Excerpt courtesy Josh Aldrich, Camrose Canadian
The University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings men's hockey roster is starting to take shape for the 2017-18 season.
The Vikings unveiled two of their recruits last week who should play a major role in their goal of getting back to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championship – Camrose Kodiaks defenceman Joe Tambasco and University of Regina Cougars forward Dillan McCombie.
The Vikings' winning pedigree was particularly attractive to Tambasco who was acquired by the Kodiaks prior to this past season after two years with the Drayton Valley Thunder. The Sherwood Park product went three years in the Alberta Junior Hockey League without winning a single playoff game. It's a frustration he wants to see remedied.
"When I got the opportunity to stay in Camrose for a few more years and go to a really good school and get a U of A education, it was kind of a perfect fit for me to be able to stay somewhere where I'm comfortable and keep playing," said Tambasco.
For McCombie, his arrival was merely delayed by two years. The Vikings went after him hard when he aged out of junior A hockey, but he decided to sign with U Sports' University of Regina Cougars. However, a number of his circumstances changed, including his girlfriend Morgan Wenger, transferring to Augustana's nursing program.