Flags re-sign Markham, add two others

With three players added to the 2006-07 roster, the Port Huron Flags are building a concrete lineup for the upcoming season.

Center Ryan Markham returns for his second season as a Flag, happy to be back and ready to see the team improve.

"I’m really looking forward to the team this year, because everybody on staff was so great last year," said Markham. "Since the league is much smaller now, and the team situation is improving, I have great expectations for us making it to the playoffs. Obviously, we want to go as far as possible and win a championship."

Markham will marry his fiancé, Karmen Peterson, in August. The newlyweds will return from the honeymoon by Sept. 11 to gear up for the season.

Paul Snell played four years at Salem State College, an NCAA Division III school in Salem, Mass. A forward from Pine Falls, Manitoba, he capped his college career with nine goals and 12 assists during his senior season.

Rookies are typically a high-risk venture for a hockey club, but former general manager Herb Hammond believes that Snell, at 6-feet-1 and 205 pounds, is worth the chance.

"Paul had a great college coach in Bill O’Neil and he has a great work ethic," Hammond said. "He is a hungry-spirited player in good physical shape and I think he can fill the rookie role well if given a chance."

Josh Elzinga has been a Kalamazoo Wings' defender for the last two seasons, where he recorded five goals and 13 assists collectively. He is a native of Burbank, Ill., and stands 5-feet-11, and weighs 175 pounds.

"Josh is going to be a steady player that contributes offensively and is very responsible defensively," Port Huron head coach Stan Drulia said. "We will rely on him to contribute in every facet of game."

These contracts mark the seventh, eighth, and ninth Flags players for the upcoming season.