Gorillas Acquire Tom Gomes from Wichita
September 2, 2003 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release
AMARILLO TX â The Amarillo Gorillas have added depth and offensive firepower to its hockey club today with the acquisition and signing of forward Tom Gomes from the Wichita Thunder.
The Amarillo Gorillas acquired Gomes from the Wichita Thunder in exchange for future considerations. Gomes appeared in all 64 games for the Thunder in the 2002-2003 season and collected 28 goals and 38 assists for 66 points and 61 penalty minutes.
"I tried to acquire Tom Gomes last season to no avail," said Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager Joe Ferras. "I have played with Tom Gomes and watched him at our level and I am confident he can be a premier player with all of his attributes."
The stirdy 5 foot, 10 inch 210-pound right winger has been known for all of his professional career as a point-per game player and regarded as an âElite Player' at the âAA' level. The Harrow, Ontario native (near the border city of Windsor) is longtime friends with Gorillas Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager Joe Ferras.
"I think it is great to be coming back to Amarillo," said Gomes from his home in Canada. "I have known Joe (Ferras) for a long time. He has a great personality and is a a good coach and a good person. I have also played with Ratts (Dave Rattray) and Andy (Eric Andersen) when I was in Amarillo before."
Gomes, Coach Ferras and Assistant Coach Brian Pellerin were teammates with the Bracknell Bees of the British Super League. Gomes and Ferras combined for 84 points and both finished top four in team scoring.
"Tom is a great addition because he can play in all situations (penalty killing, power play and five on five)," said Ferras. "He doesn't shy away from anything and is definitely a player willing to pay the price to put up numbers."
Gomes is also no stranger to Amarillo Hockey fans as he was a member of the Rattlers during the 1999-2000 where he picked up 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points and 58 penalty minutes.
"Amarillo has a great rink and I have always put up good numbers there," said Gomes about playing 32 games at The Jungle. "The fans are fantastic and I am looking forward to the season."
Much of Gomes' career was spent in old Central Hockey League where he played for five seasons with the Oklahoma City Blazers, and single seasons with the Topeka Scarecrows, Tulsa Oilers and the Border City Bandits. In 365 career games, Gomes had 154 goals and 157 assists for 311 points.
"With the loss of veteran players like (Dorian) Anneck and (Brandon) Carper, I will be looking for leadership on and off the ice from Tom," said Coach Ferras.
Tom Gomes is the 13th player signed by the Amarillo Gorillas for the 2003-2004 Central Hockey League season.
Central Hockey League Stories from September 2, 2003
- Gorillas Acquire Tom Gomes from Wichita - Amarillo Gorillas
- Gorillas Send Brown to Corpus Christi - Amarillo Gorillas
- Saints Sign Former CHL Top Goalie - San Angelo Saints
- Rayz Acquire Brown from Amarillo - Corpus Christi IceRays
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