saultsports SUDBURY, Ont. – The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Blind River Beavers have a pair of forwards from their squad this season moving on to the NCAA Division III ranks.
Team captain Wyatt Gibson is off to New England College while Clark Furman, an assistant captain on the squad, will be heading to SUNYAC Morrisville.
The 21-year-old Gibson finished second in team scoring this season with 37 points in 49 contests, including a career-high 17 goals.
In two campaigns with the Beavers, the Pellham, Ont., product appeared in 104 career games and saw him tally 24 times, while helping set-up 43 others.
“Over his time here Wyatt worked hard to become a 200-foot player and was a great captain for us,” said Blind River head coach and general manager Kyle Brick.
“His commitment, both on ice and off, makes him a very valuable piece to any puzzle. His contributions to our program have proven invaluable.”
Gibson is looking forward to furthering his education and playing collegiate hockey: “New England College is an excellent school with a great history and it’s the perfect fit for me.”
Hailing from Regina, Sask., Furman proved to be a solid two-way contributor to the Beavers program.
The 20-year-old saw action in 76 league match-ups in his two years with the club.
In that time he scored 21 times and assisted on 17 others for 38 career points.
On Furman, Brick stated: “We hate to lose Clark, as he had one more year of junior hockey eligibility, but to his credit, he has worked extremely hard for this opportunity.”
The Blind River head coach and GM went on to add: “Clark’s game improved every day after stepping
foot in Blind River and he is ready to compete at the
next level.”
Discussing his commitment, Furman offered: “The SUNYAC is one of the best conferences in NCAA Division III hockey and I can’t wait to get started.”
The NEC Pilgrams are members of the 11-school New England Hockey Conference with the school situated in Henniker, N.H.
Based in Morrisville, N.Y., the Mustangs compete out of the State University of New York Athletic Conference, which features eight men’s hockey programs.
Photo credits: Helene Rancourt
About The Author
