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ECHL this Week - December 19

December 19, 2016 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Eagles extend winning streak to seven games

The Colorado Eagles swept a three-game road trip last week to stretch their current winning streak to seven games. Colorado sits on top of the Mountain Division with an overall record of 17-6-4 for 38 points, three ahead of Alaska.

Colorado opened the trip with a 5-4 win at Allen on Wednesday. The Eagles raced out to a 3-0 lead after one period, and had a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes, but the Americans tied the game with a pair of goals in the first 10 minutes of the final period. But, a power-play goal from Matt Register at 12:55 put the Eagles ahead for good. Luke Salazar led the way for Colorado with a pair of goals and two assists while Ryan Harrison chipped in with three assists. It was a good night on special teams for the Eagles, who went 2-for-3 on the power play while killing off all four of Allen's chances on the man advantage.

The Eagles headed to Tulsa for a pair of games over the weekend and began the series with a 4-0 win on Friday. Darryl Bootland had three points (2g-1a) while Register and Josh Nicholls both dished out a pair of assists. Clarke Saunders stopped all 34 shots he faced to pick up his fourth career ECHL shutout.

On Saturday, Saunders once again took the spotlight, making 29 saves to record his second straight shutout in the Eagles' 1-0 win. Michael Sdao scored the only goal of the night 9:27 into the opening period.

Casey Pierro-Zabotel leads Colorado offensively this season with 32 points (10g-22a), which is tied for fifth in the league. Salazar is tied for 14th in the league with 29 points (12g-17a).

Register is tied for first among ECHL defensemen with seven goals and nine power-play assists while leading all league blueliners with 26 points and 11 power-play points. His four game-winning goals also leads all defensemen, and is tied for second overall in the league.

On the heels of his back-to-back shutouts, Saunders has moved into second in the league with a 2.16 goals-against average and third with a .933 save percentage to go along with his 9-1-0 record in 12 appearances.

Colorado plays a home-and-home series against Utah this week, visiting the Grizzlies on Wednesday before hosting them on Friday.

A look ahead

Games to watch in the ECHL during the week ahead. Watch ECHL games live on ECHL.TV.

Eastern Conference

Orlando at Florida (Wednesday) / Florida at Orlando (Thursday)

The Solar Bears and Everblades enter the week tied for first place in the South Division with 35 points each.

Western Conference

Tulsa at Quad City (Friday)

The Mallards are 4-0-1 in their last five games and have moved to within two points of the second-place Oilers in the Central Division.

Divisions

North Division

Dennis Kravchenko has scored a goal in five of his last seven games. The Thunder have scored five or more goals in each of their last three wins. Adirondack hosts Reading on Tuesday and visits Elmira on Thursday and Reading on Friday.

David Pacan is third with 17 goals. Brampton is 11-1-2 when scoring first. The Beast are at Indy on Tuesday and Thursday and Fort Wayne on Friday.

J.P. LaFontaine, who scored his first goal with the Jackals Friday in Manchester, is a team-high +5 in 10 games since joining the team. The Jackals are the league's second-least penalized team with 10.63 penalty minutes per game. Elmira hosts Adirondack on Thursday and Manchester on Friday.

Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman is on a three-game goal streak (3g). Manchester has killed 17 consecutive opponent power plays. The Monarchs are at Wheeling on Tuesday, Reading on Wednesday and Elmira on Friday.

Justin Crandall is on a six-game point streak (2g-5a). The Royals have not allowed a power-play in their last five games. Reading visits Adirondack on Tuesday and hosts Manchester on Wednesday and Adirondack on Friday.

Adam Krause notched his first career hat trick and five-point game on Friday against Fort Wayne. Wheeling is 9-3-0 against Western Conference opponents. The Nailers host Manchester on Tuesday and Cincinnati on Thursday.

South Division

Eric Neiley has five goals in his last three games. The Gladiators lead the league with 34 goals in the first period. Atlanta hosts Greenville on Friday.

Peter LeBlanc has five points in his last four games (3g-2a). Cincinnati has limited teams to seven or fewer shots in nine of the last 17 regulation periods. The Cyclones travel to Wheeling on Thursday.

John McCarron is on a five-game assist streak (5a). The Everblades have scored 39 of their 88 goals in the second period. Florida hosts Orlando on Wednesday and visits the Solar Bears on Thursday.

Mackenzie Skapski has won his last five starts. Greenville is 7-3-2 in one-goal games. The Swamp Rabbits are at South Carolina on Tuesday, host Norfolk on Wednesday and visit Atlanta on Friday.

Mikael Tam has six points (4g-2a) in three games with Norfolk including a hat trick on Saturday against South Carolina. The Admirals scored three power-play goals on Saturday, marking the first time this season they have scored multiple power-play goals in the same game. Norfolk is at Greenville on Wednesday and South Carolina on Friday.

Kasimir Kaskisuo is third among rookie goalies with 397 saves. Orlando is tied for the league lead with seven shorthanded goals. The Solar Bears are at Florida on Wednesday and host the Everblades on Thursday.

Kelly Zajac is on a four-game point streak (3g-7a). The Stingrays are third in goals-against per game (2.75) and shots-against per game (27.71). South Carolina hosts Greenville on Tuesday and Norfolk on Friday.

Central Division

Mike Cazzola is on a three-game point streak (5g-4a). Fort Wayne is on a five-game home winning streak. The Komets visit Quad City on Wednesday and host Brampton on Friday.

Alex Guptill scored a goal in each of his first two games with Indy. The Fuel are 5-0-0 when leading after two periods. Indy hosts Brampton on Tuesday and Thursday.

Scott Henegar had his first career hat trick on Sunday against Quad City. Kalamazoo is 8-3-1 when scoring first. The K-Wings visit Toledo on Friday.

Kevin Gibson is on an eight-game point streak (1g-9a), the longest for a Mallard this season. The Mallards have won four straight games, matching their longest winning streak of the season. Quad City hosts Fort Wayne Wednesday and Tulsa

Scott Czarnowczan has 11 points (5g-6a) in 10 games with the Walleye. Toledo leads the league with 13 road wins. The Walleye host Kalamazoo on Friday.

Phil Brewer leads Tulsa with 17 points (7g-10a). The Oilers are 8-2-0 against Central Division opponents. Tulsa travels to Missouri on Monday, hosts Allen on Tuesday and is at Quad City on Friday.

Jamie Doornbosch has goals in three straight games, and has tallied four points (3g-1a) in five games since signing with the Thunder. Wichita is 6-1-1 when leading after two periods. The Thunder host Missouri on Friday.

Mountain Division

Peter Sivak leads the league with 21 goals. The Aces are third on the penalty kill at 87.2 percent (82-for-94). Alaska visits Rapid City on Wednesday and Friday.

Joel Chouinard is tied for third in plus-minus at +17. Allen is 5-0-1 in games decided in overtime or a shootout. The Americans are at Tulsa on Tuesday and host Idaho on Thursday and Friday.

Ryan Harrison is tied for seventh among rookies with 19 points (5g-14a). The Eagles are 11-1-1 when scoring first. Colorado travels to Utah on Wednesday and hosts the Grizzlies on Friday.

Anthony Luciani has eight points (4g-4a) in his last six games. Idaho scored three power-play goals on Friday against Rapid City, matching its single-game high for the season. The Steelheads are at Allen on Thursday and Friday.

Sam Povorozniouk is tied for third among rookies with 10 goals. The Mavericks are 14-for-14 on the penalty kill over their last five games. Missouri hosts Tulsa on Monday and visits Wichita on Friday.

Terrance Wallin has two goals in his first three games with the Rush. Rapid City is 6-0-2 when leading after one period. The Rush host Alaska on Wednesday and Friday.

Ralph Cuddemi is fourth among rookies with 70 shots on goal. The Grizzlies are sixth with 28.81 shots-against per game. Utah hosts Colorado on Wednesday and visits the Eagles on Friday.

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