Ex-Wolverine Gajic earns ECHL award

Milan Gajic of the Gwinnett Gladiators is the CCM Vector ECHL Rookie of the Month for February.

The 24-year-old led the Gladiators in February with eight goals and tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals while his three power-play goals ranked second and his 15 points ranked third on the team for the month.

The 6-foot-1 and 205-pound center helped Gwinnett go 9-2-2 and clinch a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs while remaining in first place in the South Division with 79 points and a 36-11-7 record.

Selected in the fourth round (112th overall) by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft and under contract to Providence of the American Hockey League, Gajic had three two-goal games and two two-assist games and four multiple-point games. He scored a career-best four points (2g-2a) in a 6-1 win against division rival Greenville on Feb. 7 which began a seven-game scoring streak (6g-6a) that ended Feb. 18. He was reassigned to Providence on Feb. 20 and played in four games from Feb. 22-26.

He ranks second among ECHL rookies in shooting percentage with 20.2 percent and is tied for 14th with 43 points in 28 games. He is tied for third on the Gladiators with 20 goals and 43 points in 28 games and has played 17 games in the AHL with Providence, registering one assist and 10 penalty minutes.

A native of Burnaby, British Columbia, Gajic spent four years at the University of Michigan where he scored 115 points (53g-62a) in 159 games and helped the Wolverines win the Central Collegiate Hockey Association championship and advance to the Frozen Four in 2001-02 and 2002-03. He also played for the Burnaby Bulldogs of the British Columbia Hockey League in 2000-01 and had 98 points (46g-62a) in 50 games.

Photo by Marshall Mackinder at last year's Super Six.

Fun Times Away from the Rink with Greg Rallo

After my freshman year I was faced with the dilemma of where I was going to live the following season. I checked out every option and ended up going with what you could say has been a hockey tradition at Ferris, and that was to live in a trailer home.

Now I know what everyone thinks when they hear the word "trailer" and all the stereotypes that come along with it, but as a college student I didn't pay much attention to them. After adding up all the costs, it was clearly going to be the cheapest route for my upcoming years.

The rest of the story...

Warriors continue late slide

Wayne State’s final road trip of the year was one to forget as the Warriors were swept by the conference leading Alabama-Huntsville Chargers at the Von Braun Center. It’s the fifth time this season that the Warriors have been swept in a series and extends their road winless streak to 11 games.

The Warriors best chance to end the streak came Friday night when they lost a heartbreaker to the Chargers, 2-1.

Bruce Mulherin converted on the power-play in the first period for the home team and the 1-0 score held up until the third period.

Adam Krug (pictured) broke the Warrior goose egg and took over the team’s scoring lead when he picked up his sixth goal of the year at the four minute mark.

Senior and assistant captain Mulherin displayed his experience again as he patiently fired in the game winner with just 1:11 left to give the Chargers their third straight win over the Warriors.

Will Hooper stopped 27 of 27 shots in net for Wayne State.

Scott Munroe made 32 saves in the UAH net for the win.

Saturday night was all Chargers as UAH breezed to a 6-1 win over WSU.

Brett McConnachie racked up the hat trick by smacking in three of Huntsville’s five power-play goals.

Blueliner Adam Drescher tallied his first career goal for Wayne State’s lone score.

Senior Matt Kelly stopped 31 of 37 shots in the Warrior net.

Munroe steered away 31 shots of the Chargers.

Wayne State will close out the regular season back at the Coliseum next weekend against the Air Force Falcons.

Alabama-Huntsville will head north for a showdown with the Bemidji State Beavers.

Special thanks and photo credit to Douglas Eagan

LSSU goalie Jakaitis wins the Perani Cup

With 53 points in the Perani Cup standings, Lake Superior State goaltender Jeff Jakaitis has won the 2005-06 Perani Cup. Jakatis recorded seven first star honors, five second star and three third star honors in 28 games played this season. Perani Cup points are accumulated throughout the regular season by players being named one of the three stars in each game they play.

The Perani Cup Three Star Award is given to the player from each school who earns the most points throughout the season each time they are named a “star of the game” (five points for first star, three points for second star and one point for third star).

Past winners of the Perani Cup (all goalies):

2004-05 Jordan Sigalet, Bowling Green
2003-04 Craig Kowalski, Northern Michigan
2002-03 Mike Brown, Ferris State
2001-02 Dan Ellis, Nebraska-Omaha
2000-01 Ryan Miller, Michigan State

Michigan Tech out of WCHA basement

Michigan Tech has had the same outcome in the last three weekends: a loss and a tie. MTU has taken at least one point in every WCHA series since the series with North Dakota in early Decmember, the team they will play in the last series of the year, this weekend.

The streak includes a point from No. 1-ranked Minnesota, No. 3-ranked Wisconsin and No. 19-ranked St. Cloud State. This run of success for the Huskies has guaranteed them a spot out of the basement - a much better outcome than last year.

It has been the seniors, led by Chris Conner and Brandon Schwartz, that have been leading the team through this time. Both seniors want to end their career in the best possible way and look for the rest of the team to follow their actions.

This past weekend, the Huskies tied and lost at St. Cloud State. Michigan Tech suffered a 6-1 defeat Friday night, but Tyler Shelast's goal 20 seconds into the third period Saturday gave MTU a 2-2 tie.

Michael-Lee Teslak made 40 saves in Saturday's tie and Rob Nolan stopped 23 Friday.

The Huskies will not know their WCHA tournament match-up until the end of this upcoming weekend, where it could be Wisconsin, Denver or Colorado College. Since MTU is 2-2 in their last four games at Wisconsin, the Badgers wouldn't be a bad first-round opponent.

Look for an MTU playoff preview, along with a full recap of the last regular-season weekend for MTU early next week.

OU takes second place in GMHL Tournament

Oakland University traveled to Grand Rapids last weekend to compete in the GMHL league playoffs and came away with a second-place finish.

Oakland opened up Friday against the University of Michigan and advanced to the semi-finals with a 9-1 victory over the Wolverines as OU forward Will McMahon notched his league-leading 100th point in the game.

"The whole team played exceptionally well against U of M," Grizzlies' head coach Sean Hogan said. "We have said it all year, when everyone gets going we are a tough team to beat."

Saturday morning, OU took on Miami of Ohio. In what looked to be a cruise actually turned out to be a nail biter. Oakland took a 5-2 lead into the third period and looked to be in complete control when a few turnovers and costly penalties put Miami back in the game.

"You can never relax against a GMHL team," assistant coach Gordie Schaeffler said. "All the teams here are quality hockey teams that will fight to the end."

Miami tied the game up at six with under a minute to play to force an overtime period. After ten minutes of overtime, the Grizzlies were forced into their first shootout.

"I have never been involved in a shootout before," said assistant coach J.R. Dunn. "It is really quite exciting. I liked our chances with the shooters we picked."

OU goaltender Chris Joswiak had already stopped a penalty shot during the game and was up to the task during the shootout stopping all three Miami shots. Brent Cooper took the first shot for Oakland and was denied. McMahon took the second opportunity for OU and left no doubt as he buried the puck in the back of the Miami net. That would be all OU needed as Joswiak stifled the final Miami shooter to give the Grizzlies the victory and a birth in the GMHL final against Davenport.

After only a few hours rest, OU was ready to go. The game was 0-0 going into the second period when Davenport opened up the scoring to take a 1-0 lead. DU would make it 2-0 before McMahon scored for Oakland with just under five minutes remaining to cut the lead in half. OU took a time out with just about a minute remaining, but could not muster up any offense as Davenport would add an empty netter to take home a 3-1 victory and the GMHL crown.

However, next up is the national championship in Rochester, New York. The Grizzlies open up with GMHL rival Indiana University at 4:00 p.m. next Wednesday, March 8. OU is 2-0 this season against IU.

Spartans defeat, then tie Lake Superior State

LSSU sophomore Dan Eves gave the Lakers a 2-2 tie Saturday

In a staggered "home-and-home" series, Michigan State beat Lake Superior State Thursday in Sault Ste. Marie before playing to a tie Saturday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena.

The Spartans have clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs and will next play at Munn Ice Arena in a best-of-three quarterfinal series on March 10-12.

"We've grown up a lot over the course of the season and we're still a young hockey team," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "We've been battle tested in tough environments, tough games, but we've earned the right to get the bye. We're still a high-end work in progress. Now it's time to get ready for the playoffs."

Thursday night, Michigan State got goals from three different skaters - Chris Mueller, Bryan Lerg and captain Drew Miller - while Jeff Lerg earned first star honors with 28 saves as the Spartans defeated Lake Superior, 3-2.

Trent Campbell and Nathan Ward scored for LSSU while Jeff Jakaitis made 19 stops.

Down at "The Joe" for the Saturday matinee, Dan Eves' goal with 7:23 left in regulation pulled the Lakers into the 2-2 tie. Campbell scored his second goal in as many games and Jakaitis was outstanding in turning aside 45 shots.

Colton Fretter and Miller scored for MSU and Chris Snavely assisted on both. Lerg finished with 15 saves.

"Obviously, we got better as the game went on, and we had a good start to the game," said Comley. "It went a little flat in the second and they know they never really generated anything, which raised questions about our ability to generate some emotion. Then, in overtime, LSSU goaltender Jeff Jakaitis was unbelievable. They had everything to gain in this game, and we had nothing to gain in this game, but at the end we were determined to get the win."

The extra session marked the Spartans’ 12th overtime game and eighth tie this season – both school records.

LSSU finished sixth in the CCHA and will play host to Western Michigan, the 11th seed, this wekeend up north in a best-of-three first round series. It will be the first time since the 1999-2000 season that LSSU will host a first round playoff matchup. Back in 2000, they suffered a sweep at the hands of Bowling Green.

Comley sees a bright post-season for not only his Spartans, but for the Lakers.

"They're so big and strong," Comley noted. "I thought they were better in their own building on Thursday, and that's as good as I've seen Jakaitis, so with goaltending like that and a good, strong defensive team, anything can happen."

Ferris State ties, beats Wolverines

All Michigan needed last weekend was one point against Ferris State to clinch a top-four finish and a first-round bye in the CCHA playoffs.

Luckily, one point was all the Wolverines needed as the Bulldogs tied Michigan, 3-3, Friday night in Big Rapids and then defeated U-M in overtime, 4-3, on Saturday night in Ann Arbor.

"I really don't know (what happened)," Michigan head coach Red Berenson said Saturday. "We sat in the locker room, we talked the whole (second) intermission about playing well without the puck, coming back, getting the puck in deep, finishing our checks, playing good defensive hockey, and all the things we needed to do well in the third period. We did not do any of it."

Friday night, Alex Spezia (pictured), Eric Vesely and Matt Verdone scored for FSU (15-13-8, 10-11-7 CCHA) and goaltender Mitch O'Keefe stopped 31 shots in net. It was also a Ferris school record eighth tie this year.

Brandon Kaleniecki scored a pair for Michigan and Travis Turnbull the other. Billy Sauer made 36 saves for U-M.

The Wolverines (18-13-5, 13-10-5 CCHA) then blew a three-goal lead in the third period Saturday and lost in the extra session on a goal by Zac Pearson.

Mark Bomersback, Matt Frank and Corey Couturier tied the game in the third period for the Bulldogs before Pearson's heroics won it 42 seconds into OT. O'Keefe finished with 15 stops.

Turnbull, Jack Johnson and Andrew Cogliano accounted for Michigan's goals and Sauer had 26 saves.

Ferris State finishes tied for sixth in the CCHA, but gets the seventh seed based on Lake Superior State having one more win. Both teams had 27 points. The Bulldogs will now host the No. 10 seed, Ohio State, for a best-of-three CCHA first-round matchup starting Friday night.

Michigan has earned a bye into the quarterfinal round of the CCHA Tournament and will be off the weekend of March 3-5. As the No. 3 seed, U-M will host the reseeded No. 6 team in a best-of-three series March 10-12 at Yost Ice Arena.

UPDATED: February's Michigan college commitments

Eric Kattelus will head to Michigan Tech this fall

Several junior players made Michigan college commitments this month. Note that these are not confirmed until the spring signing period, but the majority of the player's junior (or AAA) teams have confirmed these commitments.

Note the pair of 2008 commitments to East Lansing as the Saprtans have two 1990 birthdates on the way.

FERRIS STATE
Matt Case, defenseman, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
Jordan Barber, goalie, Grand Rapids Jr. Owls (CSHL)

MICHIGAN STATE
Jordan Tibbett, goalie, HoneyBaked Minor Midget (for 2008)
Austin Handley, defenseman, HoneyBaked Minor Midget (for 2008)

MICHIGAN TECH
Eric Kattelus, forward, Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
Phil Fox, forward, Fargo-Moorhead Jets (NAHL)

WESTERN MICHIGAN
Cam Watson, forward, Cambridge Winterhawks (MWJHL)
Lucas Isley, forward, Bonnyville Pontiacs (AJHL)


**Special thanks to Chris Heisenberg's site.**

Finlandia women blanked in season finale

The Finlandia women ended their season on a down note last weekend as the Lions were shutout in back-to-back NCHA league games at first-place Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

On Friday, goalie Katie Markovich made 25 saves in a 5-0 loss while the next night, Corinne Czekaj stopped 30 in a tight 1-0 defeat.

Finlandia finishes the season 7-15-3 overall and 1-12-2 (last place) in NCHA play.

The bulk of the team should stay intact next season as no seniors were on the squad this year.

Finlandia's men's team starts MCHA playoff action Friday hosting Northland.

Western earns three points against UNO

The Western Michigan Broncos closed out a difficult season on a high note as they earned three of four points in their final series against the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. The Broncos rallied to a 5-5 tie on Friday night and won 6-3 on Saturday.

The Broncos got ahead early in Friday's game. Paul Szczechura (pictured) took advantage of an early power play to score less than a minute into the game. Brent Walton and Kevin Labatte earned assists on the play. But the Broncos soon got behind the eight-ball as the Mavericks evened the score by the end of the period and then struck twice early in the second.

Dave Krisky cut UNO's lead to one with some help from Sean Weaver and Daryl Moore, but the Mavericks responded with two more goals and Western found itself trailing 5-3 going into the final half of the third period.

But refusing to go quietly, the Broncos scored three straight goals to tie the game. Mike Lesperance, assisted by Szczechura, started the scoring flurry at 12:38 of the third. At 17:06, Reid Yantzi set up Daryl Moore for his fourth goal of the season, and less than a minute later, Szczechura fed a pass to Chris Frank, who lit the lamp to send the game to overtime.

Coach Jim Culhane was pleased with his team's efforts.

"I've been real impressed all year long with the resiliency of the team," noted Culhane. "They've played hard and I'm glad they were rewarded for their efforts."

Daniel Bellissimo finished with 33 saves, including one in overtime.

The Broncos built a solid lead in Saturday's game. Labatte and Nathan Ansell set up Jeff LoVecchio for a power-play goal at 12:48 of the first. Labatte then got a goal of his own late in the period with some assistance from Moore and Lesperance and Walton helped Szczechura to his tenth goal of the season at 8:31 of the second period.

The Mavericks cut the Broncos lead to two on a power-play goal midway through the second period, but Walton's power-play goal in the period's final minute gave the Broncos a 4-1 lead heading into the last twenty minutes of play. Walton's points moved him into 18th place on Western's list of all-time scorers.

The Mavericks scored twice in the third period to come within a goal, but their ambition became the Broncos' gain. Both LoVecchio and Jason Moul scored on the UNO empty net, sealing a 6-3 win for Western.

Bellissimo finished with 43 saves, giving him a weekend total of 76.

Western finishes the regular season 8-22-6, and 7-16-5 in the CCHA. Saturday's win pushed the Broncos out of the very bottom of the CCHA rankings. Now ranked 11 of 12, they head to Lake Superior State for CCHA tournament action.

Wayne State women decimate Robert Morris

The Wayne State Warriors earned their most decisive and explosive series sweep of the season in defeating Robert Morris twice. They beat the Colonials 7-0 on both Friday and Saturday at the City Sports Arena.

Six players recorded multiple points in Friday's game - Sam Poyton recorded a hat trick, and Valery Turcotte earned her second straight shutout, stopping all 16 of the Colonials' shots.

Laura Monk got the scoring started at 8:09 of the first, thanks to a set-up by Poyton. Poyton scored the first of her three goals about three minutes later on a Warrior power play. Lindsey DiPietro (pictured) and Peyton Patterson earned assists on the play. DiPietro got a goal of her own 63 seconds later courtesy of a Melissa Boal (pictured below) pass, and Poyton closed out the period's scoring with her second power-play goal. DiPietro fed the puck to Boal, who sent Poyton a cross-ice pass.

The second period started no better for Robert Morris. Poyton netted her third goal of the game less than two minutes into the period as a result of a 2-on-1 between her and Monk. Amanda Hungle also earned an assist on the play.

Boal lit the lamp at 5:41 of the second by stuffing in a Patterson rebound. Danielle Wilson also earned an assist on the play, and then scored again on a power play to give the Warriors their decisive 7-0 lead. Wilson and DiPietro assisted on Boal's second goal, resulting in four-point games for Boal, Poyton, and DiPietro.

Unbelievably, Boal's best game of the weekend was Saturday's, when she scored a school-record four goals en route to Wayne's second straight 7-0 victory and Tiffany Thompson's first career shutout.

Boal's first goal, assisted by DiPietro and Tina Vanderhoeven, came just 53 seconds into the game. And six minutes later, DiPietro set up Boal again as she took a pass from Kristy Leng and set Boal up for a quick shot past the Robert Morris netminder.

Late in the first period, Monk picked up a Poyton rebound and fed it to captain Jessica Snelgrove, who lit the lamp for her second goal of the season. And, just when the Colonials thought they could catch their breath at the end of the period, Poyton fired a top-shelf goal at 19:34 to give the Warriors a 4-0 lead going into the second period. Wilson and Hungle were credited with assists on Poyton's goal.

Boal netted two more goals in the second period, both coming on the power play. First, she redirected a Patterson shot at 4:53, then late in the period Vanderhoeven took a pass from Sarah Campbell and set up Boal for the Warriors' last goal of the game.

In between Boal's goals, Campbell snuck in a power play goal of her own. She capitalized on a 5-on-3 advantage with some help from DiPietro and Poyton.

Thompson finished with 17 saves.

The Warriors will close out the regular season on the road at Niagara next weekend and then will host the CHA Tournament the following weekend at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum.