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River Otters Select Six Players In Amateur Draft

March 24, 2005 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Missouri River Otters News Release


St. Charles, MO --- The Missouri River Otters of the United Hockey League are proud to announce they have selected six players in the UHL's annual North American Amateur Draft. The players taken by Missouri were defensemen T.J. Kemp and Lee Green, forwards Garrett Larson, Brett Davis, and Derek Damon, and goalie Mike McKenna.

According to UHL rules, "each team is permitted to protect up to four of their six drafted players and place them on their final roster. In addition, each UHL team is allowed to protect two players for their team's playoff roster. Those two selected players are exempt from the six games played requirement for players on the postseason roster."

The River Otters 1st-round selection was defenseman T.J. Kemp from Mercyhurst College. The 5'11'', 200-pound senior was named the Atlantic Hockey Conference's Top Defenseman in 2003-04. In four years with Mercyhurst, Kemp has scored 31 goals and dished out 66 assists in 132 games. He is the nephew of River Otters forward Jim Montgomery.

In the 2nd round, the River Otters took defenseman Lee Green from the University of Alaska-Anchorage. The 6'2'', 210-pound blue-liner scored two goals, added nine assists, and piled up 62 PIMs in 40 games last season. Currently in his senior season, he serves as the captain for Alaska-Anchorage, and is known for his physical style of play.

Missouri didn't have a 3rd round selection, but in the 4th round they took forwards Garrett Larson and Brett Davis. Larson, a 6'1'', 185-pound forward, is third on the all-time Sacred Heart scoring list with 125 points. In four years at Sacred Heart he scored 55 goals and added 70 assists. Davis played the last four seasons with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, scoring one goal and adding six assists in 81 games.

With their 5th-round selection the River Otters took goaltender Mike McKenna from St. Lawrence University. A draft selection of the Nashville Predators organization, the 6'2'', 200-pound senior goaltender posted a 15-17-2 record this season with a 2.73 goals-against-average and a .908 save percentage. McKenna was born in St. Louis, and prior to entering St. Lawrence he played for the Springfield Junior Blues

With their final selection the River Otters took Derek Damon from the University of Maine. Only a junior, this 6'0'', 200-pound forward has scored 14 goals and added 13 assists in 38 games this season. Last year he fired home 13 goals and dished out 18 assists in 44 games.

The River Otters next game is Friday, March 25 against the Quad City Mallards at the MARK. The puck drops at 7:00 PM CST, and all the action can be heard on KSLQ 104.5 and the B2 Webcast and Video Simulcast, located at www.riverotters.com.

Listen to most of the River Otters games on KSLQ 104.5, the team's flagship station! To purchase group tickets for the River Otters, please call (636) 896-4200 or visit the team's website, www.riverotters.com, for more details.

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