Gorillas weekly update

January 3, 2007 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Amarillo Gorillas News Release


GORILLAS CONTINUE TO ROLL - The Amarillo Gorillas enter Central Hockey League play this week in the midst of a season-high 4-game winning streak, which has vaulted them to within one point of first place in the highly contested Southwest Division. The Arizona Sundogs lead the division with 29 overall points, but have played one more game than the Gorillas. In fact, with 26 games played, Amarillo has played the fewest games of any team in the Southern Conference. And yet, the Apes stand poised to take over the division as they prepare for another grueling 3-games-in-3-days weekend. The Gorillas own the best winning percentage (.538) of any team in the division and now stand at 13-11-2 overall, thanks to the recent 4-game stretch.

WEEKEND RUNDOWN -

FRIDAY January 5th @ New Mexico Scorpions, 7:35 P.M. (Santa Ana Star Center)

(Mountain Standard Time)

SATURDAY January 6th vs. Youngstown Steelhounds, 7:05 P.M. (The Jungle)

SUNDAY January 7th vs. Odessa Jackalopes, 5:05 P.M. (The Jungle)

**All 3 games can be heard on 1010 AM The Canyon**

SCORING APLENTY - One of the biggest reasons why the Gorillas have had so much recent success has been their ability to consistently find the back of the net. In their first 22 games, the Apes had scored 5 or more goals only three times this season. However, in their last four contests, the Gorillas have tickled the twine 5 or more times in 3 of those 4 games, including a season-high 7 total goals in a 7-5 victory over the Tulsa Oilers last Friday. During its recent 4-game winning streak, Amarillo has outscored the opposition 21-12 overall and has only been shutout in 2 of 12 periods within the last four games. The Gorillas have now scored at least one goal in each of their last 8 periods, the longest such streak of the season. And while the Apes are still averaging just 3.23 goals per game (9th best in the league), they're averaging better than 5 goals per contest (5.25) during the recent winning streak. The Gorillas have been led offensively during the four-game clip by their top offensive line of Rich Hansen, Bill Vandermeer and Chris Lipsett, who have combined for 10 goals and 13 assists in the last 4 games.

HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR - Rich Hansen has been getting his game on all season long and will now continue to do so as he represents the Amarillo Gorillas at the 2007 CHL All-Star Game to be held in Bossier-Shreveport on January 17th. Hansen was announced as a Southern Conference reserve late last week and will be the only Gorilla in attendance at the mid-season contest. Hansen, the Gorillas' most consistent player all season, seemed the logical and sure-fire choice to represent Amarillo. The Northport, NY native currently leads the team in scoring with 35 overall points and now ranks 8th among all CHL skaters in scoring. Hansen's 23 assists is currently pacing the Gorillas as well and has him tied for 8th in the CHL in helpers with fellow All-Stars Riley Nelson and Brent Kelly. Hansen has also had a propensity this season for scoring when it's mattered most. He leads the team in both power play goals (8) as well as game-winning tallies (4). Hansen is also tied with Bill Vandermeer for the team lead with 10 multi-point games and has recorded both a 4-point game as well as a 5-point performance.

NEW YEAR STARTS WITH A BANG - The Gorillas will waste little time getting their feet wet into the new calendar year. Starting this Friday, the Gorillas will not only play back-to-back 3-games-in-3-days weekends, but they will also open up a stretch in which they will play 6 games in just 10 days. All together this month, Amarillo will play 12 games, with 6 coming at home and another 6 on the road. The Apes will also get a healthy dose of Southwest Division competition in the opening month of the New Year as Amarillo is slated to play 8 games in January against divisional opponents. The Gorillas take on the New Mexico Scorpions and Odessa Jackalopes 3 times this month and additionally tangle with the Arizona Sundogs for a pair of contests. Amarillo is 4-5-2 in games against Southwest Division opponents this season.

Individual game tickets as well as great group ticket rates can be purchased at the Gorillas Hockey Office, located at 1934 Civic Circle off of I-40 and Georgia, the Civic Center Box Office and all Panhandle Ticket Outlets. These include Randy's Music Mart, the West Texas Event Center in Canyon and United Supermarkets. Tickets can also be charged by phone at (806) 378-3096 or (806) 242-PUCK (7825). Also be sure to call the Gorillas front office today to learn about all the great incentives you can gather by bringing a group out to a Gorillas game!



Central Hockey League Stories from January 3, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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