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Bloomington Blaze Weekly

March 18, 2012 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bloomington Blaze News Release


LAST WEEK:

Wednesday, March 14- Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 4, Bloomington Blaze 2

The Bees scored two late first-period power play goals and survived a battle for the remaining two periods, despite 55 Blaze shots. Jon Booras and Jordy Trottier scored for the Blaze.

Friday, March 16- Missouri Mavericks 4, Bloomington Blaze 1

A goal from Jon Booras sent the Blaze into the first intermission tied, but the Mavericks tacked on a second-period goal and two tallies in the third to seal the win.

Saturday, March 17- Dayton Gems 6, Bloomington Blaze 1

Dayton scored a power play goal late in the first period to take a narrow 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but poured on the remaining five goals in the second period to spoil the Blaze's final home game of the season in front of their largest crowd of 4,810.

THIS WEEK:

Monday, March 19- Bloomington Blaze at Rapid City Rush, 7:35 p.m. Central

Tuesday, March 20- Bloomington Blaze at Rapid City Rush, 7:35 p.m. Central The Blaze are 1-2-0 against the Rush, with all three previous meetings in Bloomington, most recently a two-game set during the last weekend of January in which the teams split. The Rush are in third place in the Turner Conference, two points ahead of the Missouri Mavericks, as they try to firm up their playoff position.

Friday, March 23- Bloomington Blaze at Missouri Mavericks, 7:05 p.m.

The Blaze will try to avenge Friday's loss at U.S. Cellular Coliseum against the Mavericks, who enter the week holding onto the final playoff spot in the Turner Conference by four points over Quad City with a game in hand on the Mallards. The Blaze are 1-4-0 against the Mavericks.

Saturday, March 24- Bloomington Blaze at Quad City Mallards, 7:05 p.m.

The Blaze conclude the season in Moline against a Mallards squad that's trying to claw its way into the playoffs. The Blaze are 2-4-2 against Quad City, with the most recent matchup ending in a 5-1 Mallards win on March 1 in Bloomington.

All Blaze games are available live on WJBC.com and CHL-TV, and fans are invited to watch road games at Gill Street Sports Bar and Restaurant, 3002 Gill Street in Bloomington.

SHINE EVEN WITH STREAKS: Jon Booras is riding a team-best seven-game point streak, and has earned at least a point in eight of his last nine games. Brandon Richardson's six-game point streak ended Saturday, but he has picked up a point in seven of his last nine games.

VLAD TO BE HERE: Vladimir Nikiforov moved back into a tie for the scoring lead with Jon Booras after scoring Saturday's only Blaze goal, building his total to 49 points (21 goals, 28 assists). Nikiforov leads the Blaze in assists. The Long Island, New York resident has recorded at least a point in 12 of his last 16 games.

FINDING A WAY TO PLAY: Several Blaze skaters have appeared in nearly every game this season. Jason Dale and Mark Znutas have played in every Blaze game except one. Craig Cescon and Ryan Palmer have missed two contests, while Aaron Dawson has been out of the lineup for only three games, and Kyle Laughlin, Doug Krantz and Travis Granbois have missed just four, five and six games respectively.

LIGHTING THE PILOT: The Blaze are now 17-8-4 when scoring first, 13-3-3 when leading after one period and are unbeaten in regulation (16-0-2) with a lead heading into the third period.

The Fort Wayne Komets are the only other ones to stay unbeaten when leading after two periods. The Rapid City Rush have only lost in regulation once when holding a lead at the second intermission (22-1-1).

WALKING THE RED CARPET: Blaze end-of-season player awards were presented before Saturday's Fan Appreciation Night face-off, featuring Jon Booras voted as Most Valuable Player. Zane Kalemba was named Most Improved Player, Vladimir Nikiforov earned Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year honors were given to Ryan Palmer, Jason Dale was named Favorite Player and Travis Granbois was tabbed as the Player's Player. The awards were determined by voting by fans, players and front-office staff.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: In addition to coach Paul Gardner, who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League and also served as an assistant coach, several Blaze players have close connections to the NHL. Craig Cescon's uncle, Darryl Sittler, played 15 seasons in the NHL; Kyle Laughlin is the son of former NHL'er and current Washington Capitals television analyst Craig Laughlin; Brian Mahoney-Wilson's uncle, Ron Wilson, was the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, and his great uncle Johnny Wilson and grandfather Larry Wilson won Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings; and Jordy Trottier's father Monty and uncle Rocky played in the show, and his uncle Bryan Trottier is in the NHL Hall of Fame with six Stanley Cup championships with the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Season ticket information for the 2012-2013 campaign is now available. Call 309-434-2980 for more information, or visit www.bloomingtonblaze.com, like the Blaze on Facebook or follow on Twitter (BLMBlaze). All games are broadcast on WJBC.com

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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