IceMen Prepare for Strenuous Stretch

Published on October 21, 2012 under ECHL (ECHL)
Evansville IceMen News Release


RUNDOWN/LOWDOWN: The Evansville IceMen proud ECHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the Springfield Falcons and Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League, completed their second week of the 2012-13 ECHL campaign by registering their initial point in the standings by virtue of a 4-3 OTSO outcome Saturday night in their first away game of the embryonic season at Fort Wayne. Under the auspices of third-year General Manager/Head Coach Rich Kromm, the IceMen commence the new week having posted a mark of 3(0-2-1) totaling 1-point in the ECHL Eastern Conference North Division standings. Three-time reigning North Division titlist Kalamazoo is back on top with a 4(3-1-0)6 record, achieving a 5-point lead over the fifth place IceMen. The IceMen are 4-points back of second place Cincinnati 3(2-0-1)5 and Fort Wayne 4(2-1-1)5; the IceMen are 3-points behind fourth place Toledo 3(2-1-0)4. This week, the IceMen face their most daunting assignment of the still-infant season, consisting of 4-games in 5-days with three of those contests being staged and waged on home ice at the Ford Center. Wednesday and Sunday the Gwinnett Gladiators travel to Evansville while in-between, the IceMen collide with divisional foe Kalamazoo in a home-and-home series for the weekend. The Wings come calling on Friday night in the first-ever session to be staged between the two newly-created rivals before the IceMen reciprocate, sojourning to Kalamazoo to be guested by the Wings for their lone alien ice invasion of the week in culminating their 7-games' October schedule.

GET YOUR GAME FACE ON!: In this final week of their first ever month in the ECHL, the IceMen are presenting a vast variety of promotional events at their home of the fabulous Ford Center. Wednesday night when they host the Gwinnett Gladiators, it has been designated as Prostate Cancer Awareness Night with free screening to be conducted during the game as well as a special blanket giveaway. Then on Friday night when the Kalamazoo Wings come calling, it will be "Pink the Rink" night as the IceMen and the Wings will wage warfare on Pink Ice. To focus even more attention on the night's cause, the IceMen players will slip into special jerseys which will be auctioned immediately following the game. In Sunday's encore encounter against Gwinnett, the IceMen will play host to Halloween Costume Day with special prizes given away for the best outfits. It is also the first of five Sunday family days presented by Subway with special prices being offered for game ticket and concessions' items.

"ICEMEN LIVE PRESENTED BY COORS LIGHT": The IceMen ever-popular weekly Monday night radio show is on the air everywhere for a third consecutive year right in your listening ear. This week, show host, Terry Ficorelli's special guests will be goaltender 1-Rob Madore and right wing 33-Trent Vogelhuber. It's "IceMen Live Presented by Coors Light," Monday night from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm live from Show-Me's East and on the IceMen radio flagship home of "Magic 98.5 FM" WEOA and 1400 AM WEOA as well as world-wide on 1400amweoa.com and magic985fm.com.

WRAP/RECAP: Confronting the second week of their young existence in the ECHL, the IceMen saw action in two games in as many nights. In the process, the men of the igloo responded by earning their initial standings' point of the campaign by virtue of a hard-earned and hard-fought 4-3 OTSO result at Fort Wayne. Overcoming an early first period 1-0 shortfall, the IceMen rallied with a pair of unanswered goals to seize their first lead in a contest thus far this young season. Tyler Shattock (1-1-2)GTG; Brett Sonne (1-1-2)PPG/TBG and Patrick Kennedy (1-1-2) GTG were Evansville's sharpshooters. The IceMen

icers were out-goaled in the OTSO, 3-2. Dan Gendur and Dale Mahovsky were the extra session sultans. Friday night, the IceMen completed a season-launching two-game homestand with a 4-3 setback inflicted by Trenton. The IceMen were gallant in defeat, surmounting 1-0 and 3-1 deficits before capitulating. "The Kromminator" crew rallied with two late, last minute second period goals in :51 to create a 3-3 tie entering the fateful final frame. T. Shattock (1-1-2); B. Sonne (1-1-2) and D. Gendur made connection for the home team with Sonne's and Gendur's strikes stoked on the power play.

TWO WEEKS WIND: Through the first two weeks of the infant season, the IceMen remain one of only 4-teams in the 23-teams' ECHL without the benefit of victory; 3(0-2-1)1. However, their latter two decisions have resulted in 1-goal verdicts; both by replica results of 4-3 with one of those occurring in the extra session of the OTSO. One year ago after the first 3-games, the IceMen were unsullied at 3(2-0-1).

HOMESTAND STORY: Through their initial two home appearances of the ECHL season, the IceMen are one of six teams across the circuit without the benefit of a home ice success, operating with a composite record of 2(0-2-0). Last season, in the CHL, the IceMen compiled a home ice log of a lustrous 33(21-11-1) with win streaks composed of 7 and 5-games respectively.

FIRST TRIP/FIRST POINT: On the road for the first time thus far in this early season, the IceMen laid claim to their first point by way of a 4-3 OTSO result at Fort Wayne. At 1(0-0-1) abroad thus far in '12-13, the IceMen continue to harvest success at their principal archrivals home of hockey. In fact, they are 5(3-0-2) in their past 5-ventures into Memorial Coliseum and 9(4-2-3) in the last 9-episodes there. One year ago, Evansville's finest on ice embarked on alien ice territory invasions with a masterful 6-game unblemished skein; 6(5-0-1).

DIVISION MISSION: Thus far this season, the IceMen have played two of their earlier games within their own Eastern Conference/North Division where they have posted a mark of 2(0-1-1) Against Eastern Conference/Atlantic Division foes, they are 1(0-1-0).

TOP-SHELF SHARP: Center Brett Sonne 3(3-3-6) is tied for 10th in ECHL league-wide scoring and linemate Tyler Shattock 3(3-2-5) is 18th among the league's scoring elite. Sonne's 2-PPG also tie him for the league-leadership in that department.

SHATTOCK-MATIC: Third year pro right wing Tyler Shattock is enjoying a star-studded start to the season in '12-13. The St. Louis Blues fourth round choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft has assembled an impressive, season-opening 3-game goal and point streak consisting of 3(3-2-5) with 13-SOG and +2 rating. The past weekend, he engineered two consecutive 1-goal, 1-assist polished performances, delivering 2-GTG and 8-SOG. Shattock is the IceMen nomination for ECHL Player of the Week.

SONNE MONEY: Fourth year pro center Brett Sonne is reveling in his new ECHL "digs" of Evansville and the Tri-State. Thus far in this early season, the former 48-goal and 100-points laureate of the WHL Calgary Hitmen has masterfully maestroed three consecutive 2-points efforts with each being of 1-goal, 1-assist. Both Sonne and linemate Shattock are presently on 3-game goal-scoring streaks which reflects each IceMen game to this point and equals the second longest such streak in the loop.

PATRICK ELECTRIC: Second year left wing Patrick Kennedy made a most favorable IceMen debut the past weekend. The collegiate product from Cornell U., of the highly-vaunted and touted ECAC Division I Conference contributed 3-points in 2-games; 2(1-2-3) with a superlative +3 rating. His first Evansville goal was the key, touch-in-the-clutch GTG in the third period Saturday night in Fort Wayne while his +2 rating in the same game represented an IceMen single game individual-high for the young campaign. Kennedy's overall rating of +3 tops the team.

KARPING THE GOAL: First-year netminder Paul Karpowich has been an early season road warrior for the hometown team. Including the two game pre-season series the first weekend of the month in Fort Wayne, the former Clarkson U. backbone backstop has now made all three the IceMen road starts with all three of those being at Memorial Coliseum. The past Saturday night, he repelled 33 of the Komets' 36-shots in the 4-3 OTSO result as he posted a sparkling .917 SPCT.

EXTRA MAN TRIFECTA: Following a 0-6 opening weekend power play power outage, the IceMen extra man band came alive the past weekend with a trio of connections with two of those strikes stoked in the second period on home ice Friday night in a 4-3 setback inflicted by Trenton. For the season, the IceMen are 3-21 for 14.3% proficiency, ranking them 12th in the ECHL. In the penalty-killing category, the IceMen have been uncharacteristically inconsistent as the opponents are 4-12 for an efficiency mark of 66.7. Two SHGA have already been allotted by the home team at this hour of the year.

THE MILESTONES MINT: Center Todd Robinson authored 2-more assists (894) in as many games the past weekend, moving him ever so closer to pro career 900-helpers. He is just 6-assists away. "T. Rob" has essayed those 894-assists in 874-career games. Aaron Gens assist on the Patrick Kennedy GTG in the third period Saturday night in Fort Wayne was A. Gens first-ever pro point.

FEW FUN FAST FACTS FROM "FIC": The St. Louis Blues connection of Brett Sonne and Tyler Shattock, in combina-tion with linemate Patrick Kennedy, has accounted for 7 of the IceMen first 8-goals thus far in the new season; 3(7-7-14). Right wing Dan Gendur (PPG) has notched the only other IceMen strike. The IceMen two late, last minute second period goals in :51 Friday night on home ice against Trenton, tying the duel at 3-3, were the fastest 2-goals for the IceMen at this early hour of the campaign. The second period has been Evansville's best, outscoring the adversary, 5-3 with 5 of their goals struck in same said stanza. In 874-pro career games, Todd Robinson has amassed 1,228-points for a points per game average of a brilliant 1.41. The IceMen are 3(1-1-1) in their first road games of the season since the dawning of their AA era.

THE ICEMEN GAME CALENDAR FOR THIS WEEK:

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24TH GWINNETT AT THE ICEMEN 7:15 PM

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28TH GWINNETT AT THE ICEMEN 5:00 PM

Two meetings for this upcoming week with both bouts to be staged and waged with the Ford Center serving as the backdrop. The first-time ever the two teams lock antlers with both teams members of the ECHL Eastern Conference. The Gladiators of the South Division serve as the ECHL affiliate for the NHL Phoenix Coyotes.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26TH KALAMAZOO AT THE ICEMEN 7:15 PM

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27TH THE ICEMEN AT KALAMAZOO 6:30 PM

A weekend two-game home-and-home series for two Eastern Conference North Division foes with the Wings beginning the week in a most familiar position atop the division. Kalamazoo is the three-time defending North Division titlists with former K-Wings standout Nick Bootland behind the bench leading his squad to all three crowns.

THE ICEMEN ON YOUR SMART PHONES AND I-PHONES: IceMen fans owning Smart Phones and I-Phones can now take the IceMen game broadcasts and Monday night "IceMen Live Presented by Coors Light" radio show wherever they go! For more information, visit the IceMen website at www.evansvilleicemen.co.

THE ICEMEN ON THE NEW "MAGIC 98.5 FM" WEOA/WEOA-AM 1400 & THE ICEMEN RADIO NETWORK: All of the IceMen game broadcasts are on flagship stations, the all-new "Magic 98.5 FM", WEOA as well as on WEOA-AM 1400. Also, on the world-wide internet at 1400amweoa.com and the IceMen Radio Network. WLME-FM 102. 7, "The Game" in Owensboro, KY; WMSK-AM 1550, Morganfield, KY and WVLN-AM 740 in Olney, IL broadcast the complete schedule of IceMen games while WITZ-AM 990 and WITZ-FM 104.7, Jasper, IN carry a select schedule of games numbering 23-30 for the season.

THE ICEMEN DAILY UPDATES ARE EVERYWHERE ON THE AIR: The IceMen daily update reports can now be heard on 18-different radio outlets throughout the Tri-State region. Flagship WEOA-FM 98.5 and WEOA-AM 1400 program the IceMen report at 4:20 pm Monday through Friday. The Townsquare Media family of stations; WGBF-AM 1280, WGBF-FM 103.1, WKDQ-FM 99.5; WJLT-FM 105.3; WKDS-FM 106.1; WKBR-FM 92.5, Owensboro, KY and WOMI-AM 1490, Owensboro, KY present the report every afternoon in drive time between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Elsewhere, WITZ-AM 990 and WITZ-FM 104.7 in Jasper, IN; WSON-AM 860 and WSON-FM 96.5 in Henderson, KY; WMSK-AM 1550, WMSK-FM 101.3 in Morganfield, KY; WRAY-AM 1250 in Princeton, IN; WLME-FM 102.7, "The Game" in Owensboro, KY and WYFX-FM ESPN Radio 106.7, Mount Vernon, IN.

THE ICEMEN TICKET INFORMATION: IceMen single game tickets for all 36-home games are on sale at the Ford Center Box Office and at Ticketmaster.com or by contacting the IceMen offices for various season ticket plans and great group rates at (812) 421-GOAL (4625). Visit the IceMen website at www.evansvilleicemen.com.

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