Express Weekly: Chicago Migrates South for Three Games
January 9, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Chicago Express News Release
Hoffman Estates, IL - The Chicago Express, proud member of the ECHL and proud affiliate of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, bounced back on Saturday night to collect a 5-2 win over the Royals, improving to 16-13-4-1 on the season. Chicago's 37 points places them in second place in the North Division, and they are just two points behind the Florida Everblades for fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Games this week (Home team in CAPS):
Express vs. FLORIDA - Wednesday, January 11 @ 6:30 pm
Express vs. FLORIDA - Friday, January 13 @ 6:30 pm
Express vs. FLORIDA - Saturday, January 14 @ 6:00 pm
Last week (Home team in CAPS):
Friday, January 6
Reading 9, EXPRESS 2
C Joe Cucci scored his first professional goal for Chicago to cut into an early 2-0 Reading lead, making the score 2-1 at 5:21 of the first frame. The Royals would go on to score the next four goals to lead 6-1 at the end of the second period. LW Chad Painchaud scored his ninth goal of the season for Chicago at 5:04 of the third, but Reading answered with three more goals of their own to hand Chicago their worst defeat of the season.
Saturday, January 7
EXPRESS 5, Reading 2
Despite firing 19 shots in the first period, the Express saw a scoreless tie broken by the Royals at 7:43 of the second period. The 1-0 score held until RW Tyler Donati evened it at 1-1, scoring on the power play with just 34 seconds left in the second period. The goal opened up the flood gates for Chicago, who received goals from F Pierre-Luc Faubert, D Jonathan Zion, C Aaron Marvin, and F Mike Embach, all in the third period, to open up a 5-1 lead. Reading added the final goal with 1:49 left in the third period for the eventual 5-2 score.
Team Notes:
D Jonathan Zion scored his first goal as a member of the Chicago Express on Saturday. The goal ended up as the game-winner.D Nathan Lutz played in his 600th professional game, including his time in Europe, on Saturday. Lutz is just one game away from 500 in his North American professional career.D Jonathan Zion and F Anthony Maiani both made their Chicago Express debuts on Friday night.RW Tyler Donati's power play goal on Saturday night snapped a string of 19 straight Chicago power plays without scoring a goal.The Express are undefeated at home on Saturday nights, posting a record of 4-0-1-0Chicago is 5-2-1-0 against teams from the Atlantic Division.
Team Leaders:
Goals: Faubert, Johnson - 10
Assists: Donati - 21
Points: Donati, Painchaud - 29
Power play goals: Donati, Faubert, Johnson - 3
Short-handed Goals: Johnson - 2
Plus/Minus: Lutz - +14
Penalty Minutes: DiDiomete - 136
GAA: Dainton - 3.03
Save Percentage: Dainton - .890
League Leaders:
D Darcy Campbell - 10 power play assists (t-4th, defensemen)
D Nathan Lutz - +14 plus/minus (t-5th, ECHL)
F Bobby Robins - 123 PIM (t-4th, ECHL)
F Bobby Robins - 29 minor penalties (3rd, ECHL)
Chicago - 6 shorthanded goals (t-3rd, ECHL)
Chicago - 21.78 PIM per game (5th, ECHL)
The Express play their next five games away from home, before returning to the Sears Centre Arena on Wednesday, January 25, Saturday, January 28, and Sunday, January 29, against the Cincinnati Cyclones.
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