Winger Sakaris leaves Roughriders

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have suffered another unexpected blow in the player deparment.

Winger Peter Sakaris has decided to leave the team and return home to Canada to play for the Shawinigan Cataractes of  the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, RoughRiders Coach/General Manager Mark Carlson said Sunday night. Goaltender Cody Campbell left the club three weeks ago and has enrolled at Niagara University.

Sakaris is from Montreal, Quebec. The speedy 18-year-old had five goals and 12 points in 23 games this season and eight goals and 20 points in 54 games last season, posting a plus-minus rating of plus-12.

His decision to depart did not come lightly.

"C.R. was the best place that I've ever played hockey," Sakaris said in an interview conducted on Facebook. "I love the team and the fans so much out here. But I've been having many issues (getting college eligibility secured through) the NCAA Clearinghouse and things weren't looking too good for me in terms of playing college hockey. So with the help of my family, I decided that it would be best to pursue my hockey career in the QMJHL."

Foreign students sometimes have issues meeting the NCAA Clearinghouse's eligibility standards. The ironic thing in this case was Sakaris spent last year as a student at Cedar Rapids Washington High School.

The RoughRiders host the Waterloo Black Hawks on Wednesday night at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. They lead the USHL with a 17-4-2 record and 36 points.