Riverdogs notes - Perricone joins team | ||
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There will be a new face in the RiverDogs' lineup tonight against the Flint Generals. On the ice for the first time yesterday was Eric Perricone, a left winger who was the leading scorer for WHA2 Miami. From St. Jean Richelieu, Quebec, he played the past year and a half in Italy. In Miami, Perricone, 25, was in the midst of a career season with 17 goals and 37 points in 21 games. He was second in WHA2 scoring. So why leave? "My friend, J.F. Picard, came here last week [from Miami]. He called me and said, 'Do you want to stay there or do you want to get out?'" Perricone said. "The situation was not very good there, so I said, 'Get out.'" The UHL doesn't have an agreement with the WHA2 to honor its contracts, so Perricone was free to go. RiverDogs assistant coach Donnie Martin made the direct contact. This summer, Perricone was waiting to hear from his team in Italy, and time was running out when Picard asked if he wanted to join him in Miami. "I thought it would be a good spot, [but] there were no fans. The team and the league has problems. We got paid but sometimes late," Perricone said. "I can't say anything bad about Miami. The staff was great. We had good trainers. The guys were good." Perricone broke into pro hockey with the WPHL Odessa (Texas) Jackalopes in 1999-2000. He played for WCHL Phoenix the following season, then appeared in 30 games (four goals, eight points) for UHL Flint in 2001-02 before leaving for Italy. One of his teammates there was Richmond defenseman Luch Nasato. Perricone said he was contacted by several teams recently, including UHL Adirondack. "I talked to them a lot. I was supposed to be with them last week, but I decided to stay in Miami."
Web posted on Jan. 09, 2004
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