Popular Player Mark Cody Set for Third IceMen Season
August 30, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Evansville IceMen News Release
EVANSVILLE, IN.--- As they move closer with each passing day toward the beginning of training camp for their inaugural season in the ECHL in the league's 25th Anniversary Season, the Evansville IceMen, proud affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the Springfield Falcons and Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League have increased their present roster to ten players with more to come for the rapidly-approaching 2012-13 season.
On this date, the IceMen General Manager/Head Coach Rich Kromm has announced that staunch, stalwart left wing MARK CODY has acceded to terms and will be returning for another season clad in the code of colors of Evansville's finest on ice in the Tri-State region. Adhering to club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Ready to report for his seventh pro season overall and his third with the IceMen, CODY, 30, returns to the IceMen igloo to inject his unique measure of might, menace and muscle into the Evansville lineup as one of the more popular, crowd-pleasing personas in the club's short but starry history. Last season, in 2011-12, despite enduring some nagging injuries, the always-energized 6-1, 205lb left-hand shooting forward still saw service in 30-games, registering 5-points through 4-goals, 1-assist with 1-GWG, 25-SOG and 119-PIM, ranking third on the club in the latter department.
There were some key highlights attached to Cody's body of work of last campaign as well. He was at the back end of the IceMen's fifth fastest two goals in a single game on 2/22/12 when he followed scoring kingpin Todd Robinson's strike stoked at 8:07 of the second period with his own snipe at 8:40 of the same said stanza to cap an Evansville 2-goal thunderbolt in :33 in a 5-2 triumph over Arizona at the Ford Center. In addition, with the IceMen waging foreign ice warfare in Tulsa on 2/11/12, Cody amassed 27-PIM, representing the second most in one game for an Evansville player, in his team's 4-1 victory verdict over the Oilers.
GM/Coach Kromm is elated to have his fiery forward back in the Evansville fold for another season and the move to the ECHL. "We are very happy to have the opportunity to bring Mark back into the fold for the upcoming season. Mark always provides us with an effective physical presence and element in our lineup every game. He is also quite valuable to us through his versatility as he can play defense as well."
In Cody's initial IceMen campaign of 2010-11, it was, perhaps, his best of his pro career. One of only two IceMen players to be at the starting gate for the team's full 66-games' regular season schedule, he recorded a team-high 161-PIM while contributing 17-points on 6-goals, 11-assists with 1-PPG, 1-PPA and 1-FG. His total commitment on the ice to the team through his all-out, rugged, ruffian, rock-ribbed style of play was also clearly evident off the ice in the form of exemplary community and civic-minded pride and spirit. Those intangible, invaluable assets were recognized at season's end when he was the lone IceMen player to be the recipient of two team awards; the "Mr. Hustle" Award as well as the IceMen Community Service Award.
A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Cody originally arrived on the Evansville pro hockey scene as one of nine Muskegon players signed by the IceMen following the former team's 2009-10 IHL Regular Season Huber Trophy Championship and in conjunction with the latter club's elevation to the AA CHL.
In 51-games in 2009-10 with Muskegon, he collected 10-points on 3-goals, 7-assists along with 120-PIM and +5 rating.
Prior to the inception of his pro career, he played junior `A' hockey in his native Maritime Provinces with both Halifax and Truro of the MJAHL before taking the Canadian college path to St. Thomas U., where he performed his act for two years. In 2001-02 with Halifax, he amassed a mammoth 359-PIM in 48-games, while engineering 37-points on 14-goals, 23-assists. The following season, combined with Halifax and Truro, he accrued 273-PIM in 38-appearances. In total, in junior `A' Cody collected 632-PIM in 86-games spanning three seasons.
Cody's pro career numbers read: 179-games; 14-goals; 20-assists; 34-points; 496-PIM.
Today's signing of left wing MARK CODY increases the total to 10-players in the IceMen fold for the upcoming 2012-13 season with 6 of those listed as returnees from last year's club. Defensemen MATT GENS, JAKE OBERMEYER, PHILIPPE PLANTE along with left wing JOSH BEAULIEU and center TODD ROBINSON are the other holdovers from '11-12. The IceMen newcomers for the new season include defenseman JESSE PERRIN; center JASON DALE; right wings DAN GENDUR, TYLER SHELAST.
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