Steelheads announce initial training camp roster

(Boise, ID) ? Head coach and director of hockey operations Hardy Sauter released his initial training camp roster on Friday, a list that includes five players who have skated for the team before: Defensemen: Chris Hepp, Kory Scoran, Can Ritchie, Ryan Rorabeck, Matt Cowie, Derek Matheson. Forwards: Chad Nehring, Tyson Hobbins, Cody Purves, Aaron Lewadniuk, Eric Rex, Nick Petriello, Greg Beller, Marc Rancourt, Jason Reese. Goaltender: Jimmy Spratt. Hepp, Scoran, Nehring, Hobbins, and Purves have all played for the Steelheads before. Lewadniuk was an ECHL All Star in Ontario last season.?It?s a good group,? Sauter said of the initial list. ?We?ll add some pieces as paperwork gets done and AHL (American Hockey League) teams cut down their rosters, but I?m happy with the players already here.? Two names on the list had not been previously announced by the team. The first is forward Marc Rancourt. The 27-year-old winger spent last season in Europe after a college career that saw him average more than a point and a half per game in his five seasons at Saint Mary?s (216 points in 136 games). Rancourt was the 2009 CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) Player of the Year and captained the 2010 CIS national championship team at St. Mary?s. During the 2008-09 season, Rancourt scored more points (57) and handed out more assists (41) than any player in Canadian college hockey. The second is forward Jason Reese, in on a tryout basis after beginning his professional career in the Central Hockey League. Sauter knows Reese from his days in major-junior hockey, Reese as a player for the Tri-Cities Americans and Moose Jaw Warriors while Sauter was the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Hockey League. Steelhead Season-Ticket Holders get six games FREE when they sign up for full-season packages. Plans for all 36 home games start at just $275 per seat. Partial-season plans are also available, with the home-opener coming on October 15 against the Utah Grizzlies. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com for more information.