Prescott Valley, AZ - The 2008 Central Hockey
League Ray Miron President's Cup Champion Arizona Sundogs, in
preparation for the 2008-09 season, today announced the re-signings of
goaltender Marco Emond and defenseman Adam Wood and the addition of
former Rocky Mountain Rage forward Chip Dunleavy.
Goaltender
Marco Emond began the 2007-08 season with the Colorado Eagles but was
dealt to the Wichita Thunder in a midseason trade. Never having
appeared in a game as a member of the Thunder, Emond was acquired by
the Sundogs in exchange for Jonathan Bernier before the league's
February trade deadline. In 16 games with the Eagles before ultimately
joining the Sundogs, the Valleyfield, Quebec, native was 13-3-0 with a
3.25 goals against average (GAA) and a .903 save percentage (SV%). The
5-foot-10, 195-pound netminder appeared in nine regular season contests
for the Sundogs, compiling a 5-3-0 record, 4.50 GAA and .879 SV%. The
30-year-old Emond backstopped Arizona to a 1-0 series lead over the
Laredo in the 2008 CHL Southern Conference Finals, helping the Sundogs
to a 4-games-to-3 series win. Emond is the only player in CHL history
to have won three President's Cup titles with three different teams. He
won his first championship as a member of the Laredo Bucks in 2004, his
second as a member of the Colorado Eagles in 2007 and his third with
Arizona in 2008.
"Marco Emond is a proven goaltender in
this league, having won three championships with Laredo, Colorado and
us," said Sundogs Head Coach and General Manager Marco Pietroniro. "It
isn't an accident that he has won multiple titles. We expect Marco to
backstop our Club to a number of wins this season and we know he is up
to the challenge."
Adam Wood, 25, registered four assists
and 20 penalty minutes (PIM) in 17 regular season games with Arizona
last season. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound defenseman played in playoff
contests, adding one assist and 10 PIM. Prior to joining the Sundogs,
the Toronto, Ontario, native appeared in 32 games with three teams in
the ECHL and Southern Professional Hockey League in 2007-08, tallying
one goal, three assists and 69 PIM.
"Adam is a
defensive-minded player that can establish a physical presence on the
ice," added Pietroniro. "He's a situational player that will certainly
see time on our penalty kill."
Forward Chip Dunleavy
comes to the Arizona Sundogs after spending his first two full seasons
as a pro with the Northwest Division Rocky Mountain Rage. The 6-foot-3,
212-pound native of Littleton, Colorado saw limited playing time due to
injury in 2007-08. In 43 contests, Dunleavy tallied 21 points and
collected career-highs in assists (13) and PIM (61). He again saw
limited time because of an injury during his rookie season in 2006-07,
registering 12 goals, 12 assists and 43 PIM with the Rage.
"Chip
is a player that has a significant amount of offensive potential, but
has been unlucky with injuries. We're looking forward to his arrival
and expect him to have an immediate impact with our Club."