Mark Bowen Comes Back from Injury to Join Lone Star Brahmas
October 10, 2014 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Lone Star Brahmas News Release
Mark Bowen's stint with the Lone Star Brahmas got off to a painful start. Bowen suffered a broken jaw on the final day of the Brahmas' Main Camp in Detroit which sidelined him for the first five games of the NAHL season.
Bowen came to the Brahmas from Canterbury Prep in New Milford, CT after signing a tender offer during the summer. Being a point per game scorer at Canterbury, Bowen generated interest from teams in his native New England, but had conversations with Brahmas' Assistant Jeff Potter that convinced him to sign with Lone Star. "I had interest from a couple teams on the east coast, but after looking into the Brahmas organization and being in contact with Coach Potter, I thought that Lone Star would be the best place to play before going to college," said Bowen. "I was finally able to meet Coach Potter and Coach Wildfong at the USA Hockey Nationals and after that, my decision to go to Lone Star was confirmed."
He also generated interest from Mercyhurst University and has committed to the Lakers for the 2016 season. While having a D-I commitment in his pocket does reduce the potential anxiety of waiting for that call, he says it will not change the way he approaches the season. "It's nice to know where I'm going after juniors but other than that it doesn't change much," he said. "The goal is to win a championship, so I'm willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal."
US Hockey Report described Bowen as a cerebral, poised player who is hard to knock off the puck. They went on to say that he lacks high-end speed but that his quickness and hockey sense make up for it. At 5' 7" and 160 pounds Bowen is not the biggest guy on the ice, but he does not let that limit him. "I think being one of the smaller guys out there almost makes it easier to keep the puck away from opponents just because of having a lower center of gravity and being able to push off of defenders when they're trying to pin you."
Bowen is a fan of Claude Girouxand said that teammates have compared his style of play to Giroux. "I would describe my style of play as a guy who can get the puck to the open man and finish the play as well," he said. He prides himself on his work in the corners and finding the open space to distribute the puck to his line mates.
This summer Bowen spent time on the ice and in the gym to get ready for the NAHL season. On the ice he worked on fine tuning the small aspects of his game that needed polishing. Off the ice he put the time in the gym building strength and putting on weight. He had succeeded in both until he took the puck in the jaw at camp. "I actually wound up losing a lot of weight after I broke my jaw because I had to get my mouth wired shut for a little over a month so that was kind of a setback," recalled Bowen. "I've been able to get back in the gym and on the ice in the last couple of weeks to try and get back to where I was during tryouts."
Mark's dad got him involved in several sports when he was young. At about the age of six he stepped on the ice for the first time and has never looked back. The hard work and perseverance paid off with the offer from Mercyhurst. Now he hopes it pays off with a Robertson Cup Championship.
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