Sports stats



From Small to Tall, Bees Add Two

October 1, 2003 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees News Release


HIDALGO, TX: October 1, 2003 – The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League have added two more players to their training camp roster with the contract signing of forward Roger Holeczy and a tryout agreement with defenseman Ryan Howdle for the 2003/2004 season.

"With these two players we get both ends of the spectrum," said Killer Bees Head Coach Tracy Egeland. "Roger has an offensive upside and great speed and brings big expectations, while Howdle adds more size and strength to our blueline."

Holeczy (ho-leh-key), a 5'7" 170-pound native of Lake Forest, Illinois, comes to the Killer Bees after playing last season with the Pensacola Ice Pilots of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the St.Pete / Winston-Salem Parrots of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL). After playing one game with the Ice Pilots, Holeczy joined the St. Pete Parrots, which relocated halfway through the season from St. Petersburg, FL to Winston-Salem, NC. He finished the season with the Parrots scoring 41 points in 41 games off of 14 goals and 27 assists. He ranked third on the team in points (41), goals (14) and assists (27), while also ranking second on the team in power play goals (4), shorthanded goals (2) and game winning goals (5). Holeczy played junior hockey in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with Dubuque and then went on to a stellar college career at NCAA Div. I Northeastern University, where he skated with the Huskies from 96/97 - 99/00 and was a teammate of Killer Bees forward Bill Newson. The two-time captain consistently ranked among the top three in each offensive category while at NU and never missed a single game, setting the schools "Iron Man" record of playing in 145 consecutive games. In those 145 games, Holeczy tallied 29 goals and 71 assists for 100 points. He turned pro at the end of his senior season in 99/00 as he and Newson both signed with the New Orleans Brass. The 26 year-old forward played parts of two seasons in Germany with EA Kempten and then returned to North America in 01/02 and played in the ECHL with the Greensboro Generals and Pensacola. In 23 games with Pensacola during the 01/02 season, he tallied 8 goals and 5 of which were power play goals. His career totals include 37 goals and 58 assists for 95 points in 109 games.

Howdle (how-duhl) is a 6'4" 245-pound defenseman and attended training camps last season with the American Hockey League's (AHL) Utah Grizzlies and the Central Hockey League's Oklahoma City Blazers. He appeared in a preseason contest with the Blazers and contributed an assist. Howdle played four seasons (95/96 – 98/99) with the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and collected 29 points (8g,21a) and served 832 penalty minutes. The Red Deer, Alberta native played NCAA Div. III college hockey at Saint Norbert University and suited up for the Knights from 99/00 - 01/02 . He appeared in 25 games and collected 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points in his college career. The 24 year-old blueliner also played in the USA Hockey Elite-Adult level Great Lakes Hockey League with the Green Bay Deacons in 01/02 and played in 15 games netting a pair of goals and assists for 4 points.

Holeczy and Howdle place the Killer Bees with 22 players on the training camp roster, as they join goaltenders Kevin Block, Jeff Levy and Jacque Vezina, forwards Jason Abel, Craig Bezjack, Craig Clare, Jason Hawes, Matic Kralj, Troy Linna, Bill Newson, Dan Odegard, Justin Van Parys, Ryan Shmyr and Andrew Taylor, and defensemen Sean Gillam, Kevin Mackie, Mike Rees,Darcy Smith, Ryan Taylor and Jason Tessier. Howdle has less than 25 professional games played on his resume, which qualifies him as a rookie/developmental players. CHL guidelines require all teams to carry at least three rookie/developmental players on the roster at all times. Howdle places the Bees with seven rookies signed, joining Bezjack, Block, Clare, Hawes, Odegard and Vezina. Head coach Tracy Egeland is available for interview, which can be arranged by contacting the Killer Bees office. Additional information on the two individuals can be attained by contacting Chris Due with the Killer Bees.



Central Hockey League Stories from October 1, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central