Sports stats

Jakaitis and Labenski Named Among the Best in the CHL

March 8, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Dayton Gems News Release


DAYTON, OH - Two Dayton Gems players were named in the CHL's Best of the Best list for the 2010-2011 season. Goaltender Jeff Jakaitis and defenseman Greg Labenski made the list and were mentioned in a combined three categories.

Jakaitis was the only player from Dayton mentioned in two different categories. He was the overall winner in the Most Valuable to His Team category and was second to Missouri's Robby Nolan in the Best Goaltender category.

The goaltender has played a big role for the Gems this season. In 42 games this season, Jakaitis has 1,417 saves and a save percentage of .929. He has also logged 2,531 minutes in front of the net for the Gems en route to accumulating a 22-17-3 record.

The CHL has recognized Jakaitis as one of the top goaltenders in the league on several different occasions.

At the end of February, Jakaitis was named the Goaltender of the Month. Over the course of the month, Jakaitis was in front of the goal in five games for the Gems. He amassed a 4-1-0 record with the Gems and held his opponent to two goals or less in four games.

En route to accumulating 204 saves for the Gems during the month of February, Jakaitis also recorded an 8-0 shutout against Fort Wayne on Feb. 27. The shutout was his second of the season. His first shutout came in the Dec. 17 win over Bloomington.

Earlier this season, Jakaitis was named the goaltender of the week in December and was also the Gems' representative in the CHL All-Star game in January.

Along with those awards, Jakaitis has also been honored with the distinction of moving up to the AHL on two different occasions.

Jakaitis is currently in Portland, ME, playing for the AHL's Pirates, an affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. Earlier this season, Jakaitis spent time with the AHL's Worcester Sharks.

Also appearing on the list was Labenski. In the category of Best Leader, Labenski finished with the third most votes of anyone in the CHL.

The selections made for the Best of the Best were based on votes casted by coaches, staff members and media.

Also being recognized by the CHL was Gems' Vice President of Ticket Sales, Shawn Watring. The CHL named Watring the league's Employee of the Month for the month of February. Watring has led the ticketing department to a 32 percent increase in average attendance from last season to this season.

He is the second member of the Gems organization to win the Employee of the Month honor this season. Head Coach Brian Gratz won the same award back in October.

The Kettering Medical Center is proud to be the official title sponsor of the Gems for the 2010-11 season.



Central Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Dayton Gems Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central