Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Veteran defenseman Corder chooses Oakland University

WATERFORD, MI – In what has turned out to be a very successful offseason for the Metro Jets in terms of player advancement, defenseman and former captain Mike Corder has committed to ACHA Division I power Oakland University based in nearby Rochester.

Corder played two years for the Jets and was the 2009-2010 captain and assumed the same role the first half of last season. Statistically, the 21-year-old from Warren, Mich., posted two goals and 12 assists in 76 career games with a combined 186 penalty minutes.

His solid defensive play, coupled with his fearlessness on the ice, had several colleges taking note as last season came to a close.

“I was really unsure as to where to attend school and try to play hockey this season,” said Corder. “I discussed the colleges with (Jets head) coach (Jason) Cirone and he put me in touch with (OU assistant) coach (Nick) Tomczyk. I spoke a few times with coach Tomczyk and he said that the OU staff had seen me play with the Jets. I went to the first camp of the summer and enjoyed the up-tempo style that the OU players played. I wanted a good college and a good opportunity to play for a national championship – OU is that college. I just want to do whatever I can to help the team and the program.”

OU won the Division II national championship in 2004 and 2006 under former head coach Sean Hogan, also a former Jets player in the mid-1990s, and then moved to Division I and won the national title in 2007, also with Hogan at the helm.

Corder has aspirations off the ice, too.

“My goals academically are to do the best that I can and get the best grades that I am able to get while I try to decide what I want as a major,” Corder explained. “During my first two years, I plan to get a lot of my general education classes out of the way while I try a few different areas to see what interests me. I would like to earn a degree in something that will allow me to stay connected to hockey when my playing career is over.”

The Grizzlies have a handful of ex-Jets on the roster, including forward David Merkle, a former teammate of Corder’s during his first season in Waterford.

“It is nice to have something in common and a few familiar faces does make the transition and getting to know the team a bit easier,” noted Corder.

Showing his humble side, Corder gave thanks to the Jets’ organization and has high hopes for the organization moving forward.

“My two seasons with the Jets made me a more well-rounded player “ said Corder. “I gained a lot of experience and learned a great deal from the coaches, especially coach Cirone. I really learned my role as a player and how to simplify the game. Coach Cirone made the game easy to understand, even at the faster pace of juniors. I don't feel that I would have had the opportunities to get an education and continue to play a high level of hockey without my time with the Jets organization and coach Cirone.

“During my first season, the team started to move a little bit in the right direction. After coach Cirone came in, the team really started to gain momentum going down the right road. The bumps will have to be smoothed out a bit, but I know that coach Cirone expects nothing but 100 percent night in and night out and he won't settle for anything less from his players or himself. I know that the NA3HL draft was very positive for the team and they tendered some good players. I am excited to see what the Jets can accomplish this upcoming season.”

Photo by Andy Grossman/Detailed Images

Friday, August 26, 2011

Jets, MRSN team up again for 2011-2012 season

WATERFORD, MI – The Metro Jets have announced that 12 of their games during the 2011-2012 North American 3 Hockey League season will be broadcast online by the Michigan Regional Sports Network (MRSN).

MRSN has broadcast select Jets games the past three seasons and this season will have nine games from Lakeland Arena, two from Flint’s Iceland Arena against the Flint Jr. Generals and one from Farmington Hills Ice Arena against the Michigan Mountain Cats.

MRSN, based in Flint, began in August 2009 and mainly broadcasts high school and minor league sports in the southeastern part of the state.

The complete schedule of Jets games to be broadcast on MRSN in 2011-2012 is below. The MRSN website is http://www.mrsn.us/.

Sun. Oct. 9 – Metro at Flint, 2:15 p.m.

Sun. Nov. 6 – Pittsburgh at Metro, 1:15 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 12 – Toledo at Metro, 7:35 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 27 – Toledo at Metro, 1:20 p.m.

Sat. Dec. 10 – Queen City at Metro, 7:35 p.m.
Sun. Dec. 18 – Metro at Flint, 2:15 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 7 – Flint at Metro, 7:35 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 14 – Michigan at Metro, 7:35 p.m.

Sat. Feb. 4 – Cleveland at Metro, 7:35 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 11 – Metro at Michigan, 6:45 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 25 – Pittsburgh at Metro, 7:45 p.m.
Sun. Feb. 26 – Pittsburgh at Metro, 1:15 p.m.

The Jets start the season at home on Friday, Sept. 9 with a 7:50 p.m. game against Flint at Lakeland Arena.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Jets' captain James earns SPHL contract with Cottonmouths

WATERFORD, MI - The Metro Jets have announced that last season’s captain, Morgan James, has signed a professional contract with the Columbus (Ga.) Cottonmouths of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

James, a 21-year-old defenseman from Commerce Township, had two goals and two assists in 39 games last year to go along with 180 penalty minutes, fourth in the North American 3 Hockey League.

“Morgan is obviously a big man and plays a physical game, something that I think we missed with Dan Leslie and Craig Stahl retiring at the same time,” Columbus head coach Jerome Bechard said. “He has been utilized as both a defenseman and a forward and was his team captain last year. I think he could bring a lot of intangibles to our team that we may have been lacking last year.”

The SPHL is a Single-A league entering its eighth season in 2011-2012 with nine teams in the southeastern United States. The Cottonmouths have been in the league since its inception in 2004-2005.

James, who sat out the three seasons prior to last year dealing with personal issues, was named Metro’s captain midway through last season. He’s now looking forward to the next stage of his career.

“I’m very excited to get my feet wet in the pros and I’m very grateful for the opportunity,” James said. “I am going to the camp there in early October and have spoken with Coach Bechard who does plan on using me for the 2011-2012 season being that everything goes well. The Cottonmouths, from what I’ve heard and read, are a top organization in the SPHL. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous, but I also have confidence that I will be able to compete. I’ve been training very hard to get ready for this and I have the tools needed to do my job and more.”

Playing for the Jets last year did wonders for James’ development and he said he owes a debt of gratitude to the entire organization.

”I worked so hard in my one season for the Jets that I was noticed by a pro team, but that would not be giving credit where credit is due,” said James. “Without (head coach) Jason Cirone, I wouldn’t be heading down to skate with the Cottonmouths in the SP. I really want everyone out there to know that if you work hard for Jason, listen to him, and do him right as a player that he will do you right in return, whether that’s getting you to the next level or simply turning you into a well-rounded player that plays a role as part of the dynamic machine that is a hockey team.”

With the close of summer around the corner, James has a new set of goals for the upcoming season.

”I’m setting short-term goals only for right now,” said James. “I’m just focusing on going down there, skating my butt off and playing my role to the best of my abilities.”

Photo by Andy Grossman/Detailed Images

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Metro's final tryout camp goes this weekend

WATERFORD, MI - The Metro Jets' final tryout camp will be held this weekend, August 12-14, at Lakeland Arena.

There, up to 40 players, including veterans, draft picks, tenders and free agents, who, along with as many as six goaltenders, will show why they should be on the 2011-2012 version of the team.

"We improved a bit last season, but we're not resting on our laurels," said Jets head coach Jason Cirone. "It is our feeling that with players returning from last year's team and the players we drafted and recruited that we will be in a position to compete in the league championship series next spring."

Any player interested in the camp should go to the 'Tryouts' page and follow the instructions to register.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Moroso to make jump to Port Huron, NAHL for '11-12

WATERFORD, MI - After making the jump last season from Midget AA hockey to the Metro Jets, Mike Moroso is hoping to continue the trend this year by moving up to the Port Huron Fighting Falcons of the North American Hockey League.

Port Huron starts their training camp next week and Moroso has every intention of being on the Fighting Falcons’ opening night roster. His offseason workload certainly helped him get the attention of the Port Huron staff.

“I prepared myself for the final camp by consistently getting myself on the ice, anything I could do just to skate about four or five times a week,” said Moroso, a 20-year-old forward from Macomb. “Working out and running at least three times a week also was big in my preparation.”

Last year with the Jets, Moroso was third in team scoring with 20 goals and 16 assists for 36 points in 43 games. He also led the team and was second in the North American 3 Hockey League with four shorthanded goals.

”Going into my last year of juniors, I’m looking to improve on last year and hopefully impress some college scouts in hopes to play a high level of college next year,” Moroso said. “Getting the coaching (last year with the Jets) from (head coach) Jason (Cirone), (assistant Sean) Clark and (assistant) Jamie (Hayden) was big in helping me make the NAHL this year. All their knowledge on the game and how they taught it to me made a huge difference in my game.”

PORT HURON CONNECTIONS: Should Moroso wind up with Port Huron, he’ll be the third former Metro skater to play with the Fighting Falcons. Defenseman Sam Bell (Munith) played two games at the start of last year, while Tommy Kilgore (Pinckney) was called up from the Jets to Port Huron for a three-game stretch last season.

Forwards Shane Halaas (Chesterfield) and Ryan Kelly and defenseman Jacob Schlacht (Allen Park) joined the Jets last season in separate trades after both started the year in Port Huron.

Adam Frank (Clarkston), Port Huron’s leading scorer a year ago, was a Jets draft pick in 2010.

Photo by Andy Grossman/Detailed Images