Former Golden Rockets teammates to reunite with Thompson Rivers

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When you play team sports, knowing your line mate is always a benefit. For Travis Herlein and Josh MacDonald, when they suit up for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s hockey team this year, it’ll be like old home week.

MacDonald and Herlein may be newcomers on the WolfPack in 2011-12, but they have a long history together. The two played both minor hockey (in Calgary, Alberta) and junior hockey (with Golden of the KIJHL) together.

WolfPack general manager Chris Hans is pleased to announce the signing of both.

MacDonald, finished off his KIJHL career with Golden in 2010-11. He was the team’s top scorer with 36 goals and 42 assists in 47 games. He added 70 penalty minutes. The 6’1” Macdonald will be taking courses in the Bachelor of Business Administration program at TRU.

“I was planning on playing semi-pro this season,” he says. “ But when I heard that Travis was planning on coming to TRU, I wanted to go too."

MacDonald says his speed and playmaking ability would be his main assets.

“I feel I can add scoring to the team along with a positive attitude and add some speed. On previous teams, I quarterbacked the power play and that’s where most of my success comes from.”

The 2009-10 campaign saw Macdonald split his time between the Williams Lake Timberwolves of the BCHL and Golden.

Herlein played last season in the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League with the Selkirk Saints. He was Selkirk’s fourth top scorer with nine goals and four assists in 24 games. He added 106 minutes in penalty time. He is 6’1” and 200 pounds and will also be enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration program at TRU.

“I would like to thank Kim Verigin (Selkirk’s Athletic Director) for giving me a chance to play,” he said. “Kim is a great guy with only good things in front of him for the future.”

Herlein had a few offers to play professional hockey in the U.S. and had offers to play with other teams in the BCIHL, but decided to come to Kamloops and TRU.

“I actually got Josh to come to Kamloops with me,” he said. “Josh contacted me a few days ago looking for a place to play so I got on the phone with Chris Hans. TRU is a great organization from what I have heard and I’m looking forward to contributing to the school and the team.”

“We are pleased to have both Josh and Travis join us for the coming season,” says Hans. “Both will provide a dynamic on our roster which we had been lacking a little bit. The fact they have played together for so many years can only be to our advantage.”

The commitments of MacDonald and Herlein bring to seven the number of new faces signing with TRU for the coming year.

The others are: Shane Mainprize (22, 5’11”, goalie, Valemount, BC Portage College ACAC-Valemount Secondary), Mike McCance (defence, Whistler, BC- Kamloops Storm, KIJHL) , Duncan Schulz (20,forward, Kamloops, BC Kamloops Storm KIJHL), Curtis Tonello (21, 6’1”, defence, Vancouver,BC-Trail Smoke Eaters, BCHL), and Shane Oatway (21,6’0”, defence, Kamloops, BC-Fort McMurray Oil Barons AJHL)