GLENDALE, ARIZONA --- Arizona Sting General Manager and Head Coach Bob Hamley announced Tuesday the retirement of veteran defenseman Mark Cochrane.
"Mark has been a tremendous asset to our organization and he will be missed," said Hamley. "We wish Mark, his wife Nancy, and son Jordan all the best in the future."
Cochrane played in seven NLL seasons for Buffalo, Albany, and Arizona. The 39-year old native of Owen Sound, Ontario played the last two seasons with the Sting, registering 28GP-5G-17A-22P during his tenure in the Valley of the Sun. His game-winning goal against the Calgary Roughnecks in the West Division Championship last season sent the Sting to their first Champion's Cup appearance in franchise history.
"I have mixed emotions about retiring," Cochrane said from his home in Ontario. "It's going to be nice to be able to spend more time with my family and focus on my career, but I'm really going to miss the camaraderie of the locker room. I'm also going to miss the fans in Arizona. The sport was just starting to take off in the desert last season, and I know that the fan base will keep growing and developing as the Sting continue to do well. This is a bittersweet day for me."
In 79 career games, Cochrane totaled 12G-47A-59P; he also scooped up 348 career loose balls. In his four career playoff appearances, the 6'2", 180 lb. defender registered 8GP-2G-5A-7P-26LB. A teacher of special needs children in Ontario, Cochrane originally signed with the Buffalo Bandits as a free agent in 1993. He was a member of the 1996 Bandits team that captured the NLL (then MILL) Championship. A graduate of Sir Wilfred Laurier University, Cochrane scored the title-winning goal for the Ontario Lacrosse Association's Brampton Excelsiors at the 1998 Mann Cup.
The Arizona Sting is a professional indoor lacrosse team playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). In only their second season in Arizona (after re-locating from Columbus, Ohio), the Sting finished the 2005 season with a 9-7 regular-season record prior to going on to win the West Division Championship before losing to the Toronto Rock in the Champion's Cup Final (NLL title game).
For more information, please call (623) 842-GOAL or visit ArizonaSting.com.
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2005 6:51 pm