Amarillo Announces Return of Winger Dan Donnette
February 7, 2006 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release
AMARILLO, TX - The Gorillas this morning announced the reacquisition of forward Dan Donnette, a key member of last year's squad after contributing with 12 goals and 25 points during a full 60-game schedule.
The move comes just days after fellow winger Bryan Lachapelle re-aggravated a shoulder injury he had suffered in late December at Youngstown that sidelined him for eight games. Lachapelle was injured during the second period of Friday's 2-1 shootout win at Lubbock and did not return to the ice for the third frame nor did he play in Saturday's home contest against the Cotton Kings. Yesterday, he was placed on the 45-day Injured Reserve list, which will keep the forward out of the line-up until at least March 20th, leaving only four games in the regular season.
Most recently, Donnette, 27, played a full season in Seoul, Korea, with Kangwon Land of the ALIH (Asia League Ice Hockey). There, he compiled 18 points on nine goals and nine assists, along with 99 penalty minutes.
"It's great getting Danny Donnette back after the terrific year he had last season," said Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Joe Ferras. "He's going to be a huge addition to the team for the final two months of the regular season, just as we talked about the possibility of him being when he originally left for Korea. With the new rules, his speed and his work ethic, we are expecting a lot from him."
The third-year pro has 79 career points on 35 goals and 44 assists with 135 penalty minutes in seasons with Amarillo, Kangwon Land and previously Fort Wayne (UHL) and Miami (WHA2). Donnette, a native of Ramsey, Manitoba, played four seasons at Northern Michigan University, scoring 15 goals and 41 points in 147 games.
Amarillo sits just outside of the Southern Conference playoffs at 20-17-3 with 43 points, tied in points with Rio Grande Valley but trailing in the post-season tie-breaker criteria as of this afternoon. The Gorillas remain in second place in the Southwest Division, ten points back of leader Odessa and six points ahead of Lubbock after back-to-back shootout wins against their closest rival.
Amarillo Gorillas Hockey Presented by NewsChannel 10 will be broadcast on 1440 AM The Score Thursday night from the AmericanBank Center with Gorillas Pre-Game set to begin at 7:15 pm. The game will also be available at www.amarillogorillas.com and on CHLTV (www.chltv.com).
The Gorillas will travel to Corpus Christi on this evening to take on the Rayz on Thursday at the AmericanBank Center. The Gorillas will travel again to Hidalgo, Texas, on Friday to take on the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees before finishing the road trip against the Austin Ice Bats on Saturday at the Travis County Expo Center. All three games begin at 7:30 pm.
Great seats are still available to all upcoming home games! Tickets for Gorillas games can be purchased at the Gorillas Hockey Office, located at 1934 Civic Circle off of I-40 and Georgia, the Civic Center Box Office and all Panhandle Ticket Outlets. These include Randy's Music Mart, the West Texas Event Center in Canyon and United Supermarkets. Tickets can also be charged by phone at (806) 378-3096 or (806) 242-PUCK (7825).
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Central Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2006
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