ECHL ECHL

Alaska, Victoria Battle In West

December 15, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Winning five games in a row and going 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, Victoria has improved to 16-9-2 and moved into first place in the West Division with 34 points, one point ahead of Alaska (16-8-1) and four points in front of Idaho (14-10-2).

The Salmon Kings host Alaska on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday while Idaho returns home to host Bakersfield on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

It is the second meeting of the season between the top two teams as Alaska took two out of three games at Victoria in November to improve to 17-5-3 on the road and 32-10-4 overall against the Salmon Kings. Alaska won 6-3 on Nov. 19 and 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 22 while the Salmon Kings won 3-1 on Nov. 21.

Colin Hemingway leads Alaska against Victoria with three goals and six points in three games while the Salmon Kings are led offensively by Olivier Filion (2g-3a) and Dan Gendur (1g-4a).

Victoria posted back-to-back shutouts with a 2-0 win against Bakersfield on Dec. 9 and a 7-0 win against Phoenix on Dec. 12 and did not allow a goal for a team record 169:28 from Dec. 7-14. Victoria's Julien Ellis is 3-0-0 with a shutout and a goals-against average of 1.00 in his last three starts to improve to 4-1-0 and lower his goals-against average to 1.41 while teammate Todd Ford is 2-0-0 with a shutout and a goals-against average of 1.00 in his last two starts and 6-5-0 with a goals-against average of 2.35.

Alaska rookie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux is 2-1-0 with a shutout and a goals-against average of 1.01 in his last three starts to improve to 13-6-1 with a goals-against average of 2.24. He leads the league in wins and is tied for the lead with three shutouts while ranking second in minutes with 1,204 and fifth in save percentage with 927 and goals-against average with 2.24.

Victoria's Wes Goldie leads the league with 19 goals after three goals on Sunday. He is trying to become only the second player in history to lead the ECHL in goals in back-to-back seasons joining Andrew Williamson of Toledo, who had 63 goals in 1999-2000 and 52 goals in 2000-01.

Colin Hemingway of Alaska leads the ECHL with 35 points and he is tied with teammate Cam Keith, who is tied for fourth with 30 points, for the league lead with 22 assists.

Dylan Yeo of Victoria leads ECHL defensemen with eight goals, 17 assists and 25 points while Alaska's Matt Shasby is second with 15 assists and 20 points. Bryan Miller of Alaska is third among blueliners with 18 points and tied for fourth with 13 assists while the Salmon Kings' Matt Kelly is tied for fourth with five goals and 17 points.

Alaska leads the league on the penalty kill with 90.2 percent (129-for-143) and is tied for the league lead for fewest shorthand goals allowed with one. Alaska is second in the league in goals-against average with 2.28 while Victoria is third with 2.33. The Aces are 13-0-0-0 when leading after two periods while Victoria is 11-0-1.

National Conference - West Division

Alaska Aces

* Alaska was shut out for the first time this season in 1-0 loss to Idaho on Sunday.

* Colin Hemingway and Cam Keith are tied for the league lead with 22 assists.

* Alaska plays at Victoria on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Idaho Steelheads

* Steve Gainey leads the team with 25 points (10g-15a) in 26 games.

* Rookie Matt Climie is 4-1-0 with a shutout and a shootout win in his last five starts.

* Steelheads host Bakersfield on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Phoenix RoadRunners

* RoadRunners are 7-0-2 in one-goal games including 1-1 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts.

* Ashton Rome has eight goals and 13 points in his last 10 games.

* RoadRunners host Utah on Thursday and Friday and play at Ontario on Saturday.

Utah Grizzlies

* Michael Mole has started 21 games in a row and has allowed three goals or less in nine of his last 11 starts.

* Rookie defenseman Tim Maxwell scored a goal in his first two professional games on Dec. 9 and 12.

* Grizzlies play at Phoenix on Thursday and Friday and at Las Vegas on Saturday.

Victoria Salmon Kings

* Salmon Kings did not allow a goal for a team record 169:28 last week.

* Wes Goldie had a hat trick on Sunday and is first Salmon King to score 100 goals (102).

* Salmon Kings play at Alaska on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

National Conference - Pacific Division

Bakersfield Condors

* Condors have scored four power-play goals in their last 11 chances (36.3 percent).

* Mike Wirll has three points (1g-2a) in two games since being acquired from Trenton on Nov. 27.

* Condors play at Idaho on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Fresno Falcons

* Falcons' 17 wins lead the National Conference and are second in the league.

* Jarrett Konkle leads the league in December with eight goals and is tied for second with 10 points in nine games.

* Falcons host Stockton on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

Las Vegas Wranglers

* Wranglers are second in the ECHL on the penalty kill with 89.4 percent (135-for-151).

* John DeCaro is 6-1-0 with a goals-against average of 1.93 in eight games.

* Wranglers host Ontario on Monday and Friday and Utah on Saturday.

Ontario Reign

* Reign are third in the ECHL on the power play with 20.8 percent (31-for-149).

* Rookie John Murray is 5-0-0 with a shutout and a goals-against average of 1.18 in his last five starts.

* Reign play at Las Vegas on Monday and Friday and host Phoenix on Saturday and Stockton on Sunday.

Stockton Thunder

* Thunder lead the league in attendance with 7,048 per game.

* Mike Lalonde has 121 points (59g-62a) and needs three points to become Thunder's all-time leading scorer.

* Thunder play at Fresno on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday and at Ontario on Sunday.

American Conference - South Division

Charlotte Checkers

* Mike Bayrack has a five-game assist streak (7a) and a five-game point streak (0g-7a).

* Rookie Matthew Ford has a point in all nine of his games with the Checkers (9g-5a).

* Checkers host Elmira on Wednesday, Gwinnett on Friday and South Carolina on Saturday.

Florida Everblades

* Everblades are second in the league on the power play with 25.3 percent (39-for-154).

* Kevin Baker is third in the league with 17 goals and 31 points in 21 games.

* Everblades play at Mississippi on Tuesday and Wednesday and host Mississippi on Friday and Saturday.

Gwinnett Gladiators

* Gladiators set league season high with 62 shots in 4-2 loss at Mississippi on Saturday.

* Gwinnett is 10-7-4 when it out shoots its opponent.

* Gladiators host Elmira on Tuesday and Sunday and play at Charlotte on Friday.

Mississippi Sea Wolves

* Sea Wolves are 8-0-1 when leading after two periods.

* Rookie Ryan Cruthers leads the ECHL in December with 11 points (3g-8a) in six games.

* Sea Wolves host Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday and play at Florida on Friday and Saturday.

South Carolina Stingrays

* Stingrays lead the league on the power play with 27.2 percent (31-for-114).
* Michal Neuvirth (1.74) and Bobby Goepfert (1.87) are first and second in goals-against average.

* Stingrays host Elmira on Friday and Saturday and play at Charlotte on Sunday.

American Conference - North Division

Cincinnati Cyclones

* Cyclones have second-highest attendance increase in professional hockey at 30.5 percent.

* Cincinnati has gone past regulation a league-high eight times and is 1-2 in overtime and 3-2 in shootouts.

* Cyclones play at Dayton on Friday and host Dayton on Saturday.

Dayton Bombers

* Bombers are 9-1-3 in one-goal games including 1-1 in overtime and 0-2 in shootouts.

* Dayton is 4-1-1 against the South Division after two wins against Charlotte.

* Bombers host Cincinnati on Friday and play at Cincinnati on Saturday.

Elmira Jackals

* Jackals are 8-3-3 in one-goal games including 2-0 in overtime and 2-3 in shootouts.

* Chris Korchinski leads the Jackals in December with five goals and eight points in seven games.

* Jackals play at Gwinnett on Tuesday and Sunday, at Charlotte on Wednesday and at South Carolina on Friday and Saturday.

Johnstown Chiefs
* Chiefs lead the ECHL with 18 wins and 37 points.

* Johnstown is 13-0-0 when leading after two periods.

* Chiefs play at Wheeling on Friday and host Wheeling on Saturday.

Reading Royals

* Max Taylor scored the 17th hat trick in Royals team history in Friday's 3-2 win against Elmira.

* Peder Skinner has scored a point (2g-7a) in six of the seven games since being acquired from Phoenix.
* Royals play at Trenton on Friday and Saturday.

Trenton Devils

* Devils set team record for penalty kills in a game going 11-for-11 on Sunday at Elmira.

* Trenton is fifth in the league on the power play with 19.7 percent (26-for-132).

* Devils host Reading on Friday and Saturday and play at Wheeling on Sunday.

Wheeling Nailers

* Nailers are 26-for-27 (96.3 percent) on the penalty kill in their last five games.

* Wheeling has four of the top five plus-minus ratings including league leaders Mitch Ganzak and Rob Sirianni at +19.

* Nailers host Johnstown on Friday and Trenton on Sunday and play at Johnstown on Saturday.

Watch Games Live on B2 Networks, the "Official Broadband Broadcast Provider" of the ECHL



Premier 'AA' Hockey League Fast Facts

- The ECHL celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08 and is the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

- ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league with 22 teams in 16 states and British Columbia in 2008-09.

- The Reading Royals, the City of Reading and the Sovereign Center will host the 17th Annual ECHL All-Star Game on Jan. 21, 2009 and the 12th Annual All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 20, 2009.

- The league officially changed its name from East Coast Hockey League to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

- Affiliations with 24 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League marking 12th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

- 382 former ECHL players have played in NHL.

- 126 have played their first NHL game in the last four seasons.

- 27 former ECHL players have made their NHL debut this season: former Wheeling Nailers and ECHL All-Star defenseman Paul Bissonnette (Pittsburgh on Oct. 4), former Bakersfield Condors center Alexandre Bolduc (Vancouver on Nov. 27), former Florida Everblades defenseman Brett Carson (Carolina on Dec. 7), former South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Sean Collins (Washington on Dec. 6), former Las Vegas Wranglers and Wheeling Nailers goaltender John Curry (Pittsburgh on Nov. 26), former Greenville Grrrowl goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (Edmonton on Oct. 17), former Johnstown Chiefs center Andre Deveaux (Toronto on Nov. 27), former Dayton Bombers center Philippe Dupuis (Colorado on Dec. 12), former Gwinnett Gladiators right wing Pat Dwyer former Columbus Cottonmouths and Tallahassee Tiger Sharks left wing Mitch Fritz (New York Islanders on Oct. 30), former Charlotte Checkers center Dwight Helminen (Carolina on Oct. 28), former Trenton Devils right wing Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (New Jersey on Oct. 22), former Charlotte Checkers defenseman Steve MacIntyre (Edmonton on Oct. 15), former Florida Everblades left wing Kenndal McArdle (Florida on Dec. 2), former Phoenix RoadRunners and Wheeling Nailers center Cam Paddock (St. Louis on Nov. 14), former Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Adam Pardy (Calgary on Oct. 9), former Idaho Steelheads left wing Warren Peters (Calgary on Dec. 7), former Charlotte Checkers defenseman Corey Potter (New York Rangers on Dec. 7), former Charlotte Checkers, Columbia Inferno and Elmira Jackals defenseman Bryan Rodney (Carolina on Dec. 11), former Gwinnett Gladiators center Jared Ross (Philadelphia on Oct. 11), former Alaska Aces goaltender Marek Schwarz (St. Louis on Oct. 25), former Greenville Grrrowl and Stockton Thunder center Tim Sestito (Edmonton on Nov. 26), former Dayton Bombers and Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Tyler Sloan (Washington on Oct. 21), former Johnstown Chiefs and Mississippi Sea Wolves forward Radek Smolenak (Tampa Bay on Dec. 2), former Augusta Lynx defenseman Brett Skinner (New York Islanders on Oct. 27), former Wheeling Nailers right wing Tim Wallace (Pittsburgh on Dec. 10) and former Idaho Steelheads center Tom Wandell (Dallas on Dec. 10).

- There were 72 former ECHL players on NHL opening-day rosters.

- Twenty-six former ECHL players made their NHL debut in 2007-08 including six who played in both the ECHL and the NHL: Chris Beckford-Tseu (Alaska and St. Louis), Adam Berti (Pensacola and Chicago), Joe Jensen (Wheeling and Carolina), Dan LaCosta (Elmira and Columbus), Jonathan Quick (Reading and Los Angeles) and Danny Taylor (Reading and Los Angeles).

- Record 47 former ECHL players played their first NHL game in 2005-06.

- ECHL is represented for the eighth consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team in 2008 by Aaron Downey of the Detroit Red Wings.

- Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals and Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders. Boudreau, who coached Mississippi for three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999, was named NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach to receive the award. Peter Laviolette, who began his coaching career with the Wheeling Nailers, led Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006.

- There are 18 assistant coaches in the NHL who were players or coaches in the ECHL.

- There are 18 former ECHL officials scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2008-09 with referees David Banfield, Chris Ciamaga, Ghislain Hebert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre and Ian Walsh and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers. Barton, Joannette, Leggo, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock, Rooney and Sharrers all worked the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

- ECHL has affiliations with 23 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League and for the past 19 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup Champion.

- In the last six seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,000 call-ups involving more than 1,000 players since 2002-03.

- Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

Check out the ECHL Statistics



ECHL Stories from December 15, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central