For more information:
Cathy Hamilton
541-338-0549 (office)
541-914-4748 (cell)
March 29, 2005
EUGENE HOME TO NEW HOCKEY FRANCHISE TEAM –
Press Conference Scheduled for 1:30 March 29
Eugene, OR – Eugene finally has a premiere hockey team.
Lane Events Center Ice will be the home rink for a new hockey franchise, according to Ken Evans, a local hockey coach, the president of the Lane Amateur Hockey Association – and now one of the owners of the brand-new team. The announcement is sure to come as a pleasant surprise for local hockey fans and aspiring players alike.
The new team will be part of the Northern Pacific Hockey League, which includes Oregon, Washington and Montana. It will recruit 20-25 players from around the world for this Junior B team. (Junior B teams feed into Junior A teams. In turn, the National Hockey League and college teams look to the Juniors for players. A Junior B team is a key stop for amateur hockey players aspiring for the professional teams. Players like Eric Lindros, Ed Jovanovsky and Joe Thorton all got their starts in Junior Bs.)
The Eugene team will be locally managed by Evans and another local hockey face, Flint Doungchak. Doungchak (pronounced dun-chuk) has been managing and coaching amateur teams for more than a decade and is an instructor and an avid player. The team is also owned by John McBride, a hockey coach who co-owns a Portland ice rink, and Bobby Freeland, another hockey coach, player and team GM.
“We’re really excited about this team. Until now, local fans have had to trek more than 100 miles to get a live premiere or pro game. Having a local outlet for all that energy is going to be a thrill for the whole community.” Evans says. “More than that, it gives local kids a team they can aspire to.”
The public isn’t as fanatical about hockey in the US as in Canada, Doungchak says. There, hockey is even more popular than football. “It’s the soccer of Spain, the football of the states. But with nonstop action, incredible footwork and technical skill, and complicated strategy, it stands to deliver some great entertainment. It’s becoming more popular each year as people discover its thrill.”
The team will announce its name and colors at a “face-off” event in May. Recruitment and tryouts will begin in August and the first game is scheduled for September. The team will welcome spectators at several open practices, which will be publicized.
For more information, call visit www.eugenehockey.com.