Beavercreek grad to play with Troy Bruins

Contributed photo Lee McClure is one of the first four players to sign with the Troy Bruins Junior A team.

ENLARGE PHOTO

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By Debbie Juniewicz, Contributing Writer 1:52 AM Thursday, July 2, 2009

Lee McClure’s love of hockey wasn’t limited to the ice.

“When I was a little kid, we’d play roller hockey in the driveway,” McClure said. “And my older brothers would let me play even when I wasn’t very good.”

McClure watched his brothers Kris and Kevin play ice hockey and followed their lead by the time he was 5. After playing at Beavercreek High School and for the Wright State club team, the 19-year-old now faces a new challenge as one of the first four players to sign with the Troy Bruins Junior A team. The 5-foot-11 forward will call Hobart Arena home after spending his high school career as a visitor in the historic Troy arena.

“Beavercreek and Troy were big rivals, so it will be a little strange at first,” he said. “But this is such a great opportunity. The pace is going to be faster and the players are going to be better.”

McClure is excited about the challenge and the exposure. “It might open up opportunities to play Division III, maybe even D-I, hockey somewhere,” he said.

In 31 games with the Raiders last season, the biology major posted 22 goals and 16 assists. But hockey has never been about statistics, or even wins and losses, for him.

“It’s really about the love of the game,” McClure said. “Being on the ice is just the best feeling in the world.”

The Bruins, in their first year in the United Junior Hockey League, also signed Trent Iffland, a defenseman from Dublin, Ohio; Kyle Pierson, a forward from Fairfield; and Josh Tucker, a forward from Lewis Center, Ohio, after their first tryout camp.

Gems have company

The Dayton Gems won’t be the only International Hockey League expansion team this season. The league’s board of governors unanimously approved the Quad City Mallards on Tuesday, June 30. The Mallards, who bring the IHL team total to seven for the coming season, will play in Moline, Ill.

• The Gems host their second Pick Your Seat Night tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. at Hara Arena. Fans can select their season-ticket location, tour the arena and speak to the Gems staff.

ECHL notes

The Dayton Bombers were not the only ECHL team to return its membership at the recent annual meeting. Mississippi, Myrtle Beach and Phoenix all ended their league tenures.

The American Conference will realign into three divisions, with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Kalamazoo Wings, Toledo Walleye and Wheeling Nailers comprising the North, where the Bombers resided.

Cincinnati opens the season at Elmira on Oct. 16 and the Cyclones will play their first home game Oct. 24. Toledo opens with a three-game homestand against the Florida Everblades in the new 7,500 seat Lucas County Downtown Arena October 16-18.

Lee McClure

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