UNH Recruit Andrew Poturalski Coming Fall 2014

Poturalski Coming to UNH
Fall 2014 (Photo: ridertownusa.com)

Friday was a day of big goals and big decisions for UNH recruit and Cedar Rapids' center Andrew Poturalski. In the RoughRiders' 2-1 victory over the U.S. NTDP U17 team last night, Poturalski scored the game winning goal on a power play early in the second period. He posted 4 shots on goal and earned the #1 Star of the Game. On the scoring play (which I watched online), Cedar Rapids had a 4-on-3 advantage. Poturalski carried the puck diagonally from the top of the faceoff circle to the left of the Team USA goalie, to the bottom of the opposite faceoff circle. He spun around and fired a sharp-angle wrist shot which beat the goalie over the blocker.

After the game, Poturalski announced that he will play one more season with Cedar Rapids next year and come to UNH in the Fall of 2014.

“We’ve got a lot of guys coming back. That’s the big thing that Coach (Carlson) said to me, was that we have a lot of good players coming back. We’re going to be a good team next year … I think we’re going to be a really strong team.”

Poturalski will finish his first full season in the USHL tonight in Cedar Rapids' season finale.

Poturalski played 2 games with the RoughRiders in the 2011-12 season as an affiliate player. He scored 2 goals and an assist in his first ever USHL game. Last July, Poturalski broke his leg during an informal practice session in a rink near his home outside of Buffalo, NY. He went through rehabilitation and training at the RoughRiders' facilities at RidertownUSA. Andrew missed the first 5 games of the season. In mid-October, in his first two games, Poturalski scored 3 goals and 2 assists and was named the CCM Forward of the Week in the USHL.

In 52 games this season, Poturalski has scored 12 goals and 21 assists. Four of the goals and 6 of the assists came on the power play. Three of the goals were game-winners. Poturalski is the third leading scorer on the RoughRiders' squad.

Poturalski (DOB: 1/14/1994) had originally targeted the Fall of 2013 to come to UNH. Next season will be his second in the USHL. When he enrolls at UNH in the Fall of 2014, he will be 20 years old.