(Courtesy of the Laredo Bucks) LAREDO, Texas – The 2005 Southern Conference Champion Laredo Bucks announced today live on the air at KGNS-TV on Pro8news that they have signed defenseman Serge Dube to a contract for the 2005-06 CHL season. Dube is an original Buck dating back to the first year of the franchise in 2002-03 and is the Bucks’ all-time leader in games played.

Dube, 5’11” 200-pounds, has played in 155 games for the Bucks. He began last year oversees in England with the Bracknell Bees however he returned to the Gateway City last November. Injuries limited him to 32 games with the Bucks where he totaled four goals and 12 assists. Despite struggling with injuries for the first time in his career he made a major impact on the ice.

When he returned from an extended stint on the IR on February 23rd, the Bucks were 23-22-2. Despite suffering a severely broken nose in just his third game back he continued playing. With Dube in the lineup down the stretch the team finished 12-0-1 and captured both the Southeast Division title and the top seed in the Southern Conference playoffs.

“Serge is a leader,” said Bucks head coach Terry Ruskowski. “He gets along well with everyone in the locker room. He works hard in practices and in games, plus he shows the versatility to play both forward and defense for us. Our winning percentage was much higher with him in the lineup last season.”

In the playoffs Dube, a native of Sudbury, Ontario, added a goal and seven assists as he helped the Bucks reach the President’s Cup Finals for the second straight season. His goal came with less than seven minutes to play in Game Seven of the first round against San Angelo and forced the game to overtime.

“It is good to be back,” Dube said. “I love playing in Laredo. I love the people in Laredo and I love playing for them. I can’t wait to get the season started; it has been a long summer already.”

Dube had a spectacular 2003-04 season scoring a career high 18 goals and adding 50 assists in 59 regular season game and was selected to the Southern Conference All-Star team. The Bucks went 48-8-8, posting the best winning percentage in CHL history at .814 %. In the playoffs he had a goal and 10 assists as the Bucks captured the 2004 President’s Cup. His goal came in the third period of Game Seven of the Finals and forced the game to overtime.

In 2002-03 he played in all 64 regular season games and had 10 goals and 36 assists as he helped the expansion Bucks win 41 games. In the post-season he had two goals and four assists as the Bucks reached the Southern Conference Finals.

In three years with the Bucks he is plus 81 overall and was plus or even in 28 of 32 games played this past season.