Gorillas in the Midst... of Winning Streak
Published on November 18, 2003 under Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release
The 2003-2004 season hardly began in ideal fashion for the Amarillo Gorillas. Coming off their first playoff appearance in franchise history, the Gorillas promptly dropped four of their first five games. In a remarkable about-face, the Gorillas are now the hottest team in the Central Hockey League, posting seven consecutive wins both overall and away from home ice.
Facing a daunting five-game road trip November 8th through 15th with stops in Austin, Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Corpus Christi and Odessa, the Gorillas emerged victorious in each contest, with the first four wins all coming by a single goal followed by a 7-0 shutout in Odessa. In eight victories this season, Amarillo has allowed more than two goals only once, behind outstanding defensive play and goaltender Sean Degagne, who has won six of his last seven starts. The heroics have been spread around offensively, with seven different players accounting for their eight different game winning goals, and 13 players with at least one goal this year.
While Amarillo Coach Joe Ferras is more focused on consistency, the streaking Gorillas have a chance of establishing themselves in the CHL record book with continued quality play. Three more road wins (this afternoon at New Mexico, November 21st at Wichita and November 26th at Lubbock) would tie four teams, most recently the 2001-2002 Odessa Jackalopes, for the all-time CHL record for consecutive road wins (10). Five more straight wins overall would give Amarillo a share of the record for consecutive victories (12) shared by three clubs.
While Amarillo has been impressive in road games early in the season (7-1-0), they are one of only two clubs below .500 on home ice, posting a record of just 1-3-0 at the Amarillo Civic Center. The Gorillas have two opportunities to improve that mark this weekend, hosting Odessa and Fort Worth this Saturday and Sunday.
*Note, the Gorillas have just won their eighth consecutive overall and road contest, defeating the New Mexico Scorpions in an afternoon matinee in Albuquerque. Statistics from this game are not reflected in this release.
Pointstreak Performance of the Week
Tulsa Oilers goaltender Rod Branch turned in one of the most dominating performances in net this season on November 15th in Oklahoma City. Facing a barrage of 53 total shots, the veteran All-Star allowed just a single goal against in a 3-1 win. Despite being outshot by nearly a 2-1 margin (53-27), Branch picked up his fifth win of the season and improved his save percentage to .941. Last season, Branch earned a spot in the CHL record books by recording eight shutouts during the year.
Central Hockey League Stories from November 18, 2003
- Ice Adds Quality Netminder to Replace Sanger - Indianapolis Ice
- Gorillas in the Midst... of Winning Streak - CHL
- Bucks Honor Mustangs Tomorrrow - Laredo Bucks
- Corpus Christi Coach Al Sims Relieved Of Duties - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Bernie Franchise - Indianapolis Ice
- Oilers, Sprint Team Up For Canned Food Drive - Tulsa Oilers
- Killer Bees Weekly Notes - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
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