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Chicago Hounds Weekly Notes

March 5, 2007 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Chicago Hounds News Release


March 2nd, 2007

Late Arriving Hounds Defeat Prairie Thunder, 5-2

The breakdown of the Hounds bus didn't seem to derail their intent on winning. Despite a delay of over two hours, Chicago managed to score three first period goals and stomp a 5-2 victory into the Bloomington Prairie Thunder.

Bloomington struck just 5:53 into the first period when Jarad Bourassa tallied a power-play goal giving his team a 1-0 lead. Mid-way through the period, Mike Broslma took on Trevor Baker and both were assesed five minutes for fighting. Chicago was able to rally on the boost by Broslma's battle and went on to score three first period goals. Matt Amado (power-play), Steve Cygan and Mike Kautz all registered goals on Prairie Thunder backstop Jeff Reynaert.

With fourty minutes left in the contest, only Trevor Baker would net another goal for the Thunder and the Hounds chipped in with two more third period markers, both by Todd Grant.

Brenden Cuthbert was stellar making 33 saves on 35 shots while Reynaert took the loss stopping 24 of 29. Chicago was good on one of four power-play chances while Bloomington tallied one goal on five attemepts.

March 3rd, 2007

Let's Do it Again! Hounds Defeat Prairie Thunder 5-2

Less than 24 hours after defeating Bloomington, the Hounds did it again by the same score. In the first period, Matt Johnson and Maris Ziedins scored giving their team a two goal advantage going into the second period. The lone second period tally was scored by Mike Brolsma at 16:11 who took the feed from Todd Grant and blasted the shot past Reynaert.

The Hounds continued their offensive onslaught in the third when Matt Amado scored just 14 seconds into the period putting Chicago up by four. Despite two third period goals the by the Thunder, they were unable to mount a comeback and Chicago skated away with another 5-2 victory...the third straight victory against the Prairie Thunder by the same score.

Hounds netminder Brenden Cuthbert took the second straight win stopping 36 of 38 shots while losing goalie Jeff Reynaert put aside 25 of 30. Chicago's power play couldn't strike all night on four chances but Bloomington made good on one of six attempts.

March 4th, 2007

The Hounds Win Third Straight, Topple Generals 4-2:

Chicago managed to gain two leads during the course of the game only to see the Generals tie the contest up both times. Things would change in the third period when Tim Plett struck at 17:55 on the pass from Mike Brolsma and Matt Johnson beating Flint netminder Jason Muzzatti. Less than one minute later, Chicago blueliner Chris Busby netted the insurance marker at 18:40 putting the Hounds up by two and giving them a 4-2 lead which would be the final score.

Chicago managed a first period goal by Matt Amado at 10:16 but the Generals marched right back with a tally from Jan Jas at 13:56. In the second period, Hounds penalty killer Maris Ziedins scored a short-handed goal at 2:48 putting the Hounds up 2-1. Again, Flint would strike when Bogdan Rudenko would tie the contest at 8:54.

Chicago was able to score one power-play goal on eight chances and they held the Generals scoreless on their six power-play attempts. Chicago goalie Brenden Cuthbert became the first goalie to win three games in a row when he stopped 26 of 28 shots on Sunday. Muzzatti took the loss stopping 31 of 35 shots.

Leading Scorers:

For the first time this season, rookie Matt Amado became Chicago's leading scorer. In 53 games this season, Matt has registered 19 goals and 16 assists for 35 points. In four games this past week, Amado registered a goal in every contest giving him four points. He was also a +3 in the four games played. Amado has consistently been one of the team's best forwards and his teammates have already taken note, "We always talk about his speed and great wrist shot but he is also a very smart player and knows where to be on the ice. He creates a great deal of scoring opportunities for himself and his line-mates and I am happy to get to play with him so often," remarked Hounds captain Steve Cygan.

Only one point behind Matt is Todd Grant who seemingly came out of nowhere to grab onto the second spot on the Hounds leader-board. This past week, Todd mustered seven points including a two goal night against Bloomington followed by a three point outing the next day. Todd said this was one of his best weeks as a Hound, "The last couple of games I have felt great and I am happy with not only my performance but the team's as well. Ultimately, we are a team and if we are winning no one in this room really puts an emphasis on how many goals you score, but, it's nice to see progress."

Maris Ziedins and Steve Cygan are both one point behind Grant with 33 points. Ziedins has played in 58 games while amassing 17 goals and 16 assists and captain Steve Cygan has 14 goals and 19 assists in 54 games played. Defenseman Chris Busby has accumulated 30 points (7G, 23A) in 52 games.

Goaltending is Stellar for Hounds:

The Hounds only goaltender in the lineup is Brenden Cuthbert. While Marty Magers is still sidelined with a lower-body injury, Cuthbert is starting in every game. He became the first ever Chicago Hounds goalie to win three games in a row and was backstopping the Hounds to their best week in franchise history when they accrued 11 out of a possible 12 points this past week. He was also nominated by Chicago as goaltender of the week and his play is not going unnoticed by his team. Teammate Tim Plett says that the Hounds feel great with Cuthbert as their last line of defense, "He's been brilliant. It's not something you can measure but teams play with great confidence knowing they have a reliable goaltender and Brenden is giving us a chance to win every single game."

Last week, Brenden allowed two goals in three of the last four games while allowing three goals in the contest against Kalamazoo-a game eventually lost in the shootout. His save percentage this past week was a .932 and he has a goals against average of 2.25. Those stellar numbers may be a tip of the iceberg in terms of what Cuthbert is capable of doing, "When you think about it, he still hasn't played in as many games as a lot of goaltenders in this league. I have no doubt that he is just starting to feel comfortable as the goalie for this team and when he is playing his game, he is very hard to beat," says assistant coach Steve Cromie.

Marty Magers is expected back in the lineup this weekend but nothing is certain at this point. Look for Chicago to just carry an emergency backup until Magers is ready to go.

Standings:

Chicago garnered 11 out of 12 points during the week and it was the best stretch of games in franchise history. There is still plenty of work to do but the Hounds' can see the progress being made with every game. In 58 games played this season, Chicago has amassed a record of 22-31-5 totaling 49 points. This point total is good for the fourth spot in the Western Conference. They currently preside nine points better than the Bloomington Prairie Thunder but are 14 points behind the third place Quad City Mallards. In order to make the playoffs, the Hounds must catch the fifth place team in the Eastern Conference which is currently the Elmira Jackals. Coincidentally, the Hounds battle the Jackals twice this upcoming week on both March 9th and 10th. That four point swing could prove to be a deciding factor in April. Head Coach Greg Puhalski says the team can't think any differently aside from playing hard for 60 minutes every game, "Every game from now on is important. Sure there is emphasis on certain games but ultimately, you have to play hard all the time. We are not in a position to sit back. I am happy with this week's games, but there is a lot more work ahead of us."

New Coach's Show Soon on ChicagoHounds.com:

In conjunction with the Illinois School for Broadcasting, the Chicago Hounds are pleased to announce a new weekly show interviewing both coaches and players of the Chicago Hounds. This all coincides with the new ChicagoHounds.com website and assurance to fans that the latest information on all things Hounds will be updated as fast as possible on the site.

Director of Media Relations and broadcaster for the Hounds, Jason Shaya, says that the new coach's show will give a great look into the organization and how things are operating, "Everyone wants to hear from the coach and get a feel for what he is thinking and how he deals with the ups and downs of the season. We talk about giving fans access to our players through new ideas and we believe this is another step in the right direction."

Jason Shaya also updates his blog which can be found on the front page of ChicagoHounds.com so check it out for the latest news and notes about your Chicago Hounds!

Trade Deadline Acquisition:

The trade deadline came and went with Chicago trading defenseman Andrew Lackner to Fort Wayne for forward Kelly Miller. The center started his year in the SPHL with the Huntsville Havoc totaling 17 points (7 goals 10 assists) in 29 games before playing seven games with the Fort Wayne Komets. Miller played in the CHL, ECHL and UHL (Rockford, Fort Waye) during his career. Miller previously played for head coach Greg Puhalski during the 2002-2003 season when the Komets won the Colonial Cup.

Coming Up....Rockford and Elmira

The Hounds look to continue their winning ways when they battle the Rockford IceHogs Wednesday at the Sears Centre. Currently, the IceHogs are resting at the top of the Western Conference and are also second overall in the league with 81 points. They have taken points in their last 15 games while winning the last nine in a row. The Hounds have also been a tear recently and this is a much anticipated contest Wednesday, "Both teams are playing very well so Wednesday will be a good test for our hockey club. You can always measure how well you are really doing when you play against the leagues top teams and I know our team will be prepared," said Hounds defenseman Chris Busby.

The last time these teams met was on Sunday February 18th when the Hounds fell to a 2-1 shootout loss.

Losers of their last three games, the Elmira Jackals are visiting the Chicago Hounds Friday and Saturday and looking to start a new streak. The last time these two teams met was back on February 10th and the Hounds won a close 3-2 decision. The night before, Chicago fell to Elmira by the same score. With the playoff race heating up, the Hounds know these two games could have serious ramification, "Elmira is a team that we are competing with for a chance to get into the playoffs. They are always a tough team to compete against and we know that it will be two hard fought games," said Hounds forward Drew Otten.

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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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