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IceDiggers get Back on Track

February 9, 2009 - North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release


Losers of four straight games, the Alpena IceDiggers came back to life last weekend with a morale-inspiring two-game sweep over the Motor City Machine.

"Obviously, it was big for us to break out of that slump. That and the fact that every aspect of our game was struggling," said IceDiggers assistant coach Josh Harrold, whose team improved to 22-15-5 on the season. "It was nice to get back on track."

Erik Peterson's third-period goal lifted the IceDiggers to a 5-4 victory on Friday. Peterson also chipped in two assists, and Ryan Timar (goal, assist), Sam Cheraso (goal, assist) and Jay Camper (two assists) each recorded two-point nights. Nick Graves turned aside 20 shots to pick up the win in goal.

The next night, four different players lit the lamp for Alpena as it doubled up the Machine, 4-2. Adam Bristol connected for the game-winning marker, and Graves made 18 saves.

"We played better defensively and, because of that, we created more opportunities offensively," said Harrold.

And Peterson took advantage. The 20-year-old from Alpena put home a goal and three assists last weekend to lead the team's offensive charge.

"It was nice to get Erik back on track," said Harrold of his team's leading scorer, now in his fourth season with the IceDiggers. "He's struggled to find his scoring touch recently. Hopefully, it stays around."

A mainstay between the IceDiggers' pipes, Graves also rebounded last weekend, picking up his 17th and 18th wins of the season to go along with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

"Nick has been good all season, but, like everyone else around here, he's been struggling lately," said Harrold of the 20-year-old keeper from Hewitt, Wis. "It was good to see him bounce back, too."

Veteran defensemen Ryan Sell, Jerrod Hartman and JC Gulch also put forth better efforts last weekend, as did first-year blueliners Jason Souva, Bristol and Scott Eberline.

Offensively, Tyler Pilmore, John Fritsche, Andy Yarber and Jim McCusker have delivered with consistency all season, with Camper and Timar and Cheraso and Jordan Miller working well together on their respective lines. Mike DeGrazia has also proved his worth, connecting for some big goals lately.

The IceDiggers also got a big boost upfront with the recent additions Jon Puskar and Richard Manley, both of whom were acquired from the USHL's Lincoln Stars. Puskar, who played for Alpena last season, tallied a goal and an assist in his first two games last weekend; Manley picked up an assist.

"These two guys will bring some much-needed leadership and offense to our team, which we've struggled with in recent weeks," said Harrold. "Their arrival should help spark some of our other players, which it seemed to do last weekend."

Given the strength of the NAHL's North Division, the IceDiggers knew they'd have a fight on their hands in their quest for a playoff berth. Sitting in third place behind the division-leading Mahoning Valley Phantoms and the second-place Traverse City North Stars, Alpena is taking nothing for granted with 16 games left in its regular season.

"We're right where we thought we'd be, chasing Mahoning Valley and Traverse City," said Harrold. "Every game, with the exception of a few, have been decided by one-goal, and we don't see that changing down the stretch. There are no easy games in our division."

And Harrold likes the character of his team, especially when times get tough. That trait could pay dividends as the postseason nears.

"We have a great dressing room," he said. "These guys stick together through adversity and we believe that unity we help them achieve their goal of making the playoffs," he said.

"If we play like a team and are willing to pay the ultimate price shift by shift, game by game, we have a chance to win, just like everybody else."

The IceDiggers don't have any players committed to Division I schools just yet, but, with a strong finish and a meaningful playoff run, Harrold is confident that will change.

"We have players who've made great improvements this season and we've had conversations with a lot of (college) coaches," said the coach. "A lot of our guys know they're being watched and some don't know they're being watched.

"Regardless, we anticipate many of our players to make commitments soon."

STANDINGS/LEADERS

Central Division

TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA

Bismarck 41 28-12-1 57 .695 129 86

North Iowa 42 26-13-3 55 .655 161 124

Alexandria 40 21-16-3 45 .563 139 135

Owatonna 42 21-19-2 44 .524 154 146

Albert Lea 40 2-34-4 8 .100 79 202

North Division

TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA

Mahoning Valley 42 28-10-4 60 .714 161 124

Traverse City 41 25-11-5 55 .671 135 118

Alpena 42 22-15-5 49 .583 114 129

USNTDP 35 21-11-3 45 .643 142 98

Marquette 44 19-20-5 43 .489 119 129

Motor City 40 6-33-1 13 .163 87 166

South Division

TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA

Topeka 46 35-7-4 74 .804 166 106

St. Louis 46 32-8-6 70 .761 178 104

Wichita Falls 43 18-17-8 44 .512 123 151

Springfield 43 13-25-5 31 .360 125 155

West Division

TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA

Fairbanks 43 27-10-6 60 .698 166 116

Wenatchee 36 18-16-2 38 .528 102 127

Alaska 36 17-18-1 35 .486 123 139

Kenai River 42 13-24-5 31 .369 123 171

LEADING SCORERS

PLAYER TEAM P GP G A PTS

George, Jordan TPK F 46 23 34 57

Hamburg, Andrew STL F 39 12 41 53

Block, Austin FBX F 43 21 31 52

Gorczyca, Grant STL F 44 24 25 49

Shafer, Steve TPK F 45 15 34 49

Paul, Jack NIO F 40 18 29 47

Bourbonais, Clinton STL F 45 14 33 47

Freismuth, Jerry ALX F 38 14 33 47

Bonis, Kyle TNS F 40 22 23 45 (two players tied with 44)

LEADING GOALTENDERS

PLAYER TEAM GPI MINS W-L-OTL GAA SPCT

Bosner, David BIS 25 1477:15 17-6-1 1.87 .933

Merriam, Bryce TPK 25 1422:24 18-3-3 1.94 .921

Kinkaid, Keith STL 32 1907:52 23-4-4 1.95 .927

Grogan, Matt BIS 18 998:08 11-6-0 2.10 .930

Yanakeff, Will USA 14 850:15 8-4-2 2.26 .903

GOALS

PLAYER TEAM P GP G

Frey, Trent SPR F 43 26

Gorczyca, Grant STL F 44 24

ASSISTS

PLAYER TEAM POS GP A

Hamburg, Andrew STL F 39 41 (two players tied with 44)

PLUS/MINUS

PLAYER TEAM POS GP +/-

Clark, John BIS D 39 +30

Reinthaler, Kris STL D 42 +28

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Sherwood/NAHL North Player of the Week: Nick Kenney - Mahoning Valley Phantoms Mahoning Valley forward Nick Kenney rang up four goals as the Phantoms went 2-0-1 against Traverse City. After being held scoreless on Friday - a 4-1 Phantoms win - the Wixom, Mich., native notched a goal the next night in a 6-5 overtime loss. On Sunday, the 20-year-old recorded a hat trick as the Phantoms bested the North Stars, 5-1. He was also a plus-2 on the weekend.

"Nick has been the hottest player in the league over the last month," said Phantoms head coach Bob Mainhardt. "Not only has his offense been great, but he's bought in defensively, making him tough to deal with in all aspects."

Sherwood/NAHL South Player of the Week: Kyle Verbeek - Springfield Jr. Blues Springfield forward Kyle Verbeek totaled two goals and two assists as the Jr. Blues fashioned a 2-1 record. On Friday, the Bloomfield, Mich., native recorded two assists in a 4-0 win over the Topeka RoadRunners. The next night, the 20-year-old potted a pair of goals as the Jr. Blues doubled up the RoadRunners, 6-3. Verbeek was held scoreless the next night in 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Bandits. He was also a plus-2 on the weekend.

"That was a big weekend for our club and Kyle rose to the occasion," said Jr. Blues head coach Andy Maher. "He's quickly becoming a big part of our offense and we couldn't be happier."

Sherwood/NAHL Central Player of the Week: Kurt Weston - North Iowa Outlaws North Iowa forward Kurt Weston struck for two goals and three assists as the Outlaws skated to two divisional wins. On Saturday, the Roseau, Minn., native netted a goal and two assists, including one on Jack Paul's game-winning marker, in 7-2 triumph over the Alexandria Blizzard. The next day, the 20-year-old scored a goal and an assist as the Outlaws downed the Albert Lea Thunder, 6-1. He was also a plus-3 on the weekend.

"It was great to see Kurt follow up his previous week's effort with another great weekend, but he'd be the first to say his contribution was just a small part of a wonderful team effort," said Outlaws head coach Jeff Crouse.

HONORABLE MENTION: Owatonna forward Dan Cecka

Sherwood/NAHL West Player of the Week: DJ Vandercook - Wenatchee Wild Wenatchee forward DJ Vandercook connected for a goal and two assists as the Wild split a two-game-set with Fairbanks. On Friday, the Farmington Hills, Mich., native recorded an assist in a 5-1 loss. The next night, the 18-year-old struck for the game-winning goal in overtime and an assist as the Wild bested the Ice Dogs, 3-2.

"DJ continues to play excellent hockey for us," said Wild head coach Paul Baxter. "He's coming up with big points in critical moments and we're going to need more of the same from him down the stretch."

GDI/NAHL Goalie of the Week: Matt Grogan - Bismarck Bobcats Bismarck goaltender Matt Grogan backstopped the Bobcats to a two-game sweep over Owatonna, turning aside 81 of 84 shots. On Friday, the Gilbert, Ariz., native made 35 saves in regulation and overtime and four of five in the shootout in a 4-3 victory. The next night, the 20-year-old stopped all 46 shots as the Bobcats blanked the Express, 2-0.

"Matt stepped up big-time for us last weekend," said Bobcats head coach Byron Pool. "He really carried the team at crucial times in both games when we had letdowns. He deserves a lot of the credit for us taking those four points."

HONORABLE MENTION: Mahoning Valley's Jordan Tibbett; Springfield's C.J. Groh; Wichita Falls' Phil Graveline

AROUND THE NAHL ALASKA AVALANCHE: Kyle Pichler picked up two assists in the Avs' only game of the week, a 4-3 shootout win over Wichita Falls on Tuesday.

ALBERT LEA THUNDER: Niko Kapetanovic and Mikita Feaktsistau scored the Thunder's only goals as it dropped two games to Alexandria and North Iowa.

ALEXANDRIA BLIZZARD: Goaltender Ryan Leets, a Michigan native who played in last month's Top Prospects Tournament, has committed to Army (Atlantic Hockey) for next season.

ALPENA ICEDIGGERS: The IceDiggers play 11 of their final 16 regular-season games on the road.

BISMARCK BOBCATS: David Bosner was named the NAHL/GDI Goaltender of the Month for January after posting a perfect 5-0 record, including two 33-save shutouts, to compliment a 1.00 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage in five appearances.

FAIRBANKS ICE DOGS: The Ice Dogs will host the first-ever USA Hockey-sanctioned outdoor junior game this Friday (Feb. 13) against Alaska.

KENAI RIVER BROWN BEARS: Nevada native Kyle Clay struck for two goals, including the game-winner, and two assists in the Brown Bears' 4-3 triumph over Wichita Falls on Saturday.

MAHONING VALLEY PHANTOMS: Jordan Tibbett backstopped the Phantoms to a pair of wins over Traverse City, allowing only two goals against. "As usual, Jordan was stellar for us between the pipes when we needed big wins," said head coach Bob Mainhardt.

MARQUETTE RANGERS: Idle last weekend, the Rangers host a three-game set with Mahoning Valley beginning on Thursday. Eleven of Marquette's final 14 regular-season games are at home.

MOTOR CITY MACHINE: The Machine traded forward Josh Bussell to Mahoning Valley for first-year defenseman Dustin Hopfner, an 19-year-old from East Pointe, Mich.

NORTH IOWA OUTLAWS: Forward Dan Durham, recently acquired from the USHL's Fargo Force, recorded an assist in his first game win the Outlaws on Saturday (a 7-2 win over Alexandria). The Chicago native is committed to the Air Force Academy.

OWATONNA EXPRESS: Dan Cecka tallied a pair of goals as the Express fell to Bismarck in a shootout on Friday, 4-3. He has 15 points (seven goals) in his first 10 games with the team.

SPRINGFIELD JR. BLUES: Top Prospects Tournament participant Trent Frey, the league's leading goal-scorer, has committed to Mercyhurst College (Atlantic Hockey) for the 2010-11 season.

ST. LOUIS BANDITS: Goaltender Keith Kinkaid picked up his league-leading 23rd win of the season in the Bandits' 4-1 victory over Springfield on Sunday (22 saves).

TOPEKA ROADRUNNERS: Travis Stevens, Alec Hagaman and Andy Inderieden scored all three RoadRunners goals as they dropped two games to Springfield.

TRAVERSE CITY NORTH STARS: Phil Wendecker potted the overtime game-winner in the North Stars' 6-5 victory over Mahoning Valley on Saturday.

TEAM USA: The Under-18 Team captured its third straight first-place finish at the Five Nations Tournament in Sweden, while the Under-17 Team took first place at the Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament in Slovakia.

WENATCHEE WILD: The Wild acquired forward Mitch Torrel from Albert Lea. The 18-year-old who played in last month's NAHL Top Prospects Tournament recorded an assist in Wenatchee's 3-2 overtime win over Fairbanks on Saturday.

WICHITA FALLS WILDCATS: With a 2-1-1 record last week, the Wildcats wrapped up their six-game trip to Alaska with a 2-3-1 mark. Goaltender Phil Graveline picked up two of those wins last week over Kenai River, stopping 82 of 85 shots.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Tuesday, February 10

Wenatchee @ Alaska, 7:00 pm

Wednesday, February 11

Wenatchee @ Alaska, 7:00 pm

Thursday, February 12

Alexandria @ Bismarck, 7:00 pm

Mahoning Valley @ Marquette, 7:30 pm

Friday, February 13

St. Louis @ Wichita Falls, 7:05 pm

Owatonna @ North Iowa, 8:00 pm

Traverse City @ Motor City, 7:10 pm

Wenatchee @ Kenai River, 7:30 pm

Alaska @ Fairbanks, 7:30 pm

Alexandria @ Bismarck, 7:30 pm

Springfield @ Albert Lea, 7:00 pm

Mahoning Valley @ Marquette, 7:30 pm

Saturday, February 14

St. Louis @ Wichita Falls, 7:05 pm

North Iowa @ Owatonna, 7:00 pm

Traverse City @ Motor City, 7:10 pm

Wenatchee @ Kenai River, 7:30 pm

Alaska @ Fairbanks, 7:30 pm

Bismarck @ Alexandria, 7:00 pm

Springfield @ Albert Lea, 7:00 pm

Mahoning Valley @ Marquette, 7:30 pm

Sunday, February 15

Albert Lea @ Owatonna, 5:00 pm

USNTDP @ Motor City, 5:10 pm

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