NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Bloomington Blaze Weekly

March 4, 2013 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bloomington Blaze News Release


The Bloomington Blaze, fueled by Mid-Illini Credit Union, continue a four-game road trip with visits this week to Missouri, Tulsa and Quad City before finally returning home next Tuesday.

Last week:

Thursday, Feb. 28- @Blaze 6, Quad City Mallards 2

--Leo Thomas scored two goals and Brett Lutes registered three assists as the Blaze won their second straight over the Mallards.

Friday, Mar. 1- Fort Worth Brahmas 1, @Blaze 0

--The second-place Brahmas registered a power play goal early in the second period for the game's only tally as the Blaze were shut out for the first time this season despite 38 saves in Ross MacKinnon's Blaze debut.

Saturday, Mar. 2- @Wichita Thunder 6, Blaze 3

--The Blaze battled back from a 3-0 first period deficit to cut the margin to one goal twice as Jon Booras lit the lamp twice, but the third-place Thunder pushed the game out of reach in the final period.

This week:

Tuesday, Mar. 5, 7:05 p.m., Independence Events Center- Blaze at Missouri Mavericks

--The Mavericks have won the last two meetings, most recently a 3-2 decision on Feb. 15 in suburban Kansas City.

Friday, Mar. 8, 7:35 p.m., BOK Center- Blaze at Tulsa Oilers

--The Blaze have not lost to the last-place Oilers in five meetings this season. The Oilers have only gained one point against the Blaze in an overtime loss in Tulsa on Nov. 23.

Sunday, Mar. 10, 4:05 p.m., iWireless Center- Blaze at Quad City Mallards

--The two Illinois entries are battling for a playoff spot as they meet six more times this season.

Crazy eights: The top eight teams will move into the playoffs at the end of March, for the first time this season the Blaze are on the outside looking in (although only by one point) as they enter the week in ninth place in the Berry Conference Central Hockey League standings. The main combatants for the final two positions are Quad City (7th, 56 points), Arizona (8th, 55 points) and the Blaze (9th, 54 points). Arizona has 10 games left with two against last-place Tulsa but the other eight against the top three teams. The Blaze and Mallards meet six more times out of 11 remaining games for each team.

Blaze anatomy: Few CHL lineups have been involuntarily jostled as much as the Blaze. In February alone, 11 skaters who were on the roster at the end of January missed a total of 74 player games. In this week's moves, F Nicklas Lindberg and D Matt Suderman were moved to 30-day IR while D Aaron Dawson and F Jared Walker were moved to 14-day IR. F Leo Thomas was placed on 7-day IR after taking a check to the head on Saturday at Wichita. F Kyle Bochek was suspended for 5 games for an illegal check on Friday and won't return until March 15.

Junior Blaze split: The Junior Blaze hold on to the fourth and final playoff spot in the Midwest Junior Hockey League heading into the final five games. The juniors swept the Great Lakes Lightning 13-3 and 10-3 last weekend at home. After a three-game trip this weekend to face Tennyson on Thursday and league-leading Hartland on Friday and Saturday, the Junior Blaze conclude the regular season on Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17 at home against Rhinelander.

Get on the bus:The Blaze booster club is sponsoring a bus trip the final regular season game on Sunday, March 24 at Quad City. Cost is $38 and includes a game ticket. Contact Mike Corzine at oba88@mchsi.comor stop by the booster club table at Blaze home games.

Following the Blaze: All Blaze games can be heard on WJBC.com and fans inside U.S. Cellular Coliseum can listen to the WJBC broadcast on 93.7 FM. Fans are invited to watch all Blaze road games at Gill Street Sports Bar and Restaurant, 3002 Gill St. west of Airport Road in Bloomington; however, Gill Street will be closed this Tuesday for the road game at Missouri. Like the Blaze on Facebook and follow the team on Twitter (BLMBlaze) and at www.bloomingtonblaze.com. Group and multi-game ticket packages are available by calling the Blaze office at 309-TC SPORT (827-7678). For single-game and game day tickets, stop by or call the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office at 309-434-2679.

• Discuss this story on the Central Hockey League message board...

Central Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2013


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.

Other Recent Bloomington Blaze Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central