TC Hounds ready to roll

Sept. 10--TRAVERSE CITY -- Football has a serious rival.

It isn't cold outside yet -- thankfully -- but ice is already on the minds of many.

The Traverse City Hounds start practice next week, with some of the Junior A team's players already in town in time for the NHL Prospects Tournament that starts Friday and Detroit Red Wings training camp that begins Sept. 18.The Hounds have 10 players back from last season's squad that won its second straight Midwest Junior Hockey League championship.

"We're almost full," Hounds owner and general manager Scott Gardinar said. "We're way ahead of where we've been in the past. We like what we have coming back."

Among the top returnees are goaltender David Krejcik, defenders Kevin Hansen and Matt Passino and a bevy of forwards in leading scorers Jake Gillis and Cam Fisher, plus Austin Flores, Clayton Dowlan, Premsyl Synek, Patrick Rogowski and Grant McCormack.

Among the top new additions are former Traverse City Central star Cam Givens, forwards Greg Meuser and Kevin Cole and 19-year-old Cheboygan defender Stan Swiderek.

Cole led the Midget AA San Jose Jr. Sharks in goals and points, while serving as a captain. Meuser won a U18 AA national championship with the Ashburn Xtreme in Virginia.

Givens was the Record-Eagle Dream Team captain after scoring 31 goals and 24 assists in 25 games for the Trojans.

"Cam will add a lot to our forwards, I think," Gardiner said.

The league hasn't changed all that much, adding the Mount Clemens Monarchs. A West Michigan team was slated to join, but folded after the MWJHL schedule was released. The Alpena Street Cats changed their team name to the Flyers.

"Every year, it seems to get a little better," Gardiner said.

Gardiner said there have been talks of adding the new Kalkaska Rhinos to the league, which would fit right into the league's old 48-game schedule to replace the West Michigan Freeze. In the meantime, teams have picked up extra games for a 46-game slate mostly against geographic rivals, with the Hounds adding contests against Alpena and the Soo.

The Hounds promoted assistant coach Jacek Wilk to associate head coach, as Gardiner focuses more on commissioner duties.

After playing with the Gardiner-coached Traverse City Enforcers of the old Continental Elite Hockey League in 2002-03, Wilk started coaching six years ago, guiding the Dave Harvey Pee Wee travel team to a Silver Stick regional championship and also coaching at the Bantam travel team and with the Northwest Warriors high school squad in Traverse City.

"I'll be behind the bench most of the time," Gardiner said. "And Jacek and Keith Gillis are our primary coaches."

Gardiner said he contacted the AAU about scrimmaging against Kalkaska, and was warmed against it because of possible insurance liability.

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