Bounce back season for River Otters

Published on December 28, 2004 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2) News Release


LAKE ST. LOUIS – The Missouri River Otters have displayed an impressive turnaround this past month. In their past ten games, the River Otters have posted a league best 8-1-1, movig them into third place in the West. With both of their goaltenders in the top five league leaders, Kevin Reiter and Jason Tapp are holding Missouri to second lowest goals against at home (30) and on the road (35).

On Tuesday, the River Otters earned their seventeenth win of the season in a 2-1 victory over the Outlaws. Last year, the River Otters didn't notch their seventeenth win until April 2nd. Under the direction of Head Coach Kevin Kaminski, the River Otters have become a strong competitor this season.

Notable Comeback Stat When trailing after two periods, the River Otters post a 2-6-0 record, winning twenty-five percent of the games heading into the final period. When leading after the first, they stand 8-0-0.

Streaks Expire Their nine-game unbeaten streak, eight-game home winning streak, and Kevin Reiter's unbeaten in his eight previous starts was terminated in Motor City's 3-2 victory over the River Otters.

How do they Measure? Within their division, the River Otters are 13-5-2 with a league high 28 points and outside the division, 5-3-1 with the lowest goals against (18)...The River Otters hold the season high winning margin of eight goals in their 8-0 shutout victory over the Outlaws on November 28th...Netminder Jason Tapp holds first with five shutout victories...Center Chris Bell has registered assists in five straight games, currently the longest assist streak in the league...Winger Barrie Moore has two goals and five assists in his last five games, and is a plus-three during that span.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

EASTERN

Danbury (31GP, 22W, 8L, 1SOP, 45PTS); Adirondack (29GP, 16W, 7L, 6SOP, 38PTS); Richmond (31GP, 15W, 14L, 2SOP, 32PTS); Elmira (35GP, 14W, 18L, 3SOP, 31PTS)

CENTRAL

Muskegon (31GP, 17W, 10L, 4SOP, 38PTS); Flint (31GP, 16W, 9L,6SOP, 38PTS); Kalamazoo (30GP, 14W, 13L, 3SOP, 31PTS); Port Huron (32GP, 14W, 16L, 2SOP, 30PTS); Motor City (30GP, 7W, 21L, 2SOP, 16PTS)

WESTERN

Fort Wayne (32GP, 21W, 8L, 3SOP, 45PTS); Rockford (32GP, 20W, 8L, 4SOP, 44PTS); Missouri (29GP, 18W, 8L, 3SOP, 39PTS); Quad City (29GP, 12W,14L, 3SOP, 27PTS); Kansas City (30GP, 10W, 18L, 2SOP, 22PTS)

Adirondack Frostbite - (0-0-1) – Center Sylvain Cloutier is on a six-game assist streak...Center David Burgess is on a four-game road goal-scoring streak. The Frostbite are on a five-game road point streak...They are 13-1-3 when scoring first and 16-0-3 when leading or tied after the second period...With one more power play goal, Cloutier will move into a tie for seventh with Trent Schachle on the Adirondack (UHL) all-time list...After Sunday's game, Derek Gustafson moved into ninth on the Adirondack (UHL) all-time games played list with twenty-five...Right wing Frank Littlejohn recorded his 250th professional point with a goal Sunday in Richmond...Wednesday night, left wing Hugo Belanger will play in his 800th, and on Friday, defenseman Scott Drevitch his 1,000th professional game.

Danbury Trashers - (1-0-0) – The Trashers have had four players (Brent Gretzky, Jeff Daw, Bruce Richardson and Mike Bayrack) average more than one point per game over the last ten games with Daw leading the pack (9g, 4a)...During their five-game winning streak, Danbury has outscored their opponents by a 22-14 margin...The Trashers have won their last three games against the Jackals. Danbury is 6-0-1 against Elmira over the last seven games...Guillaume Lavallee's win on December 26th against Elmira was his first in nearly a month.

Elmira Jackals - (1-2-0) – The Jackals haven't won back-to-back games since November 3rd-5th when they beat Richmond and Port Huron on the road...Center Greg Koehler is now tied with Fort Wayne's Colin Chaulk for the UHL lead in scoring with forty-seven points...Right wing Jason Sessa scored two goals this week, moving him just two goals behind teammate Greg Koehler (23 goals) for the UHL lead. Sessa also leads the league with eleven power play goals in thirty-one games played...Forward Derek Campbell leads the UHL rookies in minor penalties (19) and is second on the Jackals with ninety-three total minutes, just four minutes behind rookie defenseman Chris Shaw...Defenseman Trevor Burgess is currently leading all UHL defensemen in assists (20).

Flint Generals - (1-0-2) – Left wing Jim Duhart has scored at least one goal in nine of twelve games since returning to the Generals earlier this month...Defenseman Mike Tobin has scored at least one point in four of the last five games...Flint has been to a shootout in four of the last five games posting a 1-3 record. The Generals have been in six shootouts during the month of December...Flint's seven-game home winning streak came to an end on Sunday night with the 3-2 shootout loss against Motor City...Defenseman Kam White scored his 500th career goal on Wednesday versus Motor City...Right wing Kevin Kerr has 1,290 professional career points and is six games away from reaching 400 as a General...Center John DiPace played his 100th professional career game on Sunday.

Fort Wayne Komets - (2-0-0) – Komets are at the top of the Western Division ...With the Komet's 4-2 win at Quad City on Sunday, Fort Wayne is unbeaten on the road in regulation seven straight games...On Sunday, center Tom Nelson passed three assists for his third three-point game of December...Defenseman Jason Kean leads the league defenseman with eight goals, and twenty-four points...Komets have the top plus/minus defensemen in the league with Troy Neumeier, Rob Guinn and Jason Kean.

Kalamazoo Wings - (1-1-0) – Forward Sean Starke leads UHL rookies with a .211 shooting percentage...Center Yannick Carpentier is six points shy of 200 for his career. He is currently on a five-game road-point streak and is fifth in the league with a .213 shooting percentage...Forward Tim Turner is one game shy of 100 for his career...Right wing Tyler Willis is fifth in the UHL with 152 penalty minutes...Mike Manley's three-game point streak was snapped on Sunday versus Rockford...K-Wings are 10-2-1 in games that they score first...K-Wings registered three goals in their first 2:37 of the game against Quad City last Wednesday.

Kansas City Outlaws - (0-2-0) – The Kansas City Outlaws concluded its season long nine-game home stand on Tuesday, falling 2-1 to the Missouri River Otters, posting a record 3-5-1... Forward Tony Arkeilpane became the second Kansas City area player to suit up for the Outlaws this season with Mark Uvodich being the first...The Outlaws have not won a road game since November 6th in Fort Wayne. Since then, the Outlaws have posted a 0-8-1 on the road...Forward Steve Yetman and Forward Jimmy Callahan have played in all thirty-one Outlaws games this season...Right wing Joe Seroski, forward Steve Yetman, center Mark Lee and equipment manager Jason Schweinsberg served lunch at a local soup kitchen on Wednesday.

Missouri River Otters - (2-0-0) – Chris Bell is currently on a seven-game point streak...The River Otters have only have one loss in their last twelve games...Goalie Kevin Reiter has one loss in his last eleven starts...The River Otters sport an impressive 12-3-1 record at home...The Otters have two victories this year when they trailed going into the third period, the top come-from-behind ratio in the league.

Motor City Mechanics - (1-1-0) – When leading after the first period, the Mechanics are 4-0-0 and 5-0-0 when leading after the second. When trailing after the first, they are 0-10-0...Left wing Jeff Goldie notched two goals and an assist in two games this week...Within their own Central Division, the Mechanics are 3-8-0 and outside the division, are 4-13-2...Rookie right wing Matt Hunter scored his first shootout goal of the season on Sunday versus Flint... Center Blair Manning had one goal and three assists in two games this week.

Muskegon Fury - (1-2-0) – Muskegon has allowed three goals against or less in twenty-six of their first thirty-one games...In the last six games played against their own Central Division, the Fury posted a 4-2-0 record...Right wing Jason Lawmaster leads the league in minor penalties (34)...The Fury are 6-4-3 in the first thirteen of sixteen games to be played in December...Right wing Robin Bouchard leads the league with twenty-two power play points, while left wing Brant Blackned ranks third with nineteen...The Fury have outscored the opponents on home ice 27-12 in the second period and 42-20 through the first two periods combined.

Port Huron Beacons – (2-0-0) – Center Aaron Brand passed John Vary for fourth on the Beacons all-time point list. Brand tallied two assists and now sits with 39 goals, 48 assists for 87 points...Joey Sewell has a seven-game point streak...The Beacons have won three straight for the first time this season...They have won nine out of their last ten home games... In Wednesday's game versus Motor City, left wing David Beauregard found the net twice for his twentieth and twenty-first goals of the season...Stu Dunn made twenty saves on twenty-four shots for his seventh win on the season on Wednesday.

Quad City Mallards - (0-2-0) – Center Mike Kompon recorded his second consecutive game with two goals on Wednesday in Kalamazoo. Kompon has six points (four goals and two assists) in his last three games. He has been on the ice for the last eight Mallards goals...Center Jason Deskins is on a three-game scoring streak with a goal and three assists...The Mallards have killed 23 of 25 (92%) opponent power plays in their last five games.

Richmond RiverDogs - (2-1-0) – The 'Dogs fired a season high 46 shots Sunday vs. Adirondack...Defensemen Mike Dombkiewicz and Simo Pulkki made their Richmond debuts on Sunday...Center Mark Turner notched his second game-tying goal on Sunday with :23 remaining against the Frostbite...Three of the 'Dogs five shootouts have been against Adirondack. Sunday's shootout was the first at home since opening night and the 'Dogs first home shootout win of the season...Richmond has been out-shot once in their last four games...The 'Dogs finished a seven-game road trip Wednesday with a 3-3-1 record...Left wing Francis Belanger has points in three straight games.

Rockford IceHogs - (1-1-0) – The IceHogs win over the K-Wings on Sunday was the club's first win in Kalamazoo since March 10, 2001...The IceHogs 20-8-4 record is the best winning mark after thirty-two games in its team history...The IceHogs went ninety-five straight games without recording a shutout when Michel Robinson broke the drought on November 26, 2004. Michel Robinson's three shutouts place him second all-time on the IceHogs career shutout list, one behind the single season and career shutout leader Brant Nicklin...The IceHogs now have seven players called-up to the American Hockey League this season including Jason Ralph, Nathan Lutz, and Olivier Proulx.

LEADING SCORERS

Koehler, Greg (ELM) 31gp, 23g, 24a, 47pts...Chaulk, Colin (FW) 31gp, 12g, 35a, 47pts...Reynolds, Bobby (FLT) 31gp, 10g, 31a, 41pts...Venedam, Sean (FW) 32gp, 18g, 19a, 37pts...Belanger, Hugo P. (ADI) 28gp, 15g, 21a, 36pts...Kelly, Justin (ADI) 29gp, 14g, 22a, 36pts...Sessa, Jason (ELM) 31gp, 21g, 14a, 35pts...Bouchard, Robin (MUS) 31gp, 16g, 18a, 34pts...Beauregard, David (PH) 30gp, 22g, 11a, 33pts...Kinnie, Mike (FLT) 31gp, 18g, 14a, 32pts...Valicevic, Rob (FLT) 29gp, 14g, 18a, 32pts...Dufour, J.F. (RCK) 29gp, 10g, 22a, 32pts...Druin, P.C. (FW) 32gp, 10g, 22a, 32pts...Ruid, J.C. (RCK) 26gp, 15g, 16a, 31pts...Hymovitz, David (RCH) 31gp, 10g, 21a, 31pts...Nelson, Jeff (MUS) 31gp, 9g, 22a, 31pts...Brand, Aaron (PH) 32gp, 9g, 22a, 31pts...Gretzky, Brent (DAN) 30gp, 9g, 21a, 30pts. As of 12/21/2004

SHER-WOOD PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Flint right wing Bobby Reynolds completed the week with six points (1g, 5a) and a plus-three rating in three games. On Wednesday versus Muskegon, Reynolds notched an assist with only a minute into the first, and two in the second (one shorthanded). In Thursday's rematch, he scored in the first, and tallied an assist in the third to tie for the shootout. Sunday versus Motor City, he posted a power play assist, securing first place in the league with sixteen. Reynolds has scored at least one point in fourteen of the last sixteen games, amassing five goals and twelve assists (17pts). The 37-year-old Flint, Michigan native holds second in points (41), assists (31), and is tied for first with 137 shots on goal.

Other players nominated for the Sher-Wood UHL Player of the Week include: Adirondack right wing Frank Littlejohn, Danbury forward Brent Gretzky, Elmira defenseman Trevor Burgess, Fort Wayne right wing Jonathon Goodwin, Kalamazoo center David Struch, Kansas City defenseman Matthieu Descoteaux, Missouri center Chris Bell, Motor City forward Jeff Goldie, Muskegon right wing Robin Bouchard, Port Huron forward Andrew McPherson, Quad City forward Mike Kompon, Richmond right wing Francis Belanger, and Rockford defenseman Nathan Lutz.

SOUTHERN SPORTS SUPPLY UHL GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Flint goaltender Dan McIntyre finished the week with a 1-0-1 record, 1.50 GAA, and a .958 save percentage. On Wednesday, he made 36 saves on 37 shots registering the 6-1 win over the Fury. In Sunday's game, he turned away 41 of 43 Motor City shots, 33 of 35 in regulation for the shootout loss. Currently, McIntyre is tied for first with a .933 save percentage, posting a season record 8-4-3 through the eleventh week of the 2004-05 campaign. The 26-year-old London, Ontario native is in his second consecutive season with the Flint Generals.

Other players nominated for the Southern Sports Supply UHL Goaltender of the Week include: Adirondack's Derek Gustafson, Danbury's Guillaume Lavallee, Elmira's Greg Hewitt, Kalamazoo's Chad Alban, Kansas City's Maxime Gingras, Missouri's Kevin Reiter, Motor City's Rod Branch, Muskegon's Clayton Pool, Port Huron's Stu Dunn, Quad City's Robert Gherson, Richmond's Ryan McIntosh, and Rockford's Michel Robinson.

ON THE UP AND UP

Danbury Trashers forward John Morlang, who is currently on a call-up with Bridgeport in the AHL, scored his first point of the season for the SoundTigers as he assisted on a goal in their 3-2 loss to Hartford on December 26th. Kalamazoo left wing Ryan Barnes continues to play for the Grand Rapid Griffins with two points (1g, 1a) in 21 games played...Kalamazoo center Kory Karlander has been with the Griffins since late September posting one goal and two assists in twenty-five games played... Muskegon center Todd Robinson, also with the Griffins, has notched sixteen points in twenty-two games (3g, 13a)... Kalamazoo left wing Nick Bootland, who was reassigned to the Cleveland Barons in late September, has one goal and four assists (28gp) with a plus-five rating...Flint left wing Jay Henderson, who was called-up to the Providence Bruins at the start of the UHL season, has notched three goals and four assists in twenty-nine games played...Rockford defenseman Tim Wedderburn has played seventeen games with the Chicago Wolves earning two assists with a plus-seven rating...Rockford defenseman Kevin Klein returned to the Milwaukee Admirals in early December notching eight points (3g,5a) in twenty games...Rockford's Terry Harrison has earned two assists in six games played since his last week's call-up to Milwaukee...Danbury's J.F. David has played in two games with the Hershey Bears, and Mike Bayrack three games with the Bridgeport SoundTigers. CONGRATULATIONS AND KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from December 28, 2004


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