Kingfish beat 'Blades 6-4

November 29, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Baton Rouge Kingfish News Release


The Kingfish won their second game in their last three as they used five third period goals and 29 saves from Brian Leitza to down the RiverBlades, 6-4.

Jason Bermingham opened the scoring at the 4:48 mark of the first period. A bad bounce off the back dasher caught Brian Leitza out of position and by surprise leaving the net open for Bermingham. Matt Pagnutti and Eric Long picked up the assists on the power play goal.

Buddy Smith slipped past the Kingfish defense and slipped the puck past Leitza at the 9:22 mark of the period giving the RiverBlades a 2-0 lead. Smith took the puck right off the draw for the unassisted goal.

Jason Norrie cut the Arkansas lead to one as he buried a loose puck from the slot past Jimi St. John at the 12:59 mark of the first period of play. Jesse Ferguson and Joe Guenther added assists as they pushed the puck out of a scramble in from of the net.

Arkansas regained the two goal lead at the midway mark of the second period as Buddy Smith slid past the Kingfish defense and slid the puck past Leitza. Pagnutti and Hartleib added the assists on the goal.

Arkansas took a 4-1 lead just 26 seconds into the third period as Ernie Hartleib beat Leitza on a tic-tac-toe play. He took a pass from Bermingham off a feed from Eric Long.

The Kingfish got things going on the penalty kill as Bryan Richardson slipped the puck past St. John at the 2:31 mark of the third period. Cheredaryk added an assist on the shorthanded goal.

The Kingfish cut the lead to one five minutes later as Cheredaryk's blast from the high slot beat St. John over the shoulder. Richardson won the draw back to Cheredaryk to set up the goal.

Joe Guenther tied the contest at four as he tallied his first of the game from his belly as he was able to glove the puck to himself and bat it past St. John at the 10:18 mark of the third period of play. Jesse Ferguson picked up an assist on the goal.

About two minutes later, the Kingfish took a 5-4 lead as Garnet Jacobson pushed a loose puck past St. John on his backhand. Glen Crawford and Peach added the assists on the goal.

The Kingfish took advantage of a power play opportunity late in the period as Guenther took a centering pass from Richardson at the 17:13 mark for his second of the night. The Kingfish finished 1-6 on the power play.

The Kingfish battle the RiverBlades Saturday night at the Centroplex in the second of a home-and-home set with Arkansas this weekend. Catch all the action on Baton Rouge's Best R & B, 104.5, WZRB beginning with the Kingfish pregame show at 6:50 p.m.



ECHL Stories from November 29, 2002


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