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HOUGHTON -- The Ojibwa Eagles Midget AAA hockey team is suspending play for the remainder of the 2010-11 season.

Recently, the Eagles' roster dropped to just 10 players and two goaltenders, making it tough for the team to compete and putting them just an injury away from not being able to play.

“What it came down to is the number of players on the team just became too few to continue playing at the level we play,” said Eagles General Manager Ed Kattelus.  “We couldn’t be confident that we could add more players for this season, and we wanted to make sure these boys have a chance to play hockey.”

The Eagles staff is working to provide other opportunities for the 12 players that were still on the roster, including contacting high school teams and other Midget AAA teams.

“We didn’t want this to happen, and it’s unfortunate that it did,” Kattelus said.  “I’ve already been contacted by several teams, and we’re going to do what we can to help these kids find a team."

The Eagles were started in 2002 as a way to provide local hockey players a better chance at moving forward with their hockey careers.  Over the years, the Eagles have helped four western Upper Peninsula players make their way to NCAA Div. I hockey and another, who is currently playing within the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals' organization.

The future of the program is still in the air.

“At this point all we know for sure is that we will not have a midget major team this season,” Kattelus said.