Bozeman streak tops first half highlights
Published on December 22, 2005 under North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release
Frisco, Texas -- The North American Hockey League has reached its holiday break and the league's 30th season has thus far been filled with noteworthy achievements in what has been a highly competitive first four months of play.
In a season marked by a number of streaks, by far the most outstanding accomplishment has been the Bozeman Icedogs' incredible winning streak. After dropping their first three games of the season, the Icedogs went more than two full months without losing, rattling off 20 straight victories, winning many in dramatic fashion from October 1 to December 8, until they dropped a shootout decision to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs on December 9.
But the Boys from Bozeman actually continued another streak that night by not losing in regulation. When they proceeded to win three more before finally dropping a game in regulation time on December 17, a 6-4 decision to Helena (the team which, coincidentally, was that last team to beat Bozeman in regulation time way back on September 30), the Icedogs completed a streak of 24 games in which they gained at least a point.
There have been a few other big streaks in the NAHL this season: The Fargo-Moorhead Jets won 10 straight to begin the season before dropping a game at the mid-October Blaine, Minnesota, NAHL Showcase to Texarkana by a 3-2 score.
The Cleveland Barons also began the season strongly, with five straight wins and eight straight in which they got at least a point. Then, beginning on November 6, the Barons piled up eight more wins in a row. Cleveland, which is only two points behind the USNTDP for the North Division top spot, has been one of the hottest NAHL teams over the past two months, heading into the break having won 11 of 12.
The Texarkana Bandits, who are hotly pursuing the Texas Tornado for top spot in the South, enter the break on a five-game winning streak. Earlier in the season, they have had streaks of six and five straight wins.
The NAHL divisional races have proved to be highly competitive. In the North, not far behind the NTDP and Cleveland, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms have crept to within seven points of first place, on the strength of a stretch in which they have dropped only one game in regulation time between November 18 and December 17. In that time, the Phantoms have won eight (including five straight, a streak that ended December 17 in a shootout loss to the NTDP Under-17 team) and have gotten points in 10 of 11 games.
In the South, Texas and Texarkana, as last year, continue to battle for the top spot. The improved Wichita Falls Wildcats closely perused the leaders until recently, when the top two teams combined to down the Wildcats in five consecutive games heading into the break.
Only seven points separate the top three teams in the NAHL Central, as the Jets hold a four point lead over Southern Minnesota, with the Minnesota Blizzard of Alexandria just three points behind the Express.
On the strength of their offensive might (the Express lead the NAHL in goals scored with 130 in 30 games played), Southern Minnesota has been the most successful of the NAHL's three new teams, currently standing seventh overall in the league. The other two new NAHL members, the North Iowa Outlaws and the Traverse City North Stars both had good starts before suffering extended losing streaks. They have pulled out of them and are looking for stronger second half performances as their young teams develop.
The Bozeman juggernaut has put them firmly atop the West, but Fairbanks is not terribly far behind, trailing by only nine points. The problem for the Ice Dogs in catching the Icedogs may be that Fairbanks has played five more games than Bozeman.
Bozeman has been helped by the excellent play of their special teams. They are first in both power play (24.84 percent) and penalty killing (89.94 percent, tied with Texas for the best percentage). They also have allowed the fewest goals against, surrendering only 58 in 28 games played.
In the individual scoring race, the Cleveland duo of Carter Camper and Josh Leonard continue to lead the parade. The pair started strongly, especially Camper, their play having been further bolstered by the acquisition of their new linemate Tomas Petruska, who has skated in only 14 NAHL games, but has 11 goals and nine assists. Bozeman's Josh Heidinger, Bismarck's Jacques Lamoureaux, Mahoning Valley's Marc Menzione and Fairbanks Shane Wheeler round out the top scorers.
Patrick Dynan of North Iowa is the goal scoring leader with 21. Six players are tied at 20 - Camper, Leonard, Lamoureaux, Southern Minnesota's Jason Wiley, Texas's Karl Sellan (last year's leader) and Wichita Falls' Chris Ochoa. Camper leads the league with 32 assists.
Sellan has 10 power play goals to lead in that category, with Camper and Leonard just one behind. Helena's Blake Page has four shorthanded goals to lead in that category, with Dynan, Bozeman teammates Chris McKelvie and Kyle Bailey, and Texas' Jordan Mowbray all with three.
Among the goaltenders, Bozeman's Matt Dalton leads in goals against average (a stunning 1.62) and save percentage (.941) Fargo-Moorhead's B.J. O'Brien, Texas's Troy Redmann and Texarkana's Riley Gill all follow closely behind in all these categories. Dalton also leads with five shutouts.
North American Hockey League Stories from December 22, 2005
- Bozeman streak tops first half highlights - NAHL
- IceDiggers Kick Off 2006 Season with Exhibition Match - Alpena IceDiggers
- Jets Player Earns NAHL Player of the Week - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- U.S. National Junior Team Earns 3-2 Exhibition Win Over Sweden - U.S. National Team
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