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IceRays Strike Gold With Belecki

September 5, 2002 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Corpus Christi IceRays News Release


Corpus Christi- The Corpus Christi IceRays of the Central Hockey League announce the signing of free-agent goaltender Brent Belecki today for the upcoming 2002-03 season.

"To get a guy like Brent is tremendous," said General Manager and Head Coach Taylor Hall. "He was one of the top goaltenders in our league last season and the most sought after free-agent of the summer. The key to building a successful team is starting from the back end first and then moving up to the front. Brent is an extremely talented goaltender and we're very excited to have him in an IceRays uniform this season."

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Belecki started 30 games in his only season for the now defunct San Antonio franchise and logged the most minutes of any Iguana goalie in leading the team to the playoffs. He finished the year with a team-high 18 wins and his 0.915 save percentage ranked him 4th in the league amongst goaltenders with 1260 or more minutes. Brent also appeared in two games for the Utah Grizzlies of the American Hockey League where he posted a record of 0-1.

Belecki enjoyed his most successful season as a pro two years ago when he led the Asheville Smoke of the United Hockey League to their best season in franchise history and a spot in the Colonial Cup Finals. He finished the year with a 34-17-4 record and a 3.05 goals against average.

Belecki's playing career began in junior hockey with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League. He spent four years in Portland and capped off his time there with a 35-win season in 1998, before beginning his professional career with the Miami Matadors of the East Coast Hockey League. Belecki spent five seasons in the ECHL and one with the Huntsville Channel Cats of the CHL before earning the starting job in Asheville in 2000.

"Hopefully Brent will ease some of the pressure on the defense," said Hall. "When you have a solid guy in between the pipes, it gives your frontline players the confidence that they can win just by scoring two or three goals a night."

The IceRays kick-off their 5th Anniversary Season on October 17th vs. the Laredo Bucks at the Memorial Coliseum. Great ticket plans are now on sale and available by calling the IceRays office at 814-PUCK (7825).

For more information about the signing of Brent Belecki, contact Director of Public Relations and Media Broadcasting Dan Weiss at (361) 814-7825. Brent Belecki can be contacted for comments at (403) 285-8685.



Central Hockey League Stories from September 5, 2002


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.

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