IceGators fall to Sea Wolves, 4-3
November 3, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release
Biloxi, MS. â Mike Scott and Dave Paradise scored 31 seconds apart in the second period and Steffon Walby added his second shorthanded score in as many nights later in the stanza for what proved to be the game-winner, as the Mississippi Sea Wolves downed the Louisiana IceGators, 4-3, at Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
Greg Gardner made 36 saves and Jim Baxter also scored for Mississippi, which leads the IceGators by three points for first place in the Southwest Division.
Shawn McNeil, Bruce Richardson and Kevin Mitchell each scored for Louisiana, which is 0-3-1 in its last four road games and is in danger of losing three straight road games in regulation for just the sixth time in franchise history. Frederic Cloutier made 25 saves to fall to 5-1-1.
The IceGators' four-game road winless streak ties the second-longest such streak in team history, last accomplished from January 4-13, 2001, another 0-3-1 streak. The only time that Louisiana was winless on the road in more than four games was in 1996-97, when the team had to forfeit games for rules violations. The IceGators last lost three straight road games from February 1-16, 2001.
The Sea Wolves took an early 1-0 lead just 43 seconds into the game when Baxter finished off a nice feed from John Evangelista.
Louisiana has failed to score first in each of its six road games this season, and in four straight road games has yielded a goal in the first 1:11 of the contest. The IceGators failed to score first in just 17 games last season.
McNeil tied the game at the 5:50 mark of the stanza, as he walked in on Gardner and fired a shot over the netminder to tie the game at 1-1. The tally was McNeil's league-leading 10th of the season, fifth against the Sea Wolves.
Mitchell put the IceGators up 2-1 at the 7:24 mark of the second period on the power play, but the rest of the period was all Mississippi.
Scott's first goal of the season, at the 8:22 mark, deflected off an IceGators skate past Cloutier. Just 31 seconds later, Paradise picked up a loose rebound in the low slot and lifted it past the second-year netminder to put Mississippi on top 3-2.
The Sea Wolves extended to a two-goal lead at the 13:30 mark of the period on Walby's seventh goal of the season, his third shorthanded tally of the campaign. Walby broke in alone on Cloutier and scored.
The IceGators couldn't respond, despite having a total of four power plays in the period. Louisiana entered Saturday's game outscoring opponents 15-0 in the second stanza, but in the final two games of the weekend was outscored 4-2 in the period.
Louisiana kept up the pressure in the third period. The IceGators had nearly two minutes of a 5-on-3 power play inside of five minutes but Gardner was up to the task.
The IceGators did get within 4-3 with 21 seconds left, when Richardson redirected a Bobby Brown shot from the point past Gardner. The goal came on a 4-on-3, and Brown and McNeil picked up the helpers.
Louisiana had a final chance with two seconds left with a faceoff deep in the Mississippi zone, but couldn't get a shot off.
The IceGators were 3-for-10 on the power play, while Mississippi finished 0-for-4.
Gator Bites:
McNeil's goal and assist gave him a 10-game point streak to open the season, with 17 points (10g, 7a) in that span. McNeil is two games shy of the longest point streak in his career, a 12-game stretch from January 19-February 16, 2001.
McNeil has a point in each of his last 17 regular-season games, dating back to last season. He has 26 points (15g, 11a) in that span.
Louisiana is 6-3-1 in its first 10 games this season. It took the IceGators 32 games last season to drop their third in regulation (27-3-2).
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