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opprairie.com sports
the orland park prairie | July 19, 2018 | 45
HOCKEY
A taste of Orland as local stars play in pro hockey league
Sandburg grad Coyne is
the only woman in new
league
JEFF VORVA, Sports Editor
The Chicago Pro Hockey League
opened play on Wednesday, July 11
with 143 men listed on various rosters.
And one woman.
Sandburg graduate Kendall
Coyne, who earlier this year won
a gold medal for the United States
in women’s hockey in February,
is lone woman in the first-year
league, which featured more than
80 players from the National Hockey
League, the American Hockey
League and the East Coast Hockey
League as well as amateurs from
colleges, junior teams and AAA
programs.
Coyne, 26, had played with and
against boys when she was younger,
so this is not new territory.
“This is tremendous to be a part
of,” Coyne told reporters after her
first game, in which she picked
up an assist. “It’s exciting to see
little girls up there [in the stands]
watching proudly. Women’s hockey
doesn’t always get the exposure...to
be out here was pretty
cool.”
She is not the only player from
the are who will participate in the
league, which will play its games at
MB Ice Arena in Chicago, which is
the Blackhawks’ community rink.
Nine players listed from Orland
Park are a part of the league.
“Knowing there are so many
NHL and pro players who live and
train in Chicago during the offseason,
we felt a summer pro league
with ties to local charities would be
great for the hockey community,”
said Anders Sorensen, player development
coach for the Chicago
Blackhawks and director of player
development with the Chicago
Mission. “Having coached and
worked with a lot of these players
throughout their youth and junior
development years, and now while
they are playing pro hockey, we
Olympic hero Kendall Coyne (left) is the only female participating in the
new Chicago Pro Hockey League. PHOTO SUBMITTED
felt a summer pro league would be
really well received by the guys.”
Committed NHL players include
Vinnie Hinostroza, Nick Schmaltz,
Jordan Oesterle, Ryan Hartman,
Tommy Wingels, Christian Fischer,
Ryan Dzingel, Robbie Russo,
Garret Sparks, Christian Dvorak,
Anders Bjork, Tommy Di Pauli and
Lou Belpedio.
A look at Orland Park residents
or natives in the league:
Brendan Aird
The left-handed defenseman,
played the last four seasons in the
North American Hockey League
with the Janesville Jets and Brookings
Blizzard. He turns 20 on Friday,
July 20, and had two goals and
24 assists in 60 games during the
regular season.
Alex Broadhurst
The 25-year-old, left-handed
center had eight seasons of various
levels of hockey under his belt but
picked up two NHL games with
Columbus this past season. His
biggest season was 2011-12 with
the United States Hockey League’s
Green Bay Gamblers when he
scored 26 goals and racked up 47
assists in 53 games.
Terry Broadhurst
The 29-year-old left-handed left
wing is a veteran of minor league
hockey and last season had 13
goals and 19 assists in 49 games
with the Cleveland Monsters.
Hunter Carrick
The 17-year-old left-handed defenseman
played for two USHL
teams and an NAHL team in 2017-
18 and scored five goals and added
12 assists in 65 games. He has
committed to Penn State.
Blake Carrick
The 21-year-old right-handed
forward had 20 goals and 19 assists
in 45 games for the Connecticut Junior
Rangers in 2016-17.
Connor Carrick
The 24-year-old right-handed
defensemen has 167 NHL games
under his belt with Washington and
Toronto with nine goals and 21 assists.
Chris Funkey
The 24-year-old left-handed
goalie played three seasons and
109 games with the Jersey Hitmen
in the Eastern Junior Hockey
Orland Park’s Terry Broadhurst is a part of the new hockey league in
Chicago. 22ND CENTURY MEDIA FILE PHOTO
Connor Carrick, of Orland Park, is playing summer hockey for a new
league. 22ND CENTURY MEDIA FILE PHOTO
League and United States Premier
Hockey League and three seasons
for Penn State, in which played in
14 games and owns a 3-4-1 record.
Dave Gust
The 24-year-old right-handed
forward played four years at Ohio
State and last season had 13 goals
and 11 assists in 53 games for the
Bakersfield Condors.
T.J. Tynan
The 26-year-old right-handed
forward picked up three NHL
games with Columbus in 2016-17
and last year played 70 games with
the Chicago Wolves in the AHL,
scoring 15 goals and adding 45 assists
during the regular season and
adding two assists in three games
in the playoffs.