AHL Bridgeport Islanders

Dieter Kochan Named AHL Player Of The Week

Published on February 21, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


BRIDGEPORT, CT – The American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, top affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, have announced goaltender Dieter Kochan has been named the CCM Vector / AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, February 20th.

Kochan, who has won four straight games, stopped 102 of the 105 shots he faced in posting a 3-0 record with one shutout, a 1.00 goals against average and a .971 save percentage during his award-winning week. He finished the week with an overall record of 11-11 with a 2.49 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and one shutout, as well as one assist and eight penalty minutes in 23 games this season. Kochan is also 2-0 in shootouts this season.

Kochan began the week with a 4-0 road shutout of the division-leading Binghamton Senators Thursday. He was the first star of the game with 45 saves, which represent a 2004-05 season high by a Sound Tigers netminder and are just three short of the all-time franchise record of 48 that Kochan set in a 5-4 overtime, road win over the Hershey Bears on December 28, 2003. Thursday's shutout was made even more impressive by the fact he blanked Binghamton's quartet of AHL All-Stars, as well as the Senators' top-ranked power play, which the Sound Tigers denied seven times.

Kochan then turned in a 31-save performance as the Sound Tigers beat another East Division rival, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, by the score of 3-2 in front of a franchise-record 16,297 fans at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, home of the Islanders, on Friday.

Kochan completed the week by stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced as the Sound Tigers beat the Worcester IceCats 4-1 in front of 7,934 fans at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard Sunday.

Kochan, 30, was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and now calls Marquette, Michigan home. He signed as a free agent with the Islanders in September of 2003. Kochan shared last season's Harry "Hap" Holmes Award with Wade Dubielewicz as the Sound Tigers posted the AHL's lowest goals against average, 1.75. Kochan was a member of the Houston Aeros' 2002-03 Calder Cup Championship team. He also scored a goal on January 5, 1999 as a member of the United Hockey League's BC Icemen, who played in Binghamton.

The Sound Tigers will host the Hershey Bears this Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. They will visit the Hartford Wolf Pack this Friday at 7:05 p.m. and the Albany River Rats this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. before returning home to host the Portland Pirates this Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

Information regarding Sound Tigers ticket packages and marketing opportunities is available by calling 203-334-GOAL or logging on to www.soundtigers.com. Groups, organizations, companies, etc. that are interested in having a member of the Sound Tigers appear at an event are invited to call 203-334-GOAL.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2005


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