Number: 30 Position: Goalie
Height: 5' 11" Weight: 175 Birthday: 8.12.80 Hometown: Northville, MI Last team: Danville Jr A (NAHL)
Player Biography
Mike joins the Bucs after spending last season in the North American Hockey League with the Danville Wings. A Northville, Michigan native, he was a member of the NAHL All-Star and King of the Hill teams. He says that if he weren’t playing hockey right now, he’d probably be going to college on a track or cross country scholarship. Mike listens to the Rocky soundtrack before games, and follows the motto, “hustle and never give up”.
Also see interview below.
Interview
Sarah: Why don’t you tell me about where you grew up, your life there, your family.
Mike: I am the youngest of six. I have two brothers. I am from Northville, Michigan. I guess I started playing hockey because of my older brothers. They threw me in goal just because they wouldn’t let me play; I was too small. That is about it. I grew up in a big family.
Sarah: So how old were you when you started hockey?
Mike: They got me out there on the ice when I was two. I started playing in leagues when I was four. I started playing goalie when I was about six.
Sarah: What are some of the past teams that you’ve played for?
Mike: When I was young and growing up, I played for Little Caesar’s and Compuware. Those are all winning teams. I won five state championships and one national championship. Then I went and played Junior A when I was a sophomore in Newark. I played on a losing team there. Last year I played for the Danville Wings. Now I am here.
Sarah: So how did you get recruited to play here?
Mike: Coach Carroll saw me play last year so he knew who I was. I had a bunch of conflicts in Danville with the head coach. My mom just called over here actually. The coach knew who I was and told me to come out.
Sarah: What do you like best about being a Buc?
Mike: It is great here, the fans, everything. This is a first class organization. It’s the best place to play.
Sarah: What are some of your future plans and goals or anything that you would like to accomplish?
Mike: I want to be the best college goalie next year and the four years I’m there. From there, go to pro.
Sarah: I know I should know this. Where are you going?
Mike: I signed with Western Michigan.
Sarah: So where do you hope to be in 20 years?
Mike: Twenty years? Still playing!
Sarah: Nothing else?
Mike: Hopefully by then I won’t have to use my profession. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I want to do something in the medical field when I go to college. If I’m not successful in the NHL, I can fall back on that.
Sarah: Can you tell me about an embarrassing moment you’ve had?
Mike: The first game of the season I came running out the door and my jersey got caught on the door. I fell on the ice. That was funny.
Sarah: It is funny? You can laugh at it now.
Mike: I was laughing then, too.
Sarah: Okay.
Mike: That was great.
Sarah: I was wondering what happened. What are your hobbies?
Mike: I like to run and play all sorts of sports.
Sarah: Do you have a greatest achievement you can tell me about?
Mike: I haven’t reached my greatest achievement yet. I’ve had a lot of great ones on the way. The national championship was great. Being on this team is a great achievement. Signing with the college last week was probably my greatest one so far.
Sarah: So it was just last week?
Mike: Yeah.
Sarah: So are you excited to go there?
Mike: Oh, yeah.
Sarah: Is it close to home?
Mike: It is an hour and a half from my house. All my friends from high school go there.
Sarah: That will be good. What would you like to tell the fans?
Mike: They are awesome. Great support. It helps the game so much. It is a lot more exciting to play in our rink than anywhere else.
Mike: Coach Carroll saw me play last year so he knew who I was. I had a bunch of conflicts in Danville with the head coach. My mom just called over here actually. The coach knew who I was and told me to come out.