Watertown, SD — Watertown Shamrocks veteran forward and captain Zach Boren formally announced his commitment today to continue playing college hockey with the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Rebels at the ACHA – Division 1 level.
“I chose UNLV because of how they treat their players,” Boren said of his choice to join the Rebels. “To me, they have a Division 1 feel and the possibility of going Division 1 in the future, which was big for me. I’m excited for the overall experience that they offer with the culture they have there, and the nice weather is obviously a nice bonus.”
Boren joined the Shamrocks in their inaugural season and points in a Shamrocks sweater. His game and production took a significant leap in his age-out season this past year. The North Dakota product scored a team high 29 goals and 57 points to become the first full-season point-per-game player in franchises young history.
“Zach has been a consistent producer and leader for us each of the past two seasons,” Shamrocks Head Coach and General Manager Casey Kirley said. “He came to Watertown as a veteran player and used his past junior experience to be a great leader for our group. He has worked tirelessly to grow his game, as evidenced by his offensive output this past season. We wish Zach all the best as he continues his career at UNLV.”
Boren’s final junior season was cut short due to a late season injury; however, he finished his North American Hockey League tenure with 150 career games played (102 with Watertown, 36 with New Mexico, and two with Corpus Christi) and 97 points. He is the Shamrocks franchise leader in total points (79) and goals (36) and holds the single season records for goals (29) and points (57) both set in his final year with the Shamrocks.
The UNLV Rebels program is led by head coach Anthony Vignieri-Greener who has been behind the bench since 2015. This past season, the Rebels closed out a 27-6-0-1 record in the Western Collegiate Hockey League and finished as the fourth ranked team in the country.