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November 16, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Johnstown Chiefs News Release


Johnstown, Pa. - The Johnstown Chiefs earned five out of a possible six points last week and continued to gain on the other teams in the East Division. This week, the Chiefs will look to keep the momentum going as they travel south to take on Charlotte and South Carolina.

Record: 3-6-3, 9 pts., 4th place East Division

Leaders:

Goals - Connor Shields: 6

Assists - Ryan Menei: 8

Points - Connor Shields: 11

+/- - Connor Shields/Troy Schwab: +4

PIMs - Trevor Hendrikx: 19

PPG - Connor Shields: 3

Wins - Shane Connelly: 2

GAA - Shane Connelly: 3.39

SVP - Kris Mayotte:.886

This Week:

11/20 & 11/21 at Charlotte, 7:00 p.m. - Home (0-0-0), Away (0-0-0)

Friday night's game will be Johnstown's first against the South Division this season as they make their annual southern swing. The Chiefs and Checkers did not play each other last season, but Johnstown did win the last meeting, 4-2, in Charlotte on December 7, 2007. That victory is the only one that Johnstown picked up against a South Division team away from the War Memorial in the last three seasons. All-time the Chiefs are 7-6-1 against the Checkers.

11/22 at South Carolina, 4:00 p.m. - Home (0-0-0), Away (0-0-0)

Johnstown's visit to the North Charleston Coliseum will be their first in nearly two years. The Chiefs closed out their southern trip with two games in Charleston on December 8 and 9, 2007. The Stingrays won those games by scores of 5-2 and 4-2. Those games combined with a 6-3 South Carolina win in Johnstown last season and the Chiefs are 0-3-1 in their last four against the Stingrays. Johnstown last beat South Carolina in Johnstown on October 24, 2007 by a 4-3 score in overtime. All-time Johnstown is 3-10-0 against South Carolina.

Day by Day:

Mon. 11/16: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Tues. 11/17: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Wed. 11/18: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Thurs. 11/19: Practice at Planet Ice or N. Cambria Rec Center, 10:00 a.m.

Fri. 11/20: Chiefs at Charlotte Checkers, 7:00 p.m.

Sat. 11/21: Chiefs at Charlotte Checkers, 7:00 p.m.

Sun. 11/22: Chiefs at S. Carolina Stingrays, 4:00 p.m.

Broadcast Schedule:

Fri. 11/20: Chiefs at Charlotte Checkers, 7:00 p.m. - internet only

Sat. 11/21: Chiefs at Charlotte Checkers, 7:00 p.m. - radio and internet

Sun. 11/22: Chiefs at S. Carolina Stingrays, 4:00 p.m.- internet only

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 or www.echl.com.

Last Week: (2-0-1)

11/11 vs. Reading: W 6-4

The Chiefs pushed their home winning streak against the Royals to eight games with a wild 6-4 win last Wednesday. The Chiefs held a 1-0 lead after one on a Mike Bartlett goal, and stretched the lead to 4-0 after two thanks to the efforts of Connor Shields, Matt Robinson, and Sean Berkstresser. Shields tallied on the power play while Berkstresser's shorthanded marker was the team's first of the season. In the third the Royals began to wrest control of the game with goals 49 seconds apart by Ben Gordon and Andrew Sarauer. Gordon would then get his second of the game a little more than eight minutes into the third, and Stefano Giliati tied it on a shorthanded goal with 4:09 remaining. The Chiefs were working on a five-minute power play for the remainder of the game because of a checking from behind major penalty issued to Olivier Labelle. Shields netted his second of the game for the game winner at 18:08, and then 34 seconds later Troy Schwab potted an empty-netter for insurance. The win was Johnstown's first home victory of the season.

11/13 vs. Wheeling: L 3-4 OT

On Friday night the Chiefs spotted Wheeling an early 1-0 lead on Thomas Beauregard's goal 1:20 in. But the generosity ended their as Moises Gutierrez tied it with his first of the season nine seconds later. The Chiefs took over in the second period building a 3-1 lead on goals by Troy Schwab (11:37, PPG) and Russ Sinkewich (13:01). For the second straight game, though, the Chiefs surrendered the third-period lead and the Nailers forced overtime with Blair Yaworski and Casey Pierro-Zabotel scoring their first goals of the season. Johnstown had control early in overtime, posting the first two shots, but were held at bay by Adam Berkhoel. With the game looking like it would move to a shootout, Joey Haddad netted the game winner with 52 seconds left to play. It was the second game in a row this season, and third overall, that the Nailers upended the Chiefs in overtime.

11/14 at Wheeling: W 6-5 OT

Saturday's finale of a home-and-home weekend between the Chiefs and Nailers was a power play bonanza. The Chiefs had their best effort, percentage-wise, of the season by going 2-for-3 with the extra attacker, while Wheeling went an efficient 3-for-7. Thomas Beauregard opened the scoring just 51 seconds into the game with a power play goal, but Moises Gutierrez notched his second of the season to answer at 7:44. The same two skaters traded late first period goals to leave things knotted at two after a period. Like the night before, the Chiefs seized control with a strong second period. Matt Robinson netted his third of the season 2:15 in and Trevor Hendrikx followed with a blast from the point at14:33. The Nailers stormed back with three in the third to take a 5-4 lead and put the Chiefs in a precarious position. Newcomer Chris Zarb wound up tying the game with 1:36 to play as he jammed home a rebound and allowed for Mike Bartlett to score the game winner with 2:05 gone by in overtime. It was Bartlett's first game winner of the season and allowed for Kris Mayotte to pick up his first win of the season.

CHIEFS CHOPS:

Scoring Streaks:

Goals:

M. Gutierrez; 2 gms (3G); 11/13-11/14

Assists:

M. Knight; 2 gms (2A); 11/7-11/11

C. Shields; 2 gms (5A); 11/13-11/14

J. Konkle; 2 gms (3A); 11/13-11/14

Points:

D. Collins; 2 gms (1G, 1A), 11/5-11/7

C. Shields; 4 gms (3G, 5A), 11/7-11/14

M. Knight; 2 gms (1G, 2A), 11/7-11/11

M. Gutierrez; 2 gms (3G); 11/13-11/14

C. Shields; 2 gms (5A); 11/13-11/14

J. Konkle; 2 gms (3A); 11/13-11/14

Quick Hits:

Johnstown has at least one PPG in its last four games (8-for-24, 33%) and is 2-0-2 in those games. Johnstown's win on Nov. 14 at Wheeling was its first of the season when the opponent scored first. On Nov. 14 Chris Zarb became the third Chief to post a point in his debut after being acquired in-season. Jim McKenzie scored a goal Oct. 30 at Trenton and Bryan Marshall had an assist Nov. 11 vs. Reading. Chiefs are 1-10-0 against the South Division away from Johnstown since 2006-07 season. Johnstown is averaging 4.4 goals per game over its five-game "unbeaten" streak (3-0-2).

Strong First Impression: The Chiefs' roster overhaul reached a head this week as forward Bryan Marshall was acquired in a trade that sent Ryan Del Monte to Cincinnati and defenseman Chris Zarb was picked up for future considerations in exchange from Gwinnett. Neither Zarb nor Marshall had a chance to practice with the team before their debuts, but that didn't keep them off of the scoresheet. Zarb had a key tying goal, his first of the season, with 1:36 left to play in Wheeling on Saturday, and Marshall helped set up Mike Bartlett's goal 8:54 into Wednesday's win over Reading. In-season acquisitions have accounted for nearly nine percent (15 of 169) of the team's points so far this season.

Nailbiters Abound: So far trough 2009-10 the Chiefs have shown a propensity for play close, dramatic games that go down to the final buzzer. Over their current five-game "unbeaten" streak (3-0-2) the Chiefs have had four games decided by one goal and three of them were decided in overtime. Overall, eight of the team's last nine games have been decided by one goal with the Chiefs sporting a record of 2-3-3 in those contests. You have to go back to Johnstown's 7-4 loss in Elmira on October 23 to find the last time the Chiefs had a game decided by more than two goals. The average margin of victory in Chiefs' games this season is just 1.5.

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