Gold Miners’ Rust commits to NCAA’s Adrian College

KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS
MEDIA UPDATE

Release Date: Thursday, May 15, 2014

Gold Miners’ Rust commits to NCAA’s Adrian College

KIRKLAND LAKE – Kirkland Lake Gold Miners forward and Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League playoff most valuable player Austin Rust is off to continue his hockey career in the NCAA.

The Gold Miners announced today that Rust has committed to attend Adrian College in Michigan and skate for the Bulldogs program that competes in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.

Rust, 21, is coming off a 65-point regular season as well as 14 more in the playoffs as he helped lead Kirkland Lake to their first-ever NOJHL championship.

Off the seven tallies he scored in the postseason, four were game-winners, including two in the league finals as the Gold Miners defeated the Soo Thunderbirds to claim their first NOJHL crown.

“Austin played a pivotal role in our success this past season and we couldn’t be more proud as an organization to see him earn an opportunity to play and attend school in the NCAA,” stated Kirkland Lake head coach and general manager Marc Lafleur.

“We expect this to be the first of a number of commitments we have of players moving on to play college hockey,” added Lafleur.

Rust is pleased to have been recruited to the Adrian, Mich., school.

“I’m really excited for next year and the opportunity to play at the next level,” said the Gold Miners standout.

He is also grateful for the opportunity afforded him to have played for the Kirkland Lake organization.

“I really could not have asked for more this season,” beamed Rust.

“I played with a great group of guys and the Town of Kirkland Lake was awesome. It was so beneficial to have the community rally around us and support us. I could not have asked for a better town to live and play hockey in.”

For more information on the Kirklalnd Lake franchise visit the official team website at www.klgoldminers.com.