IceGators advance with 3-1 win
April 5, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release
North Little Rock, AR – Kyle Kettles made 30 saves for his eighth straight win and Nathan Rempel scored his second straight game-winner, as the Louisiana IceGators completed a three-game Southwest Division Semifinals sweep over the Arkansas RiverBlades with a 3-1 win at ALLTEL Arena. Andrew Proskurnicki and Martin Bartek also scored for Louisiana, which advances to play Mississippi in the Southwest Division Finals. The schedule will be announced early next week.
Garry Toor scored on the power play and Scott Fankhouser stopped 27 shots for Arkansas, which tied an ECHL record for offensive futility in a three-game series. The RiverBlades scored just two goals in the set, tying the 2002 Cincinnati Cyclones and the 2000 Richmond Renegades for the fewest ever. Louisiana was able to hold ECHL Most Valuable Player and leading scorer Buddy Smith off the scoresheet in three straight games, as well as high-scoring linemate Jason Bermingham.
The teams combined for just nine goals in the three-game series, also tying an ECHL record for the fewest ever. Cincinnati and Dayton combined for nine goals in last seasonÂ’s playoffs.
Kettles won all three games in the series, with an impressive 0.67 goals against average and a .976 save percentage. Kettles is 8-0 in his last eight starts with a 0.75 goals against average. He last lost in Arkansas on March 14.
Proskurnicki got things going with his second goal of the series at the 9:49 mark of the first period. Rod Sarich threw one on net from the point, and Bartek first had a whack at it. Fankhouser turned that attempt aside, but Proskurnicki got one over the netminder for the one-goal edge.
Rempel extended to a 2-0 lead with 4:14 left in the first, just as a roughing minor to Sam Paquet expired. Kenny Corupe dug the puck out of the corner and slid a long pass to Rempel, who buried a shot from the bottom of the left circle. Rempel scored both goals in a 2-0 Game 2 win, breaking an 18-game goalless drought in the process.
Neither team scored in the second period, although Arkansas outshot the IceGators 10-7. The RiverBlades got several good chances on their top-ranked power play with Semir Ben-Amor in the box for unsportsmanlike conduct, but Kettles didnÂ’t let one by.
The RiverBlades got within 2-1 on just their second goal of the series early in the third. Shawn McNeil was called for tripping 36 seconds into the period, and less than a minute later Toor took a cross-ice pass from Terry Marchant and deposited it past Kettles.
Louisiana extended to a two-goal lead again at the 5:49 mark of the third, after Matthew Pagnutti took down McNeil on a near breakaway.
McNeil took a pass from Kevin Mitchell, walked into the right circle and left a great behind-the-back pass to Bartek, who easily chipped one over Fankhouser for his first of the post-season.
Arkansas continued to press, outshooting Louisiana 12-5 in the third period and 22-12 in the final 40 minutes.
The RiverBlades had another chance on the power play at the 7:28 mark, but less than a minute into the man advantage, ArkansasÂ’ Mike Cirillo was called for slashing.
Arkansas continued to thwart its own comeback attempt, as Bermingham threw a punch at Casey Kesselring with 5:04 left, putting Louisiana back on the power play. Just 44 seconds into that man advantage, Mitchell was sent for hooking, although it did prevent a possible breakaway.
With Fankhouser out of the net, Kettles stopped a deflected Dean Stock shot with 49 seconds left.
Louisiana went 1-for-6 on the power play, while the RiverBlades finished 1-for-5. Arkansas, which had the best power play in the ECHL in the regular season, went 1-for-12 on the man advantage in the series.
Gator Bites:
Marchant and Cirillo were the only RiverBlades to record two points in the series.
Proskurnicki had one point in each of the three games (2g, 1a).
Rempel has scored in back-to-back games for the first time since combining for five goals in two games January 26-31.
The IceGators improved to 11-11 when having their opponent on the brink of elimination.
Louisiana completed its fifth ever three-game post-season sweep.
Smith was held without a point in three consecutive games for just the second time this season.
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ECHL Stories from April 5, 2003
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