Left: Justin Florek trending on Twitter Right: Florek on Instagram (courtesy of Joe Steele)

By Brice Burge
Editor in Chief

MQT-native and former Northern Michigan Wildcat Justin Florek scored his first playoff goal off a Red Wings turnover at 7:28 in the first period. The goal was unassisted.

Florek -- who uses the handle @justFLOrek -- then trended on Twitter. Here are some of the tweets about the hometown hero's first NHL playoff goal.

Video on YouTube from xXxCrosby87Xx.

From the NHL (Detroit missing out on the marketing opportunity):

From MQT:

From NMU and former teammates:

Local media:

And other media and analysis:

By Adam Holloway
MQT Social Scene Sports

Jordan Seufzer was worried about his jiu jitsu in his training for the Lights Out Fights: Redemption main event, so the fighter dedicated extra practice time for the grappling and ground discipline.

"(Jiu jitsu) is my weak belt," Seufzer said. "I wanted to do something stand up, but it was perfect on takedowns and perfect on timing, so I went with the best options."

That extra practice paid off, as Seufzer defeated MQT-local Jeremy Nelson for the Light Heavyweight championship by armbar submission.

"I trained on a few special things I needed to do and had to dominate. Jeremy (Nelson) is a tough opponent and I knew I had to be tougher and work harder," Seufzer said.

Nelson started the match with a powerful body shot but after that it was all Seufzer who took Nelson down to the mat and maintained control for the rest of the first round. Nelson was able to maintain a ground defense to slow the fight down, but Seufzer won the first round. The second round started out with Seufzer charging to Nelson right away and slamming him hard to the mat. Seufzer then was able to maintain his ground and pound presence from the first round, controlling the match from the ground but was just barely able to work past the defenses of Nelson.

The third round also began with a takedown by Seufzer. Nelson worked the legs more this time, but his escape attempt allowed Seufzer to regrip. Seufzer locked the arm to become the new champion.

With championship belt in hand and a 17-7 record, Seufzer announced in an exclusive post fight interview with MQT Social Scene that he plans on moving to a professional circuit.

"I was getting a lot of people asking 'when you gonna go pro, when you gonna go pro?' and I'm like 'as soon as I get my belt.' There is tremendous emotion that comes with this belt," Seufzer said, currently with Total Devastation. "I'm looking for a pro fight and anyone that wants to take me on, I'm ready to show I'm definitely a person to want in any big promotion."

Match two was a debut match for both UP North MMA member Cory Sampogna and Alex Andervivet from Silverback MMA. While this match would be the longest of the night, going almost the entire three rounds, Andervivet was in control of this match from the start. Landing punch after punch, Andervivet cut Sampogna before the end of the first round. 

Round two followed suit with Andervivet landing a massive spinning backhand to Sampogna. Sampogna would make one last effort to try to take control taking Andervivet down to the mat but Andervivet’s ground training would pay off. With 20 seconds remaining in the final round, referee Jeff Mace ended the fight by TKO as Sampogna was unable to defend himself to the barrage dealt by Andervivet.

The first kickboxing match of the night put Casey Sundstrom up against Eric Lang.  Lang came out swinging only to fall victim by a vicious right kick to the head by Sundstrom, knocking Lang out while sending Lakeview Arena into a frenzy. Lang was able to regain consciousness in time for the official decision but was visibly shaken on his way back to the locker room.

The contender fight pitted undefeated MQT-native Jared Erickson up against Doug Tinor, a last-minute replacement to the card. Erickson took command right away with a leg sweep that made contact with the left knee of Tinor. Erickson went to work landing multiple kicks to the left leg of Tinor, enough to the point that referee Jeff Mace stopped the fight for the TKO. 

After the fight, Skoglund announced to the crowd that the now 6-0 Erickson would be challenging for the title in October at the Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace. His opponent is to be determined.

Connor Moore also represented MQT well as he faced Jon Maigatter. Less than a minute into the first round, Moore put Maigatter into a rear naked choke for the quick tap out and win.

The second kickboxing match of the night put another MQT fighter in the cage, as Harrison Dehlin faced DeMarco Stokes. 

“I had a mix of butterflies and anxiety to get into the ring and prove myself,” Dehlin said. “The crowd really gave me a boost and having my family in attendance really made a difference.”

Trevor Hicks and Dylan Haines faced off at the 170-pound weight class. The fight started out with a banging slam right away as Haines threw Hicks to the mat then landed repeated body shots to the ribcage. Hicks was able to break free and return the favor, taking Haines down to end the first round.

The second round began with Haines pinning Hicks against the cage and landing nearly 15 consecutive knees to the same ribcage he had been working on in the first. Shortly thereafter Haines landed two quick shots to the head of Hicks for the win.

The heavyweight kickboxing match between Adam Hrabik of Silverback MMA and Bryan Reynolds of US Muay Thai helped fill that void left from the super heavyweight bout. Reynolds scored his first knockdown with a solid right jab to the face. After a standing eight count, Hrabik was visibly shaken but went right back after Reynolds. Reynolds used outside punches to get Hrabik to spread his arms out in defense until Reynolds reset and landed a haymaker through the uprights for the knockout just seconds before the end of the first round.

"Coaches were telling me to throw body kicks and straight punches and it worked out for me," Reynolds said. "(Hrabik) was a tough opponent with some hard punches."

US Muay Thai went 5-1 on the night, losing only the championship fight. Silverback MMA lost all of their fights. MQT fighters lost only one fight: Nelson's championship fight to Seuzfer.

Editor's Note: Interviews with Reynolds and Seuzfer were done by Brice Burge. 
Adam Holloway is a new writer to MQT Social Scene. He can be reached through his Twitter or through the MQT Social Scene about us page.

By Brice Burge
Editor in Chief

According to an update on mqthockey.org, Jim Jackson will not return next season to coach the MQT Electricians. The update did say he will be involved in the organization, but acting in a different capacity.

Jackson was a former player on the team, which won the 1996 state championships. He later played junior hockey, collegiate hockey at Northern Michigan University and in various overseas professional leagues. 

The Electricians went just 2-44-3 in their one season under Jackson, who took over the team from former coach Mark Nebel.

MQT Electricians Chairman Brad Sullivan said a search would begin immediately to find a new head coach.

Brice Burge is the Editor in Chief of MQT Social Scene. He can be reached at briceMQT@gmail.com.

By Brice Burge
Editor in Chief

The City Insurance Group MQT Girls U16 AA will play against the Northern Michigan University women's club hockey team today, March 30, to help raise funds for their upcoming trip to the national championships.

The game will be played at the Berry Event Center, but the Wildcats were not the first choice of opponent, according to U16 Coach Jeff Cornock. The mBank U19 team also won state championships, but were unable to get enough players due to Marquette Area Public Schools' Spring break.

"I went to (U19) first for a battle of state champions fundraiser game," Cornock said. "We worked on that for two or three days and couldn't get enough players. However (U16 Assistant Coach Ken Godfrey Jr) contacted Brian Goodreau in NMU's athletic department. It was really easy to get it set up from there."

The U16 team relies on their older players, seven of which are from 1997, the oldest a player can be in this division. Improved play by goaltender Hannah Riesland in the state tournament also helps, as she allowed four goals in five games with two shootouts. Team captain Allyson Carlson leads the team in goals and assists.

The Wildcats had a rough season in the win-loss category and missed their league playoffs. However, the team looks to build on their best goal differential in years with a strong incoming class. One of those players, transfer Sierra Rusinek from NCAA Division III Finlandia University, will make her first appearance wearing Northern colors.

Michelle Kerry led ACHA Division I in saves this year, but will skate as a forward in the game. Starting in net will be Saraya Uitvlugt, who had a 69-save performance against the University of Michigan in November.

The Wildcats are excited to connect with MQT and the youth team through the game, according to NMU Assistant Coach Sean Parker.

"This is a good opportunity for Northern to get the name of the women's program out in the community," Parker said. "Helping out a younger team is always a good thing. We want to show the younger girls they have a place to play after high school."

The City Insurance team went undefeated at the state tournament, winning 3-2 over Livonia to take home the title. The nationals start on April 2 in Amhurst, New York.

Tickets for the game are five dollars and will go towards travel expenses to nationals. A 50-50 and other fundraising opportunities will be held at the game. More information on donations can be found at the team's gofundme.com page.

Today's game will be broadcast on 100.3 The Point, as well as all of the games at nationals. 

Brice Burge is the Editor in Chief of MQT Social Scene and the PA announcer for the NMU women's club team. He can be reached at briceMQT@gmail.com.

By Brice Burge
Editor in Chief

The MQT Royales are going to the USA Hockey Tier III national championships with an extra piece of baggage: the Busch Cup.

After already clinching a national bid by defeating the Hudson Crusaders (Wisc.) in the semifinals, the Royales defeated the Dells Ducks 3-2 in overtime to win the Minnesota Junior Hockey League tournament championship to bring the first ever junior hockey title to MQT.

“Its amazing,” said Royales forward and MQT native Dallas McLaughlin. “I think a lot of guys on the team don't realize that this is such a big deal for this city.”

The Royales went down early after Ducks captain Jacob Stima sniped in a power play goal just 3:07 into the contest. Eric Hewitt tied it up for MQT 28 seconds into the second, but Jimmy Buckingham responded a little over a minute later to put the Ducks back on top. Dallas McLaughlin got a pass from Hewitt in the third to tie the game up at two, sending the game to overtime.

After a back and forth start to the extra period, Lane King ripped a shot from the top of the circle and Jeff Salzbrunn was able to put in the rebound before the net came off to win the game.

To get to the nationals and the conference finals, the Royales had to first go through the Crusaders. Hudson finished the season as the third seed in the Minnesota Division at 28-14-3-1 record for 60 points. They defeated the Steele County Blades (Minn.) in the first round and then upset the Maple Grove Energy (Minn.) to make it to the final four.

After a 4-3 overtime victory on Friday, the Royales dropped the second game against the Crusaders 5-4 in overtime. MQT rallied on Sunday to win 6-4 and take the series. McLaughlin scored eight goals in the series – five of them in game three – but said the defense helped start the offensive attack.

“Our defense had great vision those games and I worked my butt off for them,” McLaughlin said. “Every time on the ice I look for (Hudson's) D making mistakes to let me go into the zone first.

With the three games against the Crusaders and one more for the championship, the Royales played four games in four days. Three of those games went into overtime.

“You could see our fatigue in the championship game, but to play that much hockey in a short period of time really displayed our team's desire and endurance,” Stanaway said.

MQT rallied around the first-year franchise's trip to the league final four. Fans rallied on social media, went to viewing parties at bars and restaurants and a police escort brought the team back into town. McLaughlin, Hayden Rajala and Mike House are MQT natives while Bryce Leaf, Trevor Givens and Brett Hebert are from other Upper Peninsula towns. Three members of the Royales staff are from MQT as well, including Stanaway, Goalie Coach Jim Stanaway and Director of Player Personnel Derek Brumm.

“You have no idea what (the hometown support) means to me,” Mike Stanaway said. “I was born in MQT, grew up in MQT and now I am back home in MQT. Sharing MQT with all the players from out of town is the best part of this team. These guys get to truly experience and appreciate what MQT is all about.”

The team will take a couple days off before taking practice at the Berry Events Center. The team will leave Tuesday, April 1 for Simbury, Conn., the location of the national championship tournament. The twelve teams will be divided between three pools of four, with the winner of each pool moving to a final four. To fill the final slot, the team with the best remaining record will also move on.

The Dells Ducks also qualified for nationals after defeating the Illiana Blackbirds (Ind.) in a two-game sweep. The Ducks are coached by former Northern Michigan varsity goalie Bill Zaniboni, adding a stronger MQT tie to the national tournament.

The team will be driving to Connecticut by bus. The team is gauging interest in a fan bus through their Facebook page.

Brice Burge is the Editor in Chief of MQT Social Scene. He can be reached at briceMQT@gmail.com.

By Brice Burge
Editor in Chief

According to a league official, the Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL) held a hearing regarding the arrest and court appearances of two players of the Illiana Blackbirds. This hearing takes place before the start of the league Final Four in Oregon, Wisc..

MnJHL President Ralph Hayne said that a meeting took place with him, other MnJHL board members and Blackbirds' Owner, General Manager and Co-Coach Reid Simpson this morning.

"We had a hearing this morning that myself and several officers with the coach and general manager. We talked about an hour and a half," Hayne said.

At this time, no official penalty has been given. Hayne said the league became aware of the arrests and appearances at 4 p.m. yesterday, March 20.

According to MnJHL Commisioner Mike Staloch the league is "working on" an official press release, but had no further comment.

Two stories published earlier today, one on JuniorHockey.com and the other on The Junior Hockey News, led to the attention of the arrest.

According to The Junior Hockey News, goaltender Konstatin Shipunov and forward Chad Miller were charged with possession of heroin. The blog-style piece went on to say that their first court appearances were in Cook County, Illinois on March 13 for the February incident.

JuniorHockey.com only alluded to the involvement as part of a larger report. No names or players, teams or even the league were mentioned, just a transcript of emails between JuniorHockey.com Owner Stephen Heisler and the unnamed league president. The email accused Heisler of being the "cop, judge and jury".

Hayne did confirm that it was him in the email exchange, which also corroborates the 4 p.m. time on March 20 that the league became aware of the incident. According to Hayne, the response was to the fifth email in a 48-hour span.

"I was tired of dealing with him," Hayne said. "We're willing to work with the people who want to talk about this. We found out at 4 p.m. and yesterday and had a hearing about it today."

Shipunov and Miller are both foreign nationals in the United States on a visitor's visa, according to The Junior Hockey News. On the Illiana Blackbirds website, Shipunov is from Riga, Latvia and Miller is from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. Miller leads the team in assists and is the second on for both goals and points. Shipunov has a 14-6 record and .906 save percentage. Both players have played in the league playoffs.

Illiana and MQT were the top two teams in the Great Lakes Division this season. The Blackbirds ended the Royales 26-game winning streak in the first half of the season and were the first divisional opponent to beat MQT. The two teams averaged over 50 minutes of penalties per game combined in their six games this year.

If the Blackbirds defeat the Wisconsin Dells Ducks and the Royales defeat the Hudson Crusaders, Illiana and MQT would face each other in the MnJHL championship game.

The Junior Hockey News did not post the court documents online. At time of publication, MQT Social Scene had no response from the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Cook County is on the other side of the Indiana-Illinois border from Lake County, Indiana. The Midwest Training and Ice Center where the Blackbirds play is less than half a mile away from the state line.

Brice Burge is the Editor in Chief of MQTSocialScene.com. He can be reached at BriceMQT@gmail.com.

By Brice Burge
Editor in Chief

The 31st-annual Pigs-N-Heat game took place last night, March 12, at Lakeview Arena. Unfortunately for the local firefighters, the police officers were the hot team, winning 7-1.

"Well we didn't show up," said Kurt Hillier of the MQT City Fire Department. "They had a good team this year and we had a couple bad lines and they took advantage of it."

The Pigs were led by Nick Benson of the MQT County Sheriff's Department. Benson scored the first goal of the game as part of a hat trick and an assist to win the MVP. This was the first year that Benson played in the game.

"I'm young, some of these guys are a little older, a little more seasoned," Benson said. "I still play hockey, so its not too much for me to come out and skate."

At the start of the second, the Heat found the back of the net courtesy of Mark O'Neill of the MQT Township Fire Department. O'Neill was able to score off a quick pass in front of the net by Brian Phillips of the MQT City Fire Department. The tie game was short lived as Jim Harrington of the MQT County Sheriff's Department went the full length of the ice for an unassisted goal.

The Pigs piled it on after that, scoring two more in the second from Benson on another breakaway and Kody Carlson of the MQT County Sheriff's Department getting a good look from a faceoff in the Heat zone.

The Heat were iced early in the third when the Pigs scored three goals in the first 2:21 of the period. Michigan State Police officer and former Northern Michigan University Wildcat Jason Welch ripped a shot off of Heat goalie Charlie Bleau of the Negaunee Township Fire Department and Drew Ogle of the MQT Branch Prison punched in the rebound. Welch would put in another goal shortly after by putting in his own rebound.

The Pigs-N-Heat game is an annual charity event that raises funds for fire victims. Since the game first started in 1983, over $350,000 have been raised to get families who lost most of their possessions and sometimes their homes in fires back on their feet.

In addition to the chuck-a-puck and the ticket sales, a silent auction was also ran. There were over 90 items in the auction. Reading the winners over the public address system took so long, it spanned the entire second period and into the beginning of the third.

"People rely on this fund and to raise money is the main reason why we play," Welch said. "It was a great turnout and we are so thankful to the community and the fans."

Despite the result, it was also a feeling shared by Hillier and the Heat team.

"At the end of the night the score doesn't matter. For 31 years now we've been out raising money for fire victims. It's a great cause and great event."

Brice Burge is the Editor in Chief of MQT Social Scene. He can be reached at briceMQT@gmail.com.

By Brice Burge
Editor in Chief

The MQT Royales faced off in their first ever all-U.P. team matchup on Saturday, March 8 against the Portage Lake Pioneers of the Great Lakes Hockey League (GLHL). The exhibition game ended in a 7-4 victory for the Pioneers.

“(Portage Lake) is a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger, but these guys are smart.” Royales Head Coach Mike Stanaway said. “They have seen every trick in the book. It gives our guys not only an idea of what we do in the playoffs, but what its like to play three or four levels higher.”

The Pioneers are leading the GLHL, a USA Hockey senior elite league. Many players for Portage Lake and the league as a whole played at the collegiate and minor league levels, but some also have MQT ties.

Ryan Sullivan was one of six former MQT Electricians on the Pioneers squad, four of which are still living in the MQT area.

“It's been about ten years since I've been back (at Lakeview Arena) playing in front of a good crowd in a competitive game on the home ice,” Sullivan said.

MQT started the scoring early, as Lane King drove the middle of the ice for a quick transition goal, just 28 seconds into the game. Dallas McLaughlin had another similar opportunity that went wide of the net just 14 seconds later.

The Pioneers formatted the pace of the game to match their size and power. Using accurate passes to slow down the pace in the neutral zone, Portage Lake was able to create a tempo matchup against the dangerous transition game of the Royales.

Scoring opportunities presented themselves for both teams throughout the second. MQT was able to get three rebound opportunities with 14 to go in the period, but the finishing shot on a desticked Harley White was off target. Pioneer Ted Pietila rang a shot off both posts on a backdoor pass just two minutes later.

The team traded two goals a piece in the second, as Nick DeSimone scored a one-timer from the top of the point above White's blocker to take the 2-1 lead. The Pioneers responded with 4:15 to go, as Don Joupperi punched in a rebound from two yards outside the crease.

Confusion surrounded each team's third goal, as MQT took the lead on a puck trickling behind White after the play appeared both teams stopped after contact between White and MQT's Jeff Salzbrunn. Three minutes later, a quick stop attempt by McLaughlin had a Portage Lake player knock him down to the ice, turning the puck over to the Pioneers. Pietila was able to slip behind for a breakaway goal, tying the game to end the second.

The first penalty of the game came early in the third on a tripping call against the Pioneers. MQT had three shots, but the best scoring chance came as Alan L'Esporance got a short-handed breakaway. Portage Lake had the same one chance on the power play after Hunter Heightland was caught tripping. The teams split the time of possession, but MQT goalie Walker Enstad stopped all eight shot attempts to kill the penalty.

Portage Lake took their first lead of the game off of a set play after a faceoff in the MQT zone from Joupperi. The Pioneers added another two goals in the third to take a 6-3 lead. Brett Hebert added a goal for MQT, but an empty netter with 53 seconds to play ended the game 7-4.

The exhibition game was set up Wednesday, March 5 to replace the first round series against the St. Louis Frontenacs. The Frontenacs were excused from the playoffs, resulting in a bye for MQT. After concluding the season February 23, the Royales would have had 19 days between their final regular season game and the playoffs.

“These guys are only a year or two years away from playing at the professional level. We set it up to give our guys a lesson on how simple mistakes especially in the neutral zone can cost us,” Stanaway said. “To see a skilled team make us pay for our mistakes so were a little more careful going into the playoffs."

The Royales will play the Wooster Oilers in the second round of the MnJHL playoffs, after the Oilers swept the Central Wisconsin Saints last weekend. Games start Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m..

Brice Burge is the Editor in Chief of MQT Social Scene. He can be reached at briceMQT@gmail.com.

By Brice Burge
Managing Editor

After receiving a controversial bye in the first round of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL) playoffs, the Royales are set to play the Portage Lake Pioneers of the Great Lakes Hockey League (GLHL) on Saturday night.

"With the long break, we wanted to put this game together to help our team keep their edge," said Royales Head Coach and General Manager Mike Stanaway. "We do not want to go into the playoffs with any sort of rust or to have our timing off."

The Pioneers are currently leading the GLHL with a 12-6 record and play out of the Dee Stadium in Houghton.

The GLHL is a USA Hockey Senior Elite League, so the same age limitations on the Royales does not apply for the squad. Pete Rouleau is the oldest listed player on the team, born in 1983. The team has many former collegiate and minor league players from teams like Finlandia (NCAA DIII), the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) and the former MQT Rangers (NAHL).

According to Stanaway, the Pioneers will create a better experience for fans and players than having to face off against their scheduled MnJHL opponent in the first round.

"This will be good for our players to be challenged against some ex-NCAA and pro players," Stanaway said. "Certainly no disrespect to St. Louis but I think this game will be much more beneficial for our team than playing in the first round of the playoffs."

The Frontenacs were excused from the playoffs courtesy of a 6-2 vote by the Great Lakes Division of the MnJHL. After the decision, the Royales were scheduled to have a 19-day break between their regular season finale on Feb. 23 and the divisional semifinal on March 14.

That decision is just one of the problems plaguing the MnJHL playoffs this year. In addition to allowing the Frontenacs to not attend the playoffs without any penalties, the Central Wisconsin Saints were forced out of their arena after failing to pay the city of Stevens Point, Wisc. over $34,000 in ice time the last two seasons.

The league also adopted a round robin style finale between the top two teams in each division, shortly after the schedule was released. USA Hockey awarded a second bid to the national championships to the league. The round robin will be held at the neutral site of Oregon, Wisc..

Some gameday changes will be made in terms of the fan experience. There will be no ticket sales, but a donation will be available at the door to help offset further playoff expenses. There will also be no beer garden on the mezzanine, but 50-50 tickets and chuck-a-puck appear to still go on. Also the game will not be broadcasted on MSBN. More changes in the gameday experience may come.

Brice Burge is the Managing Editor of MQT Social Scene. He can be reached at briceMQT@gmail.com.

By Brice Burge
Managing Editor

The Northern Michigan University women’s basketball team will host the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament, today, March 5. Tip off is set for 7 p.m..

The ’Cats finished the season 19-7 overall and 16-6 in conference play to grab the second seed for the tournament. Michigan Tech and Ashland (Ohio) also had the same conference record, but the seed went to NMU through tiebreakers.

It is the Wildcats’ first playoff game at home since 2010, as NMU finished in the eighth seed the last two seasons and missed the playoffs in 2011.

Northern was also the second seed in the GLIAC in 2010. That year NMU also appeared in the NCAA tournament, recording the largest upset of the tournament as a seven-seed over the second-seed University of Indianapolis. NMU lost in the round of 32 to Drury University. Michigan Tech won the regional that year.