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IceGators set ECHL points record

March 25, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


Week in review: LA 4, PEN 2;

FLA 4, LA 2; LA 4, FLA 2

Ryan Shanahan capped off a big week with the game-winning goal as Louisiana beat Florida 4-2 on Saturday night to set a new ECHL record for points in a season (110). The win was also the IceGators' 53rd of the season, tying Florida's league-record from 1999-2000.

Louisiana had seen leads of 1-0 and 2-1 evaporate before Shanahan scored at 7:48 of the third period to put the IceGators up for good. Shanahan has 10 points (3g, 7a) in a six-game point streak. Konstantin Kalmikov's second goal of the game, an empty-netter, sealed the game with 11 seconds remaining. Shawn McNeil also scored for Louisiana, which got 31 saves from Frederic Cloutier.

Saturday's win avenged an intense 4-2 loss at Florida on Friday night. The IceGators held a 2-1 lead at 12:11 of the first period after McNeil and Russ Hewson scored, but Florida scored three times to win it, including Joe Blaznek's game-winner at 4:23 of the second period. Former Everblade Marc Magliarditi made 24 saves in his return to TECO Arena.

Tuesday, Shanahan's two scores capped off a rally from a two-goal deficit, as Louisiana rallied for a 4-2 win in Pensacola. Trailing 2-0, Chris Valicevic got the IceGators within one at 8:02 of the second period, and just 1:20 later Dennis Shiryaev evened the score. Shanahan's first goal of the game put Louisiana up 3-2 at the 12:40 mark of the middle stanza, and he finished the scoring early in the third. Cloutier made 30 saves for the win.

This week:

TUE, LA vs. JCK 7:05

THU, LA @ BR 7:05

FRI, LA @ JCK 7:00

IceGators wrap up their record-setting regular season this week! Tuesday is Louisiana's home regular season finale, and the first 2,000 fans will all receive a team poster, courtesy of Collins Thibodeaux, MD. Thursday, the IceGators make their final trip of the season to Baton Rouge, and Friday they go to Jackson for a possible first-round playoff preview.

Something to talk about - Louisiana is closing in on its quest to become the first ECHL team since Knoxville in 1990-91 to lead the league in both goals for and goals against. The IceGators enter the week scoring 3.59 goals per game, just ahead of Charlotte's 3.54. Louisiana's 2.22 goals against per game average is nearly a quarter-goal ahead of Trenton, and the IceGators could tie the Titans' 2000-01 ECHL-record of 2.28 goals per game by giving up 11 combined goals in their last three games. Anything less than 11 goals will give Louisiana the record.

Valicevic tied with Gorski - IceGator defenseman Chris Valicevic has 608 career ECHL points and needs one more to move past Sheldon Gorski for fourth on the ECHL's all-time scoring list.

Road warriors - Louisiana is 24-10-0 on the road, and could break the ECHL record for most road wins in a season with victories in their last two games away from the Cajundome. (Trenton, 2000-01, and Florida, 1999-2000)

Big week on tap for Cloutier - Rookie goaltender Frederic Cloutier leads the ECHL with a 1.89 goals against average and a .943 save percentage, and his 27 wins are tied for fourth in the league. Cloutier needs to give up two goals or less in last appearance of season (if head coach Dave Farrish continues his goaltending rotation) to break Curtis Sanford's league-record 1.91 goals against average, set last season. Cloutier is also on pace to shatter Jeff Salajko's .933 save percentage record (1997-98).

Dominance at home - The IceGators are 29-2-4 at home this season and are tied with Pee Dee's ECHL-record 29 home wins in 1998-99.

Impressive as a rookie - Center Russ Hewson has 61 points this season, and he's close to moving into second place on the team's all-time rookie points list. John Spoltore's total of 101 points in a rookie season is out of reach, but Hewson is just one point behind Rob Valicevic's rookie total of 62 in 1995-96.

Magliarditi unblemished at home - Louisiana netminder Marc Magliarditi is an unthinkable 18-0-1 at the Cajundome this season. At home, he sports a goals against average of 1.77 and a save percentage of .934. Magliarditi is 8-7-0 on the road this season.

Shanahan streaking - IceGators winger Ryan Shanahan is enjoying one of the better stretches of his career. Shanahan has a six-game point streak, with three goals and seven assists in that span. Shanahan's career-best point streak was nine games, set last season (6g, 10a). Shanahan, who had been held without a point in his last eight games prior to his current run, has at least one assist in each of the past six games, a career best and the longest such streak for an IceGator this season. Linemates Cory Cyrenne (3g, 7a) and Shawn McNeil (4g, 3a) are also in the midst of six-game point streaks. Cyrenne, McNeil and Russ Hewson have the longest point streaks by IceGators this season (seven games). Cyrenne has had two such streaks.

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