Local defenceman Tyler Mah commits to Simon Fraser University for 2011/12

The Simon Fraser University’s Men’s Ice Hockey program is pleased to announce a commitment from defenceman and Burnaby, B.C. native Tyler Mah to attend SFU and join the team for the 2011/12 British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League season.

Mah will join SFU following three Junior A seasons spent primarily with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Nanaimo Clippers. The 20-year old spent two years in Nanaimo, totalling four goals, 18 points and 112 penalty minutes in 85 games and served as an Assistant Captain during the 2009/10 season.

As a BCHL rookie in 2008 he was named the Clippers’ Most Improved Player and selected as the recipient of the Coaches Award.

The 6-foot-3, 205 pound blueliner then split the 2010/11 season between the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He totalled one goal and 10 points in 47 games and finished the season ranked fifth in the SJHL with 155 penalty minutes. He was recently named the Bombers’ Unsung Hero for their recently-completed regular season.

"We’re thrilled that our first commitment for the fall is a Burnaby product and a high-character individual like Tyler," says SFU general manager Jeff Dubois. "Tyler is familiar with the excellent academic opportunities that SFU presents and we look forward to him being a key member of our team on the ice and in the community."

Mah will be returning to his hockey roots when he joins SFU, as he is a former Burnaby Minor and Burnaby Winter Club player who went on to suit up for the Major Midget League’s Vancouver North West Giants and the Pacific International Junior Hockey League’s Grandview Steelers.

"I’m really excited to be coming home to play in front of friends and family," says Mah, who intends to enroll in Criminology and Business courses before settling on a major. "I grew up just a few minutes from the Bill Copeland Sports Centre, and I’ve heard from the guys I know on the team that playing at SFU is a great experience."