IceGators Nipped by Blades
March 1, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release
Toledo, OH â Matt Ellis' power-play goal with 6:17 left in the second period helped ruin a 47-save performance by Louisiana's Kyle Kettles, as ECHL points leader Toledo earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over the IceGators at Toledo Sports Arena. Doug Teskey made 29 saves and Tim Verbeek also scored for the Storm, who won their seventh straight home game and kept a one-point Northwest Division lead over Peoria, which hosts the IceGators tomorrow at 3 p.m.
Chris Taliercio scored the lone goal for the IceGators, who are 0-2-1 on their four-game road trip which ends tomorrow, with all three games being decided by one goal. Louisiana, which trails Mississippi by one point with two games in hand for first place in the Southwest Division, could have possibly moved past the Sea Wolves tonight. Mississippi is tied 2-2 with Arkansas after two periods.
Kettles' 47 saves were his most since a career-best 51 stops on January 31 against Florida. Kettles, making his seventh straight start and 19 in 21 games, turned aside 23-of-24 shots in a frantic second period and all 15 in the third.
Toledo dominated the second, outshooting the IceGators 24-10, with the help of five power plays in the stanza. Kettles stopped every shot but one, a power-play goal that came after the teams apparently were headed for 4-on-4 play. Toledo finished 2-for-7 on the power play, while Louisiana had just four chances, not scoring on any of them. There wasn't a single power play in the third period until the IceGators went on the man advantage with eight seconds left.
Toledo went back on top 2-1 on the power play with 6:17 left in the second, after the teams had apparently been evened up. J.P. Morin was whistled for a double minor for high sticking at the 12:33 mark, and referee Max Middendorf appeared to call a minor penalty on the Storm at 13:21. With the Toledo player entering the penalty box, Middendorf instead sent off Louisiana's Milt Mastad, resulting in a 5-on-3 instead of 4-on-4.
It took the Storm just 22 seconds to score after that sequence, as Ellis skated in on a 3-on-1 and ripped a shot by Kettles from the top of the circle. After the score, which was Ellis' team-best seventh power-play score, Toledo still held a 5-on-3 for 1:38, but Kettles was up to the task.
Teskey stuffed Bartek on a wraparound attempt with a minute left in the second, and 10 seconds later the IceGators went on just their third power play of the game.
The IceGators couldn't score on the man advantage early in the third, and were up against the grain in the final period. With the victory, Toledo improved to 29-1-1 when leading after 40 minutes, including a 19-0-1 mark at home. The IceGators, meanwhile, dropped to 4-13-3 when trailing after two periods, including a 1-9-1 record on the road.
The Storm continued to control play in the third, outshooting the IceGators 8-1 in the first eight minutes of the stanza and 15-6 overall. Kettles admirably kept Louisiana within one goal, including one amazing stop on an all-alone Verbeek on the doorstep.
Kettles ventured out of his net midway through the period, but Morin dove to keep a puck out of the net.
With 3:57 left, Shawn McNeil sprung Bartek with a long pass down the right side, but Teskey stoned the winger. Bartek got another chance with 2:30 left, and his rebound sat loose in the crease until Teskey covered up.
Kettles made two big stops with 1:24 left, and after he covered up, Toledo's Nathan Robinson grabbed Cal Benazic. Both players went for roughing, resulting in a 4-on-4, with the Storm's Brandon Fleenor picked up a 10-minute misconduct on the play.
The IceGators pulled Kettles with a minute left, and after an icing call against Toledo with 45 seconds left, Louisiana head coach Dave Farrish called a timeout. The IceGators had scored an extra attacker goal in each of their last two games on this trip.
Farrish sent out five forwards, and Bartek's attempt from the point was blocked in front and sent the length of the ice again. Brown sent one just wide on a nice feed from Bartek from behind the net with 20 seconds left. With Nathan Lutz slashing at McNeil, Middendorf sent the Storm player off with eight ticks remaining giving Louisiana a 5-on-3 with the extra attacker.
Toledo won the ensuing faceoff and cleared the puck, sealing the victory and helping Teskey improve to 24-6-4. The netminder has won his last five starts.
The Storm improved to 15-3-8 in one-goal situations, including a 9-0-4 home mark. Toledo is the only ECHL team without a home one-goal loss in regulation. The IceGators dropped to 13-9-11 in one-goal games, including 4-7-7 away from the Cajundome.
Verbeek got Toledo on the board with a power play tally at the 6:07 mark of the first. Verbeek grabbed a rebound off a Trevor Read shot from the point behind the cage, and wrapped the puck around the net past Kettles for his 14th goal of the season. The score came with 49 seconds left in a high-sticking call to Bartek, a play that also saw Jeff Worlton pick up a 10-minute misconduct.
The IceGators evened the score at 1-1 at the 10:45 mark on Taliercio's 10th goal of the season. Louis Mass fired a shot from the point, and Taliercio, camped out in front of Teskey, pushed the rebound past the netminder.
Teskey kept things knotted up with the IceGators on their first power play late in the period, ranging all the way across the crease to stop a Nathan Rempel attempt. Teskey finished the opening stanza with 13 saves, as Louisiana outshot the Storm 14-10.
Louisiana is 2-for-33 on the power play (6.1 percent) in the last seven games, while they have allowed nine power play goals in 28 chances (32.1 percent) in the last five contests.
Gator Bites:
Louisiana's 24 shots allowed in the second period were the most yielded by the team in one period this season. Pensacola launched 23 shots in the first period on February 9.
Toledo entered the game averaging 34.98 shots per game, second in the ECHL, and topped that total just a minute into the third period.
The IceGators dropped to 21-9-1 in March under Farrish.
Toledo is 22-2-4 at home, two fewer home regulation losses than any other ECHL team.
The Storm improved to 7-0-1 versus the Southwest Division.
Louisiana's three-game winless streak (0-2-1) is two shy of their season high, set twice.
Tomorrow, the IceGators will try avoid their fifth three-game regulation road losing streak in team history, including a team-worst four-game stretch in the 1999-2000 season.
Toledo improved to 23-5-5 when outshooting its opponent, including a 14-2-3 mark at home.
The IceGators are 1-3-0 all-time in Toledo.
ECHL Stories from March 1, 2003
- Sea Wolves Slice RiverBlades, 3-2 - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Kingfish Clipped by Everblades, 4-3 - Baton Rouge Kingfish
- RiverBlades Drop 3-2 Decision to Sea Wolves - Arkansas RiverBlades
- Jackals Out-Gun Generals In 7-5 Scoring Bash - Elmira Jackals
- Chiefs Pick Up Big Win - Johnstown Chiefs
- IceGators Nipped by Blades - Louisiana IceGators
- Jackals Get Help On Defense With Return Of Borzecki - Elmira Jackals
- Stewart Scores Twice, Adds Assist As Jackals Roll 5-2 Over Beacons - Elmira Jackals
- Renegades Game Notes - Richmond Renegades
- RiverBlades Officially Clinch Playoff Spot - Arkansas RiverBlades
- Rhodes Records 38-Save Shutout in 4-0 Win over Pee Dee - Greenville Grrrowl
- Louisiana game notes at Toledo - Louisiana IceGators
- Quick Strikes Doom Bakersfield - Alaska Aces
- Gulls Down Ice Dogs, 5-2 - San Diego Gulls
- Ice Dogs Fight Back, But Lose 5-2 To Gulls - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- Condors Can't Hang On, Lose 5-4 - Bakersfield Condors
- Grrrowl Take Big Step in Right Direction with 6-3 Win - Greenville Grrrowl
- Steelheads Ground Falcons in Shootout, 3-2 - Idaho Steelheads
- Grizzlies Sunk By Admirals - Utah Grizzlies
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