Minotauros forward Morelli makes NCAA DI commitment
June 7, 2013
By Ken Oda, Minot Minotauros
The Minot Minotauros, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), are pleased to announce that forward Mason Morelli has committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha for the 2015-16 season.
Morelli, 17, finished fifth on the teamin scoring this season with 27 points (12 goals, 15 aassists) in 54 regular season games. The native of Minot, North Dakota, also added an assist in the Tauros first round playoff series against Austin.
Morelli (5’11/185) credits both the Mavericks’ and the Tauros’ coaching staffs for his decision. When it came to making his commitment, UNO was an easy choice for Morelli.
“They were very interested and very good to me,” said the Tauros’ sniper. “I’m excited to play for Dean Blais.” Morelli was also quick to credit his time with his hometown Minotauros for his development. “Marty Murray and Mick Berge have been great. They’ve helped me with my game and got me exposure. They played a huge roll for me.”
Morelli was a key to the Tauros 6th ranked power play last season with seven goals and nine assists when the Tauros were up a man. Morelli was one of seven Tauros named to the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament played back in February and while there he posted a goal and an assist for the NAHL 18U Selects team.
Nebraska-Omaha is a NCAA DI program, making Morelli the second player from the 2012-13 team to commit to a Division I school (Tyler Parks, St. Lawrence). Overall, five Minot Minotauros players have made NCAA commitments so far this season.
The UNO Mavericks had been members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), but will begin play this season in the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) this fall.
