Hunter Bishop Signs Letter of Intent to OSU

Hunter Signs Letter Of Intent To OSU

Friday, February 1, 2008, 08:06 PM

Brandon Castel
Staff Writer

Less than a week after their basketball counterparts signed four players to National Letters of Intent for 2008, the Ohio State men's hockey team welcomed a new class of its own.

After signing a record class a year ago, coach John Markell brought in just seven players for the 2008-09 season, including four forwards and three defensemen. All but two of the recruits come to OSU from the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) – including three teammates from the Penticton Vees –with one player coming from the U.S. National Team Development Program and another from the United State Hockey League (USHL).

Forwards

On offense the Buckeyes landed four players, including the prize of the class Hunter Bishop.

The 6-foot, 185-pound forward from Fairbanks Alaska leads the BCHL with 44 points this season in just 28 games. He originally signed with North Dakota in 2006-07, but after just four games he returned to Vernon Vipers for his second, season. Now in his third season with the Vipers, Bishop will have three years of eligibility in Columbus, where he joins his sister, Teal, who is a freshman defenseman on the women's hockey team.

Joining Bishop up front are two native Canadians. Zac Dalpe – a 6-foot-1 forward from Ontario – plays with five-foot-ten forward Cory Schneider on the Vees. Dalpe has 29 points this season in 22 games, while Schneider, a native of Rochester, N.Y. has 25 points in 28 games.

Dalpe's biggest claim to fame, though, is the hat trick he scored in the championship game of the World Junior A Challenge earlier this month.

The last forward in the class is Taylor Stefishen, who also plays in the BCHL with the Langley Chiefs. He currently leads the team with 35 points and is fifth in the league with 23 assists in 23 games.