The Ojibwa Eagles will be getting a quick start to the Fall Classic this weekend as they are set for two games Thursday. The Green Bay Jr. Gamblers, Soo Indians and Marquette Electricians will also be kicking off the 2008 Fall Classic tomorrow as well.

The first game of the tournament will feature two NLHL teams in their first head-to-head game of the season when the Eagles (4-1-0) and Gamblers (2-4-1) hit the ice at 10:30 a.m. This game is just the start of a season-long schedule of games against each other and will set the tone for what’s to come. The game will be the only one of the day for the Gamblers who will then wait until Friday morning for their second game.

The Eagles will get plenty of rest before running into a Michigan rival in one of the prime-time games on the night. The Eagles will be playing against Honeybaked out of Detroit, Mich. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and is the first matchup between these teams since 2005.

At 1 p.m. the Soo Indians (1-5-0) will start their schedule against the Cleveland Barons. The two teams are familiar with each other having played in many tournaments together as well as competing against each other in the MWEHL last season.

The hometown team, Marquette Electricians (4-3-0), will play at 7 p.m. in the Russell rink in Lakeview Arena. They’ll be matched up against the Indiana Jr. Ice in the first game for their Red Division schedule.

All scores will be posted on the Marquette Electricians website, http://www.mqtelectricians.com, and NLHL games will also be recapped at the Northern Lakes Hockey League website, http://www.northernlakeshockey.com. The Fall Classic is in its 18th season and is played in Marquette, Mich. There are 15 teams from eight different states/providences across the United States and Canada.

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Jay Pietila, of Iron Mountain, Mich, had an excellent weekend with the Green Bay Jr. Gamblers (2-4-1). Pietila helped his team with three goals and five assists, totaling eight points. His eight points tied him for the eighth most in the 24-team tournament. However, Pietila’s success was not matched by the team as they struggled to keep the puck out of the net all weekend, giving up an average of over four goals a game en route to a 1-3-0 weekend.

After topping the Jr. North Stars 6-3 in the tournament’s opening game they went on to lose 3-5 Friday to Nevada, 3-8 Saturday to the St. Louis Jr. Blues and eventually lose 3-5 to the Pittsburgh Hornets Sunday. Ben Verbeten led the team with four goals on the weekend including a hat trick in the 3-8 loss to the St. Louis Jr. Blues.

The Marquette Electricians (4-3-0) finished 2-2-0 on the weekend, playing tough against in one of the most difficult divisions in the tournament. The Electricians came out firing winning 4-1 against the Colorado Outlaws, but were set back in their next two games, both by the score of 2-4, the first to the Utah Chadders and then the Chicago Mission. In their final game of the weekend they were matched up against the Alaska Avalanche and pulled out the victory 3-1. Mitch Snider led the team with five assists on the weekend and Wolff Belanger notched three goals.

The NAHL Future Prospects Tournament was held at the Schwan’s Super Rink in Blaine, Minn. The event featured 24 midget major teams from around the United States as well as all the teams in the NAHL, 24 midget minor teams and eight bantam teams. Team Illinois out of Chicago, Illi won the midget major portion of the tournament with a 6-2 win Sunday afternoon against the San Jose Jr. Sharks.

In other action over the weekend the Ojibwa Eagles (4-1-0) kept the ball rolling winning their third and fourth straight games in Milwaukee, Wisc. against the Phoenix Force. Saturday night Jordan Roy got his second consecutive shutout stopping 13 shots in a 2-0 win by the Eagles. An all-around offensive effort was had on Sunday morning when the Eagles scored four goals in the last two periods to pull away from the Force. The day was capped by a shorthanded marker by Bryant Froberg to make the score 5-2.

The Soo Indians (1-5-0) played their first home weekend of the season against Lake Forest Academy. The two-game series didn’t result in any goals for the Indians who lost 0-4 and 0-6 to the prep school out of Lake Forest, Illi.

All four NLHL teams will be competing at the Fall Classic this weekend in Marquette, Mich. Northernlakeshockey.com will be covering the tournament on a daily basis.

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This weekend the best-of-the-best in Midget AAA are in Blaine, Minn. at the Schwan’s Super Rink for the NAHL Showcase Tournament. This tournament features sixteen teams from over ten different states, including the Green Bay Jr. Gamblers and Marquette Electricians of the Northern Lakes Hockey League.

The Green Bay Jr. Gamblers head to Minnesota with a 1-1-1 record and primed for their first tournament action of the 2008-2009 season. Yesterday afternoon they played their first game of the tournament topping the Jr. North Stars out of Minnesota by a score of 6-3. Their second game against Nevada ended with the Gamblers falling just short, losing 3-5. To finish the round robin portion of the tournament, the Gamblers will be matched up against the St. Louis Jr. Blues. The tournament does feature at least one additional game, though it will be determined on seeding.

Coming off of a 2-1-0 weekend at the Superior Cup the Marquette Electricians were hungry, the showed that hunger against Colorado in the team’s first game. They outscored their opponents 4-1 yesterday afternoon and were right back on the ice this morning at 9:15 a.m. against Utah Chadders. The Electricians weren’t able to win back-to-back games though as they fell 2-4. Their final round robin game will be against the Chicago Mission at 11:15 a.m. Saturday.

Both the Soo Indians and Ojibwa Eagles will be playing two-game series against non-league opponents. The Soo Indians (1-3-0) will take on Lake Forest Academy out of Chicago, Illi. The series will not be easy, but the team knows what they need to do, “to be successful this weekend all of the players are going to have to contribute and work hard forechecking and backchecking every shift,” said the Indian’s Assistant Coach Jerry Harwood. The first game will fill the prime time slot in Sault Ste. Marie with a 7 p.m. start. The series will conclude with a 10 a.m. game Sunday morning.

The Ojibwa Eagles (2-1-0) will travel to Milwaukee, Wisc. with their midget minor team for two games against the Phoenix Force. The first game will be played satursday afternoon at 3:45 p.m. with the final game at 10 a.m. Sunday.

Next weekend all four NLHL teams along with NLHL-affiliate Thunder Bay Kings will travel to Marquette, Mich. to play in the Fall Classic. Check back to northernlakeshockey.com for more information on your favorite NLHL team.

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This weekend all four NLHL teams were in action; the Marquette Electricians, Ojibwa Eagles and Soo Indians were in Houghton for the 2008 Superior Cup and the Green Bay Jr. Gamblers were in Madison for a one game duel with the Capitols.

It was a weekend of firsts for the Ojibwa Eagles, who went 2-1 at the Superior Cup tournament; including their first ever win against Marquette and earning the tournament’s championship title with a win over the Soo Sunday morning. The Eagles were carried by excellent goaltending by both Jordan Roy and Jaered Elwell, who combined for a 94.9 save percentage and 1.76 goals against average.

Last season the Eagles only had 16 total wins, so getting two this early might be a sign of change, “we need to build on this success, rather than let it be our high point” said Ojibwa Eagles Head Coach Dan Giachino. It’s also the first time since 2004 that the Eagles have been in a league, this weekend they were tested against teams in their league, and did well. “This weekend taught our players what to expect this year,” said Giachino.

The Marquette Electricians also went 2-1 in the tournament. The Electros swept the Soo Indians in their two games, outscoring the Indians by a score of 8-1. The Electricians depended on solid play by defensemen Joel Benson who earned four assists in the first game against the Soo. Last season Benson earned 22 points with the Electricians, earning nearly a quarter of those points already in one weekend is a sign of good things to come.

The Indians had trouble getting started in all four games this weekend, their opponents got the first goal in each game. It was tough for the team to come back from the immediate deficits, especially against Marquette, whose run-and-gun offense kept the pressure on all game. Against the Eagles they had more success though, especially Saturday, where they fell behind by one goal before scoring on goal in each period to win 3-1. That comeback spirit was also evident Sunday when they played with grit and determination to get one goal before the end of the game.

Green Bay was the only NLHL team to get started last weekend when they traveled to Milwaukee for a two game series against the Phoenix Force. The Gamblers proved to be too much for the Force winning 4-0 during the first game, before playing to a tie in the second game. On Sunday the Gamblers traveled to Madison to play against the Capitols. The Capitols proved to be too much for the Gamblers who moved to 1-1-1 after a 1-4 loss.

Scores from around the NLHL:
September 6th
Green Bay Jr. Gamblers 4, Phoenix Force 0

September 7th
Green Bay Jr. Gamblers 2, Phoenix Force 0

September 12th
Marquette Electricians 4, Soo Indians 1

September 13th
Soo Indians 3, Ojibwa Eagles 1
Ojibwa Eagles 1, Marquette Electricians 0
Marquette Electricians 4, Soo Indians 0

September 14th
Ojibwa Eagles 3, Soo Indians 1
Madison Capitols 4, Green Bay Jr. Gamblers 1

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The 2008 Superior Cup in Houghton Michigan will be the starting point for three of the four Northern Lakes Hockey League teams. The Marquette Electricians, Ojibwa Eagles and Soo Indians will all be participating in the three-team Midget AAA jamboree played at the Student Development Complex (SDC) on the campus of Michigan Tech University.

The first game of the weekend will feature the Soo Indians and Marquette Electricians tonight at 9 p.m. This will be the first game of the season for both teams, and will be the first chance for the Electricians to amend last season’s struggles against the Indians. The Indians went undefeated in six games against the Electricians winning five and tying one.

The Indians will play their second game of the weekend against the host team, the Ojibwa Eagles, at 9 a.m. The two teams met only once last season, a 6-3 win for the Indians in early January. This is only the second time the Indians have ever played in Houghton, with the first being five years ago during the 2003 Superior Cup, where the Indians topped the Eagles in the semifinals and then lost in the championship game to the Electricians.

Saturday afternoon the Eagles will play the Electricians at 3 p.m. for the first time since the 2006-2007 season. The game will be the only meeting between the two until the play in NLHL action Nov 14, in the six year history of the Ojibwa Eagles they have never beaten the Electricians.

The nightcap will showcase the Electricians in their final game of the weekend against the Indians at 9 p.m. The tournament will finish with the Eagles playing against the Indians at 8 a.m. Sunday, with a champion named after that game has been completed.

Since the tournament’s inception in 2002 the Marquette Electricians have won the tournaments title trophy every year. They’ve totaled a record of 18-1-2 in Superior Cup games. To decide a champion for this year’s tournament the first two Soo Indians games will not be counted towards the total, and the team with the best record from the round robin will be crowned champion.

For more information on the tournament visit the Ojibwa Eagles Web site, www.ojibwaeagles.com and look for the Superior Cup link.

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Today the Northern Lakes Hockey League unveiled their new logo and website. This is a fully-featured website designed to highlight the teams and players that make up the nations newest midget AAA hockey league.

The website’s schedule and statistics are backed up by the power of Pointstreak, the leader in real-time sports statistics. All statistics will be available and updated automatically through pointstreak, and broadcasted on the NLHL website.

Additional features on the NLHL website include the NLHL Photo Section. The Photo Section is built to construct a community of NLHL fans. Fans will be able to upload and tag photographs of players on their favorite teams to share with the rest of the community. This will give fans a unique opportunity to be involved with the league.

Check back throughout the season for information on the NLHL.

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