Pair of Brahmas players make NCAA commitments

August 26, 2015

The Lone Star Brahmas of the NAHL are pleased to announce that skater Storm Wahlrab and goaltender TJ Black have both committed to play NCAA Division III hockey at St. Norbert College for the upcoming season. The former Brahmas become the 15th and 16th players from last season to announce they will be playing hockey at the next level.

 

Black recently completed his second sensational season with the Brahmas organization. The netminder provided the team stability between the pipes midway through its first season in the North American Hockey League; a season that saw eight different Lone Star goaltenders. Black finished his NAHL career with 35 wins and an impressive .919 save percentage and 2.18 goals against average. The Chicago, Illinois native finished fourth in the league last season with a goals against average a shade under 2.00 and he ends his time in Brahmaland as the organization's career leader in every major goaltending category.

 

Additionally, the 5-foot-9, 160-pound goaltender represented the South Division at the annual NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. With Black out of the mix, Dan Wildfong and Jeff Potter now have to replace both goaltenders who helped their team reach the 2015 Robertson Cup Semi Finals.

 

Despite only playing 35 games in a Brahmas jersey, Storm Wahlrab made an impact on a daily basis. Despite being acquired just days before the league's trade deadline, the south California skater fit with his new team like animal style fries and a double double from In-N-Out Burger. Wahlrab registered at least one point in seven of his first eight games played, provinding the Brahmas with much needed depth and a legitimate chance to win a championship.

 

The gritty forward showed his versatility and dedication to the team by switching to defense after fellow Brahma Hayden Hanson (Utica College) suffered an upper body injury. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound skater emerged as a stable defenseman in Wildfong's system, finishing with a team-high plus-8 rating in his last 16 games (all while playing defense). Wahlrab also scored two overtime, game-winning goals, including his memorable final tally against the Topeka RoadRunners in Game 2 of the South Division Finals to knot the series at one game apiece.

 

The two soon-to-be Green Knights will join their Brahmas teammate Roman Uchyn in De Pere, Wisconsin this fall. All three Brahmas will look to help St. Norbert capture it's second straight NCAA DIII Ice Hockey Championship.