Chicago Hounds Weekly Notes

Published on November 20, 2006 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Chicago Hounds News Release


Puhalski Return Crushed by Komets: For the past several years, there was only one man behind the bench in Fort Wayne; Greg Puhalski. But, his old team cut him no slack as his new team dropped the contest by a score of 6-2.

In the first period, Komets forward David Hukalo found the back of the net when he scored fired a shot past Hounds goalie Marty Magers. The Komets doubled up on the Hounds and ended the period with a two goal lead thanks to Martin Gascon with only 44 seconds remaining in the period.

Though Bryan Payant would record his first goal of the season at 11:19 of the second and bring the Hounds within a goal, it wasn't enough to start the comeback. The Komets managed three unanswered goals and finished with a 35 shots. Kevin St. Pierre stopped 27 of 29. The Komets will visit the Hounds and the Sears Centre on Wednesday, December 13th.

Hounds Chew up Mallards: In the second meeting of the season, the Chicago Hounds had little trouble handling the Quad City Mallards. The most exciting play in hockey transpired at the 1:39 mark of the first period when Matt Amado scored on a penalty shot beating Mallards goaltender Zach Sikich five-hole. Hounds center John Spoltore knotted his first goal of the season at 7:08 of the second to put Chicago up by two. Mallards forward Sean Starke fired the puck past Hounds tender Marty Magers and put his team within a goal. The heartbreaker for the Mallards came with just one second left when Veteran Greg Koehler tallied a power-play goal and the Hounds never looked back. Sikich was pulled in favor of Jason Tapp who finished the game for the Mallards. Magers finished with 39 saves on 40 shots. Quad City returns to the Sears Centre on Friday, December 8th.

John "The Spark" Spoltore: Despite arriving only two weeks ago, John Spoltore has been on a scoring streak. Up until Saturday's game, Spoltore registered a point in every game he has dressed. His veteran leadership is a calming force in the locker-room and his guidance is appreciated amongst the coaching staff.

Happy Thanksgiving...From Elmira, NY: If the Hounds players dreamed of spending their Thanksgiving dinners in New York, this is the perfect situation. Chicago will be traveling to the great state of New York to take on the Jackals. They will be playing a whopping three games in four nights....perhaps they thought the bus ride would be the toughest part of the trip. The Hounds have never faced Elmira but the team feels they are up to the task. Elmira holds a 9-5 record and sits 4th overall in the league.

Home is so Far Away: The Chicago Hounds haven't seen their home rink very much this year. In 10 games this year, they have been home for less than half and have never played in the Sears Centre for more than a one game stand. However, December is a chalk full of home games. Nine games total in the month and five away games. The dog house is set for a rocking December!

Big Time Goaltending:For the time being, the man in the crease for Chicago will be Marty Magers. After goalie Chris Houle was waived earlier this week, Magers knows he will be carrying virtually the entire load. His performance is the most consistent this season among the Hounds and any goaltender in the league. Despite facing plenty of shots every game, Magers is clearly the back bone of this team and his teammates appreciate what he is doing for them. "He is rock solid every game. We know he gives us a chance to win every time he steps onto the ice," ---Hounds Forward Kris Vernarsky.

# GOALIES GP MIN W L SOL SO GA GAA SV SV%

31 Magers, Marty 9 533:58 4 5 0 1 26 2.92 287 .917

Hockey Clinic for Mites and Squirts in process: The Chicago Hounds Hockey team is in the process of putting together a Mite & Squirts clinic @ the Sears Centre on Sat Dec 16th from 9am to noon. The details will be more specific in regards to the on ice activities as the date nears. We are checking to see how much interest there is in the hockey community to put together a function of this nature. One hour on ice clinic with instruction from our head coach Greg Puhalski and assistant coach Steve Cromie. There will be stations set up on the ice that cover, stick handling; shooting, passing and all other facets of the game, the players of the Hounds will be handling the stations. The package will include access to the ice for the clinic and of course the tickets will be good for the game that night.

Chicago and Flint Schedule Re-Make Game: Fans who attended the game on November 3rd will be happy to know that the make-up game is scheduled on Wednesday December 6th at 7:30 in the Sears Centre. The Hounds first game of the year had to be cancelled due to poor ice conditions. Sears Centre officials apologized to fans because the ice wasn't ready in time for the Hounds first game after a figure skating event took place less than 24 hours before Chicago was supposed to hit the ice against Flint. Director of Ticket Sales Rob Newburg announced today that all those who bought tickets to home opener can call the Chicago Hounds office and receive a free ticket to the make-up game.

Next Home Game, December 29th vs Kalamazoo: The defending Champions will get their first look at the brand new Sears Centre when they visit the Chicago Hounds. The Zoo defeated the Hounds earlier this season at Wings Stadium 4-1, but this time Chicago is looking for payback. "Every game we get a little better and are more prepared to battle the leagues best. Kalamazoo will face a tough challenge when we get them in our barn"-Hounds forward Mike Brolsma.

Season Ticket Information: Season ticket, sponsorship packages, and single game tickets are now available -- for more information on the Chicago Hounds and their inaugural season, please call 847.882.2255 or visit

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from November 20, 2006


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