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Fast Starts Make North Race Tight

November 24, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


The race in the North Division is tight as Johnstown, Dayton and Wheeling are all off to hot starts. The Chiefs are in first place with 24 points (12-4-0), one point ahead of Wheeling (9-1-5) and two points in front of Dayton (10-4-2).

Johnstown is 9-1-0 in their last 10 games and their 12-4-0 record is the best start in 21 seasons in the ECHL. The Nailers were 6-0-4 in their first 10 games before losing 6-3 to Dayton which is 8-2-1 and has outscored their opponents 35-27 in 11 road games.

The Chiefs play at Wheeling on Wednesday before hosting Trenton on Friday, Cincinnati on Saturday and Florida on Sunday. The Nailers host Johnstown on Wednesday and Elmira on Saturday while visiting Dayton on Friday. The Bombers, who were 2-1-1 on their South Division trip last week, play at Cincinnati on Tuesday before hosting Wheeling on Friday and Reading on Saturday and Sunday.

Wheeling leads the league in scoring with 4.33 goals per game and Johnstown is fifth with 3.69 goals per game. The Chiefs are fifth in the league in goals-against average with 2.63 and Dayton is eighth with 2.81.

Wheeling rookie Tommy Goebel is tied for the league lead with 24 points and tied for second with 15 assists while rookie teammate Nick Johnson leads the league with 13 goals and six power-play goals and is third with 21 points.

Johnstown's Kris Mayotte is 8-1-0 and is tied for the league lead with two shootout wins while ranking second in wins and fifth in goals-against average.

Dayton's Justin Bowers is tied for fourth among league rookies with 17 points while he is tied for second with three game-winning goals and is fifth with 10 assists.

Everblades, Stingrays Battle In South

Extending their winning streak to eight games with back-to-back wins at Augusta, Florida improved to 10-2-1 and is tied with South Carolina (10-3-1) atop the South Division with 21 points. The Stingrays are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games including a 10-0 win against Mississippi on Sunday in which they scored three shorthand goals and three power-play goals.

The Everblades continue their season-long nine-game road trip when they visit Gwinnett on Tuesday, Reading on Friday, Trenton on Saturday and Johnstown on Sunday while South Carolina plays at Mississippi on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Florida won 12-0 at Augusta on Saturday setting team records for goals (12), most power-play goals (6) and largest margin of victory. The 12-goal margin of victory tied the fourth-largest margin of victory in league history set by Toledo with a 12-0 win against Huntsville on Feb. 16, 1994 and tied by Wheeling in a 14-2 win against Toledo on Apr. 2, 2000.

Kevin Baker of the Everblades is tied for fourth in the league with 10 goals and is tied for seventh with 19 points while Danick Bouchard leads league rookies and is tied for the overall team lead with four game-winning goals.

Florida's Anton Khudobin is 6-0-0 with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.33 in his last six starts while rookie David Leggio is 3-0-0 with a shutout and a goals-against average of 0.97 in his last three starts. Khudobin is 6-1-0 and tied for the league lead with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.57 while ranking second in save percentage with .946. Leggio is 4-1-0 and fourth in the league with a goals-against average of 1.96.

South Carolina's Bobby Goepfert is 4-0-1 with a shutout and he is tied for the league lead with a goals-against average of 1.57 while ranking third with a save percentage of .943. Stingrays rookie Michal Neuvirth is 3-1-0 with two shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.23 in his last four starts. He leads the league with a save percentage of .950 while he is tied for the lead with two shutouts and third in goals-against average with 1.58.



National Conference - Pacific Division

Bakersfield Condors
* Condors are 3-0-1 in their last four road games.
* Mark Derlago has a seven-game point streak (4g-9a).
* Condors play at Ontario on Friday and host Idaho on Saturday.

Fresno Falcons
* Rookie Joe Fallon is 4-0-0 in his last four starts.
* Michael Ouzas recorded his first pro shutout Saturday with 22 saves in 1-0 win against Ontario.
* Falcons host Idaho on Friday and play at Stockton on Saturday.

Las Vegas Wranglers
* Las Vegas is third in the ECHL on the penalty kill with 88.3 percent (91-for-103).
* Wranglers lead the ECHL in fewest shots allowed with 26.07 per game.
* Las Vegas plays at Phoenix on Saturday.

Ontario Reign
* Reign lead the league on the power play with 24.2 percent (23-for-95).
* Jon Francisco is fifth in the ECHL with five power-play goals.
* Reign play at Stockton on Wednesday and host Bakersfield on Friday and Alaska on Sunday.

Stockton Thunder
* Thunder are seventh in the league with a goals-against average of 3.31.
* Rookie Andrew Perugini is off to the best start in team history at 4-0-2.
* Thunder host Ontario on Wednesday, Alaska on Friday and Fresno on Saturday.

National Conference - West Division

Alaska Aces
* Aces are 9-1-1 in their last 11 games.
* Cam Keith has an 11-game point streak (3g-13a).
* Aces play at Stockton on Friday and at Ontario on Sunday.

Idaho Steelheads
* Steelheads are 4-3-2 in one-goal games including 2-1 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts.
* Rookie Ben Nelson has an eight-game road point streak (6g-5a) and a five-game road goal streak (5g).
* Steelheads play at Fresno on Friday and at Bakersfield on Saturday.

Phoenix RoadRunners
* RoadRunners are 7-0-2 in one-goal games including 1-1 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts.
* Kimbi Daniels has 799 points (284g-515a) in 859 career regular season games.
* RoadRunners host Las Vegas on Saturday.

Utah Grizzlies
* Mike Walsh has six points (3g-3a) in his last six games.
* Michael Mole is 1-1-0 with a .963 save percentage in his last two games.
* Grizzlies host Victoria on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Victoria Salmon Kings
* Victoria is 5-2-2 in November.
* Olivier Filion has 12 points (5g-7a) in the last seven games.
* Salmon Kings play at Utah on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.



American Conference - North Division

Cincinnati Cyclones
* Cyclones lead the league with 25 first-period goals.
* Olivier Latendresse has an eight-game point streak (7g-5a).
* Cyclones host Dayton on Tuesday before traveling to Elmira on Friday, Johnstown on Saturday and Trenton on Sunday.

Dayton Bombers
* Bombers are 8-2-1 and have outscored their opponents 35-27 in 11 road games.
* Rookie Nino Musitelli has a seven-game road assist streak (7a), the longest in the league this season.
* Bombers play at Cincinnati on Tuesday and host Wheeling on Friday and Reading on Saturday and Sunday.

Elmira Jackals
* Elmira scored three power-play goals in the first period of 5-1 win at Reading on Saturday.
* Mitch O'Keefe recorded his first pro shutout on Friday making 38 saves in 1-0 win at Trenton.
* Jackals host Cincinnati on Friday and play at Wheeling on Saturday.

Johnstown Chiefs
* Chiefs are fifth in the league in goals per game with 3.69 and goals-against average with 2.63.
* Kris Mayotte is 8-1-0 and is tied for the league lead with two shootout wins while ranking second in wins.
* Chiefs play at Wheeling on Wednesday before hosting Trenton on Friday, Cincinnati on Saturday and Florida on Sunday.

Reading Royals
* Royals did not allow a goal in the first 10 shootout attempts before surrendering two on Friday.
* Danny Taylor is second in the league with 786 minutes and third with 393 saves.
* Royals host Trenton on Wednesday and Florida on Friday before playing at Dayton on Saturday and Sunday.

Trenton Devils
* Trenton is the least-penalized team in the league averaging 16.27 penalty minutes per game.
* Charlie Effinger is averaging 30.75 saves per game since joining the Devils on Nov. 15.
* Devils play at Reading on Wednesday and at Johnstown on Friday before hosting Florida on Saturday and Cincinnati on Sunday.

Wheeling Nailers
* Nailers are the highest-scoring team in the ECHL with 4.38 goals per game.
* Tommy Goebel leads the league in plus-minus rating with +15 while Mitch Ganzak and Aaron Clarke are tied for second with +13.
* Nailers host Johnstown on Wednesday and Elmira on Saturday and play at Dayton on Friday.

American Conference - South Division

Augusta Lynx
* Lynx are 3-2-2 in one-goal games including 1-1 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts.
* Matt Auffrey leads the team with 11 points and is tied for the team lead with seven assists.
* Lynx play at Gwinnett on Thursday and at Charlotte on Sunday and host Charlotte on Saturday.

Charlotte Checkers
* Jeff Jakaitis is 6-1-1 and tied for the league lead with two shutouts.
* Mike Taylor is tied for third in the ECHL with three game-winning goals.
* Checkers host Mississippi on Tuesday and Augusta on Sunday and play at Augusta on Saturday.

Florida Everblades
* Everblades set team records for most goals and largest margin of victory with 12-0 win at Augusta on Saturday.
* Anton Khudobin has won his last six starts and rookie David Leggio has won his last three starts.
* Everblades play at Gwinnett on Tuesday, at Reading on Friday, at Trenton on Saturday and at Johnstown on Sunday.

Gwinnett Gladiators
* Brad Schell set team record for fastest goal at start of game when he scored 12 seconds into 5-2 win against Mississippi on Saturday.
* Gwinnett is 2-0-0 against the North Division.
* Gladiators host Florida on Tuesday and Augusta on Thursday.

Mississippi Sea Wolves
* Sea Wolves win on Friday was their first at South Carolina since Nov. 11, 2003.
* Mathieu Melanson leads the Sea Wolves with 18 points and is tied for the team lead with nine goals and nine assists.
* Sea Wolves play at Charlotte on Tuesday and host South Carolina on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

South Carolina Stingrays
* Stingrays scored three shorthand goals and three power-play goals in 10-0 win against Mississippi on Sunday.
* Maxime Lacroix scored team season-high five points (2g-3a) on Sunday.
* Stingrays play at Mississippi on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

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