NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Cleveland Barons Season Recap

April 19, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release


Cleveland Barons Most Valuable Player

Ryane Clowe was named the Barons Most Valuable Player for 2004-05. With his 62 points, he amassed the second-most prolific offensive season in Barons history. Only Miroslav Zalesak produced more points in a season, totaling 75 points (35-40-75) in 2003-04. Clowe, a second-year professional, led the Barons in points (62), goals (27), assists (35), plus/minus (+19), multi-point games (16), power play points (23), and power play goals (14). The 6’2”, 215-pound native of St. John’s, Newfoundland appeared in 74 games while recording 101 penalty minutes. Among all league skaters, the 22-year-old finished tied for second in first goals (9), tenth in power play goals (14), tied for 25th in plus/minus (+19), tied for 31st in points (62) and tied for 30th in goals (27). Originally selected by the San Jose Sharks with the 175th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Clowe appeared in 72 games during 2003-04 season. During that rookie campaign, Clowe totaled 11 goals and 29 assists (11-29-40) with 97 penalty minutes and a +15 plus/minus. Past Barons MVP winners include Mike Craig (2002), Vesa Toskala (2003), and Zalesak (2004).

Cleveland Barons Rookie Of The Year

Josh Gorges was named as the Cleveland Barons Rookie of the Year for 2004-05. Gorges, 20, appeared in 74 games for the Barons totaling four goals and eight assists (4-8-12). All of the defenseman’s 12 points occurred in his last 34 games. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Jose Sharks on September 20th, 2002, Gorges previously played for his hometown Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League and led the team to a Memorial Cup Championship. In his four seasons with Kelowna, Gorges posted 33 goals and 119 assists (33-119-152) in 245 games. Gorges was also a member of the Silver Medal-winning 2004 World Junior Championship team for Canada. Past Barons Rookie of the Year winners include Chad Wiseman (2002), Niko Dimitrakos (2003), and Garrett Stafford (2004).

Cleveland Barons Man Of The Year

Matt Carkner was named Barons winner of the American Specialty/AHL Man of the Year Award. During the season, Carkner, and his wife Kary, coordinated “Carkner’s Christmas” and “Clip Carkner’s Curls For Cancer”. Carkner’s Christmas was held for the second season as the Barons, led by Matt, banded together and purchased “need” and “want” presents for children in need. Matt then raffled off the chance to shave his head as part of the “Clip Carkner’s Curls for Cancer” campaign. All proceeds from the fundraiser were donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Carkner also served as a chairman on “A Night with the Barons”, a fundraising auction for the Doug Dieken Foundation. On the season, Carkner recorded 10 assists and led the team with 192 penalty minutes.

Rubbermaid Player Of The Year

Josh Gorges and Doug Murray were awarded the co-Rubbermaid Player of the Year for the 2004-05 season. The Barons introduced the “Rubbermaid Player of the Game” this season. At the end of each game, the player who provided the most durable and dependable performance was named the Rubbermaid Player of the Game. Murray and Gorges will a receive Rubbermaid prize pack for their performance.

A Strong Clowe-s To The Season

Ryane Clowe, the Barons MVP, certainly closed the season on a strong note. The power forward ended the season with a four-game point-streak intact (2-2-4). In his last 29 games, Clowe registered a point in 69% of the contests (20/29). Over that span, he produced 31 points by recording 18 goals and 13 assists (18-13-31). Clowe was solid on both ends of the ice recording a +13 in those 29 games. The late plus/minus push helped Clowe set a Barons franchise record with his season-total of +19. He surpassed Matt Carkner’s record of +18 set last season. Clowe also set a Barons franchise record by scoring the game’s first goal nine times in the 2004-05 season.

Oh My Goc!

Marcel Goc finished his second North American season by equaling or bettering all of his offensive numbers from his rookie season. The highest drafted player of German descent in NHL history (20th overall in 2001) registered 16 goals and 34 assists for 50 points in 76 games. Goc posted 16 goals and 21 assists in 2003-04 during his rookie campaign. Goc’s 34 assists and 50 points were the second most on the Barons. His 16 goals and +6 plus/minus rating were fourth on the team. Goc broke the Barons franchise record by recording an assist in seven consecutive games from 2/19/05 to 3/10/05. Brandon Smith (11/14/01 – 11/28/01), Ryan Kraft (1/16/02 – 1/24/02), and Patrick Rissmiller (1/10/03 – 1/22/03) have each had five consecutive games with an assist in the Barons franchise history.

A Generous Grant

Grant Stevenson made a late point push for the second consecutive season. In his last 38 games, Stevenson recorded 66.6% of his 39 points by registering 10 goals and 16 assists. On the season, Stevenson recorded a career-high 14 goals with 25 assists for 39 points in 77 games. The 25 assists on the season were third on the Barons behind Ryane Clowe and Marcel Goc. Last season, Stevenson produced 16 of his 39 points during the last 14 games of the season.

Air Ehrhoff

Christian Ehrhoff led all AHL defensemen by blistering 237 shots on net this season. That mark led the Barons as well and was 21st among all AHL players. Ehrhoff led the Barons defensemen in goals (12), assists (23), points (35), power play goals (7), and first goals (4). Among league defenseman, Ehrhoff was tied for 10th in goals, tied for 22nd in points, tied for seventh in power play goals, and tied for ninth in game-winning goals (3). Ehrhoff was the Barons lone representative in the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Game. The German defenseman appeared in all 40 Barons home games this season where he registered 23 (5-18-23) of his 35 points on the season. His 18 assists on home ice (all on the National City Rink located in Gund Arena) were second best on the team.

Making Life Risserable

Patrick Rissmiller ended his third season with the Barons with 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points. Rissmiller is now second on the Barons franchise list in goals (49), assists (80), points (129), and games played (216). His 22 points on the power play (8-14-22) are second on the Barons. The Holy Cross University product’s 21 goals and eight power play goals are second on the team, and his 44 points are third.

The Only Nolan

Nolan Schaefer set the Barons franchise record with his fifth career shutout on January 8th against Grand Rapids. He surpassed Vesa Toskala’s mark of four career shutouts. Schaefer then became the second goaltender in Barons franchise history to lead his team to four consecutive wins with a 27-save performance against Hamilton on 03/04/05, equaling Miikaa Kiprusoff’s mark in 2001-02. On December 3rd, Schaefer set an AHL record by stopping 14 shooters in the Barons 16-round shootout against the Utah Grizzlies. Schaefer earned the win for his efforts.

It’s Part Of The Patzold

Dimitri Patzold recorded 18 wins on the season, bettering his career mark of 10 set last season. The native of Kazakhstan finished the season with an 18-16-5 record. His 2.58 goals against average was 25th in the league and his .911 save percentage was 27th best in the league. Patzold recorded one shutout on the season on March 11th against San Antonio.

Sugar Shane

Shane Joseph led all Barons rookies and was sixth on the team overall with his 35 points this season. Among league rookies, Joseph finished tied for 14th in points (35) and tied for 13th in assists (22). Joseph displayed an extreme sense of discipline, only accumulating eight penalty minutes, the second fewest among players with over 50 games played.

Demolition Man

Doug Murray surpassed his point total of last season (22), by finishing strong with 12 points (2-10-12) in his last 19 games. On the season, Murray recorded 6 goals and 17 assists in 54 games. The bruising defenseman was the co-recipient of the Rubbermaid Player of the Year, along with Josh Gorges. A native of Bromma, Sweden, he tied a career-high by posting a +4 plus-minus rating against St. John’s on 3/16. Murray previously recorded a +4 in his fifth career game on October 24th, 2003 against Houston.

Staff Report

Garrett Stafford, the Barons Rookie of the Year in 2003-04, finished the season with six goals and 18 assists for 24 points. His 24 points and 18 assists were third among all Barons defensemen, while his six goals were tied for third with Doug Murray. In his last 20 games, Stafford posted a solid +7 plus/minus rating. Stafford led all league defensemen with his 10 shootout opportunities this season. He cashed in on four of his chances and his 40% conversion rate was third best among defenseman.

A Prudden Decision

Josh Prudden led the Barons and was fourth among all league rookies with his five game-winning goals this season. Prudden led all Barons rookies with his 14 goals and they were tied for fifth on the team overall. His 14 goals were tied for 12th among all league rookies this season. Creating his own offense, Prudden also tied for first on the team with three unassisted goals. His 22 points on the year are second among Barons rookies and tied for 36th among all AHL rookies.

Strapping On The Boots

Nick Bootland reached a goal-scoring plateau on March 12th against Milwaukee as he scored his 100th regular season goal as a professional. In his career, Bootland has 29 goals at the AHL level, 44 goals at the ECHL level, and 27 goals at the UHL level. This is Bootland’s seventh season as a professional.

The Life Of Riley

Riley Armstrong entered the season with the goal of bettering his brother Colby’s rookie number. Armstrong did that by posting eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points on the season. His brother posted seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points with Wilkes-Barre during his rookie season in 2002-03. Armstrong was named the Barons Rookie of the Month for April as he led all rookies with his three goals. Colby was the 21st overall selection in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hoffman The Graduate

Mike Hoffman was the only member of the Barons to make the team on a tryout basis. On December 17th, the Barons signed Hoffman to a standard player contract. The 6’6”, 245-pound right wing earned his stripes as an enforcer. His 24 major penalties on the season finished fourth among all league rookies. In total, Hoffman appeared in 58 games and accumulated 170 penalty minutes, the third most as a rookie in the Barons franchise history. Hoffman scored his first professional goal on March 16th against St. John’s. He finished the year with one goal and seven assists for eight points.

Notables

Jim Fahey finished second among Barons defensemen in assists (22) and points (26)… Tomas Plihal set career highs in goals (17) and points (28). His 17 goals were the third most on the Barons… Craig Valette led the team by appearing in 79 games this season. He finished with 6 goals and 6 assists… Tim Conboy finished his rookie season with four goals and 11 assists. His first professional goal was scored on December 17th against St. John’s, as he recorded his first multi-point game as well (1-1-2)… Aaron Gill’s first goal of the season on October 22nd against Houston was a game-winner. The Notre Dame product ended his rookie season with 4 goals and 5 assists… Scott Dobben registered a 20% shooting percentage this season, which was second best on the Barons. He scored on four of his 20 shots on net… Glenn Olson recorded his first AHL point on April 16th against Manitoba. In his first shift as a professional, Olson fought St. John’s tough-man Nathan Perrott. In six games, Olson combined for 12 penalty minutes… Scott Ford missed the majority of the season with a knee injury. He made his professional debut in his only AHL performance on February 19th against Syracuse. The defenseman was then reassigned to Fresno (ECHL)… Greg Labenski appeared in 25 games recording 3 assists for the Barons. He has appeared in at least one game in the last three seasons with Cleveland. When he wasn’t with the Barons, Labenski spent his time with Kalamazoo (UHL) where he was an All-Star.

Winning Ways

The Barons set a franchise record with their five-game winning streak from December 12th to December 22nd. They also matched their previous franchise best with two four-game winning streaks (2/4 -2/10 & 2/26 – 3/4).

Do You Know The Way To San Jose?

The Barons hosted their first regular season alternate site game on November 9th. The battled the Edmonton Road Runners in front of 11,784 fans at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. Although out-shooting Edmonton, the Barons fell 2-0 that night. It would be the first of three contests for the Barons in NHL-alternate site buildings. They played Syracuse at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on January 12th and lost 1-0. The Barons then played the Rochester Americans at HSBC Arena in Buffalo and fell 2-0.

Barons Assign Rink Rights

The Cleveland Barons became the first team to establish naming rights on their home rink. The Barons played the 2004-05 season on the National City Rink located in Gund Arena. On the National City Rink, the Barons amassed a 19-17-2-2 record. The Barons set their franchise record for attendance in Gund Arena on January 29th as 8,650 watched the Barons fall to St. John’s 3-2.

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from April 19, 2005


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.

Other Recent Cleveland Barons Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central