Goneau has three points as IceGators down Sea Wolves

November 29, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


Lafayette, LA – Daniel Goneau registered a goal and two assists and Tony Tuzzolino scored his fourth goal in two games, as the Louisiana IceGators held on to beat the Mississippi Sea Wolves 4-3 at the Cajundome, to move into first place in the Southwest Division.

Kevin Mitchell and Nathan Rempel also scored and Kyle Kettles stopped 23 shots for the IceGators, who stretched their unbeaten in regulation streak to six games (5-0-1) and lead Mississippi by one point (29-28). Louisiana leads the season series 4-1-0, and the teams meet in the back end of the home-and-home tomorrow in Biloxi at 7:35 p.m.

Dave Paradise, Travis Lisabeth and Jim Baxter each had a goal for Mississippi, which rallied from a three-goal deficit to get within one but lost for the first time in three games. Greg Gardner made 29 saves, falling to 11-5-2, with three losses versus Louisiana.

Paradise got the scoring started with his 14th goal of the season just 30 seconds into the game. Jeff Hutchins stole the puck along the boards and fed Paradise in the left circle. Paradise walked in and wristed a shot that handcuffed Kettles low for a 1-0 lead.

The rest of the period was all Louisiana.

Tuzzolino evened things just more than two minutes later at the 2:42 mark with his fourth goal in the last two games. Goneau carried the puck into the zone on the left wing and slowed up, letting Shawn McNeil get in front of him. Goneau left a drop pass for Tuzzolino, whose one-timer beat Gardner glove side for his fifth goal as an IceGator. Tuzzolino extended his point-streak to a career-best five games.

Mitchell helped the IceGators grab a 2-1 lead only 1:19 later at the 4:01 mark, as his shot from the center point beat the screened Gardner. The power-play tally was Mitchell's second goal of the season on his 85th shot.

Kettles shut down the Sea Wolves after their first shot, turning aside a Lisabeth 3-on-1 opportunity just before the stanza's midway mark. Steffon Walby picked up an errant pass and led the break, sliding a pass from the right wing to Lisabeth, who couldn't get the puck by the IceGators netminder.

Tuzzolino also started the IceGators' third goal with a magnificent move along the left boards. He took a pass from Bruce Richardson (two assists) at the blue line and carried the puck into the zone. Tuzzolino used his textbook move, sliding the puck between his legs and picking it up on his left, to create space for a pass. The winger slid a pass to Goneau streaking down the middle, and Goneau had little problems scoring for his third point of the period.

The IceGators continued to pepper Gardner, who had only emergency backup Chuck Thuss behind him, in the third. At the 4:49 mark, Rempel put in his 10th goal of the season. Rod Sarich, in the left corner, sent a blind pass to a wide open Rempel on the doorstep. Rempel went high glove side on Gardner for the three-goal lead.

Mississippi didn't record a shot in the second period until the midway point. The Sea Wolves did get within 4-2 with 8:04 left in the stanza, as Lisabeth ripped a shot from the top of the left circle that eluded a screened Kettles, clinging off the post into the net.

The Sea Wolves got within 4-3 just 2:56 into the third period on their first power play of the night. With Goneau in the box for interference, Baxter took a pass from Mike Scott at the center point, walked in and ripped a shot from between the circles past Kettles.

Five minutes later, with Mississippi on another power play, Walby got a shot from close range in the left circle, but Kettles swallowed the puck into his body.

Paradise had a shot from close range with six seconds left, but Kettles stood strong again.

Louisiana finished 1-for-4 on the power play, while Mississippi went 1-for-3.

Gator Bites:

Mitchell has 22 points (2g, 20a) this season, with 17 of them (2g, 15a) on the power play. Six of Mitchell's nine pro goals have come with the man advantage.

Goneau has 13 assists in a career-best six-game assist streak. In his last four games, the left wing has 11 helpers. Goneau's 21 assists are one better than Mitchell for the team lead.

Prior to the game, the Sea Wolves placed goaltender Sean Matile on the injured list for the second time this season. Thuss, Mississippi's director of player development, was once again signed as the emergency backup to replace Matile, who was injured in last night's 5-3 win over Baton Rouge. Mississippi has two injured goaltenders – Matile and Tom Buckley, who was injured against the IceGators back on October 18.

The line of Goneau, Richardson and Tuzzolino have played a total of 993 career games, with 555 points (227g, 328a).

Goneau's three-point first period marked the third time this season that the IceGators have had a player record three points in a stanza. Bruce Richardson did it back-to-back nights November 23 and 24.

Mitchell's 18 special teams points (1g, 17a) lead the team.

Goneau leads the IceGators with nine multiple-point games.

Richardson has a five-game point streak, with 14 points (7g, 7a) in that span.

The IceGators are 9-0-3 this season when Richardson records an assist, including an 8-0-1 mark at home.

Baxter leads all ECHL blueliners with 24 points (7g, 17a), and his seven goals trail only Wheeling's Mario Larocque's total of eight.

Mississippi entered the game having scored just one power-play goal in 27 chances versus the IceGators this season. Baxter has the other power-play tally as well.

Mississippi's Stu Pietersma fought Jeff Worlton to a draw early in the first period, the fourth fighting major against the IceGators this season for the rookie. He and Worlton have fought twice.

Mississippi is 13-7-2 this season, with four of the regulation losses coming against the IceGators.



ECHL Stories from November 29, 2002


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