Scorpions' Barker Named Finalist for CHL Rookie of the Year

Published on March 3, 2004 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
New Mexico Scorpions News Release


ALBUQUERQUE – Finalists for the Central Hockey League year-end awards were announced yesterday, and the name of New Mexico Scorpions left wing Brian Barker is on the list. Barker is one of six nominees for Rookie of the Year.

The 25 year-old native of Deer Lake, Newfoundland is third among CHL rookies with 20 goals and 43 points. Lost in the statistics is his puck-handling skills, which Scorpions Head Coach/Assistant General Manager Bill McDonald regards as one of the best in the league, rookie or otherwise.

"Brian's one of the strongest players with the puck I've seen this season," said McDonald. "Look what he did against Amarillo last week. We were leading by a goal with two minutes left and he controlled the puck behind the Amarillo net for almost a minute, with one of the better players in the league in Derek Hahn chasing him around but unable to get the puck away. To me, being Rookie of the Year is more than just points. It's the intangibles, and Brian has brought that to our team this season."

Barker came to the Scorpions this season from St. Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he played from 1999 to 2003. Prior to his career at St. Mary's, Barker played in the Ontario Hockey League with Barrie and Brampton. In Barrie, he was teammates with fellow Scorpions forward Walker McDonald.

Scorpions Hockey Talk with the Voice of the Scorpions Mike Sheehan and head coach Bill McDonald airs TONIGHT from 7 to 8 p.m. on Sports Radio 610 The Sports Animal and live on location at Coaches Sports Grill, 1414 Central SE. Scorpions goalies Danny Lorenz and Miguel Beaudry are scheduled to be tonight's guests.

The Scorpions return to the ice for their final two regular season home games beginning on Friday, March 5 as the Fort Worth Brahmas make their only appearance of the season at Tingley Coliseum. The game is ABC Seamless Maracas Night to the first 1,000 fans. The Scorpions battle Oklahoma City on Saturday, March 6 for New Mexico Lottery Rally Towel Night to the first 1,500 fans. Faceoff for both games is 7:05 p.m., and both can be heard on Sports Radio 610 The Sports Animal beginning at 6:50 p.m.

Single-game tickets start as low as $11 and are on sale for all remaining regular season home games. All tickets can be purchased at the Scorpions Team Store, 6300 San Mateo NE, and all TicketMaster outlets including www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, call the Scorpions office at (505) 881-PUCK (7825).

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Central Hockey League Stories from March 3, 2004


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