Bandits go perfect for week

March 25, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Jackson Bandits News Release


BANDITS RESULTS – 34-26-9 record, 77 pts., 4th place, Southwest Division (19-13-2 home, 15-13-7 away)
Wednesday, March 20 BANDITS 4, Arkansas 0 – Kory Karlander – 1 goal, 2 assists; Andrew Allen – 25 saves
Friday, March 22 BANDITS 4, Pensacola 1 – Richard Pitirri – 2 goals; Chris Bogas – 2 assists
Saturday, March 23 BANDITS 4, Mobile 3 (OT) – Bogdan Rudenko – 2 goals; Karlander – 3 assists
Home team in CAPS

BANDITS IN ACTION –
Tuesday, March 26 Bandits at Louisiana IceGators (53-12-4, 110 pts., 1st, Southwest Div.) – 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday, March 27 Bandits vs. Mississippi Sea Wolves (38-25-5, 81 pts., 2nd, Southwest Div.) – 7 p.m.
Friday, March 29 Bandits vs. Louisiana IceGators (53-12-4, 110 pts., 1st, Southwest Div.) – 7 p.m.

BANDITS ON THE RADIO – The Bandits are once again teaming up with ESPN Radio 930 to broadcast all 72 Bandits regular season games. Mike Sheehan returns as Voice of the Bandits to bring you the play-by-play action. The NEXTEL PreGame Show begins 15 minutes before each face-off.

CHALK TALK – Don't forget that Chalk Talk with Derek Clancey airs live this Thursday on ESPN Radio 930 on location at Buffalo Wild Wings on Spillway Rd. in Ridgeland from 7 to 8 p.m. Join coach Clancey and Mike Frazer and a special Bandits player each week to catch up on the latest happenings with your Bandits! Please note that the show is moving to Thursday because of the Bandits' game on Wednesday.

BANDITS RECAP –
BANDITS 4, ARKANSAS 0 – Kory Karlander and Mike Oliveira scored just 48 seconds apart in the third period to break open a 1-0 game and lift the Bandits to a 4-0 shutout of the RiverBlades. Nick Theriault broke a scoreless deadlock with a goal at 15:26 of the second period. Bogdan Rudenko added a late goal for the Bandits. Karlander finished with a goal and two assists while Rudenko had a goal and assist. Andrew Allen stopped all 25 shots for his first shutout of the season. BANDITS 4, PENSACOLA 1 – Another tight game going into the third period produced another Bandits win. This time, Richard Pitirri scored twice in a 1:34 span to break a 1-1 tie. Tim Green had a power play goal for the Bandits. Kory Karlander added an empty net goal and an assist, while Mike Oliveira and Chris Bogas each recorded a pair of helpers. Mike Tamburro stopped 32 of 33 shots in goal for the win. BANDITS 4, MOBILE 3 (OT) – Bogdan Rudenko scored his second goal of the game with 1:58 left in overtime to give the Bandits a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Mysticks. Ryan Mougenel forced the extra time when he tied the game with 1:19 left in the third period. Chris Longo had a goal and assist for the Bandits while Kory Karlander chipped in three helpers. Mike Tamburro made 24 saves for his third straight win in goal. The win gave the Bandits a seven-game sweep of the Mysticks in the season series, although the last six games were decided by a single goal, three in overtime and one in the shootout.

BANDITS MATCH-UPS –
LOUISIANA – The Bandits are 3-2-3 against the IceGators this season heading into two games this week, including Tuesday's battle at the Cajundome. With Saturday's win in Florida, the IceGators have set a new ECHL record for most points in a season, breaking the mark set by the Everblades two seasons ago. The league's top offensive team has three players in the top 20 in scoring – Jay Murphy (37g-36a-73pts), Cory Cyrenne (27g-46a-73pts) and Shawn McNeil (31g-40a-71pts). Murphy's 37 goals are fourth in the league. Defensively, goalie Frederic Cloutier (27-5-3, 1.89 GAA) and Marc Magliarditi (26-7-1, 2.30 GAA) among the league's top five netminders. MISSISSIPPI – The Sea Wolves have a two-point advantage (11 points to 9) in the Cellular South Cup heading into Wednesday's finale. The Bandits will win the Cup if they win Wednesday's game in regulation based on goal differential. Anything else will give Mississippi the title. The Sea Wolves now have the ECHL's third-ranked offense, led by Steffon Walby (39g-47a-86pts), who is tied for third, and Francois Fortier (31g-51a-82pts), who is tied for fifth. Goalie Luc Belanger (6-2-1, 2.77 GAA) recently returned from Quebec of the AHL. Fellow rookie Colin Zulianello (15-10-1, 3.13 GAA) will likely split the chores with Belanger. SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK –
Tuesday, March 26 – Practice 10:30-11:30 a.m. Mississippi Coliseum
Game at Louisiana – 7:05 p.m. Cajundome, Lafayette, La.
Wednesday, March 27 – Practice 10-11 a.m. Mississippi Coliseum
Game vs. Mississippi – 7 p.m. Mississippi Coliseum
Thursday, March 28 – Practice 10:30 a.m.-12 noon Mississippi Coliseum
Friday, March 29 – Practice 10-11 a.m. Mississippi Coliseum
Game vs. Louisiana – 7 p.m. Mississippi Coliseum
Saturday, March 30 – Practice TBA Mississippi Coliseum
Sunday, March 31 – OFF

FOUR'S THE SCORE – The Bandits have scored four goals in each of their last three games, all victories. They are now 18-1-0 this season when finding the back of the net four or more times. On the other end of the ice, they are 25-1-3 when allowing two goals or less.

ALLEN TO GRIZZLIES – Goalie Andrew Allen was recalled by the AHL's Utah Grizzlies on Thursday, less than 24 hours after recording his first shutout with the Bandits. Allen is 3-2-1 in six games with the Bandits, posting a 2.29 GAA and .926 save percentage. This is his second stint of the season with the Grizzlies, having started one game against Manitoba on Jan. 18, making 36 saves.

BANDITS BITES – The Bandits are 16-4-1 in their last 21 home games, including 5-1-0 in their recent six-game homestand... Two of Bogdan Rudenko's four goals with the Bandits have been overtime game-winners... Kory Karlander has eight points (2g-6a) and a +5 rating in his last three games... Rookie Nick Theriault recorded his first goal at home in Wednesday's 4-0 win over Arkansas... It was also his first game-winner as a professional... The Bandits are fifth in the ECHL defensively, allowing 2.75 goals per game... The Chicago Blackhawks, the Bandits' NHL affiliate, currently have a record of 36-23-12-1 and 85 points, good enough for second place in the NHL's Central Division after yesterday's 4-3 overtime win over archrival St. Louis... The Blackhawks are tied with Los Angeles for the fourth seed in the Western Conference... The Norfolk Admirals, the Bandits' AHL affiliate, have maintained first place in the AHL's Southern Division with a 34-24-12-4 record and 84 points... The Admirals have won six in a row after yesterday's 4-0 win in Philadelphia... They have clinched a playoff spot and currently hold the second seed in the Western Conference.

ONE IS THE NUMBER – The Bandits need to earn one point over their final three games or have Mobile lose any of their four remaining games (regulation or overtime/shootout) to earn a trip to the Kelly Cup playoffs for the second straight season. The Bandits trail Pensacola by three points for third place in the Southwest Division. However, the Bandits have three games remaining while Pensacola has just one.

OTHER NOTES – In a strange twist, the Bandits will have played their three games before Pensacola visits Mobile on Saturday. In another strange scheduling quirk, New Orleans finishes their season on Saturday at Augusta. The teams have not met so far this season, but did meet during the playoffs the past two campaigns.



ECHL Stories from March 25, 2002


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.

OurSports Central