Barons Weekly Report

February 23, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release


Flashback... The Barons began their week on a winning note in Utah. Cleveland was victorious in a rare Monday matinee by a score of 2-1 over the Grizzlies. Seamus Kotyk made several key saves along the way as he gained his 10th win of the season. Trailing 1-0 heading into the third period, the Barons came out with all guns blazing. The Barons managed 2 goals on 17 shots during the stanza. Jon DiSalvatore and Jesse Fibiger scored the goals for the Barons. The Barons killed a 5-minute major in the second period and only allowed one Utah shot during the disadvantage... The Barons then began a 3-games-in-3-nights stretch on Thursday night in Toronto. The Barons were defeated by the Toronto Roadrunners 4-1. Christian Ehrhoff, in his first game back in a Barons uniform, scored the Barons lone goal. Garrett Stafford assisted on the tally. The loss snapped Seamus Kotyk's four game road winning streak... With no rest for the weary, the Barons arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland just 5 hours before face-off on Friday. The Barons got out to a fast start taking a 3-1 lead against the Maple Leafs. Brad Boyes started the Barons by scoring the game's first goal. After the Maple Leafs tied the game at 1, Tavis Hansen and David Cloutier buried goals on back-to-back power play opportunities for the Barons. St. John's then proceeded to overwhelm goaltender Nolan Schaefer with 20 shots in the third period. The Maple Leafs were able to connect on two of those shots to send the game to overtime. The Barons had two great scoring opportunities in the extra frame, but St. John's was up to the task and the game ended in a 3-3 tie... The Barons, frustrated by not gaining two points the night before, came out a house a fire on Saturday night. The Barons tallied an AHL season high 5 first period goals. Brad Boyes scored two of the Barons first four goals against his former mates. On the night, Boyes recorded 2 goals and 1 assist. In the season series against the Maple Leafs, Boyes totaled 7 goals and 5 assists in 8 games. Tomas Plihal recorded the first multi-point game of his career by assisting on 3 of the Barons first 4 goals. Seamus Kotyk avenged the Thursday road loss by stopping 39 shots on the night to lead the Barons to a 6-1 victory. Jon DiSalvatore, Jesse Fibiger, Miroslav Zalesak, and Garrett Stafford each scored a goal in the contest (along with Boyes' two). The victory concluded the season series with the Maple Leafs in which the Barons posted an impressive 6-1-1-0 record.

Coming Up... The Barons will host an important three-games-in-three-nights series at Gund Arena beginning Friday. After coming off a 2-2-1-0 road trip, the Barons will host the North Division leading Hamilton Bulldogs on Friday night. The Barons sit just 8 points behind the Bulldogs in second place of the North. With four games left on the schedule with Hamilton, first place in the North can be had by sweeping the rest of the season series. Another factor weighing in the Barons favor is games played. The Barons have two games in hand, as Hamilton has played 58 games this season to the Barons 56. On the season, the Barons are 2-3-0-1 against Hamilton. Patrick Rissmiller has been the spark for the Barons against Hamilton this season. In his six games against them, he has totaled 4 goals and 4 assists for a series high 8 points. Eric Fichaud, Hamilton's goaltender, has been quite a test for the Barons this season. Fichaud leads the Bulldogs with a 2-0 record against the Barons with a 1.99 goals against average... The Barons will continue their 3-in-3 against the Rochester Americans on Saturday night at 7pm. Rochester is tied for fourth place of the North Division, just 6 points behind the Barons. The Barons must remain in the top three divisional spots to gain a first round bye in the playoffs. The Barons and Americans season series is dead-knot at 2-2-2-0. Seamus Kotyk has been amazing against Rochester this season but his record stands at just 1-0-2 against the North Division rivals. Kotyk owns a minute .95 goals against average and an impressive .973 save percentage against Rochester this season. He has shutout the Americans once this season. In fact, both Barons victories against Rochester this season have come via shutout. Dimitri Patzold also blanked the Americans this season. In a defensive series, Miroslav Zalesak has provided the offensive spark against the Americans this season. He has scored 3 goals and registered 2 assists in the 6 games thus far. In the series, 6 of Rochester's 12 goals have come via the power play, where they are converting at an 18.8% rate against the Barons in 2003-04... The Barons will conclude their 3-in-3 against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks on Sunday evening. The Barons hold a 1-0-0-0 series advantage in the Labatt Blue Cup, the first time the Barons and Mighty Ducks will play for a state title. Brad Boyes and Miroslav Zalesak matched each other when both recorded 1 goal and 1 assist in the Barons 3-2 victory against the Mighty Ducks on January 25th. Seamus Kotyk earned the victory by stopping 27 shots. This game marks the first of 7 meetings between the two teams before season end intensifying the Labatt Blue Cup as each team vies for a playoff spot.

Barons Player of the Week... The Cleveland Barons Player of the Week is goaltender Seamus Kotyk. Kotyk posted a 2-1 record on the week while posting a 1.69 goals against average and a .944 save percentage. Kotyk's excellent performance on the road has helped the Barons to one of the league's top record away from home. On the season, Kotyk has a 9-3-3 record with a 2.10 GAA and a .941 save percentage on the road. Kotyk turned away .966 percent of shot faced in the all-important third period during the week (28/29).

Interesting Statistics Of The Week... The Barons have recorded seven consecutive weeks of.500 or better hockey. Last week, the Barons posted a 2-1-1-0 record for a 62.5% winning percentage. Over the last seven weeks, the Barons are now 12-6-1-1 with a .650 winning percentage. The .650 winning percentage since January 5th is the best in the North Division. Toronto and Hamilton have been hot over that time as well. Toronto has a .643 winning percentage and Hamilton owns a .639 mark over the same span. Syracuse isn't far off the trail either posting a winning percentage of .614.

Big Winners... The Barons were .500 (4-4-3-3) 14 games into the season. Since then, the Barons have gained a point in 64.3% of games (27/42). The Barons are 23-15-2-2 for a .595 winning percentage during that span.

Resiliency Reigns... The Barons have not lost in regulation in back-to-back games this season. In games following a loss in regulation, the Barons have proved resilient posting a 15-0-2-2 record.

Promising Pair... Miroslav Zalesak and Brad Boyes are the only two teammates that have 50+ points this season. Their 120 points are the most between a pair of teammates. Manchester's Pavel Rosa and Steve Kelly are the second most productive tandem as they share 105 points.

Top Barons... Miroslav Zalesak has now recorded at least one point in 28 out of the last 34 games. During the span, Zalesak has recorded 42 points on 22 goals and 20 assists. Zalesak, with 64 points, currently holds a 5-point lead in the AHL scoring race over Hershey's Eric Perrin. Miro's 30 goals are first in the AHL and his 34 assists are tied for fourth. He has registered a point in 73.2% of the Barons games this season (41/56). The Barons are 22-10-4-5 in those games. When he does not record a point, the Barons are 5-9-1-0... Brad Boyes is hot on the tail of Miroslav Zalesak in scoring. Boyes is now just 8 points behind the league leader with 56 points. Boyes is fourth in scoring (56), tied for tied for third in goals (24), and tied for eighth in assists (32). In Boyes' 14 multi-point games this season, the Barons have yet to lose a game in regulation with a record of 13-0-0-1. When Boyes scores a goal, the Barons are 13-4-2-1. In the last eight games in which Boyes scores at least one goal, the Barons are 7-0-1-0. When Boyes scores two goals in a game, the Barons are 5-0-0-0... Seamus Kotyk has been stellar between the pipes for the Barons. He is 9-3-1 in his last 13 decisions. In those 13 games, Kotyk owns a 2.15 GAA (28 GA/780:26) and a .940 save percentage (436-464). Kotyk was injured in the first period during his start on 1-2-04 resulting in a no decision... Garrett Stafford is amidst a great rookie campaign. Among all AHL defenseman, Stafford ranks first in points (35), tied for third in goals (9), and second in assists (34). Stafford also leads all AHL rookie defensemen in goals, assists, and points. Overall, Stafford is fourth in rookie scoring, tied for second in rookie assists, and tied for 19th in rookie goals... Nolan Schaefer has been tremendous on home ice this season. In his 5 home starts, Schaefer is 5-0 with a 1.40 goals against average and a .955 save percentage. Overall, the Barons have gained at least one point in 10 out of the rookie's 13 starts... Ryane Clowe is another rookie having a great season. Among all rookies, Clowe is tied for 13th in scoring (28), tied for fourth in assists (19), and tied for fifth in plus/minus (+10)... Jon DiSalvatore is 15th in rookie scoring with 26 points. Among all rookies, he is tied for 10th in goals (12), tied for 21st in assists (14), and tied for fourth in shots (128)... Patrick Rissmiller has the league's longest current home assist streak. He has an assist in the last 6 Barons home games. The six-game point streak is also tied for third for the longest current home streak in the AHL... Defenseman Jesse Fibiger has a point in 3 of the last 4 games. During that span, he has 2 goals and 1 assist.

3rd Annual Cleveland Barons Auction... The 3rd Annual Cleveland Barons Auction will be held on March 3rd at Windows on the River. Proceeds from the event benefit the Doug Dieken Foundation. A plethora of great items will be on the auction block including a LeBron James autographed basketball, a variety of autographed hockey sweaters, and various autographed sports equipment. The Doug Dieken Foundation was started by Dieken in 1997 after witnessing the impact the Special Olympics program had on his brother, who is developmentally disabled. In response to a lack of city funding for the program, the Doug Dieken Foundation began co-sponsoring a variety of events. The Annual Cleveland Barons Auction has become the cornerstone of a foundation that serves as the primary support for the Cleveland Public Schools Special Olympics Program. The entire Barons roster and front office will be on hand to enjoy the evening. Each table will have at least one member of the Cleveland Barons sitting with them. For details, call the Barons front office at 216-420-2518.

Get Fueled With The Barons At Quaker Steak And Lube... The Cleveland Barons, in conjunction with Labatt Blue, will host a "Night-Out With The Barons" on Wednesday, February 25th at Quaker Steak and Lube located on 5935 Canal Road in Valley View. Barons players Brad Boyes, Seamus Kotyk, Greg Labenski, Robert Mulick and Miroslav Zalesak will sign autographs and pose for photographs with restaurant goers. Patrons will have the opportunity to win a variety of prizes from the Cleveland Barons and Labatt Blue. Contact the Barons front office at 216-420-0000 for more details.

It's Great At The Gund... On Saturday, February 28th, the first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive a Niko Dimitrakos Bobblehead Doll. Dimitrakos, the 2002-03 Barons Rookie of the Year, has spent the majority of the season with the San Jose Sharks.

Labatt Blue Cup... The Cleveland Barons and the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks will meet on Sunday, February 29th at 5:00pm at Gund Arena for the second game in the Labatt Blue Cup. The Barons were victorious in the first contest of the eight game series. The winner of the season series will be awarded the Labatt Blue Cup, the first time the two teams have ever competed for an Ohio trophy.

Up and West... Of the Sharks top 15 point producers for San Jose, six players have already reached or exceeded their career highs for goals, including Nils Ekman, Alyn McCauley, Jonathan Cheechoo, Wayne Primeau, Scott Hannan and Niko Dimitrakos. In addition, players tracking to tie or set new career highs in goals include Patrick Marleau and Alex Korolyuk. From the assist ledger, Marco Sturm, Scott Parker, Scott Thornton, Brad Stuart and Kyle McLaren are all within six points of setting new career-highs in assists... The Sharks are clinging to a 4-point lead in first place of the Pacific Division. The Dallas Stars have closed the gap by posting a 7-2-1-0 record over the last 10 games... The Sharks will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. The last time these two teams met, the Sharks opened up for 50 shots on net. Those 50 shots only resulted in 2 goals as the Sharks needed an extra frame to grab a 2-1 overtime victory against the Blue Jackets. The season series has been close as the Sharks needed a third period goal for a 1-0 shutout victory against the Blue Jackets on New Year's Eve. On January 8th, the Sharks had their 11 game home unbeaten streak snapped by Columbus as the Blue Jacket won 3-2.

Standings... The Barons are currently tied in second place with the Syracuse Crunch with 64 points. The two teams are chasing the first place Hamilton Bulldogs who own an eight-point cushion. Toronto, with 58 points, has moved into a fourth-place tie with Rochester... In the West Division, Grand Rapids has continued their dominance of the AHL. With 78 points, the Griffins are the best team league-wide. They hold the league's largest division lead as they are 11 points ahead of second place Milwaukee... In the East Division, Bridgeport, led by former Baron Ryan Kraft, are clinging to a 1-point lead over Philadelphia. Bridgeport has lost two in a row, while Philadelphia has won the last two... This week in the Atlantic Division belonged to the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack, led by former Barons Chad Wiseman and John Jakopin, have opened a 10-point lead over the Manchester Monarchs. Hartford is unbeaten in their last 7 (6-0-1-0).

Barons Broadcasts... All games this season can be heard live by Crashing The Net at www.clevelandbarons.net.



American Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2004


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