Buzzards Look to Rumble in the Jungle
December 30, 2002 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
El Paso Buzzards News Release
EL PASO, Texas â Coming off a successful homestand, the El Paso Buzzards look to conclude 2002 in grand style against the Amarillo Gorillas at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Amarillo. The Buzzards enter the match-up with a 1-0-2 record against the Gorillas this season and have won three of their last four. Catch all of the action on KHEY 1380 AM, El Paso's Sports Ticket with play-by-play announcer Michael LaPlaca.
The Buzzards continue on their quest to make it back to the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. Buzzards' head coach Craig Coxe changed his team's style to be more aggressive in the neutral zone and attack their opponents, instead of letting the defense come to them. The new strategy has paid off at home and now must carry over on the road.
"Sometimes it's good to go out on the road because you can focus more on the game," Coxe said. "We haven't had a whole lot of road games this season and I'm excited to see how these guys will respond to the challenge that lies ahead."
The Buzzards, 9-17-2 overall and 2-7-1 on the road, remain in fourth place in the Southwest Division. El Paso has played much better of late, going 4-3-1 in their last eight games. The Gorillas come in with an overall record of 16-10-2, 8-7-0 at home, and are in third place in the Northwest Division.
In the previous contest in Amarillo between these two clubs, the Buzzards notched their first road win, 4-3 on Nov. 8. Buzzards' right winger Derrell Upton recorded a hat trick and an assist to lead El Paso to the victory. Buzzards' center Joe Gray contributed with a goal and an assist, while Buzzards' goaltender Matt Carmichael made 23 saves.
DID YOU KNOW
Buzzards' right winger Jeff Scharf has earned the title Mr. Consistency with his offensive production and defensive prowess. Offensively, Scharf has been the top bird in the nest, scoring three goals and five assists in his last five games. Defensively, Scharf has been a menace on the ice. His plus/minus rating of +3 in his previous five games and has increased his overall rating to a +2. Scharf leads the team in scoring with 13 goals and 18 assists (31 points).
WHERE THEY STAND
BUZZARDS - Coming into Thursday's action, the Buzzards (20 points) are in fourth place in the Southwest Division, but are just eight points behind New Mexico for third place. El Paso has 78 goals for and has allowed 99. Buzzards' goaltender Blaine Russell looks to be back in action after twisting his knee against Lubbock on Friday. Russell is 4-2-1 with a 2.81 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. The Buzzards are ninth in the league on the power play with a 14.8 percent success rate and are thirteenth in the league on penalty kill opportunities with a 78.1 percent rate. Also, the Buzzards lead the league in major penalties with 60.
AMARILLO â The Gorillas (32 points) come into the game 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. Amarillo has 77 goals for and has allowed 74. The Gorillas are 14th in the CHL on the power play with a 11.6 percent success rate and 11th in the league on penalty kill situations with an 83.2 percent success rate. Amarillo is led in scoring by Henry Kuster, who has 16 goals and 11 assists in 26 games. Amarillo goaltender Steve DeBus is fifth in the league in goals against average at 2.38 goals per game.
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Central Hockey League Stories from December 30, 2002
- Buzzards slip against New Mexico, lose 3-2 - El Paso Buzzards
- No Holiday Cheer for Rayz - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Sewell Named CHL Player of the Week - Laredo Bucks
- CHL Names Players of Week - CHL
- Ice, Memphis Riding First Place Seesaw - Indianapolis Ice
- Gorillas Take Two of Three against Division Rivals - Amarillo Gorillas
- Inglis makes first roster moves - Fort Worth Brahmas
- Buzzards Fight Back - El Paso Buzzards
- Scorpions Take Three out of Four Points - New Mexico Scorpions
- Sewell, Bucks Rock on - Laredo Bucks
- Buzzards Look to Rumble in the Jungle - El Paso Buzzards
- Saints Week in Review - San Angelo Saints
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