Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Former Plymouth, Saginaw goalie off to UBC


Former Plymouth Whalers and Saginaw Spirit goaltender Jeff Weber, a former eighth-round selection of the Buffalo Sabres, has committed to the University of British Columbia hockey program and will be in the lineup tomorrow when UBC plays host to the Vancouver Canucks prospects.

Weber, who turns 21 on Sept. 24, played four years in the OHL. He split the 2004-05 season between Barrie and Saginaw, posting a 3.41 goals against average and .906 save percentage in 48 games combined. His OHL career started in Sault Ste. Marie in 2001-02 and then shifted to Plymouth in 2002-03, where he was 13-2-2 in 19 games with a 2.32 goals against average and .925 save percentage. That season, Weber shared the OHL's Dave Pinkney Trophy for top team goaltending. In 101 career OHL games, the Ottawa, Ontario, native was 38-40-13 with a 3.12 goals against average and .908 save percentage.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound netminder was also signed by the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies of the ECHL after Saginaw missed the playoffs this past season. Weber was 2-0 with a 2.14 goals against average and .928 save percentage in three appearances with Atlantic City.

"I had some options, but UBC is one of the best schools in the country and coach (Milan) Dragicevic has done an excellent job of putting together a first-class hockey program with the guys he's brought in," said Weber, whose family recently moved to Calgary. "I'm excited for a new opportunity and I want to help lead this program toward a national championship."

Weber was drafted 235th overall by Buffalo in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and attended their main camp that September. He never signed an NHL contract.

"He's a proven starter in the OHL and every coach I've talked to has nothing but great things to say about him and his work ethic," said Dragicevic. "He's a bigger goalie who covers a lot of the net and that gives us some options."

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