Campbell scores first pro goal in Mississippi
Reid Campbell scored his first professional goal Saturday night, while his team was on the penalty kill.
By Marcel Vander Wier on January 28, 2015
Reid Campbell scored his first professional goal Saturday night, while his team was on the penalty kill.
The 25-year-old defenceman, a native of Haines Junction, has spent the last two months skating with the Mississippi
RiverKings – a Southern Professional Hockey League team based out of Southaven, Miss.
A streaking Campbell took a pass from teammate Bryon Paulazzo, finishing off a shorthanded three-on-one by burying
a shot from the circle.
The third-period goal gave the hosts a much-needed insurance goal en route to a 4-2 win over the Peoria Rivermen at
the Landers Center.
In October, Campbell suffered a concussion in a preseason game with the Rapid City Rush of the East Coast Hockey
League.
The injury ended the five-foot-10, 185-pound blueliner’s hopes with the Rush, but RiverKings head coach and director
of hockey operations Derek Landmesser soon came calling, offering Campbell another chance.
Tipped off by his former teammate, A.J. Aiken, Landmesser reached out to Campbell and worked out a deal to sign
him in mid-November.
Aiken originally recruited Campbell to St. Norbert, where he went on to win three national championships with the
NCAA III Green Knights.
“Reid has been a pleasant person to have on the team,” Landmesser told the Star today. “He’s a key piece to our back
end. He’s a heart-and-soul guy and brings that energy and intensity every night.”
On Nov. 15, Campbell recorded an assist in his first professional game with the RiverKings, a 3-2 loss to the Knoxville
Ice Bears. To date, the Yukoner has one goal and six assists in 28 games with Mississippi, alongside a +4 rating and
16 PIM.
Landmesser said the blueliner is a big part of the club’s penalty kill, and any offense is a welcome bonus.
“He’ll do whatever it takes to keep that puck out of our net,” the coach said. “He’d be the first person to tell you that
he’s a defence-first type of defenceman. But he’s got good skill. He could very easily have four or five goals.”
The RiverKings are currently ranked fifth in the eight-team league with a record of 18-15-0-2.
Campbell could not be reached in time for publication.
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