ECHL ECHL

Generals On Record Winning Pace

January 6, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Greensboro won three of its four games last week to improve to 23-9-4, equaling its win total for 72 games in 2001-02 when the Generals were 23-41-8 and finished seventh in the Northeast Division with 54 points. Greensboro trails East Coast Hockey League leader Atlantic City by three points in the Northeast Division, and the Generals are nine points shy of their team record for points in a season (59 in 2000-01).

Greensboro needs only three wins to tie the team record for wins in a season (26 in 2000-01) and three home wins to tie the team record for home wins in a season (17). The Generals need five road wins to tie the team record for road wins in a season (14). Greensboro is fourth in the ECHL on the power play with 22.75 percent (43-for-189) and is sixth on the penalty kill with 84.71 percent (194-for-229). The Generals rank fifth in goals allowed with 2.78 per game and 11th in goals scored with 3.44 per game.

Posting home wins over Johnstown and Richmond and a road win at Wheeling, Atlantic City improved to 22-7-9 and sits atop the East Coast Hockey League with 53 points, one point ahead of Louisiana, which has a 22-8-8 record and 52 points to lead the Southern Conference.

Toledo remains atop the Northwest Division with a 23-7-3 record and 49 points, three points ahead of Peoria, which has won three in a row and eight of its last 10. Peoria has the longest active home winning streak at six games. Toledo, Cincinnati and Charlotte have each played 33 games, the fewest in the ECHL.

Cincinnati is in third place in the Northwest Division, four points behind Peoria and seven points behind Toledo. The Cyclones have won back-to-back games and are 7-2-1 in their last 10, improving to 20-11-2. Cincinnati leads the ECHL in scoring with 4.18 goals per game and has the top power-play with 24.48 percent (48-for-196) and the third-leading penalty kill with 85.00 percent (136-for-160).

Florida saw its seven-game winning streak end with a 2-1 overtime loss to Columbus on December 31, but the Everblades remain atop the Southeast Division with 46 points and a 19-7-8 record. Florida is 12-1-3 in its last 16 games and has won five consecutive road games, tying the ECHL season-high for road wins. Pee Dee has won three in a row and seven of its last 10 to move into second place in the Southeast Division with 45 points and a 20-11-5 record.

Jackson has won three consecutive games and is 6-2-2 in its last 10 to move into fourth place in the Southwest Division with 43 points and a 20-15-3 record. The Bandits are one point behind Arkansas, which has 44 points and a 19-13-6 record, and two points behind second place Mississippi, which has 50 points and a 23-12-4 record.

ECHLers Hodson, Bishai, Sellars Help Canada Win Spengler Cup

Greensboro goaltender Jamie Hodson, Columbus center Mike Bishai and former Greenville defenseman Luke Sellars were all members of the Canada National Men's Team that won the 2002 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. Canada went 5-0 in the tournament including a 3-2 win over host HC Davos in the tournament final played in front of a sold out Davos Arena crowd of 7,680 on December 31. Sellars scored a goal in the final game and had an assist in a 5-4 win over the Cologne Sharks on December 26. Hodson was 2-0 with a 1.50 goals against average in his first two starts in a Canadian uniform, including 29 saves in a 4-1 win over Sparta Prag, the reigning Czech League champions, on December 28.

Bierk, Finley Become 204th, 205th Former ECHL Players in the NHL

Zac Bierk and Brian Finley are the most recent of the 205 former East Coast Hockey League players that have advanced to the National Hockey League.

Bierk, who was 16-9-3 in 30 games with Augusta in 2001-02, played with Phoenix on December 22 at Anaheim. Entering the game at 12:51 of the first period, Bierk stopped 20 of 21 shots in the Coyotes' 4-0 loss. Selected in the ninth round (212th overall) by Tampa Bay in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Bierk previously played in the NHL with Tampa Bay and with Minnesota.

Finley, who opened 2002-03 with Toledo, made his NHL debut with Nashville on January 1 against Colorado. Entering the game at 13:19 of the first period, Finley stopped 10 of the 13 shots he faced in the Predators' 7-3 loss.

Selected in the first round (sixth overall) by Nashville in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Finley is the second-highest drafted player to compete in an ECHL game behind Daniel Dore, who was selected in the first round (fifth overall) by Quebec in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft and appeared in six games for Greensboro in 1991-92. Finley, however, is the highest selection to play his first professional game in the ECHL as Dore played in the NHL with Quebec in 1989-90 and 1990-91 and with Halifax of the American Hockey League in 1990-91. The 21-year-old Finley was 4-2-0 with a 2.33 goals against average and a ..921 save percentage in six games with Toledo before being called up to Milwaukee of the AHL on November 15. He was 3-3-0 with a shutout and a 2.84 goals against average in six games with Milwaukee before being called up to Nashville on December 29.

Finley is the second goaltender to begin the season in the ECHL and advance to the NHL joining Cody Rudkowsky, who opened the season with Trenton and played in the NHL with St. Louis. Finley is the 10th ECHL player to make his NHL debut in 2002-03 joining Joe Corvo (Los Angeles), Fedor Fedorov (Vancouver), Vern Fiddler (Nashville), Ryan Kraft (San Jose), Brett McLean (Chicago), Cody Rudkowsky (St. Louis), Curtis Sanford (St. Louis), Jerred Smithson (Los Angeles), and Tim Thomas (Boston). There have been 56 former ECHL players that have played in the NHL in 2002-03 and 23 of the 30 teams in the NHL have affiliations with teams in the ECHL. In 2001-02, there were 83 former ECHL players that played in the NHL, including 18 that played in their first NHL game with five of those playing in both the ECHL and NHL during the season.

InGlasCo ECHL Player Of The Week

Jason Bermingham Arkansas RiverBlades

GP: 2 G: 3 A: 3 PTS: 6 +/-: +3

ECHL Goalie Of The Week

Adam Hauser Jackson Bandits

GP: 2 W-L: 2-0 GAA: 1.00 PCT: ..962

Sher-Wood Player Of The Month

Joe Cardarelli Cincinnati Cyclones

SUN National Bank Saver Of The Month

Mathieu Chouinard Peoria Rivermen

CCM Rookie Of The Month

Jason Jaffray Roanoke Express

C&T + Performer Of The Month

Steffon Walby Mississippi Sea Wolves

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ECHL Stories from January 6, 2003


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