Richard Pion
 | This article has an unclear citation style. (April 2025) |
| Richard Pion | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
July 20, 1965 Oxnard, California , U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 171 lb (78 kg; 12 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Merrimack College Peoria Rivermen St. Gabriel Blizzard Joliette Mission Granby Predateurs Sorel Royaux | ||
| Playing career | 1985–2003 | ||
Richard Pion (born July 20, 1965) is a formerAmerican ice hockey player best known for his time with Merrimack the Peoria Rivermen, as well as his time in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey league.
Career
[edit]Pion would attend Merrimack in 1985. Not seeing much playing time his freshman year he would take a big leap his sophomore year. Playing in 36 games and scoring 31 goals and tallying 33 assists helping Merrimack win their first ECAC east championship.[1] During his junior year he would have a 75 point season scoring 35 goals with 40 assists. Winning another conference title as well as well as playing in the 1988 NCAA tournament where he would score one goal in Merrimacks first round upset of Northeastern.[2] He would then have a 70 point season his senior year winning a third straight conference title. He would leave Merrimack as second in all time points with 231.[3]
After graduating, Pion signed with the IHL affiliate of the St Louis Blues the Peoria Rivermen. He appeared in 69 games his first year scoring 10 goals and tallying 21 assists. The following year, during the 1990–91 season, the Rivermen made the IHL playoffs and Pion appeared in 17 playoff games scoring 3 goals with 5 assists as he and the Rivermen won Turner cup. During the 1991-92 next year he had a IHL career high 71 point season. He went on to play another three seasons with the Rivermen.[4]
During his tenure, the Rivermen Captain Boosters Club named him to the Pete BardezBanian Trophy four times as the team's most popular player.[5]
In 1996, he left the minor leagues and signed with the St. Gabriel Blizzard of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey league. He played in 36 games during his first year, scoring 30 goals and tallying 53 assists. He followed this up with a 82 point season the following year. In 1998, he signed with Joliette Blizzard. He played 4 seasons with them. During the 2000-01 season He appeared in 36 games tallying 44 points as Juliette made the playoffs. Pion scored 1 goal in the playoffs and won a league title., before playing for Sorel Royaux for a year. He then played for one year with Granby Predateurs during the 2002-03 season and ultimately retiring.[citation needed]
In 2023, Pion was inducted into the Merrimack athletics Hall of fame.[2]
Career statistics
[edit]| Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1985-86 | Merrimack College | ECAC East | 14 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 10 | ||||||
| 1986-87 | Merrimack College | ECAC East | 36 | 31 | 33 | 64 | 22 | ||||||
| 1987-88 | Merrimack College | ECAC east | 40 | 35 | 40 | 75 | 58 | ||||||
| 1988-89 | Merrimack College | ECAC east | 34 | 28 | 42 | 70 | 34 | ||||||
| 1989-90 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 69 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 58 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1990-91 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 76 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 113 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 36 | |
| 1991-92 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 82 | 21 | 50 | 71 | 173 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 30 | |
| 1992-93 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 74 | 20 | 35 | 55 | 119 | -1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 1993-94 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 73 | 13 | 32 | 45 | 96 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 1994-95 | Chicago Wolves | IHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 1995-96 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 1996-97 | St. Gabriel Blizzard | QSPHL | 36 | 30 | 53 | 83 | 63 | ||||||
| 1997-98 | St. Gabriel Blizzard | QSPHL | 33 | 33 | 49 | 82 | 77 | ||||||
| 1998-99 | Joliette Blizzard | QSPHL | 29 | 14 | 25 | 39 | 44 | ||||||
| 1999-00 | Joliette Blizzard | QSPHL | 7 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| 2000-01 | Joliette Mission | QSPHL | 36 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 41 | 22 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 44 | |
| 2001-02 | Joliette Mission | QSPHL | 39 | 14 | 27 | 41 | 74 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2002-03 | Sorel Royaux | QSPHL | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| 2002-03 | Granby Predateurs | QSPHL | 13 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
Source:[4]
Awards and honors
[edit]| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| ECAC East champion | 1986-87 | |
| ECAC East champion | 1987-88 | |
| ECAC East champion | 1988-89 | |
| Merrimack team MVP | 1988-89 | [6] |
| Merrimack athletics hall of fame | 2023 | |
| IHL | ||
| Tuner Cup champion | 1990-91 | |
| Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey | ||
| Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey champion | 2000-01 | |
References
[edit]- ^ "Championships". Merrimack College Athletics. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ a b McMahon, Mike. "Ron Anderson, Richard Pion elected to Merrimack Hall of Fame". www.themackreport.com. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ "Men's Ice Hockey Record Book (PDF)" (PDF). Merrimack College Athletics. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ a b "Richard Pion - Stats, Contract, Salary & More". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ Writer, Staff. "WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Richard Pion, Rivermen Hockey". Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
- ^ Merrimack hockey awards https://merrimackathletics.com/documents/2021/7/12/Men_s_Ice_Hockey_Record_Book_without_YBY.pdf