Eastern Michigan University Ice Hockey

3rd Annual Eagle Club Invitational set for Sept. 7

Kevin — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:51:27 +0000

Taylor, MI- The EMU Hockey Golf Outing is one of the most enjoyable days of the year for our hockey family- We bring together players, family, alumni, staff, and friends for a great afternoon of great golf, great food, great drinks and great hockey talk. This year’s outing will take place on it’s traditional day, the Saturday after Labor Day, at the Jackal in Brighton. We were so pleased with the course, the food, and the service from the staff at the course that we have committed to having our outing with them again. This year will feature a “Putt for Dough” Contest, a limited “Millionaires” drawing, in which only one hundred, $100 dollar envelopes will be sold with one containing a grand prize of $5000, as well as door prizes, contests, and a silent auction. We are always looking for hole sponsors and foursomes to participate- If you are interested in participating in a truly enjoyable outing, please contact Head Coach Kevin Gee at kevin.gee@emich.edu.

Eagles gearing up for Rookie Camp

Kevin — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:37:11 +0000

Taylor, MI- The Eastern Michigan University Eagles will be holding their annual Prospects Camp May 18th 2013 at the Taylor Sportsplex. The camp is open to anyone considering attending Eastern full time in the fall and interested in trying out for the team. Players receive a classroom session, fitness testing, lunch, and a University tour in addition to playing two full length games. Interested players should contact Head Coach Kevin Gee at kevin.gee@emich.edu, or fill out a recruiting form here on the website. Players should have a minimum of High school varsity or Midget travel experience. Junior hockey experience is preferred.

Soaring Eagles near tops in Division 1 scoring race

Gary Cekus — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:42:48 +0000

Taylor, MI- Eastern Michigan University Eagles sophomore Bryan Kozlowski (Livonia, MI / Wichita Falls Wildcats NAHL) and Junior Nick Taurence (Trenton, MI / St. Scholastica College NCAA DIII) have moved into the top three in the ACHA Division 1 scoring race, sitting in a 4 way tie for third place as of January 27 with Adrian’s Senate Patton and Liberty’s Ricky Turner, all of whom have 60 points each on the season. While it may be difficult for them to catch Navy’s Tom Krysil, who currently sits at 73 points and leads the way, second place is within reach as Lehigh’s Tyler Lewis has 64. Kozlowski has parlayed his role as EMU’s power play specialist into an exceptional offensive year. His Division 1 leading 12 powerplay goals, among 35 total goals and 60 points are his his best output thus far, and are already five points higher than last season with ten games left. Taurence, on the other hand, currently leads the country in assists with 38, as well as shorthanded goals with 5, also with 60 points overall. Taurence had a school record 8 points in a January game at Western Michigan University, and 14 points total in the series. Both players are being strongly considered for the 2014 World University games team, and will no doubt garner GLCHL and ACHA All Star votes.

Old Birds Return to the Nest

Gary Cekus — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:16:23 +0000

Taylor, MI- For a few hours each season, some retired Eagles whose college hockey days have flown south, return to the ice for the annual EMU Hockey Alumni game. This season, the alumni game was a great success, with over 200 fans stopping in to watch the old timers play to 6-5 game, won on the last shift by former Captain Chris DeRoche’s goal with 35 seconds remaining. Following the Alumni game, former Flockers were treated to pizza and adult beverages by the current Birds, while they watched them cruise to a 5-4 GLCHL win over UM-Dearborn. ” Having that Alumni presence is huge” said Head Coach Kevin Gee. ” The old guys need to know that this is their team, their dressing room, and they are just as much a part of this team as they were when they were playing. The new guys need to be accountable to the ones that came before them, and mixing them together for the Alumni game is a great way to do it.” added Gee. Some notable reconnections for the Eagles ( nee Hurons ) were alums Greg Cheesewright ‘81, who was the senior member of this year’s alumni team, and is very involved in minor hockey in Detroit; and former Eagles captain Derek Wilson ‘06, who played for current Eagles Head Coach Kevin Gee back in 2001, when he was a member of the Downriver Lumberjacks Jr. A team in the old CEHL. “It was great to meet Greg- he and I spoke over the phone a few times and we know many of the same people from our time in the minor hockey community…and Willy, my god- I haven’t seen him in years…maybe once or twice since the old CEHL days. I knew he played at his college at Eastern but hadnt been involved with the alumni. It was great to see him again for sure. I hope both of them keep showing their faces around here.” said Coach Gee.

Western Tour A Positive for Young Eagles

Kevin — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:18:51 +0000

Phoenix, AZ- The Eastern Michigan University Eagles traveled to Phoenix and Tucson last week to meet up against some top competition in #1 ranked Arizona State, and #17 ranked Arizona in a three game set. The Eagles arrived in Phoenix Thursday morning to prepare for the Sun Devils, and after a long flight, showed great energy as the came to play and jumped out to a 1-0 lead after 1 period. The Sun Devils opened the flood gates in the second frame, tallying on three power play opportunities, and taking advantage of two very interesting bounces that made their way into EMU’s net. ASU continued to carry the play, resulting in a 9-3 ASU win. ” That’s about as hard as I’ve seen my team play in a long time. ASU is very talented., but that sure didn’t feel like a 9-3 game. Take away the three goals that bounced funny and I’m ok with that result.” Said Coach Kevin Gee. Saturday night in Tucson, the Eagles showed that same energy and defeated the Arizona Wildcats by a score of 5-3, spoiling U of A’s home opener in front of nearly 4000 fans. Sophomore forward Bryan Kozlowski led the way with 4 goals for the Eagles, while Sophomore defenseman Jordan Roemer added 3 assists. Goaltender Kevin Kissaw earned the victory in goal for EMU. On Sunday afternoon, Arizona got the best of the road weary Eagles, edging them by a 4-3 score. In a tightly contested game, both teams traded goals and managed their special teams closely. Forwards Clayton Hodges, Nick Taurence, and Bryan Kozlowski each added a goal and an assist, and junior goaltender Andrew Duff made an incredible 53 of 57 saves in the loss. ” I’m satisfied with that trip. It showed what this group’s potential is. I thought they played hard all nine periods this weekend and that’s going to be critical down the stretch.” said Gee.

2012 Alumni Game Set for December 15

Kevin — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:00:21 +0000

Taylor, MI- The 2012 Eastern Michigan University Eagles Alumni Hockey game has been scheduled for Saturday, December, 15 at 530pm at the Eagles home arena, the Taylor Sportsplex, preceding EMU’s home game against U of M-Dearborn. All Alumni are encouraged to register by emailing Head Coach Kevin Gee at kevin.gee@emich.edu. Players from all eras are welcome- we will be fielding two balanced teams who will play a full 90 minute game against each other. An alumni reception will be held at the arena during the EMU / UMD game, guests, families, and children are welcome.

Eagles sweep Golden Flashes on the road

Gary Cekus — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:07:12 +0000

Kent, OH- The Eastern Michigan Eagles traveled to Kent, OH for a weekend GLCHL series, earning a two win sweep along the way. Friday night’s contest saw the bus weary Eagles get off to a slow start, but a power-play goal by Jacob Harbowy (Livonia, MI / Cleveland Lumberjacks Jr. A) got the Eagles moving. Freshman Zachary Willis (Grass Lake, MI / Motor City Metal Jackets U18AAA) scored his first collegiate goal, and was followed by goals from captains Bob Gasser (Southgate, MI / Southgate Anderson HS) and Jordan Roemer (Cobourg, ON / Wooster Oilers Jr. B) as the Eagles cruised to a 4-2 victory. Freshman Clayton Hodges (Westland, MI / Bowmanville Eagles Jr. A) added two assists. Kevin Kissaw made 27 of 29 saves to earn the victory between the pipes. On Saturday, The Golden Flashes were no match for he Eagles, as EMU opened the floodgates with a 7-2 win. Six different Eagles registered two or more points in the contest. Transfer scoring leader Nick Taurence (Trenton, MI / St.Scholastica NCAA D3) had two goals and two assists for EMU, and Anthony Stankiewicz, Clayton Hodges, Bryan Kozlowski, Jacob Harbowy, and Bob Gasser all had two points in the contest. Freshman Ryan Faucheux (West Chester, OH / Queen City Steam Jr.A) registered his first collegiate goal for EMU. Goaltender Andrew Duff made 22 of 24 saves to earn the victory in goal.

Bulldogs bite Eagles on opening weekend

Gary Cekus — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 18:10:03 +0000

Adrian, MI- The young Eagles played their first game Friday night, resulting in a 6-2 Adrian College victory. While they were able to weather the storm during a tumultuous first ten minutes, in which Eagles goaltender Kevin Kissaw made 11 of his 32 saves, ultimately the experienced Bulldogs were too much to handle. ” I thought they got better as the night went on. That was our first game, Adrian has played five games against NAHL teams- I think there are some positives we can take away tonight.” said Head Coach Kevin Gee. One of those positives was his team’s work ethic, which has been cited as an issue in years past. “They play hard- we have a very intense group. They played hard for the entire weekend.” Newcomers Nick Taurence and Andrew Tate both scored for the Eagles. Captain Jason Simota had two assists in the Eagles loss. The next night, the Eagles put forth an exceptional effort in a 2-0 loss on their home ice. Junior goaltender Andrew Duff made 34 of 36 saves, but the Eagles couldn’t muster much offense. ” We had a few chances, but not enough to get over the hump. Adrian had the puck all night, and we were having trouble coming out of our end. We have some things to work on, but I saw a huge improvement from yesterday to today.” Said Gee.

Eagles earn split with top ranked Robert Morris

Gary Cekus — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 18:04:22 +0000

Taylor, MI- The Eastern Michigan University Eagles earned a split in dramatic fashion against Robert Morris University this weekend. On Friday night, EMU dropped a close contest 4-3 on home ice, that saw seven different Eagles earn points. Among them was Matt Stemkoski (Novi, MI / Metro Jets Jr. A) who notched his first collegiate goal. Sophomore goaltender Kevin Kissaw made 29 of 33 saves for the Eagles. “We started out fine, and overall I thought we put forth a good effort, but we lapsed for about eight minutes in the second period and it cost us. We didnt have enough time to catch up.” stated Head Coach Kevin Gee following the loss. The next night, the star of the show was sophomore goaltender Alex Caruana (Romulus, MI / Michigan IceDogs Jr. A) as he put in a 51 save effort including stopping all five Robert Morris shooters in a shootout. Pressed into action after junior goalie Andrew Duff (Brighton, MI / El Paso Rhinos Jr. A) injured his ankle earlier in the week, Caruana was praised by his coach. ” Al was exceptional. He played his ass off. He has shown that he is capable of making starts when he is needed and has earned the chance to do that for us.” said Gee. Sophomore Bryan Kozlowski (Livonia, MI / Wichita Falls Wildcats Jr. A) added three points for the Eagles, and Andrew Tate (Canton, MI / Curry College NCAA D3) added two points as well. Sophomore Defenseman Jordan Roemer (Cobourg, ONT/Wooster Oilers Jr. A) was the lone scorer in the shootout for the Eagles.

Eagles Bolster Offense, Add Depth

Gary Cekus — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:32:39 +0000

Taylor, MI- Eagles Head Coach Kevin Gee had a busy summer. Adding 14 new faces to the Eagles roster and replacing some key components along the way. ” I’m excited. Real excited. I like how they’ve worked through mini-camp and practice and I’m anxious to get started.” he said. Among those new faces are two very valuable recruits; NCAA transfers Nick Taurence (St. Scholastica NCAA D3 / Trenton, MI) and Andrew Tate (Curry College NCAA D3 / Canton, MI) who will be counted on heavily for added offensive output. ” Nicky and Tater will both be able to produce in our league, but the value comes from their work ethic. Both are extremely hard on the puck and responsible defensively.” said Coach Gee. Additionally, The Eagles added veteran sniper Clayton Hodges (Bowmanville Eagles Jr. A/Westland, MI), who most recently played in the OJHL and NAHL. “Clayton has taken some time away from the rink but he hasnt lost a step. he can still score goals and will be on our top line.” said Gee. Those veteran players will be complemeted by some young faces as well, including speedster Ryan Quigley (Toledo Cherokee Jr. A/Plymouth, MI) and smooth playmaker Ryan Faucheux (Queen City Steam Jr. A/West Chester, OH), and Matt Stemkoski (Metro Jets Jr. A/Novi, MI) “Quigley has exceptional talent and I expect him to flourish right away- he is lightning fast and has great puck skills. Faucheux is big and skilled- makes great plays and always has the puck, he will definitely help his linemates produce. Stemkoski is creative and responsible, and should be an asset on special teams as well” said Coach Gee. The Eagles will debut their new lineup Friday, Sept. 21st on the road at Adrian College.