Cleveland Barons Weekly Report

March 27, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release


3/23/2006 - Grand Rapids 4, Cleveland 1

A solid 22-save performance from Nolan Schaefer wasn't enough for the Barons as they fell to Grand Rapids at home on Thursday night. The evening started on a good note for Cleveland, with Lukas Kaspar scoring the first goal. The shot deflected into the net off the helmet of a Griffin's defensemen, giving the Barons the early 1-0 lead. Grand Rapids followed-up by tying the game at the 15:34 mark of the first period with a goal by their leading scorer, Donald MacLean. The second period was marked by aggressive power play, and two more goals from Eric Manlow and Terry Virtue The game was sealed with Jiri Hudler's 36th goal of the year.

3/24/2006 - Cleveland 4, Rochester 3

A strong second period led to a Barons victory over Rochester. The Americans Daniel Paille gave his team a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes of play, with his 10th goal of the season. The Barons battled back, registering three goals in the second period. The score was tied with a shot from Tomas Plihal, his 5th of the year. The Barons then took the lead off a shot from Riley Armstrong who was assisted by Brad Staubitz and Josh Prudden. A mere 14-seconds later, Rochester's Chris Taylor produced his 6th of the year at the 14:18 mark of the second period. Aaron Power regained the Barons' lead after forty minutes, with a shot between the legs of goalie Michael Leighton. Josh Hennessy and Tom Cavanagh each had an assist on the play. Tom Cavanagh further extended the Barons lead, scoring the second power play goal of the night. Rochester scored one final time, with Clarke MacArthur's 18th of the year. The goal wasn't enough for the Americans with the Barons earning the win.

3/25/2006 - Cleveland 5, Toronto 6

The Barons took an early lead, but couldn't hold on Saturday night in Toronto. Cleveland scored the first goal of the game for the third time in their past four games as Tomas Plihal netted his 6th of the year at the 9:40 mark of the first period. Assisting on the play were Ryane Clowe and Josh Hennessy. Plihal earned his second of the night off a rebound shot in front of the net at the 19:18 mark of the period. Toronto responded by scoring just 26-seconds later off a goal from Jeff Corey. The Marlies played hard the second period, tying the score at two with a power play goal from John Pohl. Brad Leeb scored at the 11:42 make to give Toronto the upper-hand. Colin Murphy scored his 13th of the year on a breakaway. The Barons trimmed the lead to one with Shane Joseph registering a goal in the last minute of play. Leeb earned his second of the night, giving Toronto a two point edge over the Barons. Just 36 seconds later, Hennessy struck back by tying the franchise rookie goal scoring record, with his 22nd of the year. Lukas Kaspar tied the game with a shot at the 9:20 mark. The Marlies regained the lead with Colin Murphy scoring his second of the night, securing the win for Toronto.

Coming Up

4/1/2006 - Cleveland vs. Iowa - National City Rink at the Q

The Barons take on the Iowa Stars in game one of a two game weekend series. Cleveland is 1-1-0-0 against the Stars this season. The Barons were victorious the last time these two teams faced off, recording a 2-1 win. Lukas Kaspar, Josh Hennessy, and Tim Conboy each have one point in two games against Iowa. On the season, Toby Petersen leads the way for the Stars with 59 points (21-38-59). He has played in both previous meetings, earning a goal and an assist for two points against the Barons. Game time is 8:05pm.

4/2/2006 - Cleveland vs. Iowa - National City Rink at the Q

**Barons Team Poster - first 3,000 fans

**Post Game Autograph Session

Cleveland takes on the Iowa Stars for the fourth and final time this season. With a record of 32-29-1-7, Iowa sits in fifth place in the Western Division. Junior Lessard (22-25-47) and Toby Petersen (21-38-59) are among the Star's top scorers. Each has two points in as many games against Cleveland this year. Josh Hennessy is the Barons top scorer with 59 points (22-37-59). He is currently tied as the franchise rookie goal scorer. Game two of the weekend series kicks-off at 5:05pm.

Barons Player of the Week

The Barons player of the week is forward Shane Joseph. Joseph earned points in two of the Barons three games this week, finishing the week with one goal and two assists for three points in three games. He assisted on the Barons only goal against Grand Rapids, then recorded a goal and assisted on the tying goal in the Barons back and forth match in Toronto. Joseph currently has 26 points (10-16-26) and 18 penalty minutes in 67 games.

Drawing First Blood

The Barons scored the first goal of the game in three of their past four games. Prior to this, the Barons had scored the first goal of the game in only five of 28 games. They are 14-14-2-1 when they score the opening goal of the game and 10-30-0-0 when their opponent scores first. They lost in a shootout the one game in which neither team scored in regulation.

Special Teams

The Barons scored at least one power play goal in each of their three games this week. In total, they went 6-for-16 with the man advantage, a 37.5 percent success rate. On the season, they have scored 72 power play goals in 482 chances (14.94%). On the other side, the Barons have allowed 95 power play goals this season in 427 short-handed situations (77.75%).

Heni-Powered

Barons rookie forward Josh Hennessy is currently having the most prolific offensive season for a rookie with 59 points (22-37-59) in 72 games. The native of Belmont, MA tied a Barons franchise record for rookie goal scoring Saturday by recording his 22nd goal of the year. The record had previously been set by Jon DiSalvatore. Hennessy is currently ranked 4th among rookie scoring leaders.

Rubbermaid Player of the Game

At the end of each game the Barons select a Rubbermaid Player of the Game, given to the player who displays toughness and durability throughout the game. At the end of the season, the player with the most selections will receive a prize package courtesy of Rubbermaid. Currently, Josh Hennessy leads the race for the Rubbermaid with nine selections and Mike Iggulden is in second place with six selections.

Hockey Night At Harpos

Molson Canadian Beer is presenting Hockey Night at Harpos with the Barons. Fans are invited to come out and enjoy a night of hockey with the Barons, as every NHL game will be broadcast that night. The night will also feature several giveaways, including Molson Hockey Hall of Fame jerseys, Barons game tickets, and Barons collectables and more. Additionally, Molson Canadian Beer will be on special that night. The event takes place on Thursday, March 30, beginning at 6:30pm at the Harpos Sports Café in Brookpark. For more information, visit goharpos.com.

Hockey Hall of Fame Giveaway

Molson Canadian Beer and the Barons are looking to send two lucky fans to Toronto for a FREE visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Winning the trip for two, which includes overnight accommodations and tickets to the Hall of Fame, is as easy as filling out an enter to win form at Molson Canadian Beer displays at participating local grocers in the Northeast Ohio area. It's the "Hockey Hall of Fame Getaway" from Molson Canadian Beer and your Cleveland Barons.

Barons Broadcasts

All games this season will be broadcast live and in their entirety on-line via the B2 Networks. Fans can enjoy the play-by-play action of Barons hockey provided by the "Voice of the Barons" Jamie Smock, by Crashing the Net at www.clevelandbarons.net. Fans can watch the game via B2 Networks' Live Video Stream of the game on a pay-per-view basis of $6.00 per game. There is also a free audio version of the broadcast offered. Every Barons game broadcast begins with a pre-game show 15-minutes prior to face-off.



American Hockey League Stories from March 27, 2006


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