of last years NAHL Top Prospect participants are now playing at the NCAA level
NAPHL CHAMPIONSHIP February 15-18, 2012 - Troy Sports Center NAPHL Regular Season Championship tournament will be held for all teams at Troy Sports Center. Held in conjunction with the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament and NA3HL Showcase.
NA3HL SHOWCASE February 17-20, 2012 - Troy Sports Center The four-day showcase will feature all 17 teams from the NA3HL in one facility. This Showcase also coincides with the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament and the NAPHL Championship Tournament Series Tournament. 2012 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament Gabe Levin - University of Denver (WCHA, D1) Anthony Stolarz - University of Nebraska-Omaha (WCHA, D1) Adam Chapie - University of Massachusetts-Lowell (Hockey East, D1)
nahl.coM
naphl.com
na3hl.com
JUNIORS COLLEGEPREVIEW HOCKEY
BY MICHAEL CAPLES The final season of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association is underway, and if you’re not careful, you might miss it. It seemed like just yesterday that the historic college hockey conference was sending out their “Celebrate The Legacy” logo and announcing their pre-season allconference teams. Now, most teams are almost halfway through their conference seasons, inching that much closer to the final CCHA Championship weekend at Joe Louis Arena. Next season brings drastic changes to our college hockey landscape: new conferences, new opponents, and new things to learn. While the changes may help the game overall, there will certainly be an adjustment period. Michigan and Michigan State will be facing new – and highly-skilled – competition. Western Michigan will begin the construction of a new powerhouse conference. And Michigan Tech will welcome Ferris State, Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan back to the WCHA. But until then, it’s time to savor this final CCHA season. Enjoy it while it’s still here, because before you know it, March will be here. Here are some storylines that have developed during the start of the “Celebrate The Legacy” season in the CCHA:
Steve Racine and Jared Rutledge. Coach Red Berenson has yet to settle on a day-to-day starter and back-up. Racine currently holds a 4-4-2 record, with a 2.92 goalsagainst and .885 save percentage. Rutledge, who missed a portion of the team’s preseason, sits at 1-4-0, with a 4.57 goals-against and .847 save percentage.
game, which is the lowest number in the CCHA, and their power play is clicking at a 20 percent rate. Those are two stats that make a coach like Andy Murray a very happy guy.
WESTERN MICHIGAN TAKES MITTEN’S TOP SPOT As of Dec. 3, Western Michigan holds the top spot of any Michigan school in the two major college hockey polls. The Broncos are ranked No. 8 in both the USCHO and the USA Today polls, and for good reason. While they are currently in fifth place in conference play, WMU has only played in eight CCHA games. That puts them one weekend behind most of their competition, and two behind Northern Michigan and Alaska. While they aren’t scoring bunches of goals every night, Western continues to rack up wins for two reasons – Frank Slubowski and special-teams play. “The Big Slubowski” continues to lead the way for the Broncos in goal; the sophomore goaltender has won 70.8 percent of the games he’s started this season. That’s a percentage bested only by Miami’s Jay Williams, and his team holds the top spot in all of the CCHA. The Broncos are also winning the battles on specialteams. They are averaging only 10 penalty minutes per
FERRIS STATE PROVING THE DOUBTERS WRONG Last year, Ferris State was the “Cinderella Story” of NCAA hockey. Yet when they began preparing for the 2012-13 season, there were a whole lot of holes on the roster. The Bulldogs lost top defenseman Chad Billins, goaltender Taylor Nelson, leading scorer Jordie Johnston, and four other defensemen. Yet it hasn’t seemed to matter so far. C.J. Motte has stepped into the vacancy left by Nelson, and he has posted impressive numbers. The sophomore ranks fourth in the conference in both goals-against (2.09) and save percentage (.933). He is a huge reason why the Bulldogs are currently fourth in the CCHA standings. Ferris State has also benefitted from the play of senior captain Kyle Bonis, whose 13 points put him in a tie for fifth place in scoring. The Bulldogs are averaging 3.14 goals a game, the most of any CCHA school.
More CCHA coverage on Page 30...
SPARTANS CAN’T SCORE GOALS, WOLVERINES CAN’T STOP ‘EM Lopsided scores both nights of their rivalry weekend seemed fitting for both the Spartans’ and Wolverines’ seasons thus far, as both are struggling to find consistency at certain ends of the ice. The Spartans are still looking for their offensive punch. Michigan State has only scored 31 goals this season – good for only a 2.21 goals-per-game average. That’s ninth in the CCHA, in front of only Ohio State and Bowling Green. Sophomore forward Matt Berry – a Canton native – is tied for fifth in league scoring, but freshman Matt DeBlouw, a Chesterfield native with 11 points, is the only other Spartan in the top 20 for scoring. Michigan State is scoring on the power play – at an impressive 21.8 percent success rate – but to win more games in the second half, they will need more goals five-on-five. The Wolverines, meanwhile, have the opposite problem. They have scored 47 goals this season, the most of any CCHA school. However, their scoring defense checks in at dead last in the conference, as they are giving up 3.53 goals per game. Replacing Shawn Hunwick between the pipes has proved to be a tall task for freshmen goaltenders
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JUNIORS COLLEGEPREVIEW HOCKEY
Miami forward Riley Barber (Photo courtesy of the CCHA/Miami) CZARNIK AND BARBER HAVING FUN IN MIAMI If one’s not picking up an award, the other one is. Washington, Mich., native Austin Czarnik has scored seven goals and 12 assists for the Miami RedHawks this season, putting him at the top of the conference scoring list. Meanwhile, the player chasing him just happens to be teammate Riley Barber, a Livonia native and freshman forward. Barber has just one less goal than Czarnik,
putting him at 18 points on the season. Michigan captain (and Bloomfield Hills native) A.J. Treais is third in scoring, but he’s three points behind, and has played in an extra game. Needless to say, the Michigan duo in Ohio has been accumulating league and national honors – Barber was the rookie of the month for both the CCHA and the Hockey Commissioners Association in October, while Czarnik was the conference player of the month.
Michigan defenseman Jon Merrill (Photo courtesy of the CCHA/University of Michigan)
HILDEBRAND HEATING UP FOR MSU While it hasn’t been the smoothest of starts for the Spartans, freshman goaltender Jake Hildebrand has been a pleasant surprise. The Pennsylvania native was expected to serve as Will Yanakeff ’s back-up this season, but he’s been playing so well in goal the team can’t justify taking him out. Hildebrand is third in the CCHA in goals-against (1.76) and second in save percentage (.942), the latter of which being the best in the NCAA for freshmen netminders. Yet with limited offensive support, Hildebrand’s record is an undeserving 2-4-1 on the season. MICHIGAN IS MISSING MERRILL Red Berenson said that before the Wolverines’ lone exhibition contest with Windsor, he told the opposing coach he was hoping for a good game and that both teams could avoid injury. That didn’t go as planned for the Wolverines, as they lost arguably their best player in defenseman Jon Merrill. The junior, a New Jersey Devils second-round pick in 2010, broke his seventh vertebra in an awkward collision into the boards, and has yet to return to game action. Merrill was expected to be the anchor of the Wolverines defense this season – a defense that, as mentioned earlier, has struggled to find consistency.
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FOLLOW US
NEW YEAR’S EVE
3-ON-3 TM
HOLIDAY BLAST MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 OPEN & HOUSE DIVISIONS Mini Mite Bantam Mite Girls Squirt High School Pee Wee Adult
THREE GAME GUARANTEE TOP TWO FINISHERS IN EACH DIVISION ADVANCE TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ALL GAMES WILL BE PLAYED ON MONDAY, DEC. 31 BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7:00AM AND 7:00PM
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PLYMOUTH WHALERS
CONNOR CARRICK’S GRACE PERIOD OVER, WANTS TO BE IMPACT PLAYER FOR WHALERS BY MATT MACKINDER
A
fter Connor Carrick gave up a full ride to the University of Michigan to instead play in the Ontario Hockey League with the Plymouth Whalers, some wondered if his previous two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program would prepare him for the OHL grind. In the simplest of answers – yes. Carrick, an 18-year-old defenseman with the Whalers, said his early-season adjustment period went smoothly, and now he wants to elevate his game to a higher level. More importantly, he wants to see the Whalers start to elevate their overall game and pull away in what has become a crowded West Division. “One thing I’ve learned about this league is that if you want to be considered a contender, you have to be a dominant team and be consistently dominant,” said Carrick, a Chicago-area native. “I think we have another level here. With the NTDP, I saw other (USHL) team’s best every night and some of those teams just plain didn’t like us for one reason or another. Here, you play a team like Windsor and you get hit more in the first five minutes than you would the whole game against most other teams. “I think my grace period is over and now it’s time for me to find that other level. My goal every game is to be the best player on the ice and I think I need to improve on being tough to play against, being that nasty player no one wants to face.” In the first three months or so, Carrick, a Washington Capitals’ prospect, has seen what the rivalries Plymouth has with Windsor, Kitchener and London are all about. More than that, he’s taken the time to really experience the OHL away from Compuware Arena. “They tell you coming in that it’s a lot more hockey and it is,” said Carrick. “We play 68 games (in the regular season) and over the past month or so, we’ve had midweek games and then two on the weekend. What they tell you is true – it’s a grind. Going on the road, I had heard about the arenas in Windsor and London and Kitchener and they are for sure great places to play. Sitting in the locker room before a game in London, someone said that if you’re not up for a game like this playing in front of 9,000 fans, you have no future in this game. “I have also liked the atmosphere of the rinks in Guelph and even Owen Sound. Those are smaller rinks, but they have the fan support and the atmosphere and it really
surprised me the first time we went there.” Another aspect of his good vibes with the Whalers has been Carrick’s relationship with head coach and general manager Mike Vellucci. “I really like coach Vellucci and I think he does a great job,” Carrick said. “One thing I noticed right away is that he always seems to get the best out of his players. He keeps a tempo on each player and for me personally, he’s been the one to calm me down if I’m struggling. I guess the best way to explain coach is that he keeps you honest. You know what he expects and if you don’t give it to him, he’s not a happy guy.” An alternate captain as a first-year player is not altogether a rarity, but for Carrick, he said he was humbled to get a letter and played the team-first card next. “Numerous other guys could have been named a captain, but this is a responsibility I wanted,” said Carrick. “I just want to try and keep going out and leading by example and hopefully, earning my teammates’ respect along the way. In all honesty, we have so many quality leaders on this team that anyone could have been given an ‘A.’” When Carrick’s rights were acquired from Guelph in July, he was immediately anointed as the Whalers’ new power-play quarterback and a player who could step right in and handle a 30-minute workload during any given game. So far, Carrick has had no issues with playing time, but rather, with injuries piling up and players in and out of the lineup, having a consistent defense partner has been inconsistent, to say the least. “Our power play as a whole, with the five guys we put out there, should not be performing where it has been, which is somewhere in the lower half of the league,” Carrick said. “As for my role, it’s been all I have hoped for and I couldn’t be happier. “Points are great and they look good, but like I said, my goal for each game is to go out there and be the best defenseman on the ice in whatever manner that is. If we need a goal, I want to be the one to make the play. If I have to play against the other team’s top line, I’ll do that. “We haven’t played to our full potential yet and I’m hoping we can find that other level here pretty quickly. We have all the tools to be a contender, but we’re not even through the first half of the season, so once the second half comes, we should be clicking and getting to that other level.”
Photo by Terry Wilson/OHL Images 32
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December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS Mark Newman/Grand Rapids Griffins
BY KYLE KUJAWA
ADAM ALMQUIST
EARNS HIS SPOT ON GRAND RAPIDS BLUELINE
Adam Almquist is used to surpassing expectations. Entering his first season in North America, Almquist was a bit of a wildcard. As a unit, the Grand Rapids Griffins defense had only two returning full-time members – Brendan Smith and Brian Lashoff. The team added veterans Nathan Paetsch and Brennan Evans to complement a group of AHL rookies in Almquist, Chad Billins, Max Nicastro and Gleason Fournier (up from Toledo last season). Almquist started his career in North America slowly, going pointless in his first seven AHL games, in addition to spending several games in the press box. “I think I’m slowly making the adjustment,” said Almquist. “It takes a couple games to get into it.” A couple games was all Almquist needed. He picked up his first AHL assist on Nov. 2 at San Antonio and notched his first two AHL goals the following night at Texas. He responded well to being taken out of the line-up, racking up eight points (2-6—8) in a nine-game stretch from Nov. 2-24. “It’s going pretty good,” he said. “I feel better and better every game. We’ve played better as a team, too, so you get the points. It’s a fun group out there.” Almquist’s run coincided with a spectacular streak by the Griffins. Starting with his two-goal game at Texas, the Griffins rattled off eight straight wins, which was the fourth-longest streak in franchise history. It was also the longest in the AHL during the season’s first two months,
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which vaulted Grand Rapids from fifth place in the Midwest Division to first. The native of Huskvarna, Sweden, believes that settling in off the ice has benefitted his play on the ice. “Pretty much everything here is different, nothing is like home,” said Almquist. “But you have to adjust to where you are. I think I’ve been doing that pretty well so far. I’ve got some help adjusting from people in the office and other guys on the team.” Drafted by the Detroit Red Wings with the secondto-last selection of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Almquist is helped out by the numerous Swedes throughout the organization, including two on the Griffins in Gustav Nyquist and Joakim Andersson. “They are pretty awesome guys and really good players,” said Almquist. “They’ve helped me out a lot. It’s good to ask them for advice because they’ve been here a couple years.” Despite his low draft position, Almquist did not waste any time making waves in the hockey world. After joining the Red Wings organization, the skilled defenseman posted off-the-charts numbers in the Swedish junior league, recording 34 points (5-29—34) in 15 games, which stands as the highest point-per-game average in league history (2.27). It was enough to get a then 18-year-old Almquist a spot in the Swedish Elite League, a rarity for a defenseman of his age. But Almquist didn’t just play limited minutes; he
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tied for the SEL defenseman scoring lead with 11 points (110—11) in 16 postseason games, helping HV 71 capture the league championship. It was a season of impressive accomplishments for the promising blueliner, but winning the Swedish championship isn’t Almquist’s ultimate goal. “I came over here to hopefully make the NHL,” he said. “You have to go through the AHL and it’s a good league.” Putting up points will lead to more ice time for Almquist, who has worked his way to a regular spot on a Griffins power play that ranked third in the AHL entering December, but he knows that his 5-foot-11, 173-pound frame isn’t ready for the NHL yet. “I have to get stronger,” he said. “That’s one of the things I’m working hard on. Hitting the gym, and hopefully getting a little quicker, too.” Although he doesn’t find too many similarities in Grand Rapids and Sweden, the culture shock hasn’t been enough to chase Almquist away from his dream. Despite watching only a handful of live games every year because of the time difference, Almquist is hoping to continue rising up the Griffins depth chart and eventually achieve a lifelong dream. “[Detroit] was always my favorite team because of all the Swedes. That’s what you see on the news back home when they show the sports – Detroit players. You see the best Swedish players playing here, so everyone wants to play in the NHL.”
December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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Greater East Vice President Brandon Spedowski 989-486-1511 (h) 231-250-7031 (c) email: brandon.spedowski@gmail.com
Girls House Vice President Dina Howe 989-429-2653 (c) 989-435-7080 (w) email: dhowe@howeracing.com
Metro Vice President Bobby Mitchell 313-806-8668 email: adraymetro@comcast.com
Greater West Vice President Kevin Wood 616-560-6503 email: kwoodadraywest@yahoo.com
Treasurer/League Development Joe Spedowski 231-796-2565 email: nancyjoe@netonecom.net
December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
adrayhockey.org President Jeff Spedowski 231-796-0728 (h) 231-629-0435 (c) email: jspedows@charter.net
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Database Specialist Vice President Steve Miller 616-250-1458 email: me@stevenmiller.info
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JUNIORS PREVIEW RED WINGS INSIDER BY DAVE WADDELL or all the tall foreheads from the NHL and the NHLPA involved in trying to crack this nut of reaching a new CBA, the negotiations have descended to a desperate state of affairs. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has proposed hockey’s version of the Last Supper. Owners and players, without the top brass from either side, have sat down to break bread and hopefully the deadlock. Yet before the player/owner meetings, pessimism was running rampant in the hockey world. “I’m not very optimistic,” Detroit Red Wings forward Todd Bertuzzi told reporters at the Troy Sports Complex where several Red Wings still skate regularly. “I see us losing a year.”
to figuring a way out of this maze; some players are willing to entertain Bettman’s unconventional suggestion. “We’re talking about that,’’ Detroit Red Wings forward Danny Cleary told MLive.com. “Why not? Get some players in there, some different owners. They can get a feel of what we’re thinking; we can get a feel of what they’re thinking. “I won’t know what to make of it until it happens, but it can’t hurt.’’ However, some players aren’t comfortable with the idea, especially if some of the NHL’s hardline owners, such as Boston’s Jeremy Jacobs and Minnesota’s Craig Leopold, are going to be included in the room. Other players are also wary of stepping into essentially the business environment without NHLPA executive
inability to achieve sustainable labor peace. Kraft Canada has informed the league it’s withdrawing its sponsorship money and working on a program with Hockey Canada. Coors and Molson have also said they’ll be seeking some type of rebate on their sponsorship for lost sales. “Unfortunately, it’s going to take years to build back the (lost) revenue (from the lockout),” Bertuzzi said. “It’s going to take a long time. “These people (fans) are [frustrated] right now. They’re not just ‘I don’t care, I’ll come back.’ “They’re getting to a point where they aren’t really even paying attention anymore. They’re sick and tired of hearing the same crap coming out of both sides’ mouths and who can blame them? It’s frustrating.”
OPTIMISM FADING FOR MEMBERS OF THE RED WINGS If so, it’ll be the second season the big winger has seen lopped off his career. With the end of his 30s closing in, lost seasons are more difficult for such veterans as Bertuzzi to overcome. Bertuzzi said the last of his optimism evaporated when the NHL quickly dismissed the players’ last proposal. Even federal mediation failed to move the ball forward. “When you keep hearing our proposal’s not good enough and then it’s back in our court again to keep coming back to them . . . if anything it hurries up the process of ending this thing,” Bertuzzi said. “So the guys aren’t sitting around waiting to see what happens next. “I play hockey, that’s why we have lawyers and people in those positions to do what’s best in our interest. From what I hear, they seem to be doing the job we need them to be doing, but it’s frustrating that we’re not playing still.” With the NHL’s Board of Governors meeting Dec. 5, the topic of the season’s cancellation is expected to be a prominent item on the agenda. It’s believed the league won’t wait until mid-February to pull the plug on the season as it did when the 200405 campaign was cancelled. A mid-January deadline is rumored to be the deadline this time around, but it’s difficult to anticipate anything with the way this lockout is playing out. Jimmy Howard said that it has been a frustrating time for the locked out NHL players during a fan meet-andgreet on behalf of Warrior Hockey Dec. 1. “I think everyone, all the players throughout the league, are starting to get pretty [frustrated] about this whole situation,” Howard said. “But it is what it is, and hopefully we can find some common ground here to get things rolling.” With many feeling the next two weeks could be critical
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director Don Fehr or his brother Steve around. Former Wing Brad May, now retired and an analyst for Canada’s Rogers’ Sportsnet said the players he’s talked to are happy with how Fehr has handled things and cite that they lack the business acumen necessary to play on the owners’ turf. They added that’s the reason why they have agents to negotiate their contracts instead of doing it themselves. “Maybe we could agree on a few things and take it to leadership,’’ Cleary said. “It’s something different. I think it’s got some traction.’’ Detroit center Cory Emmerton has opted to also take the optimistic path. He continues to skate as if the season was around the corner on nothing but blind faith and hope. “Obviously, everything doesn’t sound great so far, but I think it can change so quickly with one meeting,” Emmerton said. “Things can get rolling.” Having been through a lockout before, Bertuzzi reluctantly admits he’s seen the ominous signs before. “I think the owners at this time are strong-holding it and putting their foot in the sand and not budging,” Bertuzzi said. “They want what they want and it’s plain and simple.” However, Bertuzzi senses something else is happening that is going to take a long time to repair. The apathy of fans and their frustration with the two sides seems more pronounced this time. There has been a steady stream of stories from around the league of longtime season-ticket holders cancelling their seats. Even the hockey hotbeds in Canada have not been immune to fans telling teams where to stick their tickets. Another interesting development that didn’t occur during the last lockout is that some major sponsors are also publically voicing their frustration with the NHL’s
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Tom Turrill/MiHockey
December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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JUNIORS PREVIEW THE LAST LINE
98 DEGREES OF LOCKOUT SEPARATION @Darren_Eliot
BY DARREN ELIOT
M
aybe I just want to believe because, like hockey fans everywhere, I’ve grown weary of the lockout blah, blah, blah. I just want our Red Wings back. In this state of looking for any kind of sign that the two sides will actually sign, I turn to Nick Lachey and Mario Lemieux. Let me explain. First, almost eight years exactly, during the last NHL lockout, I met Nick Lachey at the UCLA vs. USC game. I was working college football for TBS, filing a post-game report that would air during their half-time show. That meant I roamed the sidelines during the game, taking it all in until the mad dash after the game to get my questions in with the head coaches and players of the game. As I stood at the south end zone of the Rose Bowl during halftime, a guy sauntered up beside me and just started talking about the first two quarters. By the time we exchanged pleasantries, the entire UCLA cheerleading squad had surrounded us. Well, him. I was more just in the way. They all seemed excited as, well, schoolgirls to be talking to this guy. As I ambled away, trying to look like I was planning on moving on anyway, I asked the cop standing nearby if he knew who the guy was. “Nick Lachey – from the Newlyweds Show”. I nodded and understood. Lachey was married to Jessica Simpson at the time and their show Newlyweds was a reality TV hit. They were the couple of the moment in 2004. So, that was last lockout and I hadn’t really heard Lachey’s name since that 2004-05 timeframe. That is, until this past weekend when Lachey was reportedly tossed out of the Chargers-Bengals game for cheering too loudly. He is a big sports fan, particularly when it comes to Cincinnati teams. Of course, my memory jogged, I knew that after seeing him at that college football game eight years ago. Meanwhile, as part of the media scrum surrounding the UCLA coach that same day eight years ago, I caught eyes with a guy that looked as out of place as I felt. He looked familiar, but all I kept coming up with is, “Who is that?” When the media hoard dispersed, I went up to the guy, who - after my several glances over, probably thought that I was some sort of kook - and asked him, “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows?” He smiled and said, “Just the guys in the band. Hi I’m Adam.” We chatted for a few minutes and I told him that I was a huge fan of the band, seen them a couple of times on tour and he said he was a huge fan
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of the Bruins (UCLA, not Boston, for those of you trying to interject some hockey in this story). When I asked him what he was doing down here in the bowels of the Rose Bowl, he shrugged, smiled and said, “Just Hanginaround.” Seriously, he said that. Anyway, that was my ‘so cool So Cal day of Pac 10 football and pop culture’ chance encounters. On my flight back east, I puzzled over who out of the contentious NHLNHLPA taff y pull would fall out of lock-step and make headway in ending the lockout? The attempt I remember in early February of 2005 involved Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Both weren’t too far from their superstar player status, now in ownership positions. Reportedly, an agreement with a cap of $45M was “done in principle” and the hockey world was abuzz with the prospect of getting the teams back on the ice. History shows that the purported agreement never materialized from the “in principle” to the “in practice” stage and Commissioner Bettman made the unprecedented announcement to cancel the season on Feb. 16. And here Lemieux is, back as the last minute voice of reason, trying to apply his regal touch to a spiraling situation. Last time, the season was lost, but Lemieux and the Penguins reaped the benefits by securing Sidney Crosby in the rejiggered raffle that was the 2005 draft. With no standings to base it on, the criterion for the first overall pick was futility over the previous three seasons. The Pens won by losing and the rebirth of the franchise – aka the Crosby era – was underway. And even if Lemieux couldn’t save the league from itself, he saved hockey in Pittsburgh for the second time in his lifetime – the first being when he was drafted first overall in 1984. The point being, I’m looking for any indication that this dispute will end soon. Nick Lachey may now be below B-list status, but at least he’s hollering and screaming for his beloved Bengals. The Counting Crows left Geffen Records and haven’t put out any new material since 2008, but for the mercurial Duritz and his band, being independent artists seems a good fit. Lemieux as the conduit of conciliation made sense last time and with Crosby in attendance at the recent owner/player meetings and Lemieux now well beyond figurehead status as an owner; maybe the timing is better this time. Last time it was February when Nick Lachey showed up on my radar. This time it is December. For all of our sakes, let’s hope it isn’t “A Long December.”
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Seriously, I just wrote that. It is my definitive “I really miss NHL hockey” moment in 2012.
December 10, 2012 V.23 : I.7
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