IceGators split weekend, 1-1

February 2, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


The Louisiana IceGators gained a decisive victory over division rival Mississippi on Friday night to gain the sole lead in the Central Division. A hard-fought loss to the Pensacola Ice Pilots on Saturday would move them back into a tie with Mississippi for the top spot in the division. The IceGators are 30-11-2 with 62 points in the standings.

Alex Materukhin continued his points run with a goal and two assists that helped the Gators skate to a 5-1 victory. Five different Gators lit the lamp behind Greg Gardner. Brian Herbert, Semir Ben-Amor, Ben Storey and Jamie Johnson each added to their season tally. Herbert's short-handed goal came at 7:32 of the first period, from Materukhin and Rod Sarich. In the second period, Materukhin broke a 1-1 tie with a soft wrister that slid behind Gardner on the power play. Chris Taliercio fed Ben-Amor in the right circle, who blasted a shot past Gardner that put the Gators up by two. The third period saw Storey earn another man-advantage goal, his 11th power play tally of the year, with assistance from Sarich and Materukhin. Johnson finished off the evening with an even-strength goal from Shiryaev and Kalmikov that extended his points-streak to seven games. Derek Gustafson stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced, while the Gators kept up a steady barrage of 38 shots on Gardner.

Saturday's game saw an amazing performance from the Gators' league-leading power play and the unfortunate end of the Gators' eight-game win streak. The Gators traveled to Pensacola for their eighth tilt against the Pilots this season. The series now stands at 4-2-2 in favor of the IceGators. The Pilots sounded the goal horn first and the Gators were never able to pull ahead. Coming back from a three-goal deficit in the second, the Gators pulled within goal by the end of the second frame. Ben Storey put the Gators on the board first with his 12th power play goal of the season. Assisting on the man-advantage tally were Jamie Johnson and Rod Sarich. Bobby Brown scored on the same four minute power play just 43 seconds later. Ed McGrane earned his 13th helper of the year on Brown's goal. Brian Herbert wasted no time getting the Gators on the board again in the third period. At the 1:58 mark, he caught a pass from Jim Vickers and popped it over the goal line to tie the game. The Pilots broke the game open with two more goals, a power play marker just 2:19 after Herbert's goal, and an even-strength goal at the 15-minute mark. Bobby Brown closed out the third frame with his second power play goal of the night, again assisted by Ed McGrane, with additional help from Ben Storey. The goal, scored at 19:02 was not enough to rally the Gators past the Pilots. The Gators maintain the lead in the Central Division, although they share the position with the Mississippi Sea Wolves.

UPCOMING GAMES

Texas Wildcatters – February 3, 2004 @ 7:05 pm – The IceGators host their rival from the West at the Frozen Swamp. This will mark the eleventh tilt between these two teams this season. The Gators lead the season series 9-1.

Pensacola Ice Pilots – February 6, 2004 @ 7:05 pm – The Pensacola Ice Pilots return to the Frozen Swamp for their fifth visit of the season. On their last trip to Lafayette, the Gators posted eight goals against the Pilots. The Gators are 4-2-2 against the Pilots this season..

@ Mississippi Sea Wolves – February 7, 2004 @ 7:05 pm – The rivalry heats up between the Gators and the Wolves as they battle in their tenth meeting of the season. These teams are in a heated race for the top spot in the division and the conference. The Gators lead the season series 6-3-0.

Florence Pride – February 8, 2004 @ 4:05 pm – The Florence Pride visit the Cajundome for the first of two meetings this season. The Pride is 16-20-6 with 38 points through 42 games this season. They are currently in sixth place in the Southern Division.

PROMOTIONS

Tuesday, February 3, 2004 – $2 Tuesday: All available seats in the Cajundome are $2. This special price is a thank you to the Acadiana community for their help and support of the Acadiana Proud Project.

Friday, February 6, 2004 – Oilfield Night: Special discounts for oilfield workers and those affiliated with the oil business in the Acadiana area. Two thousand foam Gator claws will be given away, courtesy of B&M Machinery and Manufacturing.

Sunday, February 8 2004 – A. Bryan Jewelers Diamond Give-away: The first 500 ladies through the door will receive a velvet pouch containing a Cubic Zirconia. Take your CZ to A. Bryan Jewelers before Valentine's Day to see if it is specially marked. The holder of the marked CZ will receive a real diamond, courtesy of A. Bryan Jewelers.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Tuesday, February 10, 2004 – An IceGator will visit St. Pius Elementary to make a classroom visit.

WHO'S HOT

Bobby Brown – The Player of the Week and Player of the Month nominee is currently tied for third place among ECHL goal-scorers with 25. He has posted seven-game points streak (7g–6a–13p). The right wing has 41 points (23g – 18a) in 41 games this season and he is second in the league in shots on goal with 204.

Jamie Johnson – The rookie center is making his third straight appearance on the Who's Hot List. The Rookie of the Month nominee extended his point-scoring streak to 8 games, tallying 15 points (3g – 12a) since January 16.

Ben Storey – The D-man from Ottawa leads the league in power play points with 30 points (12g – 18a). He is second in the league in power play goals with 12. His 18 power play assists ties him for third in the league. He is fourth in the league overall among scoring defensemen with 42 points (13g – 29a). Storey is fourth in the league in shots on goal with 197, which also leads all defensemen.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Nobody Does It Better: The IceGators are leading the league in power play percentage for the fourth week in a row and the numbers just keep climbing. At 24.3%, they have improved over last week's 23.6%. The Gators have scored 57 goals on 235 man-advantage chances this season

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Three IceGators top the list of shot-takers around the ECHL. Konstantin Kalmikov is first in the league with 227 shots. Bobby Brown is right behind him with 204 shots. A hop, skip and seven shots away is Ben Story, in fourth place, with 197 shots on goal.

Two Down, One to Go: Defenseman Josh Mizerek has been activated from seven-day injured reserve. Center Kenny Corupe has been placed on thirty-day injured reserve.



ECHL Stories from February 2, 2004


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