A hockey player from Crossfield, who spent time with the Airdrie AA Bantam Lightning, the Airdrie AAA Midget Bisons as well as the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Olds Grizzlys is making the leap to the NCAA division in the United States.  

20-year-old Joel Shoemaker has signed a letter of intent with the Salve Regina University Seahawks, an NCAA Division Three team in Newport, Rhode Island, for next hockey season.

Shoemaker spent several years playing hockey in Airdrie.  He was with the Lightning for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns.  He also spent five games with the Airdrie AAA Xtreme in 2014-15.

He spent 2015-16 with the AC Minor Midget Avalanche before graduating to the Airdrie AA Midget Lightning for the next season.  He spent the majority of the 2017-18 season with the Bisons before joining the Grizzlys.  He's played for the past two seasons with the Griz, scoring four goals and adding six assists last hockey season.

On the Salve Regina website, the team's Head Coach Zech Klann announced Shoemaker's commitment and said that "Joel plays with poise and confidence with the puck on his stick.  He will not only bring depth to our blue line but will also bring character to our locker room."

Shoemaker, the website goes on to say, felt that moving from Crossfield, "a small town on the prairies of Alberta," would be a good fit.  Shoemaker also says the university's location, on the coast of Rhode Island, also played a factor in his decision to join the school.

"The location is going to be great. It'll be different, it won't be the plain and rocky Alberta, it'll be nice to be on the coast with nicer weather.  And coming to a team with a winning record is really exciting with a chance of winning a championship."

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