Horns men's hockey team opens new season, new era

trevor.kenney — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 16:50:26 +0000

Coming off a second consecutive season where the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team missed the post-season, the page has been turned and a new era of Pronghorn hockey is set to begin under first-year head coach Spiros Anastas.

The ‘Horns open the 2014-15 Canada West season Sept. 25, hosting the front half of a home-and-home series with the Mount Royal Cougars. Game two of the home-and-home series will go Saturday night in Calgary.

Anastas was hired this past April and joins the Horns after spending the past two seasons as a member of the Detroit Red Wings organization, being an assistant coach with the Red Wings AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins.

The ‘Horns return 19 players from last season’s team and Anastas has added a good mix of youth and experience with eight new recruits.

Among Anastas’s first recruiting class are two NCAA transfers, two CIS transfers and four true freshmen. Forwards Brandon Clowes and Manny Gialedakis took advantage of the CIS eligibility repatriation rule and set right into the Horns' line-up.

Goaltender Warren Shymko transfers from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ottawa and will push returning goaltenders Damien Ketlo and Dylan Tait for time in the crease. Shymko had a solid freshman season with the Gee Gees, putting up a 2.76 goals-against-average and a 0.900 save percentage.

An area of strength for the Pronghorns this season should be their blue line, as the Horns return their entire top six defensemen from last season. Tim Campbell, David McMullen, Corbin Karl, Cason Machacek, Hayden Rintoul and Brent Henke will be the keys to Horns success this season.

“Our success relies on our six returning defensemen being able to play a solid all-around game, while making defence a priority,” says Anastas.

After scoring a league low 52 goals last season, the Horns forwards will need to up their production if the team is to have a resurgence this year. Following solid freshmen seasons, there are big expectations for Ryon Moser, Mitch Maxwell and Brock Hirsche.

Hirsche finished tied with Cass Mappin for the team lead in goals with seven, while Moser recorded six goals and 10 assists in 26 games last season.

Newcomers Clowes, Sam Wilbur and Artsiom Kalashnikov have shown some offensive flare during the Horns non-conference schedule and will be counted on to produce during their first season with the program.

Wilbur finished second in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) scoring last season with 36 goals and 50 assists, while Kalashnikov picked up 52 points in 55 games last season in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL).

Horns bolster lineup

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:19:18 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's hockey team is excited to announce three new recruits for the 2012-13 Canada West season.

After the graduation of six players from last year's team, head coach Greg Gatto has his work cut out for him to fill the gaps left behind but is excited to add three quality Western Hockey League graduates, goaltender Damien Ketlo and defencemen Hayden Rintoul and Cason Machacek.

With the departure of five-year starting goalie and 2009-10 second team Canada West All-Star Scott Bowles, goaltending was a high priority in Gatto's recruiting this off-season. With the commitment of former Lethbridge Hurricane goaltender Damien Ketlo, he believes the Horns have picked up one of the best graduating goalies from the WHL.

"Damien is a guy to take over the number one position," says Gatto. "He was the Hurricanes' MVP last season and he wants to be a big part of our program. He gives us a bigger goaltender who plays the puck well, and it's his job to lose."

Ketlo is a Fort Fraser, B.C. native who played four seasons in the WHL and made 160 appearances over his career with the Regina Pats and the Hurricanes. This past season, Ketlo made 47 appearances, while sporting a 3.60 goals-against-average and a solid 0.902 save percentage.

At the end of his season, Ketlo joined the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL, making 3 appearances, including a shutout victory in his pro debut.

Rintoul and Machacek played parts of two seasons together with the Kootenay Ice. Machacek is a Lethbridge product who returns home to suit up for the Pronghorns after finishing his junior career with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Prior to being traded to Seattle, Machacek played parts of two seasons with his hometown Hurricanes and began his WHL career with the Ice. A physical, stay-at-home defenseman, Machacek suited up in 245 career WHL games in four seasons, accumulating 6 goals and 22 assists, while amassing 536 penalty minutes.

"Cason is a hometown boy who wants to come back and make our program better," says Gatto. "We needed a physical defenseman and that's exactly what Cason is and he has more upside than a lot of people give him credit for."

Rintoul, in addition to playing with the Ice, finished his WHL career with the Victoria Royals where he served as the team captain and set career highs this season in goals and points with 17 and 51 respectively. In 260 career games, Rintoul amassed 36 goals and 108 assists and won a WHL Championship in 2011 with Ice.

"Hayden is an offensive-minded defenseman and gives us that puck moving ability that is so important in today's game," says Gatto. "He won a WHL championship and was a captain, which are always qualities we like to add to our dressing room."

UNews - Damien Ketlo

Horns men's hockey team opens new season, new era

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