IceDiggers get back on track
Published on March 20, 2007 under North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release
After battling through a rough stretch the past few weeks, the Alpena IceDiggers reversed their fortunes last weekend with three convincing wins in which they outscored their opponents, 16-2.
"We're starting to play good hockey again at the right time," said IceDiggers coach-GM Kenny Miller, whose team was 2-8 in its last 10 games prior to last weekend. "We'll need to play like we did last week in order to be successful the rest of the regular season and the playoffs."
The IceDiggers opened with a 3-0 win over Marquette on Thursday night behind a perfect 27-save performance by goaltender Mike Jarboe. Marco Ruggeri scored the game's first goal, with Todd Rudasill and Jimmy McCusker (pictured left) notching the others.
The next night, Drew Pierson's two goals, including the game-winner, lifted Alpena to a 5-2 win over Traverse City. McCusker added another goal and an assist, while Jarboe turned aside 30 shots.
On Saturday, Jarboe took center stage again, stopping all 28 shots in the IceDiggers' 8-0 victory over the North Stars. McCusker and Carl Nielsen each struck for two goals, with Justin King adding three assists.
"We started off strong on Thursday and that carried over into the rest of the weekend," said Miller, whose team improved to 35-20-4. "We were really excited about playing our last home game (on Saturday in front of 1,043 fans) and it showed; we controlled play for the entire 60 minutes."
Jarboe was calling the shots for most of the weekend. Picked up back in September in a trade with St. Louis, the 18-year-old recorded his first two shutouts of the season at an important time of the year.
"Mike has been great as of late," said Miller. "He's in a groove right now and in order for us to be successful the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs, our goaltending is going to have to play well and I'm confident it will."
One of the youngest IceDiggers, 17-year-old McCusker is also blossoming into postseason form. Never short on effort, the Novi, Mich., native has five goals and seven assists in his last 10 games, including his five-point performance last weekend.
"He's one of our hardest workers and he's starting to get rewarded," said Miller. "I expect him to finish strong and carry his play into the playoffs."
Pierson, an Army recruit, continues to play his hot hand offensively, as does Rudasill, the Ohio state-bound standout who trails St. Louis' Pat Maroon by only 10 points in the NAHL scoring race with three games to play.
Versatile Ricardo Yesue has also earned high praise from his coach.
"He's the ultimate team player who is willing to do whatever it takes in order for his team to win, whether it's make a play offensively, kill off a penalty or stand in front (of the net) on the power play and takes whacks from defensemen," said Miller.
Justin King had his best weekend of the year in Miller's eyes, providing an energetic spark through his hard work.
The always-improving Chad Billins continues to be the IceDiggers' most consistent defensemen, according to Miller.
Eric Roman, who recently committed to Wayne State, has continued his solid play.
"Now that Eric has committed to college, you can tell he's more relaxed and just making plays all over the ice," said Miller.
His defensive partner, 6-foot-4, 215-pound Nielsen, has proved himself as one of the league's toughest customers with talent to boot.
"He's stepped up and is playing some really good hockey right now," said Miller.
Alpena's turnaround this season has been dramatic. After winning all of 13 games last season, the IceDiggers can come close to tripling that number this year (they have 35 wins with three games to play).
"Veteran leadership has played a big part," said Miller of his team's 180. "The guys work hard in practice and in the weight room and it's paid off so far.
"We were able to add some players through trades and also from Junior B and all those players have stepped in and been a big part of the team, along with the 14 guys that returned from last year. And our first-year players all came from high-quality teams and have been great additions to the success we are having as well. We have guys that have skill, but we also have guys that work very hard.
"In our four years in this league, this is the most talented team we've had, skill-wise, and it may also be the hardest-working team," Miller added. "The guys get along very well off the ice; they spend lots of time together away from the rink."
Of Alpena's three remaining games, two are at North Division champion Mahoning Valley this weekend. The IceDiggers are 3-11 against the Phantoms this season and winless in Ohio.
"We'll have to be at our best because we haven't had success in that building all year," said Miller. "I like the fact that we're playing good hockey right now as we head there.
"It's no secret why they have the best record in the league," he added. "They're a really good club and they have tons of skill and they work hard. It will be a tough challenge, but I know the guys will be ready for it."
STANDINGS/LEADERS
North Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
yMahoning Valley 57 44-12-1 89 .781 266 152
xAlpena 59 35-20-4 74 .627 218 185
xUSNTDP 56 25-27-4 54 .482 190 193
xMarquette 57 23-30-4 50 .439 171 208
Traverse City 58 17-36-5 39 .336 165 261
South Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
xSt. Louis 58 42-13-3 87 .750 216 140
xSanta Fe 57 37-16-4 78 .684 195 141
xTexas 58 34-18-6 74 .638 192 163
xFairbanks 60 34-23-3 71 .592 220 198
Wichita Falls 60 22-32-6 50 .417 170 216
Alaska 57 15-35-7 37 .325 134 213
Central Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
yFargo-Moorhead 58 35-18-5 75 .647 207 184
xSo. Minnesota 60 33-23-4 70 .583 196 172
North Iowa 58 25-27-6 56 .483 164 189
Bismarck 60 25-29-6 56 .467 188 216
Springfield 57 25-28-4 54 .474 171 179
Alexandria 58 25-29-4 54 .466 154 184
x - clinched playoff berth
y - clinched division title
LEADING SCORERS
PLAYER TEAM P GP G A PTS
Maroon, Pat STL F 54 37 54 91
Rudasill, Todd ALP F 56 30 51 81
Shean, Joe FBX F 60 23 57 80
Schmidt, Kyle FBX F 60 46 32 78
Echternach, Jesse FMH F 57 34 44 78
Cloutier, Dustin MVY F 47 39 36 75
Connolly, Chris FMH F 58 19 53 72
Pierson, Drew ALP F 59 32 39 71
Kutalek, Tibor SFE F 55 40 28 68
(two players tied with 61)
LEADING GOALTENDERS
PLAYER TEAM GPI MINS W-L-OTL GAA SPCT
Hopper, Nick SFE 44 2559:15 27-12-3 2.20 .911
Nagle, Pat STL 34 2011:13 24-7-3 2.21 .922
Zapolski, Ryan MVY 48 2817:02 39-8-1 2.32 .929
Clark, Jay NIO 26 1456:40 11-11-3 2.51 .916
Paulgaard, Lars SME 49 2758:34 28-18-2 2.54 .916
GOALS
PLAYER TEAM P GP G
Schmidt, Kyle FBX F 60 46
Kutalek, Tibor SFE F 55 40
Cloutier, Dustin MVY F 47 39
ASSISTS
PLAYER TEAM POS GP A
Shean, Joe FBX F 60 57
Maroon, Pat STL F 54 54
Connolly, Chris FMH F 58 53
Jarboe, Hennig, McLeod named Sherwood Players of the Week
NORTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alpena goaltender Mike Jarboe backstopped the IceDiggers to three wins last week, turning aside 87 of 89 shots. On Thursday, the 18-year-old made all 27 saves as Alpena blanked Marquette, 3-0. The next night, the Gross Point Park, Mich., native stopped 30 shots as the IceDiggers skated to a 5-2 win over Traverse City. Jarboe recorded his second shutout of the week on Sunday, a 28-save performance in an 8-0 triumph over the North Stars.
SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Santa Fe forward Nate Hennig registered two goals and four assists last weekend as the RoadRunners skated to a three-game sweep of Wichita Falls. On Friday, the 18-year-old tallied two goals and two assists, including one on Tibor Kutalek's game-winning marker, in a 6-3 victory. The Macomb, Mich., native followed that up with a two-assist performance in Santa Fe's 6-5 overtime triumph over the Wildcats on Saturday.
CENTRAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
North Iowa forward Steve McLeod struck for a goal and six assists last weekend as the Outlaws picked up five points in three games against Fairbanks. On Thursday, the 21-year-old registered an assist in a 3-2 overtime loss. The next night, the Atikokan, Ontario, native scored a goal and four assists as North Iowa doubled up the Ice Dogs, 8-4. McLeod added another assist in the Outlaws' 2-0 win on Saturday.
HONORABLE MENTION: Alpena forwards Jimmy McCusker and Drew Pierson; Alexandria forward B.J. Gottsacker; Mahoning Valley forward Dustin Cloutier and goaltender Ryan Zapolski; Marquette defenseman Derek Grogan; North Iowa defenseman Matt Morin; Southern Minnesota forward Jamie Ruff; St. Louis forward Pat Maroon; Texas forward Nielsson Arcibal
LAST WEEK'S SCORES/HIGHLIGHTS...
Thursday, March 15
Texas 1 @ St. Louis 3 (STL: Maroon, 2G)
Fairbanks 3 @ North Iowa 2 (SO) (FBX: Hoog, G, SOG, A)
Wichita Falls 2 @ Santa Fe 5 (SF: Laseen, 2G)
Alpena 3 @ Marquette 0 (ALP: Jarboe, 27 saves)
Friday, March 16
Alaska 2 @ Alexandria 1 (OT) (ALK: Stevens, 2A)
Texas 3 @ St. Louis 7 (STL: Maroon-Leone, 2G, 2A)
Fairbanks 4 @ North Iowa 8 (NI: McLeod, G, 4A)
Wichita Falls 3 @ Santa Fe 6 (SF: Hennig, 2G, 2A)
Bismarck 1 @ Southern Minnesota 5 (SM: Ruff, 3G, GWG)
USNTDP 1 @ Mahoning Valley 4 (MV: Cloutier, GWG, 2A)
Fargo-Moorhead 3 @ Marquette 5 (MAR: Zuk, G, A)
Alpena 5 @ Traverse City 2 (ALP: Pierson, G, GWG)
Saturday, March 17
Fairbanks 0 @ North Iowa 2 (NI: Moss, 27 saves)
Wichita Falls 5 @ Santa Fe 6 (OT) (SF: Krispel, 2G)
Bismarck 6 @ Southern Minnesota 4 (BIS: Calhoun, 3A)
Alaska 2 @ Alexandria 4 (ALX: Gottsacker, 2G, GWG)
Traverse City 0 @ Alpena 8 (ALP: McCusker, G, GWG)
USNTDP 2 @ Mahoning Valley 8 (MV: Fillinger, 2G, A)
Fargo-Moorhead 2 @ Marquette 3 (OT) (MAR: Grogan, GWG)
St. Louis 2 @ Springfield 8 (SPR: Gaffney, 3G, A)
Sunday, March 18
Alaska 3 @ Alexandria 4 (SO) (ALX: Lundbohm, 2G, SOG, A)
AROUND THE NAHL...
NAHL DRAFT DATE ANNOUNCED: The 2007 NAHL Entry Draft has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 22 at 12 p.m. CST.
ROMAN HEADED TO WAYNE STATE: Second-year Alpena defensemen Eric Roman, 20, has committed to Wayne State University (CHA) for next season. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native has eight goals for 27 points along with 108 penalty minutes after 58 games this year.
ZAPOLSKI SETS NAHL RECORD: Mahoning Valley goaltender Ryan Zapolski, 20, set a new NAHL single-season record for wins (39) as the Phantoms defeated the U.S. National Team, 8-2, on Saturday. The previous record was held by Larry Sterling, who posted 38 victories with Compuware during the 2002-03 season.
ALUM NAMED HOBEY FINALIST: Air Force junior forward Eric Ehn (Capital Centre Pride, 2002-03) was named one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, honoring college hockey's top player. The Dexter, Mich., native ranks second in the nation in Division I scoring with 64 points (24 goals) in 39 games.
JETS CELEBRATE CENTRAL TITLE: Despite a pair of losses in Marquette last weekend, Fargo-Moorhead clinched the Central Division title thanks to Southern Minnesota's loss to Bismarck on Saturday. It's the second time in three seasons the Jets have won the division in their four-year history.
RANGERS HEADED TO POSTSEASON: With two wins over Fargo-Moorhead last weekend, Marquette locked up the fourth and final playoff position in the North Division. North Iowa (56 points), Bismarck (56), Springfield (54) and Alexandria (54) are all still in contention for the final two playoffs spots in the Central.
THE WEEK AHEAD...
Thursday, March 22
Springfield @ Mahoning Valley, 7:30 pm
Friday, March 23
Fargo-Moorhead @ Alexandria, 7:30 pm
Santa Fe @ Fairbanks, 7:30 pm
Wichita Falls @ Texas, 7:30 pm
Alaska @ North Iowa, 7:05 pm
Alpena @ Mahoning Valley, 7:00 pm
USNTDP @ Marquette, 7:00 pm
St. Louis @ Traverse City, 7:00 pm
Springfield @ USNTDP, 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 24
Santa Fe @ Fairbanks, 7:30 pm
Alaska @ North Iowa, 7:05 pm
Texas @ Wichita Falls, 7:05 pm
Fargo-Moorhead @ Alexandria, 7:00 pm
Alpena @ Mahoning Valley, 7:00 pm
USNTDP @ Marquette, 7:00 pm
St. Louis @ Traverse City, 7:00 pm
Springfield @ USNTDP, 7:00 pm
(all times local)
North American Hockey League Stories from March 20, 2007
- U.S. Nat'l Under-18 Team Hosts Springfield This Weekend in Final Home Games of 2006-07 Season - U.S. National Team
- IceDiggers get back on track - NAHL
- Wildcats Fall Short on the Road - Wichita Falls Wildcats
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