Johnstown, Pa. - Last week, the Johnstown Chiefs put to bed a season-long four-game road trip with three games over a span of four days. The Chiefs proved their mettle as road warriors as they won two of the three games and improved their road record on the season to 4-1-0. Next up for the Chiefs is a four-game stretch at the UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at the Cambria County War Memorial that begins with a pair this weekend against the Reading Royals.Record: 5-3-0, 10 pts., T-2nd place North Division
Leaders:
Goals - Randy Rowe: 5
Assists - Petr Pohl: 9
Points - Petr Pohl: 10
+/- - Chris Mueller/Kyle Bushee: +3
PIMs - Alex Penner: 36
PPG -Randy Rowe: 4
Wins - Ian Keserich/Kris Mayotte: 2
GAA - Kris Mayotte: 1.92
SVP - Kris Mayotte: .934
This Week:
11/7 & 11/8 vs. Reading, 7:05 p.m. - Home (0-0-0), Away (1-0-0)
The Chiefs' four-game home stand begins with a pair of contests against their in-state rival Reading Royals. The Chiefs began the season series with a 6-4 win against the Royals in their home opener on October 25. Johnstown's offense roared to life with a four-goal second period in that game, Petr Pohl had a team-high four points (4A), and rookie goalie Sebastian Dahm earned his first professional victory. The Chiefs will be looking to build on their two game winning streak after victories over Wheeling and Dayton to finish their four-game road trip. Reading is off to a shaky 2-4-0 start under new coach Jason Nobili, and the loss against the Chiefs started a three-game losing streak. The Royals rebounded to beat Idaho 6-2 for their first home win of the season on 11/1. The Chiefs were 2-3-0 against Reading at home last year.
Day by Day:
Mon. 11/3: Off
Tues. 11/4: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.
Wed. 11/5: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.
Thurs. 11/6: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.
Fri. 11/7: Chiefs vs. Reading Royals, 7:05 p.m. - Presidential Name/Look-a-Like Night
Sat. 11/8: Chiefs vs. Reading Royals, 7:05 p.m. - Bingo Night
Sun. 11/9: TBD
Broadcast Schedule:
Fri. 11/7: Chiefs vs. Reading Royals, 7:05 p.m. - internet; approx. 9:30 - radio (tape delay)
Sat. 11/8: Chiefs vs. Reading Royals, 7:05 p.m. - radio and internet
All Chiefs radio broadcasts can be heard on 1490 AM WNTJ and AM 990 WNTW, and live streaming audio of every Chiefs game is available courtesy of B2 Networks at www.johnstownchiefs.com. The Chiefs radio network is presented by Dodge.
Last Week: (2-1-0)
10/30 at Trenton: L 5-2
The Devils were able to end the Chiefs' string of victories at Sovereign Bank Arena that dated back to 12/27/07 with a 5-2 victory that was closer than the final score indicates. After a scoreless first period, the Chiefs and Devils traded goals 37 seconds and 24 seconds apart in the second and third periods, respectively. Trenton pulled away with three straight goals from Tyler Burton (PP; 5:58), Scott Bartlett (14:53), and Eric Castonguay (19:21; EN). Mike Bartlett and Jason Spence each picked up their first goals of the season for the Chiefs.
11/1 at Wheeling: W 3-2 (SO)
The Chiefs were faced with the tall task of slowing down the Nailers' high-flying offense on the road, and they passed the test with flying colors. Kris Mayotte got his first start of the season and made 38 saves in regulation, including a penalty shot from Tobias Holm, and five more in the shootout to help the Chiefs hold Wheeling to their lowest goal total of the season so far. Petr Pohl scored his first goal as a Chief on the power play and Randy Rowe added a PP goal as well that gave the Chiefs a brief 2-1 lead. Wheeling's Rob Sirianni scored nine seconds after Rowe's goal to eventually force overtime and the shootout. Choppy ice made things tough on the shooters but Pohl scored first for Johnstown, and Mike Bartlett provided the game winner in the sixth round.
11/2 at Dayton: W 4-2
Johnstown visited the Nutter Center last Sunday with a bit of revenge on its mind. Revenge because the Bombers beat the Chiefs 1-0 in Johnstown in the first meeting of the teams this season, and revenge because the Chiefs went 0-4-1 against Dayton in Ohio last season. The game played out almost perfectly for the Chiefs as Andrew Sarauer scored his first pro goal shorthanded, and Randy Rowe added his team-leading fourth power play goal to give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead before the first was 10 minutes old. Dayton came back with goals from Justin Bowers (11:18; 1st) and Mike McLean (1:41; 2nd) to tie the game. Johnstown was unfazed, though, as the combination of Jon Landry from Matt Robinson and Ryan Del Monte cashed in twice in the second to set the final. Landry scored his third of the year at 4:39 of the second, and added an insurance goal on the power play at 15:13. Kris Mayotte earned his second straight win as he made 19 saves.
CHIEFS CHOPS:
Scoring Streaks:
Goals:
- Randy Rowe; 2 games (2G) - 11/1-11/2
Assists:
- Ray Macias; 3 games (4A) - 10/30-11/2
Points:
- Randy Rowe; 2 games (2G) - 11/1-11/2
- Ray Macias; 4 games (1G, 4A) - 10/25-11/2
And the Nominees Are: Two Johnstown Chiefs have been nominated for weekly awards in the ECHL. Goalie Kris Mayotte is up for Goaltender of the Week honors after posting a 2-0-0 record, a 1.92 goals against average, and a .934 save percentage. Also, defenseman Ray Macias is in the running for Player of the Week honors. The defenseman from Long Beach, CA had four assists in three games last week, and with a goal against Reading on 10/25 has a four-game point streak, the longest for the Chiefs so far this season.
Road Kings: The Chiefs were tested in the early portion of this season with five of their first eight games away from the confines of the UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at the Cambria County War Memorial. The team rose to the challenge, though, and holds an impressive 4-1-0 road record. With the strong start on the road, the Chiefs narrowly missed tying an old team record. The longest road winning streak in team history is five games and was set in 1993-94, and then equaled in 2001-02. Johnstown will have plenty more cracks at that mark, including two more four-game road trips that feature three-game sets in Cincinnati.
Any Fingernails Left?: There haven't been many, if any, instances where Chiefs fans were able to feel comfortable during a game so far this season. Every game that Johnstown has been involved in has had a slim margin of victory. In the Chiefs' five wins, they are averaging a 1.6 goal margin of victory and a 2.0 goal differential in their three defeats.
Andrew's a Killer: Chiefs rookie forward Andrew Sarauer's 6'4, 205-pound frame makes him hard to miss on the ice. Recently he's found a way to make himself stand out even more; by becoming a strong penalty killer. Sarauer has helped the Chiefs to an 84.3 percent conversion rate on the PK so far, which is eighth in the ECHL, but he has also become a scoring threat shorthanded. Sarauer earned his first pro point by assisting on Mark McCutcheon's shorthanded goal 10/25 at Reading, and then scored his first pro goal on a shorthanded breakaway 11/2 at Dayton.
Defense First: They say that defense wins championships, and if that's the case the Chiefs are in great shape. It's still early but the Chiefs rank fifth in the ECHL, and first in the American Conference in goals-against average. They've been allowing a paltry 2.75 goals per game. The defense has been strong from the blue line on back, and the Chiefs' goalies are reaping the rewards. Kris Mayotte ranks seventh in the league with a 1.92 GAA and Ian Keserich is 13th with a 2.62 GAA.
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