Chrapala Steals Victory For Renegades

December 22, 2006 - SPHL (SPHL)
Florida Seals News Release


KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Good goaltending wins games. It can also steal victories away from impending defeat.

That was the case Friday night as Jay Chrapala made 41 saves, 34 in the last two periods, to life the Richmond Renegades to a 4-2 road victory over the Florida Seals at the Silver Spurs Arena.

"The boys worked hard. They played good in front of me and we just ended our losing streak," Chrapala said. "Hopefully we can get on a winning streak here and keep on rolling. We're coming together as a team and that's what we need to do."

The Richmond team traveled to Central Florida a day early. They appeared to benefit from the rest as they were crisper in the first period. Their passing paid off at the 7:44 mark when Danny White whistled a cross-ice pass to a wide open Mat Goody. Goody had a wide open net to shoot at and he didn't miss, giving the Renegades a 1-0 lead.

The margin grew to two at 12:33 when Richmond capitalized on a power play. Just 15 seconds into the man advantage, Tyler Schremp got the puck to Phillip Youngclaus who got the puck past Seals' goalie Matt Balser. Florida answered late in the stanza with a power play goal of their own as Lawne Snyder made a good play to keep the puck in and out of the ensuing scramble, Tim Vitek popped the puck home past Chrapala to make it 2-1.

"We certainly didn't want it (the losing streak) to go any further before we could get it stopped," Richmond Coach John Brophy said. "Our goaltender played great tonight as he has to do that every night. It's a good league right now and if the guys aren't ready to play, you're not going to win."

Florida came out with more charge in the second but Chrapala was equal to the task. His best save was early when he robber Justin Keller with his catching glove. Late in the period, Richmond again pushed their lead to when Dean Jackson got loose for a wrist shot that eluded Balser's glove hand. 45 seconds later, Rob Sich cut the lead back to one when he circled in the zone and unloaded a canon shot past Chrapala. At the intermission, it was 3-2 Richmond but Florida was now awake and in the contest.

The Seals controlled the third period but Chrapala again was the story. He made several key saves, including one on former teammate Scott Corbett and another off the stick of Sich. With just under two minutes left, the Renegades were hit with a roughing penalty, giving Florida a huge opportunity to tie the game. When the Seals pulled Balser, the linesman blew the play dead, saying that the goalie's replacement left too early. The face-off was moved out to center ice and it cost Florida dearly as they were unable to set up for another good shot. White sealed the victory by scaling the puck the length of the ice into the empty net.

"They (Richmond) came in and worked hard for the whole game. Obviously we took it to them in the third but we just couldn't get it past their goalie," Seals Coach Tommy Stewart said. "You've got to play sixty minutes and we were kind of lackluster for the first forty."

The Seals finish their pre-holiday home stand with a game Saturday night against the Pee Dee Cyclones. It will mark the return of former Seals Art Mnatsakanov to the Silver Spurs Arena. It is also "Teddy Bear Toss" night. Fans are asked to bring a stuffed toy that will be donated to the "Teddies For Tragedies" program through the Osceola County Council On Aging. Game time is 7:35 p.m. Richmond continues on the road, heading up to Fayetteville, North Carolina to take on the FireAntz at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.



SPHL Stories from December 22, 2006


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.

OurSports Central