Freight Train Rolls Back Into Topeka
August 25, 2009 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Topeka Pilots News Release
Topeka, KS, AUGUST 25, 2009: Relentless. Fearless. Bulldog. These were the words Topeka fans used to describe Reed Seckel's play for the RoadRunners in their first season in Kansas. His thunderous body checks earned him the nickname "Freight Train", and he's rolling into Topeka for the Alumni Game on Sunday, September 6. And he'll be slipping into some comfortable old shoes, as old linemates Corey Jendras and Josh Kamrass have already committed to appear as well.
Reed Seckel came from Melvin, MI, playing his midget hockey in the Little Caesars program. Courted and desired by more than one NAHL club, he signed a tender to play for the RoadRunners and he hit the ground running. He buried 22 goals and added 29 assists. He saw a lot of time on special teams and delivered, picking up 8 powerplay goals and 4 shorthanded goals, one short of the franchise record. As ferocious as his play was, his penalty minutes were modestly middle of the pack, meaning he played hard, but clean. He continued to put up points in the playoffs as well, with the RoadRunners advancing to the Robertson Cup Tournament. In doing so, he became the eighth "Iron Man" in team history, but has the distinction of playing the most games of any RoadRunner in a single season at 70, counting playoffs. Head Coach Scott Langer said of Seckel, "He is an everyday player. He may well be the hardest working everyday player I've coached. His work ethic is tremendous."
In what to date has been the greatest moment in team history, Reed Seckel played a key role. It was overtime, Game 5 vs. Fairbanks in Landon Arena. The faceoff was to the left of Ice Dog goalie Cody Reichard. Josh Kamrass won the pivotal offensive zone draw, pulling it to Seckel on the right wing. Seckel pushed it back to defenseman Randy Swank who drove home his second goal of the night to secure the game, the series, and the division title. It was a surreal finish to a game that saw two power outages, adding even more drama to the late afternoon contest.
The following season Seckel was drafted by the USHL Green Bay Gamblers. His team won the East Division by one point, also capturing the Anderson Cup for best regular season record. They went on to sweep Waterloo before being eliminated by eventual Clark Cup winners Indiana, 3 games to 1. Once again, Reed Seckel played in every single game, 67 of them in all. He was also named to the USHL All-Star team.
Now, Seckel has one more year in Green Bay before heading to Northern Michigan University. He begins there in fall of 2010. Topeka fans will get to see Reed one more time at the Alumni Game, slated for Sunday September 6 at 4:05 pm.
For the latest information, please visit our newly redesigned website at www.topekaroadrunners.com .
North American Hockey League Stories from August 25, 2009
- Freight Train Rolls Back Into Topeka - Topeka Pilots
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