CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has named Corpus Christi IceRays forward Regen Cavanagh the NAHL Forward of the Month, the league announced today. Cavanagh is the first player in the IceRays six-year junior franchise history to earn a monthly honor from the league.
“It’s an unreal award to get,” said Cavanagh. “I owe it all to the team. The power play has really been clicking, so that has a lot to do with it. Just as a team, we’ve been putting together some wins and points. It makes the award a lot easier to achieve.”
Cavanagh, 18, has certainly made the IceRays better with his surge over their eight-game December schedule. The 18-year-old is one of two IceRays players to average at least a point-per-game, recording four goals and seven assists for 11 points in the month while leading the team in assists & points and also sharing first on the team in goals just in December. He earned a four-point night on December 4 against Odessa, a three-point night on December 19 against Amarillo, and just finished a four-game point streak of two goals and five assists for seven points.
Outside of this point performance, his presence on the ice brings life and spurs the team forward to create chances both on even strength and the power play. He also tallied two power play goals and one of his four resulted as the game-winner on December 11 in a 2-1 win over the Amarillo Bulls. Much of his success, in his eyes, comes from confidence and his teammates around him.
“When you’re getting points, the confidence just comes to you. Once you start playing with confidence, the puck finds the back of the net. [Mason] Krueger, Andy [McGlynn] and I have really been clicking lately. We’ve had a lot of time in the offensive zone, and all three of us together are putting up a ton of points, so that’s nice to also have.”
His three-man unit including Krueger and McGlynn have been one of the most productive lines on the team, recording a combined 21 points, which is just under 30 percent of the team’s total point production and over one third of production from forwards in December. Cavanagh himself was the only player with double-digit points in the month.
“What an accomplishment coming from a young kid that suffered a serious facial injury prior to the season starting,” said IceRays head coach John Becanic. “To see Regen perform at such a high level after missing the first 12 games is a tribute to his commitment level. He has been a big part of our recent success. It’s always nice to hear when you’re publicly recognized for your efforts.”
Since his return to the lineup on October 22, Cavanagh has earned six goals and eight assists for 14 points over his 18-game season with six penalty minutes and a -4 rating including his assist to start January on Friday night. The Chesapeake, Va., native is the first IceRays player in junior franchise history to earn a monthly honor from the NAHL in the team’s six-year history in the league and the eighth to earn a top league honor in a weekly or monthly category.
The IceRays continue their six-game road swing on Friday, Jan. 8 in the first of a two-game set against the Wichita Falls Wildcats from the Kay Yeager Coliseum. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX 1230AM) and FASTHockey.com. The IceRays return to the American Bank Center on Thursday, Jan. 21 for the first of two games against the Topeka RoadRunners. Contact the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK or go to www.goicerays.com for details on season tickets along with pricing and seating. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Vine (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).
