Snyder, Two Others Rejoin FireAntz
September 10, 2009 - SPHL (SPHL)
Fayetteville Marksmen News Release
Three more players from the 2008-09 team will return to the Fayetteville FireAntz this season, and they complete coach Tommy Stewart's list of those who will be back on his roster.
Defenseman Lawne Snyder and forwards Brett Needham and Brett McConnachie will be back for the Southern Professional Hockey League campaign. Snyder was a second-team all-SPHL choice last season, as was fellow defenseman and team captain Corey Hessler. Needham came to the team via a trade with Richmond in midseason, and McConnachie was a late-season pick-up after being released by Tulsa of the Central Hockey League.
This will be Snyder's third year with the Antz. He scored 41 points in the regular season and eight more in the playoffs as the team finished as SPHL runners-up.
"He's got a great shot, great vision," Stewart said. "Just a real good offensive-minded defenseman."
Needham, 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, will be starting his third pro season. He notched 30 points in 41 games - "an excellent season," Stewart said - and filled a role as one of the team's enforcers.
McConnachie will be a third-year pro, too. He provided 11 points in 11 regular-season games, then battled an ailing shoulder in the playoffs.
"He's an impact player," Stewart said. "He scored some big goals for us and he likes the physical aspect of the sport."
In addition to Hessler, the other returners are: Guy St. Vincent; Chris Leveille; Emery Olauson; Rob Sich; and Craig Geerlinks. The newcomers signed so far include defenseman Adam Spinarsky, forward Jordan Roach, center Nathan Daly, and goalie Bryan Bridges.
The FireAntz open the season Oct. 22 with a home game against the Huntsville Havoc.
Stewart also said that two of last year's players, Marc Norrington and Matt Moreland, have retired.
Norrington played in 178 games for the FireAntz during his four-year pro career. He scored 39 points during the 2008-09 regular season. Moreland played in 90 professional games, 88 of them in Fayetteville. He had 43 points last year during the regular season, which was more than half of the scoring in his pro career.
Assistant sports editor Thomas Pope can be reached at popet@fayobserver.com or 486-3520.
SPHL Stories from September 10, 2009
- Snyder, Two Others Rejoin FireAntz - Fayetteville Marksmen
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