River Otters sign Damian Surma

October 3, 2005 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Missouri River Otters News Release


St. Charles, MO --- The Missouri River Otters of the United Hockey League agreed to terms with Damian Surma, an NHL-experienced center who helped propel the Florida Everblades to the 2005 East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) Finals.

"Damian is going to electrify River Otters fans with his speed and skill," River Otters Head Coach Kevin Kaminski said. "He played on a line with our Player/Assistant Coach Brad Church last season, and we expect them to continue the great chemistry they had."

Surma, 24, was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the sixth round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. The 5'9'', 200-lb center has scored one goal and one assist in two games with the Hurricanes. Last season, the Michigan-native scored 32 goals and 28 assists in 72 regular season games with the Everblades. He added seven goals and six assists in the 19 ECHL playoff games. During the 2003-04 season, Surma played 48 games with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), registering three goals and five assists. He spent his junior years playing for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League, racking up 105 goals and 120 assists in 241 games.

Surma joins ex-Everblades Brad Church, Jared Newman, and Tim O'Connell on a River Otters team that also boasts the following players: Goaltenders Kevin Reiter and Brenden Cuthbert; Defensemen Tyler Butler, Roman Vasut, Brian Heckendorn, Mark Lindsay, and Leif Thorkelson; Forwards Frank Littlejohn, Lars Pettersen, Mark Odut, Brad MacMillan, Dmitri Toupikov, Ryan Scapinello, and Richard Paul.

The Rivers Otters first exhibition game is scheduled for Friday, October 14 against the Mallards at the Quad City Sports Center with a face-off at 7 PM CDT. On Sunday, October 16, the River Otters will host the IceHogs at the St. Louis Mills IceZone in an exhibition game. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 PM CDT. General admission tickets will cost $6 and will be available at the IceZone starting at 10 AM the day of the game.

The River Otters start their 2005-06 Colonial Cup quest Friday, October 21 at the Family Arena against the Motor City Mechanics. The River Otters are proud hosts of the 2006 UHL All-Star Classic on Wednesday, January 25. Tickets for the UHL All-Star Classic are scheduled to go on sale Friday, October 21. To order 2005-06 Missouri River Otters season or group tickets, please call the River Otters front office at (636) 896-4200, or visit the River Otters online at www.riverotters.com.



International Hockey League 2 Stories from October 3, 2005


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