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Chicago Hounds Weekly Notes

February 19, 2007 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Chicago Hounds News Release


Hounds Fall to Komets, Lose 4-3

February 14, 2007 - Hoffman Estates, IL. Down by three goals entering the last period, the Hounds managed to net three goals on Komets netminder, Kevin St. Pierre; however, it wasn't enough and Fort Wayne skated away with a 4-3 victory.

In the last stanza, Hounds captain Steve Cygan took the backdoor feed from Tim Plett at 3:06 and blasted a shot past St. Pierre. The Komets answered right back regaining their three goal lead when Matt Syroczynski tallied a power play goal at 14:06. Just over a minute later, the Hounds would counter when Drew Otten rifled a shot that beat St. Pierre and brought Chicago to within two goals again. With Chicago goalie Brenden Cuthbert on the bench for an extra attacker, Guy Dupius was called for a boarding. During the six-on-four advantage Darryl McArthur fired a shot from the point and Matt Amado was there to bang home the rebound at 19:07. The Hounds never managed another shot on goal and Fort Wayne skated off with a 4-3 victory.

In the first period, Chicago was able to save off a five-on-three advantage for just under two minutes with both Steve Cygan and Todd Grant in the box, but they couldn't gain any momentum and the Komets would add to their one goal with a short-handed tally from Bruce Richardson at 18:24. Richardson would collect another goal early in the second period (4:21).

Both teams were successful on one power-play attempt. Chicago had six chances while Fort Wayne had five. Cuthbert made 30 saves on 34 shots while St. Pierre stopped 21 of 24.

Late Rally Boosts Rockford, Hounds lose 4-3

February 16, 2007, Rockford, IL. Locked at two goals after two periods, the Hounds took the lead on a shot from Drew Otten assisted by Matt Amado and Chris Busby on the power-play at 2:51. But, the Hounds couldn't hang on to the momentum and surrendered back-to-back goals to Rockford, losing the contest, 4-3. After Otten put the Hounds up, it was Nathan Lutz who tied the game when he fired a shot on a power-play beating Hounds goaltender Marty Magers at 7:46. It was all even until Rockford defenseman Tim Wedderburn scored the game winner at 9:53 and the IceHogs came away with the 4-3.

Chicago was 3 for 8 on the power-play while Rockford went 1 for 4. Magers put aside 36 shots on 40 attempts and Cloutier was good for 28 saves on 31 shots. Matt Amado tallied the games first goal while Drew Otten netted two on the night.

Hounds Can't Find Remedy for Komets Offense, Lose 5-3

February 17, 2007 Fort Wayne, IN. With a loss to the Komets earlier in the week, the Hounds were looking to bounce back in Fort Wayne; however, the Komets had other ideas. In the first period, Drew Otten started the game off with a goal at 1:16 but Chicago couldn't continue the pace as the Komets would score three unanswered goals in the next two periods. Chris Busby tallied the next Hounds goal when he beat Kevin St. Pierre on the power-play at 8:08 of the third period bring the score to 3-2 in favor of Fort Wayne. Just over four minutes later, Komets forward Jonathan Goodwin beat Hounds netminder Brenden Cuthbert at 12:27 and then J.C. Ruid did it under two minutes later to give Fort Wayne a comfortable three goal lead later in the period. Hounds defenseman Tom Zabkowicz scored a power-play goal at 19:33 but it was not enough and the Hounds lost the battle by a score of 5-3.

Chicago's power-play went 2 for 7 and Fort Wayne went 1 for 3 on the night. Winning goaltender Kevin St. Pierre stopped 26 of 29 shots and Hounds tender Cuthbert turned aside 29 of 34.

Chicago Rallies Late, but Drops in Shootout, lose 2-1

February 18, 2007 Hoffman Estates, IL. The Hounds were looking to gain their first points in the standings for the week but they would have to do it against one of the leagues hottest teams in the Rockford IceHogs. During the contest, both goaltenders Brenden Cuthbert and Fredric Cloutier were amazing with both players making breathtaking saves during the game. Cuthbert surrendered the first goal in the second period when a glorious save by Fredric Cloutier led to an odd man rush in the other direction. Bryce Cockburn fired a shot from the left wing that was stopped by Cuthbert only to see the rebound pounced on by Lukas Fritshaw at 1:54. The game was nearing completion and the Hounds had yet to beat Cloutier until Drew Otten chalked up the tying goal at 18:58 when he fired a rebound shot passed Cloutier who made the initial save off Darryl McArthur's point shot. Tensions ran high as Todd Grant and Jason Ralph dropped the gloves late in the period. This would be the first ever shootout at the Sears Centre this season.

In the shootout, Bryce Cockburn and Todd Grant would score on their teams first chances. Kevin Ulanski was the fourth shooter for the IceHogs and his deke was good enough to beat Cuthbert for the second goal of the shootout. Both Matt Amado and Drew Otten were denied by Cloutier and Rockford came away with the extra point and the victory.

Cuthbert saved off 35 of 36 shots while Cloutier was brilliant on 34 of 35. Neither team was effective on the power-play; Chicago was 0 for 9 while Rockford went 0 for 5.

Leading Scorers:

Steve Cygan was able to grab one more point this weekend when he scored a goal against the Fort Wayne Komets on Wednesday night. He still leads the team in scoring with 29 points in 48 games played though he was held scoreless in the past three games. Maris Ziedins also tallied one more point over the past week on an assist against the Komets on Saturday night and he rests second on team scoring with 28 points in 52 games. Matt Amado had a great week gathering five points in four games including a three point night in Rockford when he tallied a goal and two assists. Drew Otten is another Hounds player that has been on fire recently. Otten was named the first ever Chicago Hounds player of the week last week and off the heels of that proclamation Otten aggregated six points in four games which included a two goal night against the IceHogs on Friday.

Goaltenders: Neither Marty Magers nor Brenden Cuthbert was able to solidify a victory this past week. Both goaltenders took losses this week with Brenden on the losing side of games against Rockford and Fort Wayne. Magers had one start this week against the IceHogs on Friday where the game was lost in the third period. Brenden Cuthbert was involved in the first ever Hounds shootout at the Sears Centre Sunday night and he said those are always great fun, "the game itself was really exciting. It was back and forth and Cloutier had an excellent game, it's just too bad we couldn't find a way in the shootout." The team moved from playing Magers for majority of the first half of the season to a tandem between Magers and Cuthbert. Despite their different styles, players say they have the utmost confidence in both goaltenders and their ability, "Both guys are different on the ice with Magers a little more vocal and active in the crease. Cuthbert is more reserved and plays a conservative style. But, we think they are both very capable and we know that if we make the playoffs this season, it will be because of those two guys," remarked Hounds forward Mike Broslma.

Standings:

Western Conference

The West is getting more heated at the top of the standings with a dog fight between both Fort Wayne and Rockford. Nearing the bottom of the standings, the Hounds are trying to stave off the Bloomington Prairie Thunder from the fourth spot of the conference. For the Hounds to make the playoffs this season they are going to have to erase the gap between Port Huron in the Eastern Conference. Head Coach Greg Puhalski says winning is the perfect solution, "It might be cliché, but we know that we have to win and climb the ladder. We can't be worried about what other teams are doing, we have to against the teams that are in our way."

The Hounds have a New Owner:

The Chicago Hounds have a brand-new owner and his name is Craig Drecktrah. A native of Berlin, Wisconsin, Drechtrah still owns 49% of the Rockford IceHogs but now has 100% ownership of the Chicago Hounds. "I love hockey and enjoy owing a sports team. I will strive to make the Hounds the best UHL franchise possible," says Drecktrah. With Drecktrah on board, the Hounds have already announced new prices for the remaining part of the season-lower than ever and they also have proclaimed the remaining Wednesday's "$1 day." All bear, soda and hot dogs are only $1. Sunday's are also free to all kids 12 and under. The first 2000 fans on February 23rd to the Bloomington Prairie Thunder game get a free t-shirt and noise maker as well as $1 for beer, soda and hotdogs. For all the information regarding the Hounds and to get tickets for games this season please call 847-882-2255.

The Website is Operational! The Chicago Hounds website is back up and running. Last week, the site was down in order to revamp and give the team more access to update quicker. Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting, Jason Shaya says that fans will get quicker updates and more in-depth coverage of the Hounds, "We have direct control of the site and this will be a great thing for the organization and the fans of the Chicago Hounds. Our fans want the latest information regarding promotions, game recaps and ticket information and now we can give them that faster than ever."

Coming Up...Bloomington and Port Huron.

The Hounds will be on the road Wednesday when they visit the US Cellular Collisieum to take on their interstate and conference rivals the Prairie Thunder. In six games this season, the Hounds are 2-4 against Bloomington. The last time these two teams tangled was on January 27th when Chicago won by a score of 3-2. The winning goalie that night for Chicago was Marty Magers who made 24 saves on 26 shots. Magers says Bloomington always brings their A game against Chicago, "They might be last in the league, but they find a way to come at us very hard. We have played them a lot this year and we both still battling for position in the conference. We know we have to play a full 60 minutes to be successful."

The Port Huron Flags are resting in last place in the Eastern Conference. So far this season, the Hounds are 1-0-1 versus the Flags with the last game going to a shootout which was won by Port Huron. The Hounds aren't as familiar with Port Huron as they are other teams in the league, but they know there is a bigger issue at hand regarding the outcome of that contest, "Obviously, that is the team we want to catch in order to make the playoffs this season. Port Huron has a couple points over us and this would be a perfect way to take two from them and give it right to us. It could mean a lot going into April," said Hounds defenseman Darryl McArthur.

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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.

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