Barons Weekly Report

Published on April 11, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release


Coming Up

4/13/05 vs. Utah – National City Rink located in Gund Arena - 7:00pm www.sportstalkcleveland.com

Only appearing in two of the three games against Utah this season, Doug Murray leads the Barons with four points (1-3-4) against the Grizzlies. The Barons are 2-1-0-0 against Utah this season and hold a lifetime 11-8-0-0 record against the Grizzlies. The Barons and Grizzlies recorded a game for the record books on the National City Rink on December 3rd. That game featured the AHL's longest shootout ever. Nolan Schaefer stopped 14 shots in the epic 16-round shootout between the teams. Schaefer's 14 saves in a shootout are also a league record. Eight different players have scored the Barons eight goals against the Grizzlies this season. Fredrik Sjostrom leads the Grizzlies with his four points (1-3-4) against the Barons this season. Aaron Gavey leads the season series with his two goals (2-0-0).

4/15/05 @ Manitoba – MTS Centre – 8:30pm - SportsTalk 850-AM WKNR

With a 2-4-0-0 record against the Moose this season, the Barons will look to even the season series with their weekend set against their North Division rivals. Manitoba is locked in a Playoff positioning battle with the St. John's Maple Leafs. The Moose currently hold a one point advantage over the Maple Leafs for the second spot in the North Division standings. The second seed is granted home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

4/16/05 @ Manitoba – MTS Centre – 8:30pm - SportsTalk 850-AM WKNR

The season series has been owned by Jason King. With one hat trick against the Barons under his belt, he has seven goals and five assists (7-5-12) in the series. Ryan Kesler has been extremely effective against the Barons as well. The 20-year-old sensation has five goals and five assists (5-5-10) in the series. Ryane Clowe has led the Barons against the Moose with five points on two goals and three assists. Dimitri Patzold has tamed the Moose in his two starts. With a 1-1-0 record, Patzold owns a 1.99 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.

4/17/05 vs. Rochester – National City Rink located in Gund Arena - 5:00pm www.sportstalkcleveland.com

The Barons earned their first victory against the Americans this season on April 1st with a 4-2 win. On the season, the Barons are 1-6-0-0 against Rochester. Grant Stevenson leads the Barons with six points (2-4-6) against Rochester this season. He has the team's only game-winning goal against Rochester as well. In their victory, the Barons scored four unanswered goals in overcoming a 2-0 deficit. Chris Taylor leads all skaters in the series with his 11 points on four goals and seven assists. Daniel Paille has plagued the Barons, scoring seven goals this season, including three short-handed goals.

Flashback

4/8/05 Cleveland 3 – Syracuse 1... Dimitri Patzold was spectacular in net, stopping 20 shots on the night to earn his 17th victory of the season. Marcel Goc and Ryane Clowe each posted one goal and one assist, with Clowe notching the game-winner. Josh Prudden started the scoring for the Barons, tallying his 14th goal of the season.

LABATT BLUE CUP

4/9/05 Cleveland 0 – Cincinnati 1... The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks defeated the Barons and gained possession of the Labatt Blue Cup in the fifth one-goal game of the season series. Chris Kunitz scored the game's lone goal with 10:34 left in the game. Nolan Schaefer made 30 saves on the night but fell short in large part due to Frederic Cassivi. The Mighty Ducks netminder gained his league-leading ninth shutout of the season with his 18 save performance.

4/10/05 Cleveland 0 – Cincinnati 1... Frederic Cassivi earned his third consecutive shutout for the Mighty Ducks, pushing his season total to an AHL-leading ten. Cassivi stopped 32 shots on the evening. Joffrey Lupul's goal with 7:05 left in the third period was the game's only offensive output. Nolan Schaefer was again great in net for the Barons, but fell in a 25-save performance. The Barons finished the season series with the Mighty Ducks with a 2-4-1-1 record.

Cleveland Barons Most Valuable Player

Ryane Clowe was named the Barons Most Valuable Player for 2004-05 yesterday. Clowe, a second-year professional, is currently leading the Barons in points (58), goals (25), assists (33), plus/minus (+17), multi-point games (16), power play points (22), and power play goals (14). The 6'2", 215-pound native of St. John's, Newfoundland has appeared in 70 games while recording 99 penalty minutes. Among all league skaters, the 22-year-old is tied for ninth in power play goals (14), tied for 37th in points (58) and tied for 36th in goals (25). In his last 25 games, Clowe owns 16 goals and 11 assists (16-11-27). Originally selected by the San Jose Sharks with the 175th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Clowe appeared in 72 games during 2003-04 season. During that rookie campaign, Clowe totaled 11 goals and 29 assists (11-29-40) with 97 penalty minutes and a +15 plus/minus. Past winners include Mike Craig (2002), Vesa Toskala (2003), and Miroslav Zalesak (2004).

Cleveland Barons Rookie Of The Year

Josh Gorges was named as the Cleveland Barons Rookie of the Year for 2004-05 yesterday. Gorges, 20, has appeared in 70 games for the Barons totaling four goals and eight assists (4-8-12). His 12 points are tied for 25th among all league rookie defensemen and his +2 plus/minus rating ranks tied for 19th. In fact, he is the only active Barons defenseman with a positive rating. All of the defenseman's 12 points have occurred in his last 30 games. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Jose Sharks on September 20th, 2002, Gorges previously played for his hometown Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. In his four seasons with Kelowna, Gorges posted 33 goals and 119 assists (33-119-152) in 245 games. Past winners include Chad Wiseman (2002), Niko Dimitrakos (2003), and Garrett Stafford (2004).

North Division Dominance

The North Division has been impressive against the league this season. In the 213 games that North Division teams have played out of the division, they have a winning percentage of .587 with a 108-71-14-20 record.

Jonathan Tremblay Recalled

Jonathan Tremblay was recalled from Johnstown (ECHL) today. In 45 games with the Chiefs, Tremblay recorded two goals and three assists with 136 penalty minutes. Johnstown's season ended this past weekend. Tremblay has appeared in one game with the Barons this season, without registering a mark.

Department of Discipline

The Barons are the fourth-least penalized team in the AHL, averaging only 21.66 minutes worth of penalties per game. The Barons 468 minor penalty infractions are the fourth-fewest in the AHL.

Shot In The Dark The Barons have dominated their opponents in shooting over the last 15 games. They are averaging 31.5 shots per game (472) in that span in contrast to allowing only 25.1 shots (377). In those 15 games, the Barons are 6-7-1-1. The league average of shots per game is 30.36. On the season, when the Barons out-shoot their opponent, they boast a record of 22-16-1-2. The Barons take the ninth-most shots per game in the league, averaging 31.37 per contest.

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 and Doug Murray are tied for the lead, each with eight Rubbermaid selections. Nick Bootland is second with seven selections. Ryane Clowe is third with six picks. A full list of the Rubbermaid Points Standings can be found on www.clevelandbarons.net.

Barons Player of the Week

The Cleveland Barons Player of the Week is goaltender Nolan Schaefer. Schaefer was the tough-luck loser in back-to-back 1-0 games against Cincinnati. His .965 save percentage and 1.02 goals against average gave the team more than enough leeway to gain two wins, but the Barons were unable to muster a single goal worth of support for the native of Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan. Interestingly, Schaefer is 1-3-0 against the Mighty Ducks this season. In five games against the Barons Labatt Blue Cup rival, Schaefer has only allowed six goals, good for a 1.45 goals against average, while maintaining a .949 save percentage. In his four starts against Cincinnati, the Barons have only scored three combined goals, which all came in his one victory.

Making Teams Risserable

Since returning to the lineup 24 games ago, Patrick Rissmiller has totaled six goals and 12 assists (6-12-18) as the Barons have gone 12-10-1-2. His 21 points on the power play (7-14-21) are second on the Barons. The Holy Cross University product's 19 goals are second on the team, his seven power play goals are tied for second, and his 42 points are third. Rissmiller ranks second in goals (47), assists (80), points (127), and games played (212) in Barons franchise history.

United Marcel Service

Marcel Goc (32) now trails Ryane Clowe (33) by just one assist for the team lead in that category. The highest drafted player of German descent in NHL history has delivered 22 assists to teammates in the last 35 games. Overall, he has 30 points (8-22-30) during that span. Goc is tied for tenth in the league with three short-handed goals, which are all unassisted. Earlier this season Goc broke the Barons franchise record by recording an assist in seven consecutive games from 2/19/05 to 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.

The Alberta Clipper

Grant Stevenson has posted 19 points in the last 23 games (6-13-19). Those 23 contests include six multi-point games for the Alberta native. Over the last 33 games, he owns 24 (8-16-24) of his season's 37 points. Stevenson produced 16 of his 39 points during the 2003-04 campaign over the last 14 games of the season. The second-year forward from Minnesota State has recorded 44.4% of his season's points on the power play (6+10=16).

A Prudden Decision

Josh Prudden leads the Barons in game-winning goals this season. In fact, five of his 14 goals have gone for game-winners this season. Among league rookies, his five game-winners are fourth. Prudden leads all Barons rookies with his 14 goals and they are fifth on the team overall. His 13 goals are tied for 11th among all league rookies this season. Creating his own offense, Prudden is also tied for first on the team with three unassisted goals. His 22 points on the year are second among Barons rookies and tied for 32nd among all AHL rookies.

Demolition Man

Doug Murray has nine points in his last 15 games (1-8-9). The bruising defenseman has recorded an assist in the three out of the last five games. Murray tied a career-high by posting a +4 plus-minus rating against St. John's on 3/16. Murray previously recorded a +4 in his fifth career game on October 24th, 2003 against Houston.

Sugar Shane

Rookie forward Shane Joseph has amassed 10 points in the last 16 games (1-9-10). On the season, Joseph leads all Barons rookies with 21 assists and 31 points. Those 31 points are 14th among all league rookies and his 21 assists are tied for 15th.

Air Ehrhoff

Christian Ehrhoff is tied for 23rd among all AHL defensemen with 33 points (12-21-33). Among defensive scorers, he is tied for eighth in goals (12) and game-winning goals (3), and tied for fourth in game-winning goals (3). Ehrhoff's 227 shots lead among all league defensemen. Ehrhoff leads all Barons defensemen in points and goals, and is tied for first in assists. His 17 points on the power play (7-10-17) are fourth on the team.

Money In The Bank

Christian Ehrhoff is playing well on the National City Rink located in Gund Arena. Ehrhoff has recorded 63.6% of his season's point total on home ice. In 38 home games, the native of Germany owns five goals and 16 assists (5-16-21). He is fourth on the Barons in points on home ice and is second with his 16 assists.

Staff Report

Garrett Stafford's 16 assists and 22 points are third among all Barons blue-liners. The reigning Barons Rookie of the Year has totaled a +7 plus/minus rating in his last 16 games.

According To Jim

Defenseman Jim Fahey has recorded nine points on two goals and seven assists (2-7-9) in his last 16 games. Three of Fahey's four goals this season have gone for game-winners. His 21 assists are tied for the lead among Barons defensemen and his 25 points are second.

The Carkinator

Over the last 11 games, Barons captain Matt Carkner owns a +5 plus/minus rating, with only two games as a minus. In that time, Carkner has played with an edge compiling two five-minute fighting majors, one ten-minute misconduct, and one match penalty. Carkner is the Barons franchise leader in games played (242) and penalty

Dominant Dimitri

Dimitri Patzold has been great in his last five appearances. In four starts during that span, Patzold is 3-1-0. He also earned a no-decision in a relief appearance on 3/29 against Grand Rapids. In those five appearances, Patzold owns a miniscule 1.80 goals against average (8 GA/267:24) and a solid .922 save percentage. On the season, Patzold is 17-15-5 with a 2.48 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. The 2.48 goals against average is the 20th best mark in the AHL. His .915 save percentage is 23rd in the league as well.

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

4-12 Practice National City Rink located in Gund Arena 10:30am

4-13 Pre-Game Skate National City Rink located in Gund Arena 10:00am

4-13 vs. Utah National City Rink located in Gund Arena 7:00pm

4-14 Practice Barons Arena 10:00am

4-15 @ Manitoba MTS Centre 8:30pm

4-16 @ Manitoba MTS Centre 8:30pm

4-17 vs. Rochester National City Rink located in Gund Arena 5:00pm

Barons Broadcasts

The Barons games against Manitoba can be heard on SportsTalk 850-AM WKNR. The two home games this week can be heard live on www.clevelandbarons.net.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 11, 2005


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