Gorillas add familiar face
November 23, 2005 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release
AMARILLO, TX - With the Gorillas in third place in the Southwest Division, seven points out of first after 12 games, they knew it was time to make a move. This afternoon, they added 79 career Amarillo goals to the line-up.
Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Joe Ferras today announced the signing and return of veteran forward Scott Wray, a familiar name and face to the Amarillo community, who should add a noticeable scoring punch to a line-up averaging just under three goals per game this season.
"We hoped to get Scott back all summer long but, unfortunately, he decided to go back to Europe," said Coach Ferras. "With things not working out over there for his team, we are happy to get him back. We think he'll bring a lot of energy to the line-up, revitalize our offense and we hope he can regain and build on his scoring touch from last season (28 goals in 39 games)."
Wray, 25, has suited up in an Amarillo uniform for parts of the last four seasons, dating back to the 2001-2002 campaign when he was a Rattler.
"Wray and Ryan Shannon are our two longest standing Amarillo players since both were original Rattlers," added Coach Ferras. "That will naturally fuel an extra competitiveness among the players at the rink. Whenever you can bring one of those guys back, and he can add a spark, you have to jump at the opportunity."
Since his first game as a Rattler, Wray has scored 79 goals, added 65 assists and totaled 144 points in 179 Amarillo games. Overall, including parts of two seasons playing overseas, the Ottawa, Ontario, native has 261 points (135 goals, 126 assists) and 549 penalty minutes in 396 games spanning a seven-year career. Most recently, this season, Wray played in 21 games for the London Racers of the Elite Ice Hockey League. There, the veteran scored 13 points and was tied for the team-lead with nine goals.
Wray is expected to regain his position of left wing on a formidable line from last year that also includes center Derek Hahn and right wing Brent Hughes. The three combined for 166 points on 73 goals and 93 assists.
With Wray's signing, the Gorillas now have 19 players under contract. This means that Coach Ferras must make a roster move to again reduce the squad to 18 before game-time on Friday.
Amarillo sits in third place in the Southwest Division with a 3-7-2 record for 8 points while Odessa (6-4-3) and Lubbock (7-6-1) are tied with 15 points. The Jackalopes are in first place, percentage points ahead of the Cotton Kings.
The Gorillas will be in the community again tonight, dining at the Chop Chop Japanese Steakhouse at 6 pm. Fans are encouraged to come out and meet the team. Chop Chop Japanese Steakhouse is located on 34th and Coulter.
Amarillo returns to action this weekend with a pair of home games at The Jungle against Austin and Lubbock. Friday's contest on November 25th is presented by AMA TechTel. It's "Run from Your Relatives" for 50-cent hot dogs at the Civic Center! Then, Saturday, November 26th, is the Plains Dairy "Grades for Blades" and Surprise Parties Ladies Night! Both games begin at 7 pm.
Amarillo Gorillas Hockey Presented by NewsChannel 10 on both Friday and Saturday will be broadcast on 1440 AM The Score with Gorillas Pre-Game set to begin at 6:45 pm live from the Civic Center. The game will also be available at www.amarillogorillas.com and on CHLTV (www.chltv.com).
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).
Central Hockey League Stories from November 23, 2005
- The "Grand Kouba" Leads Bucks over Kings 4-0 - Lubbock Cotton Kings
- Bucks Blank Cotton Kings 4-0 - Laredo Bucks
- Tulsa PBR Built Ford Tough Series tour stop pulled - Tulsa Oilers
- Gorillas add familiar face - Amarillo Gorillas
- RiverKings Weekly Update - Mississippi RiverKings
- The great diamond giveaway - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Cotton Kings game night preview vs Laredo - Lubbock Cotton Kings
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.
