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IceGators lead division by six points

March 1, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


Lafayette, LA – The Louisiana IceGators played three games in three nights this past week, going 2-1 on the weekend. The IceGators are 38-15-2 with 78 points in the ECHL standings. The Gators lead the Central Division by six points over their rival, the Mississippi Sea Wolves.

The IceGators welcomed the Sea Wolves to the Cajundome on Friday night. The teams met for their eleventh tilt of the season. The IceGators took a decisive 4-0 victory when four different Gators put up goals and netminder Derek Gustafson stymied the Wolves at every turn. The rout was the first shutout of the Sea Wolves this season. Ben Storey, Ed McGrane, Alex Materukhin and Armands Berzins lit the lamp for the Gators. Storey (1g – 1a), Rod Sarich (2a) and Kenny Corupe (2a) each earned two points on the evening. Semir Ben-Amor and Milt Mastad also added assists to the tally.

The IceGators did not have as much luck against the Pensacola Ice Pilots on Saturday, when they dropped to a 2-1 decision. The Pilots struck first and the Gators tied the game at one-all before the end of the first period, on a goal from Alex Materukhin. Rod Sarich earned a point in his second-straight game with the first assist, and Bobby Brown added his 25th helper of the season. The Pilots scored the go-ahead goal early in the second frame and kept the Gators at bay for the remainder of the game.

Sunday saw the Texas Wildcatters visit the Frozen Swamp. It was Guaranteed Win Night at the Cajundome and the IceGators made sure their hometown crowd of over 4000 fans were not disappointed. Ed McGrane struck early in the first period, with assistance from Bobby Brown and Alex Materukhin. The Wildcatters pulled even on a goal from the newly acquired Mark Jackson. The tie did not last. Three more Gators scored in the first period for a 4-1 lead going into the first intermission. Ben Storey, Semir Ben-Amor and Alex Materukhin finished the scoring the first. Materukhin is now just the second IceGator to hit the 20 goal mark this season. Milt Mastad earned two assists, while Bobby Brown, Ed McGrane, Jamie Johnson and Frederic Cloutier each contributed one. Bobby Brown added a goal to his scoring total in the third period, bringing him to 30 goals on the season. Ed McGrane and Rod Sarich assisted.

UPCOMING GAMES

Texas Wildcatters – Wednesday, March 3, 2004 @ 7:05 pm – The IceGators welcome the Wildcatters back to the Frozen Swamp for the last tilt of the season between these two teams. The Gators are 12-2 against the Catters in 2003-04, the most wins the Gators have against any opponent this season.

@ Columbia Inferno – Friday, March 5, 2004 @ 6:30 pm – The first game of the IceGators extended road trip will find them facing-off against the Inferno. This is the third of the three games between these two teams this season. The Gators lead the series 2-0.

@ Greenville Grrrowl – Saturday, March 6, 2004 @ 6:05 pm and Sunday, March 7, 2004 @ 2:05pm – The IceGators won the first set of back-to-back games against the Grrrowl on December 20 and 22, 2003, when the team from Greenville visited the Cajundome.

PROMOTIONS

Wednesday, March 3, 2004 – Mess with Texas Night/Guaranteed Win Redemption: All fans who attended the Sunday, February 29 game against the Wildcatters can redeem their ticket from that game at the Cajundome box office for a free ticket to the game on March 3. The IceGators will fight for a baker's dozen of wins against the team across the western border.

Wednesday, March 17, 2004 – St. Patrick's Day: This match-up with the Columbus Cottonmouths was originally scheduled for January 4. All season ticket holders may use their ticket from the January 4 game for admittance on St. Patty's Day. The drink special of the evening will be $2 green beer.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Tuesday, March 2, 2004 – Two IceGators and Clawd will visit Cathedral Carmel and Highland Elementary Schools.

WHO'S HOT

Ed McGrane – The rookie has 8 points (5g – 3a) in his last six games. In 30 games for the IceGators this season, McGrane has tallied 35 points (14g – 21a).

Derek Gustafson – The IceGators netminder earned his fourth shutout of the season Friday by stopping 27 Sea Wolves shots on goal. Gustafson is now in a five-way tie for the ECHL lead in shutouts. He is also second in the ECHL with a 2.15 goals-against average and a 0.925 save percentage.

Ben Storey – The IceGators' defenseman is now the second-leading scorer for Louisiana with 51 points (17g – 34a) in 55 games this season. Storey continues make an impact on the power play, with 35 (13g – 22a) man-advantage points. He has also moved into second place on the shots list with 262.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Shot Through The Heart (of Texas): Through 55 games this season, the IceGators have averaged 39.1 shots on goal per game. Against the Texas Wildcatters, the Gators have averaged 47 shots on goal per game. The IceGators have put 658 shots on the Texas netminders in 14 games this season.

Get ‘em While They're Hot: Louisiana IceGators Playoff Packages are now available. The IceGators are offering special discounts on 12-game packages for the 2003-04 Kelly Cup playoff run. Please visit www.icegators.com or call the IceGators office at 234-4423 for more information.

Injury Report:Left wing Brian Herbert has been placed on thirty-day injured reserve. Right wing Konstantin Kalmikov remains on seven-day injured reserve. Left wing Dennis Shiryaev remains on thirty-day injured reserve.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Monday: OFF
Tuesday: 10 am @ the Cajundome
Wednesday: 10 am @ the Cajundome. Pre-game skate
Thursday: Leave for Columbia
Friday: Pre-game skate in Columbia
Saturday: Pre-game skate in Greenville
Sunday: Pre-game skate in Greenville

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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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