Bucks Bring Back All-Star Rivet

LAREDO, TX- The Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League announced at a press conference Thursday that they have re-signed All-Star defenseman Adam Rivet for the 2009-10 season, his fifth with the team. The announcement was made to the media and a large number of fans at the Westwind Homes Plantation model.

Rivet (pronounced RIV-it) has earned several individual honors thus far in his professional career, including being named a 2007 CHL All-Star, and to the CHL All-Rookie Team in 2005-06, as well as a finalist for Rookie of the Year in that same season. Rivet was also a finalist for the 2007-08 Most Outstanding Defenseman award.

“Adam Rivet is one of the key guys on our team, that’s why we bring him back every year,” said Bucks President/General Manager and Head Coach Terry Ruskowski. “He’s a leader on and off the ice, and he’s won a championship with us. He knows what it will take to win another one.”

In his four previous seasons with the Bucks, Rivet has scored 67 goals, with 114 assists, for 181 points, in 251 games in Laredo. Rivet has 27 power-play goals, 56 power-play assists, three short-handed goals, and 10 game-winning goals in a Laredo uniform. In 54 career playoff games Rivet has tallied seven goals, 31 assists for 38 points, including five power-play goals, 11 power-play assists, and one game winning goal.

Rivet has missed just one regular season game in his four-seasons in the Gateway City.

“I’m very happy to play in Laredo again this season,” said Rivet. “I wouldn’t want to play for any other team.”

Last season Rivet put up 39 points (13-26=39) in 63 games for the Bucks, including seven power-play goals, and 14 power-play assists. In last season’s playoffs Rivet had four assists, and was a plus-four in the six-game series against Odessa.

In 2007-08 Rivet, a native of Fort Erie, Ontario, once again played in all 64 regular season games, scoring 18 goals, with 30 assists, for 48 points. Rivet was a key performer on special teams, as he tallied nine power-play goals, and 12 power-play assists to be named a finalist for the CHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman award.

During the 2008 playoffs Rivet, 6’0, 190 pounds, notched three goals, with 11 assists for 14 points, including one power-play goal, and five power-play assists.

During the last two summers Rivet, along with Ruskowski, has been an on-ice instructor for the Hockey Ministries International Camp at the Artic Wolf Ice Center in College Station.

“Rivs has always been on our special teams units, he handles the puck well in those situations.”

In the 2006-07 campaign Rivet was named to the Southern Conference All-Star Team. He increased his numbers in every category from his rookie year, playing in all 64 games, tallying 20 goals, with 36 assists, for 56 points, including four game-winning goals. He also performed well on special teams, scoring eight power-play goals, with 21 power-play assists. In the 64 games he played that season, Rivet scored at least a point in 41 of them.

In his rookie campaign in 2005-06 Rivet was named to the CHL All-Rookie Team, and was a finalist for Rookie of the Year. He played in all 60 regular-season games, scoring 16 goals, with 22 assists for 38 points. Rivet helped lead the Bucks to the 2006 President’s Cup Title, when he picked up seven points (1-6=7) in 16 postseason contests.

Prior to turning pro, Rivet, a native of Fort Erie, Ontario, played four years of college hockey at the University of Prince Edward Island (CIS), where he tallied 17 goals, with 57 assists, for 74 points.

Rivet is the 15th Buck signed this off-season, including the second to re-sign from last year’s squad.