A former Chase Heat and Salmon Arm Silverbacks player closed off his varsity hockey career on a high note.
Reece Forman, who got his start in the 100 Mile Minor Hockey Association before moving onto the Chase Heat and Silverbacks, helped North Dakota’s Minot State Beavers win their second ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association) title.
Forman, a defenceman, played two seasons with the Chase Heat 2011-2013, playing in 99 games for the club as a part of their defensive core. During his time in Chase, Forman skated in five BCHL games with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, as well as the Prince George Spruce Kings.
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After his time in Chase, Forman moved to Nipawin, Sask., where he played for the Nipawin Hawks in the province’s Junior A league.
During his two-season stint with the Hawks, Forman played in 96 games and claimed 28 points. He also played 15 total playoff games, including a tense run during the 2014-15 season where the Hawks lost in game seven of the semi-finals to the Melfort Mustangs.
His performance in the Junior A league attracted attention from the Minot State University in North Dakota, who recruited him into their hockey program on a partial scholarship while he studies in the school’s criminal justice program.
Forman hopes to join the RCMP when he graduates in 2019, and has already been accepted into the policing force’s cadet pool for next year.
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Travelling is also a pretty big part of Junior A and B hockey leagues, but Division 1 ACHA hockey takes it a bit to the next level. Minot had to travel to Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada and Utah.
During his four years in the program, Forman has appeared in 94 regular season games and has scored 11 goals and 29 assists this season.
This season was his last chance of walking away with an ACHA National title to end his hockey career, and the team played strong throughout playoffs to make it to the final.
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To get to the finals, Forman and the Beavers beat the University of Illinois Fighting Illini 5-3 and the Adrian College Bulldogs 3-2. They also played and beat the top ranked team in the ACHA, the Lindenwood University Lions, 1-0 in the semi-final.
The Minot Beavers played the Iowa State Cyclones in the final, beating them in a solid 3-1 victory on March 27 and claiming the ACHA championship trophy.
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