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Bomber forward Rafuse heading to Acadia for university puck

Last year’s top scorer for the Flin Flon Bombers is heading back east. Forward Cole Rafuse will be playing next season with the USports Acadia Axemen, with the club and the Bombers each announcing Rafuse’s signing March 27.
rafuse

Last year’s top scorer for the Flin Flon Bombers is heading back east.

Forward Cole Rafuse will be playing next season with the USports Acadia Axemen, with the club and the Bombers each announcing Rafuse’s signing March 27.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Rafuse. Originally from Harmony, N.S., Rafuse will be joining a team based less than an hour away from home.

““I am thrilled to be playing in the Valley, I love the community and the chance to come home and play in front of my family and friends. I am excited to be playing for the team I grew up watching as a kid,” Rafuse said in a statement released by Acadia.

Rafuse joined the Bombers after parts of four seasons with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL, winning a Memorial Cup with the team and being named the team’s captain.

Last season, Rafuse finished his one and only season as a Bomber with 88 points in 57 regular season games, adding another five goals and 11 points in just four playoff games before play was suspended. Rafuse finished second in league scoring behind only Yorkton’s Chantz Petruic.

““We are very excited that Cole has chosen to attend Acadia. He is a player we have always had a lot of respect for, as he has a team first attitude, thinks the game well and has won a Memorial Cup,” said Axemen coach Darren Burns in a team statement. “We believe he is going to be a player who will get better every year. He exudes leadership and character and is well aware of the responsibilities that come with playing hockey at Acadia. There is no question he is the type of player that teams need to be successful in the AUS conference. I know everyone in the Valley will be so excited to have one of their own in an Axemen uniform. It’s exciting for everyone here, it’s just a perfect fit for us all.”

Rafuse was as noteworthy for his play away from the puck as he was for his offensive acumen. Playing both on the team’s league-leading powerplay and the penalty kill, Rafuse was the team’s top faceoff winner and near the top of the team in blocked shots according to the Bombers’ in-house stats.

“"We are very happy for Cole as his goal at the beginning of the year was to get a USports scholarship out east. Cole was a huge part of our success and we wish him all the best,” said Bomber head coach and general manager Mike Reagan in a social media statement released by the team.

The Axemen have some ties to the SJHL. Logan Flodell, the older brother of Rafuse’s Bomber teammate Matt, was the team’s starting goalie last year. Defenseman Loch Morrison, formerly a Melfort Mustang, will suit up for his junior season with the club next year.


 

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