ANTIGONISH, NS – StFX X-Men hockey goaltender Chase Marchand has signed a professional contract with the Indy Fuel of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The Fuel play out of the Central Division in the ECHL's Western Conference and are based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are the affiliate team to the Chicago Blackhawks and AHL's Rockford IceHogs.

X-Men head coach Brad Peddle commented, "We are very happy for Chase, he is a tremendous player and was a big part of our program's success during his past three years. He was extremely dedicated and worked very hard over his time here to establish himself as one the top goaltenders in the nation. He is very deserving of this opportunity and we wish him the absolute best in his professional hockey pursuit."

A native of Halifax, NS, Marchand posted a record of 34-23-0 in 60 regular season games over the past three years with the X-Men, including a career 2.67 goals against average and .916 save percentage. He was a key part of the 2017 AUS champion X-Men squad and earned AUS all-rookie team honours in that his first season.

Marchand was a two-time AUS first team all-star in 2017 and 2018, enjoying his most successful season in 2018 when he was named AUS most valuable player, U SPORTS first team all-Canadian, and was honoured as the U SPORTS goaltender of the year. AUS finalists the past two seasons, Marchand helped backstop the X-Men to a U SPORTS silver medal in 2018 and a bronze medal just last week at the University Cup championship.  

Marchand previously garnered attention when he attended the Chicago Blackhawks development camp in July, 2018. He will join the Indy Fuel squad who currently have a 32-30-2-2 record in fourth place in the ECHL's Central Division.

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