Barons Weekly Report

Published on December 27, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release


Flashback

12/18/04 Cleveland 3 – Grand Rapids 2 SO/OT... The Barons gained their fifth consecutive victory on Tuesday when they defeated the Griffins for the second consecutive game. Josh Prudden scored a goal for the fourth game in a row to give the Barons a 1-0 first period lead. After the game was evened at one, Christian Ehrhoff fired a heavy slap shot that found the back of the net to reestablish a one-goal lead. The Griffins sent the game into overtime by scoring a late third period goal. After a scoreless overtime stanza, the Barons won the shootout 2-1 with goals from Garrett Stafford and Doug Murray, who incidentally were the last two shooters.

Coming Up

12/27/04 vs. Manitoba – National City Rink located in Gund Arena – 7:00pm

The Barons enter tonight as the league's hottest team with a five-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Moose are the league's hottest team on the road. They have gained at least one point in their last seven road games, including winning the last four. The Moose are tied for first in the North Division. The Barons and Moose each have a win in their season series. The Barons victory was decided in a shootout on November 11th. Shane Joseph leads the Barons with 3 assists against the Moose this season. Nolan Schaefer has been in net for both games against the Moose this season.

TEDDY BEAR TOSS... Fans are encouraged to bring new and used stuffed animals to the game on Monday night. After the Barons score their first goal, fans can litter the ice by throwing their stuffed animals on to the National City Rink. The stuffed animals will be collected and donated to the Cleveland Police Department. The toys are used by police officers who are on the job. The stuffed animals are used to comfort children on the scene at situations such as domestic disputes.

JIMMY NEUTRON, BOY GENIOUS... Can Jimmy invent a special Manitoba Moose repellent? Will the Barons use one of Jimmy Neutron's special formulas to defeat this North Division rival? Find out December 27th by taking a trip to Retroville (National City Rink, Gund Arena) and meeting Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, courtesy of Cox Communications!

12/28/04 vs. Manitoba – National City Rink located in Gund Arena – 7:00pm

For the second consecutive night, the Barons will host the Moose. The Barons enter Monday night's game with a four-game home winning streak, which is the second longest active streak in the league. The Moose have the league's best road record 11-2-0-1.

Two For Tuesday...Every Tuesday night home game at National City Rink located in Gund Arena, the Barons host "Two For Tuesday". Fans can purchase 2-for-1 tickets in any price level, excluding glass seats. The offer is only valid at the Gund Arena Box Office.

Winning Streak

The Cleveland Barons have a five game-winning streak, the league's longest active streak. The five-game win streak is a Barons franchise record. They eclipsed the old record of four that was set twice: 11/20/02 – 11/24/02; 1/17/04 –1/23/04. During their current five-game winning streak, the Barons have outscored their opponents 17-7 and killed 21 out of 24 penalties for a 87.5% kill rate. Four of the five victories have come on National City Rink. That is the second-longest active home winning streak in the league.

Visitors Beware

National City Rink located in Gund Arena has been kind to the Barons lately. In their last 11 games on National City Rink, the Barons are 8-2-0-1. In six of those wins, the Barons scored three goals. Also, seven of the last eleven home games have been decided by a score of 3-2. The Barons are out-scoring their opponent 32-24 in the last 11 home games.

It's Great At The Gund

Gund Arena has been kind to its home teams since November 10th. Combined, the Barons (8-2-0-1) and Cavaliers (11-1) are 19-3-0-1 since that date. In hockey terms, that is a combined winning percentage of .886.

On The Defense

The Barons have held opponents to two goals or less in the last seven games. The Barons are 5-2-0-0 during that span and have allowed an average of 1.43 goals per game (10 goals – 7 games). During their five-game win streak, the Barons have improved that mark to 1.40 goals per game (7 goals – 5 games). In the Barons last 12 games, the Barons have held their opponent to two or less goals in regulation in 10 contests. They are 7-4-0-1 in those 12 games and have held their opponent to 2.08 goals per game (25 goals – 12 games).

Natural Born Killers

The Barons have allowed just five power play goals in the last 12 games. They have killed 43 out of a possible 48 penalties in that span for a 89.6% success rate on the PK.

Passing Proficiency

The Barons currently have 24 power play goals this season. With 47 assists, all but one of those goals has been accompanied by two assists. The one goal that did not have two assists came on November 6th in the Barons win over Hamilton in overtime. The Barons first goal of the game, scored by Christian Ehrhoff on the power play, was assisted by Marcel Goc.

Barons Player of the Week

The Cleveland Barons Player of the Week is defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff had a hand in both of the Barons regulation goals, scoring one and assisting on the other. His three game-winning goals are tied for first among defensemen with Manitoba's Kirill Koltsov. Ehrhoff leads the Barons in shots with 106 on the season, an average of 3.66 per game. Those 106 shots lead all AHL defensemen and are 7th overall. Ehrhoff is also mixed in the defenseman leader board in several other categories including: goals (T-4th, 6), power play goals (T-3rd, 4), and points (T-17th,15).

Just Joshin'

Josh Prudden has a four-game goal streak intact. In the first three games of that streak, Prudden set a Barons franchise record by scoring the game-winner in each game. In the last two games, Prudden has scored the game's first goal. His four-game goal-streak, which is tied for the longest active streak in the league, has pushed his season totals to 6 goals and 2 assists for 8 points. Those six goals are tied for tenth among league rookies.

The Only Nolan

Goaltender Nolan Schaefer is playing well as of late. In winning six out of his last nine games (6-3-0), he has posted a 1.53 goals against average and a .947 save percentage (251/265) in 547:27 minutes. That span includes his 28-save shutout against Grand Rapids, his 33-save shutout against the Hamilton Bulldogs and a 16-round shootout victory over Utah that set an AHL record.

Dimitri Dominant

Dimitri Patzold has won his past three games in dominant fashion. In 184:51, Patzold has stopped 78 out of 83 shots for a .940 save percentage. In those games, Patzold has a 1.62 goals against average. On the season, Patzold is 8-5-2 with a .922 save percentage and a 2.36 goals against average. His .922 save percentage is tied for 15h in the league and 2.36 goals against average is 17th.

The Clowe-ser

Ryane Clowe has been on fire over the last five games. In that five-game span, Clowe has nine points (3-6-9) and a +7 plus/minus rating. He has recorded one point in the last eight out of the last 11 games. His 21 points, 14 assists, and +8 plus/minus rating all lead the Barons. Clowe has been productive on the power play as he leads the team with 9 points and is tied for the team lead with four power play goals. Clowe's four-point performance on 12/12 against Cincinnati tied a career-high and set the Barons season-high mark.

Riss Shot

Patrick Rissmiller now has 104 points in his three-year career with the Barons. That is second on the franchise's all-time point list. He is chasing Miroslav Zalesak who is atop the list with 166 points. Rissmiller leads the Barons with 10 goals this season. His 19 points (10-9-19) and 86 shots are both second on the Barons. In the last four games, Rissmiller has recorded two goals and three assists with a +4 plus/minus rating. Rissmiller is tied for first on the team with 4 multi-point games this season.

Shane On You

Shane Joseph, a right wing, leads the Barons in rookie scoring with 15 points and is tied for 13th in the league among rookies. Among the leagues rookies, his six goals are tied for 10th and his nine assists are tied for 15th. Those nine assists are tied for third on the Barons and his 15 points are tied for fourth. Joseph has recorded at least one point in three of the last five games, registering two goals and two assists.

I'll Grant You That

The Barons play well when center Grant Stevenson records a point. Stevenson has recorded at least one point in ten games. In those games, the Barons are 9-1-0-0. The Barons are 4-0-0-0 when Stevenson scores a goal. Stevenson has recorded at least one point in three out of the last four games (2-2-4).

Hoffman, The Graduate

Mike Hoffman signed an AHL contract with the Barons last week. Hoffman, who has appeared in 25 games, began the season on a professional tryout. He has recorded 2 assists and 92 penalty minutes on the season. His 92 penalty minutes lead the team and are tied for third among all league rookies. His 14 major penalties are second among all AHL rookies.

Practice Makes Perfect

Below is the Barons schedule for the week. Practice times are subject to change. All practices at Barons Arena are open to the public. For information, contact the Barons at 216-420-0000...

Date Event Location Time

12-28 Pre-Game Skate National City Rink located in Gund Arena 10:00am

12-28 vs. Manitoba National City Rink located in Gund Arena 7:00pm

12-29 Practice Barons Arena 10:30am

12-30 Practice Barons Arena 10:30am

12-31 @ Edmonton Rexall Place 9:00pm

1-1 @ Edmonton Rexall Place 4:00pm

Barons Broadcasts

Both road games can be heard live on SportsTalk 850-AM WKNR. All games this season can be heard live by Crashing The Net at www.clevelandbarons.net.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 27, 2004


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