BY JAMES COOK
jcook@record-eagle.com
March 16, 2008 04:00 am TRAVERSE CITY Former Traverse City North Stars players Harrison Niemann and Joe Greener were arrested on March 2, according to police reports. The pair were released from the team the same day. Greener was arrested for possession of marijuana by the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Department, while Niemann was cited by the same officer for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. "We dealt with it immediately and we don't condone their actions," North Stars coach Anthony Palumbo said Friday. Last week, Palumbo said the pair were released because of violating of team rules, but he did not elaborate. Niemann, a native of Canton, Ohio, was the team's leading scorer and topped the team in assists (36), points (57), +/- rating (+27) and power-play goals (10). He was tied for the team lead in game-winning goals (three) and second in goals (21). Greener one of the Stars' two foreign-born players had 21 points in 41 games and hadn't played with the team since Feb. 2 because of a knee injury. He was fourth on the team in penalty minutes with 88. After scoring a goal and adding an assist in a 4-2 home win over Alpena on Feb. 1, Greener said he wouldn't be able to play Division 1 hockey next year because he was having trouble transferring his classes from England to get eligible, despite holding a 3.30 GPA. He said he was considering playing Division 3 hockey or going back to England to play professionally. Under league rules, the Stars cannot sign replacement players since the NAHL froze rosters in early February. Staff writer Art Bukowski contributed to this report.
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Photos
Harrison Niemann
Joe Greener