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NAHL Corpus Christi IceRays

IceRays Alumni Report

January 20, 2015 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release


It was a flurry of a weekend in the alumni ranks as we reach the 14th edition of the IceRays Alumni Report, and individual player performances did not go unnoticed with one earning weekly recognition. A thread also developed in NCAA Division III action while at the minor professional level two players took opposing nets for the first time since the NHL Preseason.

We start this week with another former skater gaining a commitment to play NCAA Division I hockey. Defenseman Grant Hutton ('12-'14) announced on Sunday his commitment to play for the University of Miami (OH) of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). After playing 89 games with the IceRays over his last two seasons, the 19-year-old started the year with the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL, playing 11 games before joining the Janesville Jets (NAHL), who drafted Hutton in the first round of the 2014 NAHL Draft. He will join Wes Michaud in the NCHC next season.

After four games shut down from scoring, Dallas Stars forward Ryan Garbutt ('09-'10) picked up a point on Saturday during his team's 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings. His ninth assist of the year came early in the third period as the go-ahead goal by Antoine Roussel at that juncture of the contest. After struggling for much of the season, the Stars have won three of their last four games and have earned points in six of nine games in the month. Garbutt has earned points in three of those nine games.

For the first time this season, both former netminders in the American Hockey League (AHL) took the ice against one another in an East Division matchup. Phoenix Copley ('10-'11) and the Hershey Bears welcomed Anthony Stolarz ('11-'12) and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday evening to the Giant Center along with over 10,000 fans. Each goaltender faced at least 30 shots, but the Capitals call-up was the more efficient goaltender as the Bears won 5-2. The Bears put three goals by Stolarz in the first period though only managed one more the rest of the game. Copley turned away 28 of 30 shots in the win, while Stolarz stifled 32 of 36 shots with the final shot resulting in an empty net goal.

Copley's weekend only consisted of that game, improving to 7-3-1 in 12 games and perfect in the month. Stolarz, however, played another game prior to that last Thursday against the Albany Devils, allowing three goals in the third period in a 3-2 comeback win for Albany. He also faced 36 shots in the contest, stopping 33 of those shots including 19 in the second period. The New Jersey native drops to 6-8-1 on the season and has lost four of his last five decisions dating back to Dec. 20.

For the first time since Oct. 25, defenseman Perry D'Arrisso ('11-'13) collected a point for Clarkson University coming in Saturday's 5-2 road win over Dartmouth. The Mississauga native helped the Golden Knights continue pushing ahead in the third period with a secondary assist. That assist is his second of the season in now 16 games. He's one point away from his collegiate career-high set in his freshman season. Clarkson begins a five-game home stand next weekend when they host Brown University.

A pair of goals for defenseman Frank Misuraca ('11-'12) helped the University of Alabama Huntsville gain their second-straight home sweep, this time coming against Northern Michigan. The 23-year-old put up a goal in each game during the weekend, scoring the eventual game-winner in the second period of Friday's 2-1 win and the opening goal of Saturday's 3-2 win. Misuraca ranks first within NCAA Division I alumni in goals. He now has six goals and four assists through 26 games.

Forward Matt Weis ('11-'12) of Ohio State University has turned up the heat since returning from winter recess, and despite the fact that the Buckeyes dropped a 10-6 barnburner on Friday against their Big-10 rivals Michigan, Weis contributed another goal. By the time Weis tallied, the score was already 6-2 Michigan but the freshman lit the lamp at 3:05 of the second period in a frame that already saw three goals within the first three minutes. Weis has points in three-straight games and has compiled six points over his last six games dating back to Dec. 5 against the Wolverines. The team hasn't faired well in that span going 2-3-1. The New Jersey native has four goals and nine assists for 13 points in his first 18 games of collegiate play.

Speaking of high-powered offenses, the University of Colorado outscored Northern Colorado in ACHA Division I play 18-5 in two games last weekend, and defenseman Luc Neitenbach ('10-'11) had his best weekend of the season. Four points over two games, totaling one goal and three assists in all. Neitenbach converted on a power play chance in the first period to put the Buffaloes up 3-0, and that tally ended up becoming the game-winning goal, his first of the season. He added an assist on the first of two-straight shorthanded goals in the third period. Final score: 8-2. The next night, another throttling: 10-3. This time, it was only helpers for Neitenbach, both of them coming in the first period that found its way even until the University of Colorado put up a five-spot in the second period. Over his last seven games, the 24-year-old has collected nine points with five coming as goals. He's up to five goals and ten assists for 15 points through 21 games.

In one of the best singular weekend performances by an IceRays alum this season, forward Jon Grebosky ('11-'13) earned Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Player of the Week thanks to a powerful five-point affair during NCAA Division III Concordia-Moorhead's sweep of Saint John's (Minn.) with three goals and two assists. On Friday, Grebosky assisted the game's opening goal in the second period and followed that with a goal to help the Cobbers to a 2-0 lead. After two were countered by Saint John's in the period and both sides were shut down in the third period, Grebosky became the hero by scoring the game-winner at 2:47 of overtime to win 3-2. Following his three-point night, he added two more the next night starting again with an assist in the second period followed by a goal on the team's next tally. The opposition never scored during the 4-0 win. He now leads all NCAA alumni in goals with nine followed by five assists for 14 points.

This season has been quieter for forward Brandon Adams ('11-'12) at SUNY Oswego, but, slowly but surely, points have been trickling throughout the season. Another moved across on Friday in the Lakers' only game of the weekend during a 2-2 draw against Elmira College. With one second left in the first period, Adams sets up Stephen Johnson to tie the game heading into the intermission. That makes it three points over his last five games and now three goals and three assists this season.

With some consistent time on the ice and another team earning blowout wins, the weekend was big for freshman forward Brandon Berkley ('12-'14) as he earned his first collegiate goal and assist with UMass Dartmouth. The first point came in Friday's 9-2 win over Framingham State as an assist on the seventh goal of the game for the Corsairs. The following night, the Corsairs ran into the trio out of Plymouth State: defenseman defenseman Tommy Dowell ('10-"˜11), forward Mike Economos ('12-"˜13), and forward Ian McGilvrey ('12-"˜13). Despite being outnumbered in terms of alumni, Berkley had the bigger impact with an insurance goal in the second period en route to an 8-2 defeat over the Panthers. McGilvrey did tack on a point in that game: an assist in the game's final goal. Berkley has now appeared in nine games and eight-straight.

Don't think that McGilvrey's assist in that game was the only point for the trio on the weekend. The night before brought another defeat for the Panthers 5-3 at the hands of Fitchburg State at home. The game began well for the Panthers, and thanks to Economos setting up Erik Storm in the first period Plymouth State owned a 1-0 lead heading into the opening intermission. However, three goals in the third would help Fitchburg State put away the Panthers. McGilvrey and Economos move up to 15 points and 14 points, respectively, with their production on the weekend.

Fitchburg State would make the sweep the following night in a 6-3 win against Worcester State, but another IceRays alum picked up his first assist of the year. Forward Michael Dery ('11-'12) factored into the decision with a primary assist in the Lancers' final goal of the game in the third period. That point is his first since the opening game of the season against Wentworth Institute of Technology when Dery scored the team's first goal of the season and the only of the contest. He now has two points in 12 games.

Two-straight games for defenseman Casey Rogers ('10-'11) have resulted in assists for Neumann University despite the team's recent struggles. After sitting out Friday's 4-1 loss, Rogers picked up play on Saturday against SUNY Geneseo and added another assist during their 2-2 draw. All four points for Rogers have come in his last seven games played, which shows positive signs for the junior.

After sitting out the last six games, forward Tommy Telesca ('12-'13) returned to the ice on Saturday to help SUNY Potsdam put down Western New England 6-1 at home. His goal in the third period added to the bleeding as the fifth team goal of the night as part of six unanswered before an answer came with 1:07 left in the game. Telesca now has all four of his goals over his last six games along with two assists in ten total games.

And more awards have been delved out to forward Beau Walker ('10-'13) at East Washington University of the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL), earning BCIHL Player of the Week thanks to a monstrous game against Selkirk College on Friday in which he put together four points including a hat trick. After opening the scoring in the first period, Walker factored into the Eagles' final three goals of the game by assisting Brett Mathews early in the period then adding his second and third goals later in the frame. The hat trick and four-point night is his second of the season with the other coming on Oct. 11 against the University of Victoria. His weekend propelled him back to top of the BCIHL with 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points.

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