HAMILTON, NY -- Colgate University head men's hockey coach Don Vaughan has announced the addition of three more student-athletes to his team as part of the Class of 2012. Alex Evin (Castlegar, B.C.), Matt Firman (Fayetteville, N.Y.), and Corbin McPherson (Folsom, Calif.) will all begin playing for the Raiders starting in the fall of 2008.

Evin is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound goaltender who recently backstopped the Penticton Valley First Vees to the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) championship. During the regular season, Evin led the league with a 2.20 goals against average and .921 save percentage along with a 31-10-1 record and four shutouts in 43 games. The BCHL Goaltender of the Year led his team to a sweep of the Nanaimo Clippers in the finals of the BCHL playoffs to win the Fred Page Cup on Wednesday, April 9. In the deciding game, Evin recorded a shutout and future Raider teammate Austin Smith (Dallas, Texas) netted two goals for the Vees in the 4-0 victory. It was Evin's second consecutive shutout, and he had a 2.49 goals against average and .912 save percentage in 15 playoff games. Penticton awaits the winner of the AJHL championship, which they will face for the Doyle Cup starting April 18.

"Alex is an experienced goaltender who knows how to win," said Colgate assistant coach Andrew Dickson. "His good size and great positioning allows him to play the angles, and he keeps the game simple."

Firman is a 6-foot-3, 205-pound forward who recently finished his prep career at the Northwood School. This season, Firman led the Huskies to a 33-7-2 record with 56 points on 25 goals and 31 assists, and his team won both the Culver Invitational and Northwood Invitational. Prior to attending Northwood, Firman played for the Syracuse Stars AAA Midget team and the Jamesville-DeWitt/Christian Brothers Academy High School team. He attended nearby Jamesville-DeWitt High School before heading to Northwood.

"Matt is a big kid with really good hands and a nice scoring touch," said Colgate assistant coach Brad Dexter. "He is a player with tremendous upside who will only get better as he gets used to the speed of the college game. We are very excited to see Matt develop at the college level."
 
McPherson is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound defenseman who played the 2007-08 season for the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the BCHL. He finished the year with 17 points on three goals and 14 assists to go with 84 penalty minutes in 55 games. Last season, he posted 14 points on four goals and 10 assists in 44 contests. McPherson was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the third round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft with the 87^th overall pick, making him the highest draft pick in Colgate history.

"Corbin is a smooth-skating defenseman who will add size and depth to our blueline," Dickson said. "He has the ability to take care of his own end, and also has offensive upside."

Evin, Firman, and McPherson join Smith and forward Nicholas Prockow (Montreal, Que.) in the Raiders' Class of 2012. Along with transfer student Adam Corrin (Winnipeg, Man.), they will all begin playing for Colgate starting in the 2008-09 season.