IceGators Tie for Division Lead

Published on January 19, 2004 under ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


The Louisiana IceGators won three in a row to secure their Central division lead. They now have 54 points and are tied with the Mississippi Sea Wolves. The Gators are given the top spot since they have more wins, with 26 W's to Mississippi's 24.

The IceGators started the weekend with two games on the road. The Texas Wildcatters hosted the Gators at Ford Arena on Friday and Saturday. The Gators then returned to Lafayette to welcome the Pensacola Ice Pilots to the Cajundome.

On Friday, the IceGators were down 2-0 going into the third frame. They rallied for three goals to beat the Wildcatters 3-2. Konstantin Kalmikov, Jamie Johnson and Armands Berzins all lit the lamp for the Gators and Frederic Cloutier turned away 30 of 32 shots on goal, including a penalty shot attempt.

Saturday's game started to look like Friday's as the Wildcatters tallied first, but the Gators would prove a formidable opponent. Dennis Shiryaev scored his tenth of the year to tie the game. Bobby Brown scored the tie-breaker and the Gators did not give up the lead again. Goals by Semir Ben-Amor and Alex Materukhin were added to the scoreboard, as the Gators took the lead. Texas tried to rally, but were not able to get a tying goal past Derek Gustafson. Texas did beat Louisiana in one aspect of the game: penalty minutes. Following a post-game, bench-clearing brawl, Texas skated away with 121 penalty minutes. The Gators racked up 114 penalty mintues for their part in the melee.

Sunday's game brought the Pensacola Ice Pilots to the Cajundome. The IceGators did not look like a team coming off back-to-back road games. While the first period saw only one goal, from defenseman Jim Vickers, the second and third frames were decidedly more exciting. Once the scoring started, it was hard for the Gators to stop. Konstantin Kalmikov put three into the net for the IceGators first hat trick of the season. Ed McGrane tallied two, while Vickers, Ben Storey and Bobby Brown all contributed to the final tally of eight goals.

UPCOMING GAMES

Texas Wildcatters – January 23 and 24, 2004 @ 7:05 pm – The IceGators will play a home-and-home against the team from the Lone Star State when they travel to Beaumont on Friday and host the ‘Catters at the Cajundome on Saturday. Louisiana is now 5-1 this season against their neighbor from the west.

Florida Everblades – January 25, 2004 @ 4:05pm – The Gators welcome the other team with a gator logo to the Frozen Swamp for their third and final tilt this season. Louisiana is 0 for 2 against the Everblades this season. The Gators are 6-3-2 all-time against Florida.

PROMOTIONS

Saturday, January 24, 2004 – Rayne Appreciation Night: The city of Rayne will be honored by the IceGators with special discounts on tickets and intermission activities sponsored by the Rayne Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor's Office. Special appearances by Rayne Royalty will also be featured.

Sunday, January 25, 2004 – Scrubs Night: Medical personnel from the Lafayette area are eligible for special discounts on tickets. Medical personnel includes anyone affiliated with the medical profession, including doctors, nurses, and office staff. Activities for Scrubs Night will also include an appearance by Chuckie from the Rugrats.

The Month of January, 2004 – Acadiana Proud Project: Bring supplies for Acadiana's troops overseas and receive $2 off any game ticket for any game in January. A list of supplies is available at www.icegators.com.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Thursday, January 22, 2004 – Bruce LeVine, the voice of the IceGators and an IceGator will visit the Acadiana Civitan Club.

WHO'S HOT

Konstantin Kalmikov – The Player of the Week nominee has 6 points (4g – 2a) in his last three games. He also scored the Gators' first hat trick of the year and the first of his career on Sunday against the Ice Pilots.

Jamie Johnson – The rookie center earned 7 points (1g – 6a) in his last three games, with three of the assists coming in Sunday's game against the Ice Pilots.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Hey Now! You're an All-Star! Get Your Game On...: Defenseman Ben Storey and netminder Frederic Cloutier travel to Peoria for the ECHL All-Star Game this week. Cloutier will participate in the Skills Competition Break-Away Relay and the Rapid Fire contest, and Storey will compete for Hardest Shot honors. The Skills Competition will be at 7:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, January 20 and the game will be played at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, January 21.

Still on Top: As of Monday, January 19, 2004, the IceGators are still leading the league in power play percentage, at 23.07%, up from last week's 21.57%. The Gators have scored 48 goals on 208 man-advantage chances this season.

It Really IS the Cajun Cookin': Former Gators continue to come back to the Frozen Swamp as Chris Taliercio rejoins the IceGators after starting the season with the Columbus Stars of the UHL. Taliercio played his rookie year in Lafayette and signed a contract with Louisiana after the Stars ceased operations earlier this month.

Front Office Additions: The IceGators front office continues to build a stronger team with the addition of Jason Venable. The new Sales Manager is a Lafayette native and a graduate of UL.

Injury Report: Left wing Brian Herbert has been placed on seven-day injured reserve. Center Kenny Corupe has been placed on thirty-day injured reserve.

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