ICERAYS NAME CAPTAINS FOR 2014-15 SEASON

Sep 9, 2014

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays have announced their captains for the 2014-15 season. Forward Joe Chitwood will represent the IceRays as captain, and forward Westin Michaud and defenders Trevor Heuser and Travis Howe are the assistant captains.

Chitwood played 30 games with the IceRays during the 2013-14 season, recording three goals and three assists for six points with 44 penalty minutes and a -8 while appearing in five games for the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League. His vocal leadership both on and off the ice were contributing factors to his nomination.

“As one of our few returning players from last year’s team,” said Head Coach John Becanic, “I knew that Joe was fully committed to what we are trying to build here in Corpus. He exemplifies the IceRay Lifestyle and others are more than willing to fall in line behind Joe as he leads this group. His effort every day to be the best possible version of himself both on and off the ice is what separates himself from others his age. Our locker room is in good hands under the leadership of Joe.”

Michaud also appeared in the 2013-14 IceRays lineup, recording a team-high 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points with 16 penalty minutes and a +1 over 56 games. He finished last season second on the team in overall points and fourth in plus/minus. Heuser is a North American Hockey League veteran, entering his fourth season in the league. Over his 37-game NAHL career, he’s recorded one goal and three assists for four points with 103 penalty minutes and a +5 while being a defensive threat along the blue line. Howe enters his first season in the NAHL but is one of the oldest players on the ice at 20 years old. Last season, he recorded 167 penalty minutes with the Amherst Ramblers of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League along with two goals and 15 assists for 17 points.

“All three have unique qualities about them that will help diversify our leadership group,” said Becanic. “It was important that we had people that were comfortable with holding others accountable to our Lifestyle while at the same time could continue to grow and develop as individuals. Our staff believes that the leaders have a greater pulse on what the day-to-day needs are of our players, and we will count on these four to help us manage our locker room.”

The IceRays open the 2014-15 season this Friday when they travel to Topeka to take on the RoadRunners. Coverage of the opening game on SportsRadio Corpus Christi starts at 6:50 p.m. with Countdown to Faceoff and the opening faceoff at 7:05 p.m.

Individual and season tickets for the 2014-15 season of IceRays hockey are on sale with packages starting as low as $74. Call the front office at 361-814-7825 for season and individual ticket details or check out the pricing and seating chart online at www.goicerays.com. Stay current with the latest team news by visiting www.goicerays.com. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), and YouTube (IceRays TV).