BENNETT COMMITS TO A.I.C.

Jan 18, 2019

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – For a third time in three days, the Corpus Christi IceRays are proud to announce a player’s commitment with an NCAA Division I school, as leading scorer Blake Bennett has committed to American International College (AIC). Bennett will join the Yellow Jackets (Atlantic Hockey) this fall.

Bennett, 20, leads the IceRays in goals (16), assists (23) and points (39) entering the weekend. His 39 points rank eighth among all players in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The left wing out of the Buffalo, N.Y., area has six game-winning goals this season, including in Corpus Christi’s exciting home overtime win this past Saturday against the Shreveport Mudbugs.

“I could not be prouder of the man Blake has become over the last two years,” said IceRays head coach Ryan Cruthers. “He decided that he wanted to change the course of his life and took action in order to do that. He became dedicated to the gym, ice, classroom and community, and in turn became a man I am very proud to coach. This is a tremendous accomplishment and he is going to a first-class program where I know he will thrive.”

Bennett played last year for Cruthers with the USPHL’s Charlotte Rush, posting 52 points in the regular season. His NCAA commitment marks an astounding three in a row this week for the IceRays, following goaltender Sam Best’s commitment to AIC Wednesday, and Santeri Hartikainen’s commitment to Robert Morris Thursday. All three players committed to schools in the Atlantic Hockey.

Corpus Christi returns to the road with a pair of games starting Friday in North Richland Hills against the Lone Star Brahmas. Faceoff tonight and Saturday, Jan. 19 is set for 7:30 PM CT. IceRays games are carried live on Sportsradio Corpus Christi (1230 AM/95.1 FM/96.1 FM), HockeyTV and Mixlr with the pre-game show starting 15 minutes prior to faceoff. For more information, visit goicerays.com/broadcast.

The next home games for the IceRays are a three-game set Jan. 25-27 against the Amarillo Bulls. Single game tickets, group tickets and suites for the remainder of the 2018-19 IceRays season are on sale now. Visit goicerays.com or call 361-814-PUCK (7825) for tickets or more information. Stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays) and Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays).