Killer Bees season in review

Published on March 29, 2006 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees News Release


The Killer Bees finished second in the Southeast Division and as the fourth seed in the Southern Conference with 72 points and a record of 33-25-6. The playoff race came down to the final day of the regular season. The Bees won a crucial game at Odessa on March 26, shutting out the Jackalopes 4-0. Had they lost in regulation or overtime shootout, the Austin Ice Bats would have earned the fourth seed in the Southern Conference due to tie-breaker formats (Austin has 71 points and 34 wins). The Bees went on several streaks over the course of the regular season, winning six in a row (Dec. 10-23) and 11 of 14 (Dec. 10-Jan. 13, 11-2-1), then dropping eight in a row (Jan. 22-Feb. 10, 0-7-1) before going 13-6-0-2 to finish the regular season. Rio's best month was December (9-3-0-0) while the leanest was November (3-7-1-0). The team went 20-10-2-2 vs. the Southeast Division, and an informal poll ranked Rio's schedule as the second-toughest in the league while Massey Ratings ranked it as the fifth toughest. Trevor Weisgerber finished as the team's leading scorer (20-43-63) and was the fifth and final Killer Bee to reach 20 or more goals for the season. Daymen Bencharski (25), Bill Newson (25), Aaron Phillips (23) and Bret DeCecco (29, 11 as a Killer Bee in 22 games after being acquired from Fort Worth) were the other 20-goal getters. Weisgerber and Bencharski led the team in power play goals (nine each) while Weisgerber and Phillips each led the team with three shorthanded goals. Rio was one of three teams to finish in the top five of both power play (5th, 17.3%) and penalty killing (4th, 85.7%) percentage. Their 14 shorthanded goals for was tied for fourth best, while their eight shorthanded goals allowed for tied for second lowest. As a team, the Bees finished with the most average shots for per game (37.27) and had the second lowest shots against (31.25). The team GAA was tied for third at 2.86. They and Colorado each allowed 183 goals; only Laredo (156) and Bossier-Shreveport (170) allowed. The Bees set league season highs for goals scored in a game (11) on Dec. 3 vs. Austin and posted a league-high 29 points in that same outing. They also had three shorthanded goals in the 11-2 win, tying Wichita's mark set on Oct. 21. Dwayne Hay's plus-6 in that game tied Laredo's Serge Dube (Nov. 5) as a season high water mark. Rio's five-goal second period on Feb. 25 vs. Memphis tied a CHL season high shared by five other teams, while their six goals in the third period on the Dec. 3 game vs. Austin is a standalone season-high. They also finished with the lowest PIM per game average (18.20).

A Glimpse at Franchise Records Tied or Broken

- T-Most Points (72)

- Most Home Points (42)

- Most Wins (33)

- Most Goals For (202)

- Most PPG (79)

- Most Home PPG (44)

- Most Road PPG (35)

- Highest PP% (17.3%)

- Longest Winning Streak (6, Dec.10-23)

- T-Longest Road Winning Streak (4)

- PPG in one game (4, Dec. 30 vs. Fort Worth)

- Shots in one game (57, Feb. 24 vs. Austin)

- T-Scoring Streak - Seven games (Hay, Kralj, Medley,

Phillips)

- Goal Streak - Rosychuk (5, Feb 24-March 3)

- Assist Streak - Weisgerber (6, Dec. 10-23)

- Points in one season - Weisgerber (63)

- Assists in one season - Weisgerber (43)

- Points in one game (5, Bencharski, Newson)

- Most Goals, Defenseman (13, Medley)

- Most PPG, Defenseman (6, Medley)

- Most Minutes, Goalie (2812:58, Lindsay)

- T-Most Wins, Goalie (Lindsay, 25)

- T-Highest Save % (.922, Lindsay)

- Most Saves (Lindsay, 1376)

Killer Bees among League Leaders

Evan Lindsay - Fourth in GAA (2.50)

- Fourth in wins (25)

- Second in minutes played (2812:58)

- Tied for second with several others with three shutouts

- Seventh in three star selections (54 pts, six No. 1 starnods)

Bret Dececco

Third in Shots (301)

Matt Medley

- Tied for 10th in Rookie scoring leaders (13-21-34)

- 16th in Defenseman scoring leaders

Jeff Mushaluk

Tied for 12th in Rookie scoring leaders (6-23-29)

Kurtis Dulle

Fourth in Rookie shots (187)

Regular Season Quick Notables

- The Bees went 27-0-0-0 when scoring four or more goals.

- Aaron Phillips finished the season with a seven-game

point streak.

- Evan Lindsay was among the CHL's top five in wins and

minutes played.

- Trevor Weisgerber set franchise records for Points,

Assists and was the team's fifth 20-goal scorer.

- Bill Newson recorded his third consecutive 20-goal season

and fifth of his career.

- Darcy Smith posted 20 points for the first time in his

career.

- Dwayne Hay and Daymen Bencharski scored goals in the

first and last game of the regular season.

- The Bees had five 20-or-more goal scorers.

- Aaron Phillips hit 20 goals for the third time in his career,

while Daymen Bencharski did it for the first time.

- Former San Angelo teammates Bret DeCecco and Trevor

Weisgerber hit the 20-goal plateau. DeCecco scored 20

for the second consecutive season, while Weisgerber

did it for the second time in three seasons.

- The Bees owned the second-best home PK (85.7%) to go match their fourth-best PK overall.

CHL SERIES PREVIEW - "C" - LAREDO vs. RIO GRANDE VALLEY

Fierce south Texas rivals Laredo and Rio Grande Valley extend their grudge into the opening round of the post-season, clashing in what will surely be an emotional and intense series between clubs separated by just 149 miles of highway. Laredo secured their playoff invitation early, while Rio Grande Valley clinched their berth on the last day of the regular season with a 4-0 win in Odessa. Offense: Laredo's attack ranked second during the regular season to Colorado, averaging 3.70 goals per contest with five separate Bucks scoring 20+ goals, including club leader Chris Grenville (35). Bucks +81 goals for and against differential led the CHL. Rio Grande Valley also had five different players with 20 or more goals in the regular season, ranking 11th overall at 3.29 goals per game. Late season acquisition Bret DeCecco has provided a major boost, scoring 11 goals and adding 11 assists in his 22 games with the Killer Bees. Laredo will be without James Hiebert's 75 points, suspended for the first three games of the series after a late season incident against the Killer Bees. Defense: Laredo's Serge Dube claimed CHL Most Outstanding Defenseman honors after a remarkable season highlighted by his CHL-high +39 plus/minus rating, shared with rookie teammate Adam Rivet. Dependable veterans Phillippe Lauze, Paul Elliott, Steve Weidlich and Adam Davis round out a solid group of defensemen. First year Killer Bee Matt Medley was team high +14, providing a steadying influence on the Rio Grande Valley blueline. Solid rookie Jeff Mushaluk earned All-Star status this season, with Darcy Smith, Kurtis Dulle, Clay Plume and Sean Gilliam rounding out the group. Special Teams: Rio Grande Valley holds the advantage in special teams, with the CHL's 5th best power play (17.32%) and 3rd best penalty killing (85.68%) units. Four Killer Bees had eight or more goals with the man advantage, and the club allowed the fewest (5.89 per game) power play opportunities against in the CHL. Laredo clicked on 16.54% of their power play opportunities, with three players with 10 or more power play goals, and stopped 84.16% of their opponent's chances, ranking 7th in the CHL in both categories. Speedy Bucks forward Brent Cullaton is particularly adept while killing penalties, scoring four times shorthanded in just 38 games. Goaltending: Laredo's tandem of David Lemanowicz and rookie Dov Grumet-Morris excelled, posting the top two goals against averages in the CHL. Both netminders started over 25 games and performed consistently well all season. Evan Lindsay enjoyed a fine first season as the number one goaltender for Rio Grande Valley, winning 25 games (5th in the CHL) along with a 2.50 GAA a .922 save percentage.

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Central Hockey League Stories from March 29, 2006


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