Bushbacher inks deal with Chill

APPLETON, Wis. — Former Lawrence University hockey standout Phil Bushbacher has signed a contract to play with the St. Charles Chill.

Bushbacher, a forward who graduated in June with a degree in government, becomes the ninth Lawrence player in the last five years to sign a pro contract.

“Phil is one of the hardest-working young men we’ve had in the past seven years,” Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski said. “He is extremely coachable and is always trying to find ways to get better. When you combine his physical attributes with his knack in tight around the net, it is easy to see why he is getting an opportunity at the next level. He will definitely represent himself and our program well.”

In two seasons at Lawrence, Bushbacher played in 55 games and piled up 26 goals and 20 assists for 46 points. For his career, he played in 106 games with 42 goals and 33 assists for 75 points.

“He pretty much came into camp, and just dominated the camp,” Chill coach Jamie Rivers said. “He was physical, he put a lot of shots on goal, and he scored a lot of goals. He came in as an unknown, and he earned his spot in training camp.”

The Chill, which plays in the Central Hockey League, is one of 10 teams in that conference.