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Barons Weekly Report

March 1, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release


Flashback... The Barons began a busy stretch of schedule on Friday night against Hamilton. The Barons began each of the following segments: 3-games-in-3-nights, 4-games-in-5-nights, and 7-games-in-10-nights. The 7-games-in-10-nights stretch will be played exclusively at Gund Arena as the Barons are housing their longest homestand of the season. The first-place Hamilton Bulldogs came to Gund Arena on Friday night with an eight-point lead over the Barons in the North Division standings. The Barons would get out front first as Marcel Goc scored his seventh goal of the season. The Bulldogs then scored the next two goals and took a 2-1 lead into the third period. Then, the Barons exploded. Four third period goals would sweep the Barons to a 5-2 victory. Goc and Jon DiSalvatore each sniped two goals in the contest. Tavis Hansen, the Barons captain, added the Barons other goal. Nolan Schaefer was extremely impressive in net all night. The rookie netminder stopped 38 shots on the evening in posting his ninth win of the season... The Barons then hosted the Rochester Americans on Saturday night. A franchise record 8,175 fans were in attendance as the Amerks beat the Barons 5-1. Things began well as Garrett Stafford scored a brilliant goal to begin the game. At the top of the slot, Stafford waited as an Amerks defenseman slid to block his shot. Stafford then side-stepped the defenseman and ripped a low shot that found the net. Rochester would score three second period goals to gain breathing room... Not having tasted a regulation defeat in consecutive games this season, the Barons got a taste of the Labatt Blue Cup when Cincinnati came to town on Sunday. The Barons continued their impressive stretch by gaining a 2-0 lead in the Labatt Blue Cup series by defeating the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks 4-1. The Barons began the game with the first goal yet again. This time, Willie Levesque scored the goal on a great pass from Miroslav Zalesak. It was Levesque's first goal of the season. After the Mighty Ducks tied the game, the Barons sense of urgency increased. With the game 1-1 at the start of the third, the Barons used another big third period to seal the deal. Goals by Marcel Goc, Brad Boyes, and Ryane Clowe overwhelmed the Ducks. Nolan Schaefer made several key saves along the way as the Barons defense held Cincinnati to only 20 shots on net. The win improved Schaefer to a perfect 7-0-0 at home this season.

Coming Up... The Barons will finish their seven game homestand this week with four games. The action starts on Tuesday, when the Barons play their fourth game in five days. The Barons are 3-2-0-1 in the final game of a 4-games-in-5-nights stretch. The Barons have been able to dominate the West Division this season, posting an 11-4-1-2 record against their foes from the West. The Barons are 2-0-0-1 against San Antonio and have outscored them 13-6 this season. On October 23rd, the Barons used 6 third period goals to win 7-1. Brad Boyes has 2 goals and 4 assists in the three games against the Rampage this season. Three of the Rampage's six goals against the Barons this season have come via the power play... The Barons will experience a little déjà vu this weekend. The Barons will host a 3-in-3 against Hamilton, Rochester, and Cincinnati on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Barons faced the same exact schedule last weekend. The Barons are 3-3-0-1 against Hamilton this season. With a victory, the Barons could gain ground on Hamilton, who sits five points ahead in the North Division standings. With each team having one game prior to Friday, the Barons could trail first place Hamilton by anywhere from 3 to 7 points heading into the night. Miroslav Zalesak and Patrick Rissmiller each have 8 points against the Bulldogs this season. Nolan Schaefer is a perfect 2-0 against Hamilton saving .931 percent of the shots... On Saturday afternoon, the Barons will look for revenge against the Rochester Americans. The Amerks took a 2-3-2-0 advantage in the series with a win over the Barons last Saturday. The Americans sit four points behind the Barons, but the Barons own one game in hand. Rochester has been able to maintain an effective power play against the Barons this season. They have scored 9 of their 17 goals against Cleveland on the power play. The Barons have managed one short-handed goal against Rochester this season. The two teams have combined for 344 penalty minutes in the 7 games this season for an average of 49 penalty minutes per game... The third game in the Labatt Blue Cup will end the Barons homestand on Sunday evening. The Barons hold a 2-0-0-0 advantage in the season series. In both games, the Barons have beat the Mighty Ducks backup goaltender Eddy Ferhi. Brad Boyes has two goals and two assists in the four games. The Labatt Blue Cup will be very important for the Barons. Six of their remaining 21 games will be against their intra-state rivals. Those 12 points will have a big impact on the seeding in the North Division Standings. The top five teams from each division make the playoffs. The fourth and fifth seeded teams will play a best-of-three series to determine who will play the first seed.

Barons Player of the Week... The Cleveland Barons Player of the Week is goaltender Nolan Schaefer. Making up three points on first place Hamilton this week, Nolan Schaefer posted a 2-0-0 record with a 1.50 GAA and a .950 save percentage. Schaefer stopped 38 shots in defeating Hamilton 5-2. Schaefer earned first star honors as made several key saves to keep the Barons in the game. The game was tied 1-1 going into the third period. In another tight game, Schaefer stopped 19 shots against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks on Sunday. Schaefer earned second star honors as he made four key saves down the stretch that kept the Barons in the game. This time, the Barons scored 3 third period goals to win.

Interesting Statistics Of The Week... With the win on Sunday night, the Barons improved several impressive statistics. Nolan Schaefer is now 7-0 on home ice this season. The Barons are 16-0-2-2 in games following a regulation loss. The Barons are now 6-1-1-0 in the final game of their 3-in-3 sets. When holding teams to less than four power plays in a game, the Barons are 16-6-4-2.

Head West Young Man, Head West... The Barons have captured at least one point in 14 of their 18 games against West Division opponents this season. They are 11-4-1-2 against the West Division. The Barons are 8-1-0-0 at home against the West Division.

Weekly Winners... The Barons have recorded eight consecutive weeks of .500 or better hockey (since January 5th). Last week, the Barons posted a 2-1-0-0 record for a 67.7% winning percentage. Over the last eight weeks the Barons are 14-7-1-1 with a .652 winning percentage.

North Nuggets... The .652 winning percentage since January 5th is the second best mark in the North Division. Toronto and Hamilton have been hot over that time as well. Toronto owns a .660 (15-7-3-0) mark since January 5th, the best mark in the North. Hamilton (8-4-4-4) boasts a .600 winning percentage.

Les Cunningham Award Candidates... Miroslav Zalesak and Brad Boyes are the only two teammates that have 50+ points this season. Their 125 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 109 points. Both Boyes and Zalesak have to be considered for the Les Cunningham Award, given to the league's Most Valuable Player.

A Case For Zalesak... Miroslav Zalesak has now recorded at least one point in 30 out of the last 37 games. During the span, Zalesak has recorded 44 points on 22 goals and 22 assists. Zalesak, with 66 points, is tied for the lead in the AHL scoring race with Hershey's Eric Perrin. Miro's 30 goals are second in the AHL and his 36 assists are tied for fourth. Zalesak has registered a point in 72.9% of the Barons games this season (43/59). The Barons are 24-10-4-5 in those games. When he does not record a point, the Barons are 5-10-1-0.

A Case For Boyes... Brad Boyes is hot on the tail of Miroslav Zalesak and Eric Perrin in the scoring race. Boyes is now just 7 points behind the league leaders with 59 points. Boyes is fourth in scoring (59), tied for third in goals (25), and tied for seventh in assists (34). In Boyes' 15 multi-point games this season, the Barons have yet to lose a game in regulation with a record of 14-0-0-1. When Boyes scores a goal, the Barons are 14-4-2-1. In the last eight games in which Boyes scores at least one goal, the Barons are 8-0-1-0. When Boyes scores two goals in a game, the Barons are 5-0-0-0.

Speaking Of Awards... Garrett Stafford must be strongly considered for Dudley "Red" Garrett Trophy, given annually to the league's most outstanding rookie. The University of New Hampshire product leads all rookie defensemen in points, goals, and assists. Overall, the blueliner is tied for fourth among all rookies in scoring. Not bad for a player that went undrafted.

Top Barons... Seamus Kotyk has been stellar between the pipes for the Barons. He is 9-4-1 in his last 14 decisions. In those 14 games, Kotyk owns a 2.36 GAA (33 GA/840:26) and a .934 save percentage (466-499). Kotyk was injured in the first period during his start on 1-2-04 resulting in a no decision.... Nolan Schaefer has been tremendous on home ice this season. In his 7 home starts, Schaefer is 7-0 with a 1.43 goals against average and a .953 save percentage. Overall, the Barons have gained at least one point in 11 out of the rookie's 15 starts... Jon DiSalvatore is 12th in rookie scoring with 30 points. Among all rookies, he is tied for 7th in goals (14), tied for 19th in assists (16), and tied for fifth in shots (136). He has recorded at least one point in the last five games scoring 3 goals and 3 assists. He also has recorded at least one point in 9 out of the last 11 games. During that time, he has recorded 4 goals and 7 assists... Ryane Clowe is another rookie having a great season. Among all rookies, Clowe is tied for 12th in scoring (30), tied for fourth in assists (20), and tied for 12th in plus/minus (+10)... Defenseman Jesse Fibiger has a point in 5 of the last 7 games. During that span, he has 2 goals, 3 assists, and a +5 plus/minus rating... Garrett Stafford has recorded at least one point in three out of the last four games. In that span, he has recorded two goals and two assists. He is also a +6 in that time frame... Marcel Goc has also recorded a point in three of the last four games. During that span, Goc has recorded three goals and two assists... Brad Boyes has recorded seven points in the last five games. Over that span, he has recorded 4 goals and 3 assists.

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.

Rissmiller Action Photo Night... On Friday, March 5th the Barons will host the Hamilton Bulldogs at 7:00pm. The first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive an Authentically Autographed Patrick Rissmiller Action Photo. Rissmiller is in his second professional season. He spent 4 games in San Jose with the Sharks earlier in the season.

Kid's Day Matinee... On Saturday, March 6th, the first 1,000 children 14-and-under will receive a Barons metal lunch box. Also, Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory will make a special appearance at the game courtesy of Cox Communications. Dexter's Laboratory can be seen the Cartoon Network.

Sunday Signing... The Cleveland Barons will hold the second Post-Game Autograph Signing presented by Marc's on following Sunday's game. The entire team will be on hand to sign autographs for those in attendance.

Cheechoo Chat... Former Barons right wing Jonathan Cheechoo will be featured on a live chat on www.sjsharks.com at 3pm EST. on Tuesday afternoon. Cheechoo, in his second year with the Sharks, played parts of two seasons with the Barons. The Moose Factory, Ontario native was an AHL All-Star in the Barons inaugural season. He is currently fourth in scoring on the first place Sharks with 35 points on 19 goals and 16 assists.

Labatt Blue Cup... The Cleveland Barons and the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks will meet on Sunday, March 7th at 5:00pm at Gund Arena for the third game in the Labatt Blue Cup. The Barons were victorious in the first two contests 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... The San Jose Sharks defeated the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night in their third game in four nights by a score of 1-0. Evgeni Nabokov recorded his career-high eighth shutout of the season without room to spare. Former Baron Jonathan Cheechoo scored the game's only goal. In just his second NHL season, Cheechoo is now one goal away from reaching the 20-goal plateau. Cheechoo has posted five goals and five assists in the last seven games... The Sharks have won their last seven games at home. Ten of their last 17 games will be at HP Pavilion on home ice... With 81 points on the season, the Sharks are just 4 points behind conference leading Detroit.

Standings... The Barons have chiseled the Hamilton Bulldogs North Division lead to just five points. With two games in hand, the Barons have a good chance of catching Hamilton. Syracuse is just one point behind the Barons in third place. Toronto and Rochester are making a move in the division. Each team has won their last three games and are tied with 64 points... Grand Rapids has seen their West Division lead dwindle to just 6 points. Milwaukee, who was 11 points behind the Griffins last week at this time, are unbeaten in their last 5 games (4-0-1-0). Only seven points stand in the way of fourth place Houston and last place Utah in the West. The fight for the fourth and fifth playoff spots in the West will be fun to watch... Philadelphia has taken over first place in the East Division. With 75 points this season, they lead Bridgeport by just one point. In Bridgeport's favor is their one game in hand. Wilkes-Barre and Binghamton are tied in fifth place. Only the first five teams in each division make the playoffs... Hartford holds the only comfortable division lead in the league. They are currently 11 points ahead of the Manchester Monarchs in the Atlantic Division. Their 7-0-2-1 record over the last 10 games has solidified their hold. Manchester has just one regulation loss in their last 10 games (4-1-3-2).

Practice Makes Perfect... Below is the Barons schedule for the week. Practice times are subject to change. For information, contact the Barons at 216-420-0000...

Date Event Location Time

3-2 Pre-Game Skate Gund Arena 10:00am

3-3 Practice Barons Arena 10:30am

3-3 Cleveland Barons Auction Windows On The River 6:00pm

3-4 Practice Barons Arena 10:30am

3-5 Pre-Game Skate Gund Arena 10:00am

3-6 vs. Hamilton Gund Arena 7:00pm

3-7 vs. Rochester Gund Arena 1:00pm

3-8 vs. Cincinnati Gund Arena 5:00pm

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



American Hockey League Stories from March 1, 2004


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