Kearney, Ne. – Storm defenseman John Marino has been named CCM “Defenseman of the Week” for week one of the regular season, the USHL announced Monday.
Marino netted three assists Friday in the season opener, a 5-1 win against the Omaha Lancers, and is tied with Bloomington’s Jeremy Davies for the most points by a defenseman in the league. The 6-foot-2, 185-lb. blue liner is tied for the league lead in assists.
Picked 154th overall in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Marino is the only active Storm player drafted by an NHL team.
The Harvard commit began his scoring early in the Storm’s opening game, receiving a primary assist on Sam Sternschein’s first goal of the season, 8:02into the first period.
Marino received another assist in the first, jumpstarting a rush to Alex Limoges, who slipped a pass to eventual goal scorer Austen Long.
Tri-City continued to rout the Lancers thanks to Marino’s nifty passing. With 1:44 remaining in the second and the Storm up by four goals, Marino skated to the goal line, fell, and directed a slot pass to Jake Wahlin, who potted his first of the season to put the Storm up five goals.
Marino is a first-year Storm defenseman that comes to Kearney from the South Shore Kings, where he played the last three seasons while attending Catholic Memorial School in West Roxbury, MA, just outside of Boston.
The North Easton, MA native was acquired this offseason from the Chicago Steel for a third-round pick in Phase II of the 2016 USHL Entry Draft.
Tri-City plays the Steel this Friday, October 2, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, October 3, at 7:00 p.m., in the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, IL. Catch coverage of both games on The Breeze 94.5 FM, with Storm Pregame beginning 15 minutes before puck drop.
The following weekend, Tri-City hosts the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders on Free Kids Friday, October 9, at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, October 10, at 7:00 p.m., catch the Storm on “Huskers Night” and grab a Coca-Cola Family Four Fourpack, with four tickets for $40 plus four cokes, four hot dogs and four bags of chips.
For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308-338-8011.