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Barons Weekly Report

March 14, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release


Coming Up

3/15/05 @ St. John's – Mile One Stadium - 6:05pm www.sportstalkcleveland.com

The Barons are 2-2-0-1 against the Maple Leafs this season. In the lifetime series, the Barons have played well in St. John's. In six games against the Maple Leafs at Mile One Stadium, the Barons have posted a 4-1-1-0 record. Ryane Clowe is a St. John's, Newfoundland native and is questionable for the two-game series. Clowe leads the season series with 7 points (3-4-7) against St. John's. Patrick Rissmiller has only appeared in three of the five games against the Maple Leafs this season. In those three games, he has three goals and two assists (3-2-5). One of those goals was a game-winner.

3/16/05 @ St. John's – Mile One Stadium - 6:05pm - NewsTalk 1420-AM WHK/www.sportstalkcleveland.com

Kyle Wellwood leads all skaters in the season series with 6 goals (6-0-6). During St. John's 8-3 win over Cleveland on October 30th, Wellwood scored an AHL season-high five goals. Wellwood's 66 points (26-40-66) on the season are currently tied for fifth among AHL skaters. He is actually tied with his teammate David Ling who also owns 66 points (22-44-66). The Maple Leafs sit in third place in the North Division, just one point behind the Manitoba Moose for second. The second place team in each division gains home-ice advantage in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

LABATT BLUE CUP

3/19/05 vs. Cincinnati – National City Rink located in Gund Arena - 7:00pm www.sportstalkcleveland.com

The Barons and Mighty Ducks will play the sixth game of the Labatt Blue Cup as the Barons return home from their five-game road trip. Cincinnati currently leads the series gaining a total of six points in the season series. Thus far, Cleveland has amassed 5 points in the Labatt Blue Cup standings (2-2-0-1). Barons leading scorer Ryane Clowe has performed well against the Ducks this season. In five Labatt Blue Cup games, Clowe paces all skaters in goals (3), assists (4), points (3-4-7) and a +4 plus/minus. Nolan Schaefer loves playing against the Mighty Ducks. Helping win the Labatt Blue Cup last season, Schaefer has three wins, one loss, and one tie in his career against Cincinnati with a 1.74 goals against average and a .934 save percentage. He has a 1-1-0 record against Cincinnati this season. His 1.51 goals against average and .947 save percentage lead all goaltenders in the series. The power play units for both teams haven't been special in the season series. The Barons are just 3-27 (11.1%) on the power play, while Cincinnati is just 3-26 (11.5%). In their last ten games, Cincinnati goaltenders have combined for a 7-2-1 record with a 1.40 goals against average and a .948 save percentage.

3/20/05 @ Rochester – HSBC Arena - 5:00pm

SportsTalk 850-AM WKNR (8pm tape delay)/www.sportstalkcleveland.com

The Barons are winless in their five games against Rochester this season. Sunday's game, originally scheduled for March 23rd, will be played at HSBC Arena, the home of Rochester's parent club, the Buffalo Sabres. It marks the third game that the Amerks will have played in Buffalo as they won the first two. Each game set a franchise record attendance mark (11/5 – 12,126 and 12/18 – 17,898) for the Americans. Rochester is the only team in the league to have clinched a playoff spot. They did so by gaining a point against Syracuse on Sunday. Chris Taylor leads the season series with 10 points (4-6-10) and Daniel Paille leads all skaters in the series with 7 goals (7-1-8). Three of Paille's seven goals against the Barons have been scored shorthanded. Grant Stevenson leads the Barons with 5 points in the season series (1-4-5).

BLUE ICE... When the Barons play the Americans at HSBC Arena, they will do so on an experimental ice surface. The Barons and Americans will play on an electric powder blue ice surface. This experiment, approved by the National Hockey League and the AHL, will also see the traditional blue lines replaced by orange lines and the red center ice line will be dark blue. The face off circles will be orange while the end lines and crease lines will stay red. A complete color diagram and scheme is attached.

Flashback

3/10/05 Cleveland 2 – San Antonio 1... Ryane Clowe and Grant Stevenson scored the first two goals to give the Barons a 2-0 cushion. San Antonio pulled their goaltender with just over three and a half minutes left in the game and were able to gain one goal with the extra attacker but fell short in their comeback bid. Nolan Schaefer, starting his sixth consecutive game, gained the win by stopping 18 shots.

3/11/05 Cleveland 1 – San Antonio 0... Dimitri Patzold gained his first shutout of the season on Friday night, stopping 22 shots. With 2:28 remaining in the second period, Tomas Plihal scored the game's only goal. Patrick DesRochers was fantastic for San Antonio, stopping 29 shots.

3/12/05 Milwaukee 4 – Cleveland 3 Shootout... The Admirals overcame a 3-2 deficit in the third period to defeat the Barons in a shootout. Nick Bootland scored his 100th goal as a professional to start the game's scoring. The Barons also received one goal/one assist nights from Grant Stevenson and Doug Murray. Dimitri Patzold started his second consecutive game and stopped 38 shots. Shane Joseph assisted on the last two Barons goals.

Winning Ways

Entering play on February 4th, the Barons trailed Edmonton by 13 points for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division. Since February 4th, the Barons have gained at least one point in 12 out of their last 15 games (10-3-0-2). Nine of the Barons 10 wins in that span have been decided by just one goal. The Barons have received several impressive performance during the span including: Ryane Clowe – 13 games, 10-6-16, +5; Marcel Goc – 15 games, 3-11-14; Grant Stevenson – 15 games, 3-9-12, +1; Patrick Rissmiller – 13 games, 4-7-11; and Nolan Schaefer – 7-2-0, 2.32 goals against average (21 GA in 542:49) and a .914 save percentage (224/245).

Playoff Picture

Currently, the Barons, with 65 points, sit three points behind the Syracuse Crunch, who overtook fourth place this weekend by sweeping a two-game set against the Rochester Americans. Just one point behind the Crunch are the Edmonton Road Runners and the Hamilton Bulldogs with 67 points. Among the four teams, the Barons have the second-most victories (29), which is the first tie-breaker. Every team in the North Division currently maintains a winning percentage of greater than .500.

Cleveland Barons Hockey Insider Show The Cleveland Barons Hockey Insider Show will air every Monday night from 8-9pm on SportsTalk 850-AM WKNR. The weekly show will be hosted by The Voice of the Barons Jamie Smock and Jason Gibbs, Promotions Director for WKNR. This week, Tom Holy, Public Relations Coordinator for the Barons, will fill in for Jamie Smock as a guest co-host. The show can also be heard on www.sportstalkcleveland.com.

Rubbermaid Player of the Game

At the end of each game the Barons select a Rubbermaid Player of the Game, given to the player who displays toughness and durability throughout the game. At the end of the season, the player with the most selections will receive a prize package courtesy of Rubbermaid. Currently, Josh Gorges leads the race for the Rubbermaid with seven selections with Ryane Clowe and Doug Murray tied for second with six picks. Nick Bootland stands in fourth with five Rubbermaid Player of the Game selections.

Clip Carkner's Curls For Cancer

Clip Carkner's Curls For Cancer will conclude at this Saturday's game against Cincinnati. Fans can purchase raffle tickets in the concourse for a chance to win 4 glass seats to the game on March 26th and a chance to shave Matt Carkner's head following that game on center ice. All the proceeds raised will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Barons will draw the winner during the third period of the March 19th game.

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Night...

The Cleveland Barons are raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on the March 19th game against Cincinnati. By calling Tom Holy at 216-420-0000 and purchasing a $21 lower bowl seat, $11 will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In February of 2003, it was discovered that Brad Holy, brother of Public Relations Coordinator Tom, had acquired a form of Leukemia. Since the diagnosis, Brad's Leukemia entered remission before becoming active again just two months ago. The disease was put into remission by Gleevec, a cancer-fighting drug that was researched and developed by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. To aid in the fund-raising, the Barons will also donate the proceeds from Clip Carkner's Curls for Cancer to the cause.

Oh My Goc!

Marcel Goc broke the Barons franchise record by recording an assist in seven consecutive games (2/19/05 – 3/10/05). Brandon Smith (11/14/01 – 11/28/01), Ryan Kraft (1/16/02 – 1/24/02), and Patrick Rissmiller (1/10/03 – 1/22/03) have each had five consecutive games with an assist in the Barons franchise history.

United Marcel Service

The United Marcel Service has been delivering lately. Marcel Goc has delivered 18 assists to teammates in the last 23 games. Overall, he has 22 points (4-18-22) during that span. On the season, his 40 points and 28 assists are second on the team and his 12 goals are tied third. He is tied for seventh in the league with three short-handed goals, which are all unassisted.

Barons Player of the Week

The Cleveland Barons Player of the Week is goaltender Dimitri Patzold. Patzold, who was the back-up for six consecutive games, returned to action on Friday night and shutout the Rampage 1-0. Patzold made all 22 saves on the night to gain his first shutout of the season. Patzold followed his shutout performance by stopping 38 shots on Saturday night against Milwaukee. He helped the Barons gain one point in their third road game in three nights.

Making Teams Risserable

Patrick Rissmiller has recorded at least one point in seven of the last nine games (2-7-9). Since returning to the lineup 13 games ago, Rissmiller has totaled four goals and seven assists as the Barons have gone 8-3-0-2. His 17 goals and seven power play goals are second on the team, and his 35 points are third. Rissmiller ranks second in goals (45), assists (75), points (120), and games played (200) in Barons franchise history.

The Clowe-ser

In his last eight games, Ryane Clowe has scored the Barons first goal five times (Note: Clowe has missed the last two games). Three of the goals were the first between either team. Clowe leads the Barons by scoring the game's first goal seven times. In his last 17 games, Clowe owns 12 goals and 8 assists (12-8-20). Clowe leads the Barons with 13 multi-point games on the season. His 51 points, 21 goals, 30 assists, and +13 plus/minus rating all lead the Barons. Clowe has been productive on the power play as he leads the team with 12 goals and 19 points.

Air Ehrhoff

Christian Ehrhoff, the Barons All-Star representative, is tied for 21st among all AHL defensemen with 29 points (10-19-29). Among defensive scorers, he is tied for eighth in goals (10), tied for fourth in power play goals (6), and tied for fifth in game-winning goals (3). Ehrhoff's 190 shots lead all defensemen and are 20th among all skaters. Ehrhoff leads all Barons defensemen in points and goals, and is tied for first in assists. His 15 points on the power play (6-9-15) are fourth on the team.

According To Jim

Defenseman Jim Fahey has recorded one point in six of the last ten games (2-5-7). Fahey has scored the deciding goal in two of the last six Barons victories. Three of Fahey's four goals this season have gone for game-winners. His 19 assists are tied for first among Barons defensemen and his 21 points are second.

The Only Nolan

Nolan Schaefer tied Miikka Kiprusoff by leading the Barons to a four-game winning streak. Kiprusoff back-stopped the Barons to a four-game win streak in the team's history from November 20th – November 24th, 2001. During those four wins, Schaefer recorded a 2.00 goals against average (8 GA – 239:47) and a .929 save percentage (105/113). The native of Yellow Grass Saskatchewan has won seven of his last nine games (7-2-0). In that span he has a 2.32 goals against average (21 GA in 542:49) and a .914 save percentage (224/245).

Generous Grant

Grant Stevenson has posted 11 points in the last 11 games (3-8-11). Those 11 contests include four multi-point games for the Alberta native. Stevenson is again making a late point push. Over the last 21 games, he owns 16 (5-11-16) of his season's 29 points. Stevenson produced 16 of his 39 points during the 2003-04 season over the last 14 games of the season. Stevenson is currently tied for fourth on the Barons with his 29 points and is third with his 20 assists.

Strapping On The Boots

Barons forward Nick Bootland scored his 100th regular season goal as a professional on Saturday night. In his career, Bootland has 29 goals at the AHL level, 44 goals at the ECHL level, and 27 goals at the UHL level. This is Bootland's seventh season as a professional.

Hoffman, The Graduate

Mike Hoffman has recorded two assists, 31 penalty minutes, and a +1 plus/minus rating in his last eight games. All five of Hoffman's assists this season have come in a Barons victory (5-0-0-0). Hoffman is eighth among AHL rookies with 160 penalty minutes and is fourth among rookies with 22 major penalties.

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

3-15 @ St. John's Mile One Stadium 6:05pm

3-16 @ St. John's Mile One Stadium 6:05pm

3-18 Practice Barons Arena 10:30am

3-19 Pre-Game Skate National City Rink located in Gund Arena 10:00am

3-19 vs. Cincinnati National City Rink located in Gund Arena 7:00pm

3-20 @ Rochester HSBC Arena (in Buffalo) 5:00pm

3-21 Practice Barons Arena 10:00am

Barons Broadcasts

Wednesday's game will be aired on NewsTalk AM-1420 WHK. Tuesday and Saturday's games will be available via webcast only. Sunday night's game can be heard on tape delay at 8:00pm on SportsTalk AM-850 WKNR. All games this season can be heard live by Crashing The Net at www.clevelandbarons.net or www.sportstalkcleveland.com.

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