Broomfield, Colo. - The Rocky Mountain Rage Hockey Club has signed four additional players for the 2006-07 season as goaltenders
Trevor Cunning and
Tyson Gajda, defenseman
Sheldon Lee, and forward
Matt Reynolds have all been added to the team's roster. The Rage opens its inaugural season in the Central Hockey League on Oct. 20 on the road against the Colorado Eagles before making its home debut at the new, state-of-the-art Broomfield Event Center on Nov. 10 against the Tulsa Oilers.
Cunning, 25, enters his second professional season after spending the majority of his rookie campaign with the Roanoke Valley Vipers of the United Hockey League. He also appeared in a total of 12 games last season for the Augusta Lynx, Columbia Inferno and Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL after completing his collegiate career at Concordia University in Montreal.
Gajda, 24, prepares for his second full season in the pro ranks after going 5-7-1 with a 3.40 goals against average and .905 save percentage last season for the UHL's Elmira Jackals. He also won his lone start for the CHL's Lubbock Cotton Kings a year ago. The native of Westfield, Mass., spent four years at SUNY-Oswego, where he compiled a mark of 37-12-3 as the team's number one goaltender during his final two seasons. He played in only a handful of games in 2004-05 with three different teams in the UHL and CHL.
Lee, 22, and Reynolds, 25, both join the Rage after spending their rookie seasons with the CHL's Fort Worth Brahmas last year. A big, stay-at-home defenseman (6'3", 215), Lee recorded seven points (1g-6a) and 97 PIM for the Brahmas after racking up a combined 334 penalty minutes during his two years with the Chilliwack Chiefs in the British Columbia Hockey League. Reynolds jumped to the pros following a five-year career at York University in Toronto. He registered 24 points (11g-13a) and 127 PIM last season as a rookie in Fort Worth.
"All four guys are essentially entering their second years as pros after decent rookie seasons," said Rage head coach
Tracy Egeland. "They all have good potential to continue to improve and really help our hockey club."
The Rocky Mountain Rage is one of two expansion teams in the CHL's 17-team field. The Rage will join the Colorado Eagles, Oklahoma City Blazers and Wichita Thunder in the Northwest Division.
Season Tickets are available now for the 2006-07 seasons by calling 303-439-RAGE. For more information, visit
www.RockyMountainRage.com.
About the Broomfield Event Center: Currently under construction on the south side of U.S. Highway 36, between 112
th and 120
th Streets, the Broomfield Event Center will be a state of the art 180,000 square foot multi-purpose event center and will include 6,000 seats, including 25 suites, 900 club seats, a sit-down restaurant, two themed bars and a separate basketball practice facility. The Broomfield Event Center will host more than 130 events per year, including concerts, trade shows, rodeos and sporting events. It is the future home of the Rocky Mountain Rage Professional Hockey Club and the Colorado 14ers Professional Basketball Club from the NBA Development League (Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Toronto Raptors affiliate team). The new venue is scheduled to open in November.
About Arista: The Broomfield Event Center is a major anchor for the 215 acre multi-use development known as Arista. Other than the event center, the Arista development will include retail, office and residential space.