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Dayton Gems Weekly

November 21, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Dayton Gems News Release


Last weekend, the Dayton Gems helped right the ship when they battled for three straight wins over division rivals Bloomington Blaze and Fort Wayne Komets. Starting on Thursday night on Cassano's Italian Ice inside Hara Arena, the Gems found their first win all-time over the Blaze, and avenged their heartbreaking overtime loss in Bloomington back on October 22. Taking to the road for the rest of the weekend, Coach Gratz would lead his club into battle against the always tough Komets in front of the hostile crowd on Saturday night, ultimately coming away with the win despite being outshot nearly 2-to-1 and relying on rookie netminder Bryan Hogan for his second straight win between the pipes. The win over the komets, the first of the regular season, also avenged an earlier loss at the hands of Fort Wayne back in Dayton on November 8, and helped put the Gems back to .500 on the season. The Gems finished the weekend in thrilling fashion by netting their second win against the Blaze, this time picking up their first "W" inside the US Cellular Coliseum this year.

Thursday vs Bloomington : 3-1 Win The Dayton Gems would snap their winless streak at home with a hard nosed 3-1 victory over visiting Bloomington Blaze on Cassano's Italian Ice inside Hara Arena for Twilight Night on Thursday. Scoring for the Gems were Kyle Bochek, Tim Hartung and Damian Surma. CLICK FOR BOXSCORE.

Friday @ Fort Wayne : 4-2 Win Stellar goaltending by rookie Bryan Hogan would help lead the Dayton Gems to a hard fought 4-2 win over rival Fort Wayne Komets to extend their winning streak to two games on Saturday night in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Scoring for the Gems were Tim Hartung, Matt Larke, Brett Lutes and Damian Surma. CLICK FOR BOXSCORE.

Saturday @ Bloomington : 3-2 Win In his first start as a Gem, veteran netminder Larry Sterling would backstop his Gems to a convincing 3-2 win over the Bloomington Blaze inside the US Cellular Coliseum in downtown Bloomington, Illinois on Saturday night. Scoring for the Gems were Jon Ornelas, Brett Lutes and Tim Hartung. CLICK FOR BOXSCORE.

Upcoming Games This Week:

Wednesday vs Quad City Mallards : Cassano's Italian Ice at Hara Arena, 7pm Stressball giveaway to first 500 fans CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Friday @ Bloomington Blaze : US Cellular Coliseum In Bloomington, ILL, 8pm CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIVE

Saturday vs Fort Wayne Komets : Cassano's Italian Ice at Hara Arena, 7pm OSU/Michigan Night - beaded necklace giveaway to first 500 fans CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Gems In The Community This Week: If your group or event would like to have the Gems visit, call 275-7777 or jt@daytongems.net

Monday, November 21 3pm to 5pm: Players Help At The K99.1FM RadioThon @ Children's Medical Center 5pm to 6pm: Blade at Cassano's Centerville Grand Opening

Tuesday, November 22 1pm to 1:45pm: Gems Players & Coach Gratz visit Blairwood Elementary School

Friday, November 25 5pm to 7pm: Grand Illumination and Parade in Downtown Dayton

Recent Gems Headlines:

Gems Make Trade With Thunder

The Dayton Gems professional hockey team, a proud member of the Central Hockey League, announced the acquisition of forward Tim Kraus in a trade for future considerations with the Wichita Thunder and that defenseman Rob Schweyer has been released.

Kraus, a 24 year old native of Garden Grove, California, joins the Gems after logging four games for the CHL's Wichita Thunder this season where he earned two points. Prior to his CHL stint, Kraus spent three seasons in the ECHL, splitting time as a member of the Ontario Reign, Victoria Salmon Kings and Las Vegas Wranglers. His best professional season came in 2009-2010 while wearing a Reign sweater when he scored 53 points in 70 games.

Prior to turning professional, Kraus played Major Junior in the Western Hockey League for Vancouver and Regina, scoring 66 points for Vancouver in 2006-2007.

The Gems also announced that they have released veteran defenseman Rob Schweyer after he appeared in five games this season for Dayton.

Gems Make Goaltender Changes, Bring In Sterling

The Dayton Gems professional hockey team, members of the Central Hockey League, announced today that they have signed veteran netminder Larry Sterling and have waived goalie Kristofer Westblom.

The 29 year old Sterling joins the Gems after most recently seeing action as a member of the CHL's Mississippi RiverKings last season. A native of Lake Orion, Michigan, Sterling should be no stranger to Gems fans as he backstopped the IHL's Port Huron IceHawks for three seasons, facing the Gems during their inaugural IHL campaign in 2009-2010. During his seven year pro career, Sterling has helped his clubs to the postseason five times.

The Gems have also placed goaltender Kristofer Westblom on waivers. The Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan native appeared in four games this season with the Gems.

Gems Tickets Are Available:

Dayton Gems tickets for this week's home games are on sale now at the Hara Arena box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. In addition, full season and mini pack ticket packages are still available starting at $27! Call the Gems at 275-7777 for more information and to order by phone.

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Central Hockey League Stories from November 21, 2011


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