Knights face four-game week

Published on April 3, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


Omaha, NE - With just two weeks to go in their inaugural season in the American Hockey League, the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights find themselves in a fever-pitched battle for the last playoff spot in the West Division. The Knights are currently tied for fourth place in the West with a record of 34-26-2-10, good for 80 points. That puts them in a tie with the Iowa Stars who have played one more game. The Chicago Wolves are putting on a late charge as well and have now drawn to within five points of fourth. The Wolves also have played one more game. As luck would have it, the Knights face Iowa and Chicago as well as the Peoria Rivermen this week in a stretch of four games in five days. The Knights earned three of a possible four points last week with an overtime win over Houston and a shootout loss to Milwaukee. Tickets for all home games are on sale all week at the Civic Auditorium box office from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 422-1212 and at Ticketmaster.com. The box office is open through the opening face-off on game nights.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
Friday, March 31: Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 2, Houston Aeros 1 OT
In the last of three March meetings between the Knights and the Aeros, Houston got the lead early in the second period when Patrick O'Sullivan beat Brent Krahn with a blast from the left wing at 2:46. The Knights answered back in the third period when Warren Peters tipped in a shot by Carsen Germyn on a powerplay at 18:08. In overtime, the Knights wasted little time getting the game winner. Mark Giordano and Tim Hambly worked a give and go through the neutral zone. Giordano finished it off, whipping a shot through the pads of Houston goalie Seamus Kotyk at 1:03. Krahn picked up the win with 22 saves.

Saturday, April 1: Milwaukee Admirals 2, Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 1 SO
Milwaukee earned the first lead of the game when Greg Classen swept down the right wing and slipped a shot past Brent Krahn midway through the first period. The Knights came back on a powerplay in the third period. Justin Taylor threw the puck past goalie Pekka Rinne just 13 seconds into the stanza. The Knights outshot the Admirals 27-6 through the last two periods and overtime but couldn't beat Rinne until the shootout. With the shootout tied at two, Brandon Segal beat Krahn in round five, and Tim Hambly was turned back by Rinne to give Milwaukee the extra point. Krahn finished with 16 saves in the last regular season meeting with the Admirals.

THE WEEK AHEAD:
DAY/DATE EVENT TIME BROADCAST
Mon., Apr. 3 Practice @ OCA 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Tues., Apr. 4 Practice @ OCA 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Wed., Apr. 5 Game @ Chicago 7:00 p.m. 1420 AM, Web, B2
Thurs., Apr. 6 Practice @ OCA 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Fri., Apr. 7 Morning Skate @ OCA 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Game vs. Iowa 7:00 p.m. 1420 AM, Web, B2
Sat., Apr. 8 Morning Skate @ OCA 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Game vs. Peoria 7:00 p.m. 1420 AM, Web, B2
Sun., Apr. 9 Game @ Peoria 6:00 p.m. 1420 AM, Web, B2

Legend
OCA--Omaha Civic Auditorium
Web-Free live audio broadcast of game at omahaaksarbenknights.com (Choose "Listen Live" link from home page)
B2-B2 Networks live, pay-per-view webcast, available at omahaaksarbenknights.com for $6 per game by clicking on B2 Networks link.

OPPONENTS THIS WEEK:
Wednesday, April 5 @ Chicago Wolves (Atlanta Thrashers), 7:00 p.m.
Tenth meeting of ten; fifth of five meetings in Chicago
The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights finish their ten-game season series against the Wolves in the first game of the week. The two clubs haven't met since they split a pair of games in Omaha on February 3rd and 4th. The Knights lead the season series 5-4-0-0 and have a 3-2-0-0 mark against the Wolves at home. Chicago is currently the hottest team in the West Division, having won its last seven games. The Wolves are in sixth place in the West with a record of 32-30-3-8, good for 75 points. That puts them five behind the Knights who have played one fewer game. Ramzi Abid leads the Wolves in scoring with 30 goals and 39 assists for 69 points. Kip Miller is second in scoring with 56 points. Abid leads the team in goals while he and Miller are tied for the team lead in assists. Michael Garnett and Tuomas Tarkki split time in the Wolves net. Each player has earned 12 wins while Tarkki leads the team in goals-against average (3.12) and save percentage (.890). The Wolves do not play before hosting the Knights.

Friday, April 7 vs. Iowa Stars (Dallas Stars/Edmonton Oilers), 7:00 p.m.
Tenth meeting of ten; fifth of five meetings in Omaha
The Knights and their closest neighbors meet for one final time this season. The two clubs haven't squared off since a 3-2 shootout win for the Knights in Des Moines on January 29th. The Knights lead the season series 5-3-0-1 but are just 1-2-0-1 against the Stars at home. Iowa has won six straight and has moved into a tie with the Knights for fourth place in the West with a record of 36-29-1-7, good for 80 points. The Knights have one game in hand, a game they'll make up on Wednesday in Chicago. The Stars are 8-1-0-1 in their last ten games. Toby Petersen leads the Stars in scoring with 23 goals and 40 assists for 63 points. The assist total is also a team high. Loui Eriksson is third in team scoring with 51 points and has a team best 25 goals. Mike Smith has played a majority of games in the Stars' net this year. In 45 games, he is 21-18-6 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. The Stars do not play before visiting the Knights.

Saturday & Sunday, April 8 & 9 vs. Peoria Rivermen; @ Peoria Rivermen (St. Louis Blues), 7:00 p.m.; 6:00 p.m.
Ninth and tenth meetings of ten; fifth of five meetings in Omaha, fifth of five meetings in Peoria, IL
The Knights finish the week with a home and home series against the Rivermen. Peoria has won five straight against the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights and has earned a victory in all four visits to Omaha. The Rivermen are in third place in the West with a record of 43-24-3-4, good for 93 points. That puts them just five behind the second place Houston Aeros with a game in hand. The Rivermen are 7-2-1-0 in their last ten games. Jon DiSalvatore leads Peoria in scoring with 20 goals and 42 assists for 62 points. Defenseman Mike Mottau is second among active players with 53 points including a team best 45 assists. The goaltending corps for Peoria has been a revolving door. Veteran Gregg Naumenko, now with his fourth AHL team, and Scott Reid, now with his third, handle the duties currently. Naumenko is 10-7-0 in 20 games of AHL action this year. He has a 2.83 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. The Rivermen host Chicago on Friday before coming to Omaha.

KNIGHTS NOTES:
Knights' right wing Carsen Germyn made his NHL debut on Saturday, playing in the Calgary Flames' 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

Knights' captain Craig MacDonald, on recall to Calgary as well, scored a goal in the Flames 6-3 win over Colorado on Friday.

Left wing Dan Tudin made his AHL debut in the Knights' 2-1 shootout loss against Milwaukee on Saturday.

The Knights have played in seven straight one-goal games, posting a record of 4-1-0-2. The last four games and five of the last six have gone to overtime or a shootout.

The Knights have allowed just five powerplay goals in the last 73 shorthanded chances, a success rate of 93.2%.

TRANSACTIONS:
3/29/06 ADD Adam Pardy (D), recalled from loan to Las Vegas (ECHL)*
4/1/06 DELETE Carsen Germyn (RW), recalled from loan by Calgary (NHL)
4/1/06 ADD Dan Tudin (LW), recalled from Las Vegas (ECHL) and signed to PTO*

* Emergency Conditions

IN THE COMMUNITY:
Hospital Visit, Tuesday, April 4: Knights' players Justin Taylor, Cam Cunning and Aki Seitsonen along with the Knights' mascot, Nitro, are scheduled to visit patients at Children's Hospital in Omaha at 2:00 p.m.

Hospital Visit, Tuesday, April 4: Knights' players Brantt Myhres and Lynn Loyns are scheduled to visit patients at the Physical Medicine Rehab Center at Alegent's Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha at 3:30 p.m.

Radio Appearance, Tuesday, April 4: Knights' goaltender Brent Krahn will join "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" on 1620 The Zone at 4:45 p.m.

Radio Appearance, Tuesday, April 4: Knights' play-by-play voice Dave Ahlers will be appearing on Pinnacle Sports Network's "Sports Nightly" program (KFAB AM 1110 in Omaha) at 7:40 p.m. He will speak about the Knights' season to date and look forward to the upcoming week.

Mascot Appearance, Saturday, April 8: Nitro will be on hand for Dave and Buster's Easter Brunch at 132nd and West Center Road in Omaha from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' Speakers Bureau is available to provide speakers to local businesses, civic and church groups and other interested organizations holding weekly or monthly meetings and special events. There is no charge for this program. For more information on the Speakers Bureau or to schedule an appearance for your group's next meeting, call Dave Ahlers at (402) 344-GOAL or contact him by e-mail at dahlers@omahaaksarbenknights.com.

NEBRASKA LOTTERY NIGHT:
The Knights will host Nebraska Lottery Night on Saturday, April 8th, their final regular season home game. The first 1,000 fans 19 and older will receive a free scratch ticket from the Nebraska Lottery. Everyone who brings in a now-winning lottery ticket will be able to purchase a ticket to the game for just $10.

AK-SAR-BEN KNIGHTS TEAM STATISTICS (As of 4.3.06):
Click here to view Ak-Sar-Ben Knights player stats. Click here to view Ak-Sar-Ben Knights goalie stats.

OMAHAAKSARBENKNIGHTS.COM
The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' official web site, omahaaksarbenknights.com, is the comprehensive source for all information about the Knights during the season. Log on for player bios and stats, game recaps, a list of community appearances, stats, photos, great downloads and live links to listen to and watch Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' hockey all season.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 3, 2006


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