Ice Pilots Weekly

December 27, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Pensacola Ice Pilots News Release


PENSACOLA, FL - The Ice Pilots have begun a season long eight game home stand and have won back to back games for the first time this season. Pensacola is coming off a 6-5 win at Gwinnett on Saturday night and a 5-2 home drubbing of Mississippi to begin the home stand on Wednesday night. The Pilots trail the Sea Wolves by just five points in the standings with two games in hand. Mike Sgroi continues to lead the Ice Pilots in scoring as he is averaging a point per game. Cam Ellsworth has won his last two starts since being acquired in a trade.

This week's Games

Wednesday, Dec. 26 vs. Mississippi (5-2 WIN)

Konstantin Kalmikov scored two goals and Mike Sgroi and Bryan Esner both converted on third period penalty shots as the Ice Pilots won back to back games for the first time this season defeating Mississippi 5-2 at the Pensacola Civic Center. The Ice Pilots returning from the Christmas break gave the home fans early cheers with two goals in the first nine minutes. Konstantin Kalmikov tipped in a pass from JC Sawyer on the power play to put Pensacola ahead 1-0. Then, Brian McGregor with his 8th of the season and first goal on home ice gave the Pilots a 2-0 lead. Mark Hurtubise put Mississippi on the board with his 6th of the season as he blasted a shot past Cam Ellsworth and it was a 2-1 lead for Pensacola after the first period. The Pilots dominated the second period as they out shot Mississippi 14-1 and Kalmikov struck again for his second of the night at 6:25 as Sawyer again with the assist to make it 3-1. The third period was a memorable one as the Ice Pilots were successful on two penalty shot attempts. First it was Mike Sgroi at 3:44 for his 10th goal of the season. Following was Bryan Esner as he deked Morgan Cey and put the puck in the back of the net for his sixth of the year to finish the scoring for Pensacola and the Pilots went on for the 5-2 win.

Friday, Dec. 28 vs. Texas at 7:05 p.m.

The Ice Pilots clash with the top team in the ECHL in the Texas Wildcatters. Texas has come out on top in all six meetings but the Ice Pilots have battled hard, falling by just a goal in each of the last two games at the Hangar. The Wildcatters are currently on a 17 game unbeaten streak and are the hottest team in the league. Texas is led by veteran John McNabb who is fifth in the league in scoring. The Wildcatters goalie tandem of rookie Anton Khudobin and Peter Aubry has led Texas to the great start. Khudobin has not lost in regulation this season.

(ALL Kids 12 and under will enjoy a free hot dog)

Saturday, Dec. 29 (7:05 p.m.) and Sunday, Dec. 30 (5:05 p.m.) vs. Florida

The Ice Pilots will host the in-state rival Florida Everblades for the first time at the Hangar this season. The Everblades will visit the Pilots six times in Pensacola. The last meeting saw the Pilots defeat the Everblades on the road 3-1 on November 24. Florida is led by rookie Mathieu Melanson who is heading to the All-Star Game. The Everblades goaltending situation is in flux due to call-ups. Justin Peters, Tyler Plante and Kevin Nastiuk all have under a 3.00 GAA for the Everblades this season.

Saturday - (ALL Kids 12 and under will enjoy a free hot dog)

Sunday - (Saturn Sunday - Register for a chance to play score-o and win a 2008 Saturn Sky on Sunday, March 30)

(Gulf States Recycle Sunday - Bring 2 plastic bags of newspapers and receive a free silver level ticket voucher)

Start the New Year off with the Pilots at the Hangar!

Wednesday, Jan. 2 vs. Trenton

Friday, Jan. 4 vs. Gwinnett

Saturday, Jan. 5 vs. Trenton

Monday, Jan. 7 vs. South Carolina

Countdown to History Head Coach John Marks is just 8 wins away from tying John Brophy for the most all time wins in ECHL History. Marks is in his 14th season in the ECHL and has 472 career wins.

Last week's Games

Tuesday at Charlotte (5-3 Loss)

The Ice Pilots tallied two goals in a span of five seconds in the third period to cut the lead to one, but Charlotte held on to defeat the Pilots 5-3 at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. The Pilots had several good chances in the first part of period number one but Charlotte held Pensacola scoreless, and then came back the other way to take the first period lead. Mike Bayrack returning from a stint in Europe scored his second goal in as many games to give the Checkers a 1-0 lead at 11:04 of the first period. Then at 14:59 Jordan Owens sent a great feed to Dusty Jamieson and he one timed it past Ice Pilots goaltender John Daigneau to make it 2-0. The two clubs played a scoreless second period as Pensacola had a couple of odd man rushes but the Checkers kept the Pilots without a goal. Charlotte took a 3-0 lead in the third as Ryan Constant weaved his way in the Pilots zone and beat Daigneau. Pensacola got on the board due to Brian McGregor's sixth goal of the season. However, Charlotte regained the three-goal advantage as Kenton Smith fired one in for his first goal of the year. The Ice Pilots awoke and scored two goals in five seconds, setting a new team record. First it was Bryan Esner going coast-to-coast for his second goal as an Ice Pilot and fifth of the season. Then off the face-off, rookie Mathieu Roy followed to cut the lead to just one but Charlotte held on for the 5-3 win.

Wednesday at South Carolina (6-1 Loss)

South Carolina forward Chris Chaput netted four goals, recording a hat trick as the Stingrays defeated the Ice Pilots 6-1 at North Charleston Coliseum. The Stingrays pestered Ice Pilots goaltender Cam Ellsworth with 12 first period shots but could only muster one goal. Chaput opened the scoring at 6:44 of the first period to give South Carolina a 1-0 lead. Then South Carolina exploded in the second period with four goals. Paul McIlveen scored his sixth of the season to make it 2-0. Following was Marty Guerin with a shorthanded tally to put the Stingrays up 3-0. The Pilots got on the board as Erik Fabian scored his second in the last four games to cut the lead to 3-1. However, it was the Chris Chaput show as he scored back-to-back goals 3:44 apart to net the hat trick and put South Carolina up 5-1 after two periods of play. Chaput added another in the third as South Carolina went on for the 6-1 win.

Friday at South Carolina (3-0 Loss)

Goaltender Josh Johnson made 31 saves and Trent Campbell scored twice as the South Carolina Stingrays shut out the Ice Pilots 3-0 for their eight consecutive win at North Charleston Coliseum. Trent Campbell started the play and finished it, scoring the lone first period goal as he beat Cam Ellsworth from the top of the right circle to make it 1-0 Stingrays. The second period was another tightly contested 20 minutes as Chris Chaput fed Cail MacLean with a goal mouth pass and he one timed it past Ellsworth to make it 2-0 South Carolina after two periods of play. Campbell struck again in the third for his second goal of the night at the South Carolina held off the Ice Pilots 3-0.

Saturday at Gwinnett (6-5 WIN)

Brian McGregor scored a shorthanded goal with just under two minutes left in regulation to send the Ice Pilots into the Christmas break with a 6-5 road victory over the Gladiators at The Arena at Gwinnett Center. Pensacola got off to a fast start, taking advantage of their first power play as Mike Sgroi hammered in a rebound to put the Pilots up 1-0 at 3:17 of the first period. Later on in the opening frame, Derek Nesbitt tied up the contest at one with an unassisted goal. The floodgates exploded in the second as Erik Fabian netted his third goal of the season on a rebound from an Andrew Winnik shot to put the Pilots back up 2-1, the second power play goal of the night for Pensacola. Then the Gladiators responded with three unanswered goals as Lou Dickenson tied it up at two. Gwinnett scored back to back power play goals compliments of Stuart MacRae and John Awe to go ahead 4-2. Pensacola answered back with three unanswered goals of their own to go ahead 5-4. Luke Erickson lit the lamp on a Gwinnett defensive zone turnover to cut the lead to one with just 27 seconds left in the second. In the third period, Mathieu Roy tied the game with his 7th goal of the year. Following was Joel Stepp with the go ahead goal from Mike Sgroi to put the Pilots back ahead. Gwinnett was not finished as they would even things at five on a goal from Mike Hamilton. The Gladiators received a late power play but the Pilots would use the shorthanded opportunity to their advantage as Brian McGregor poked the puck away at neutral ice and beat Gwinnett goaltender Dan Turple with a backhanded shot to give the Pilots the 6-5 road win. Ice Pilots goaltender Cam Ellsworth was humongous down the stretch as he made 20 third period saves and in all 42 to help the Pilots to the victory. The Pilots finished the game 3 for 6 on the power play and scored four special teams goals in all.

Ice Pilots Itinerary

Monday - Christmas Eve

Tuesday - Christmas Day

Wednesday - Pre-Game Skate at 10 a.m.

GAME vs. Mississippi, 7:05 p.m. at Pensacola Civic Center (5-2 WIN)

Thursday - Practice at 10 a.m.

Friday - Pre-Game Skate at 10 a.m.

GAME vs. Texas, 7:05 p.m. at Pensacola Civic Center

Saturday - Pre-Game Skate at 10 a.m.

GAME vs. Florida, 7:05 p.m. at Pensacola Civic Center

Sunday - GAME vs. Florida, 5:05 p.m. at Pensacola Civic Center

(All Times are CT).

Broadcast Information

You can catch all the Ice Pilots action home and away on Newsradio 1620am, the flagship station for the Pensacola Ice Pilots. Ice Pilots' Broadcasts begin with the Hill-Kelly Dodge Jeep Pilots Pre-game 15 minutes prior to all games and concludes with Pilots Post-Game presented by Wal-Mart. Also, join Head Coach John Marks and the Voice of the Ice Pilots, Anthony Langella, Jr. for the next coach's show, this Monday, January 21 from 6-7 p.m. at New York Nick's in Downtown Pensacola. The Coach's Show also airs on Newsradio 1620. Fans can get involved by asking questions live or via phone at 437-1620.

Ticket Information

Don't miss the hard hitting, exciting action, as the Ice Pilots' next home game is Friday, December 28 at 7:05 p.m. vs. Texas at the Civic Center. All Kids 12 and under will enjoy a free hot dog. 2007-2008 Group Tickets, Mini Plans, and Military Packages are still available through the Ice Pilots office. For more information, or to reserve your seats, call (850) 432-PUCK, or visit the Ice Pilots web site at www.icepilots.com.



ECHL Stories from December 27, 2007


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