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Tampa Bay Lightning Reassign Matt Taormina to Syracuse Crunch

February 29, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Syracuse Crunch News Release


SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned defenseman Matt Taormina to the Syracuse Crunch, Lightning vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced today. Additionally, the Lightning have reassigned Brian Hart and the Crunch have returned Charlie Dodero on loan to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL.

Taormina, 29, has skated in one game with the Lightning this season. The 5-foot-9, 192-pound defenseman has appeared in 57 career NHL games, registering four goals and 12 points. Taormina ranks sixth on the Crunch for points with 31. He leads all Syracuse defensemen for goals, and ranks second for assists and points.

Hart, 22, has appeared in 21 games with the Crunch this season, recording two goals and 12 penalty minutes. During the 2015-16 season, Hart has also skated in 23 games with the Swamp Rabbits, notching six goals and two assists to go along with two penalty minutes.

Prior to his professional career, the 6-foot-3, 222-pound forward skated in 37 games with the Harvard Crimson during the 2014-15 season, recording seven goals and 17 points. The Cumberland, Maine native ranked sixth on the Crimson for goals and tied for seventh for points. He played in 98 career games with Harvard over three seasons, recording 18 goals and 50 points.

Hart was drafted in the second round, 53rd overall, by the Lightning in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He was signed to a three-year, two-way NHL contract with the team on June 28.

Dodero, 23, has skated in nine games with the Crunch this season, recording 15 penalty minutes. He has also appeared in 25 contests with the Swamp Rabbits this season, registering one goal, three assists and 68 penalty minutes.

In 36 games with the Crunch during the 2014-15 season, Dodero collected five points (1g, 4a), 72 penalty minutes and recorded a plus-7 rating. The Bloomingdale, Illinois native also played in 33 with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL last season, racking up 12 points (3g, 9a) and 81 penalty minutes. In 116 career ECHL games with Idaho and Greenville, Dodero has accumulated a total of 37 points (8g, 29a) and 246 penalty minutes.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman spent four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sudbury Wolves and Kitchener Rangers, where he tallied 69 points (11g, 58a) and 286 penalty minutes over 248 contests.

Dodero was signed to a one-year AHL contract by the Syracuse Crunch on Sept. 2.

Syracuse Crunch single game and season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased either in person at the Crunch Box Office located in the War Memorial on 800 South State Street in Syracuse or by calling the office at 315-473-4444. For the latest Crunch news, visit www.syracusecrunch.com or follow the club on Facebook (www.facebook.com/syracusecrunch), Twitter (@SyracuseCrunch) and Instagram (@officialsyracusecrunch) using #SyrCrunch and #BelieveInBlue.

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