CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are proud to announce that defenseman Pierre Crinon has been selected by Team France to the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) U20 Division 1 – Group B World Junior Championships in Hungary. Crinon will report to his international side on Saturday after tonight’s game in Wichita Falls and miss three games.
“It’s a really good feeling,” said Crinon. “I get some good experience again, and that’s pretty good for me. It’s a lot of the same players every year, so there’s a very good chemistry. Everybody knows each other.”
Six teams are in this year’s Division – Group B tournament: France, Hungary, Japan, Kazakhstan, Poland, and Ukraine. The tournament begins on Sunday, December 14 as France plays Japan in a five-game Round Robin concluding on December 20. This is the 19-year-old defenseman’s fifth selection to Team France and his third with the U20 squad. Last season, Crinon played five games in the tournament, recording two assists with 18 penalty minutes and a -1 rating. Over the last three seasons, the 6-foot-5 defenseman has played 22 games of international competition at the U20 and U18 levels, recording eight assists with 62 penalty minutes and a -9 rating.
“The World Junior Championships are the pinnacle of junior hockey,” said Head Coach John Becanic. “It is always an honor for any athlete to represent their country at the highest level. Pierre will be missed greatly on our back end, but we are all very proud of his accomplishment.”
In his first 12 games of NAHL play, the Reims, France native has recorded two goals and two assists for four points with 34 penalty minutes and a +1 rating. Crinon has recorded all four points over his last five games with one goal and one assist coming in Wednesday’s 4-2 win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.
The IceRays take on the Wichita Falls Wildcats tonight at 7:05 p.m. for the first of a two-game set from Kay Yeager Coliseum. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. with Countdown to Faceoff on SportsRadio Corpus Christi and FASTHockey.com. 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 (IceRays TV).
