Knights Finish Trip, Return Home This Week

February 13, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights enter the second week of their six-game road swing with an eye on returning home. The Knights went 1-2-0-1 in the first four games of the swing. They lost in a shootout and won in Houston, lost in Rochester and lost the first game at Manitoba to begin the trip. The Knights will play the second game of a two-game series with the Moose on Wednesday before returning to American soil to finish the trip at Iowa on Friday. The Knights will play their third home game of the month on Saturday afternoon when they host Peoria at 2:00 p.m. The Knights are in second place in the West Division with a record of 30-17-3-1, good for 64 points. They are eleven points behind the Chicago Wolves with five games in hand. They also have a three point lead over the third place Milwaukee Admirals, a team on which they have three games in hand. Tickets are on sale for all upcoming Knights' home games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets may be purchased by phone at (402) 422-1212. Kids 12 and under get in free with an adult admission. Restrictions apply.

OPPONENTS THIS WEEK:

Wednesday, February 14 @ Manitoba Moose (Vancouver Canucks), 7:30 p.m.

Second of four meetings; second of two meetings in Winnipeg, MB

The Knights finish the two game set with the Moose on Wednesday. After dropping the first meeting on Monday, the Knights are now 3-2-0-0 all-time against the Vancouver Canucks' top prospects. Last season, the Knights went 3-1-0-0, winning both meetings in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Moose are in third place in the North Division with a record of 26-16-7-4, good for 63 points. That puts them just three points behind Hamilton. The Moose have now won four in a row. Jason Jaffray leads Manitoba in scoring with 26 goals and 29 assists for 55 points. Brad Moran is second in team scoring with 50 points, but he is currently on recall to Vancouver. Veteran goalie Wade Flaherty returned to action on Monday after an injury. He shares time with Drew McIntyre. McIntyre has a team best 14-7-2 record, a 2.29 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. The Moose will visit Omaha on March 31 and April 4.

Friday, February 16 @ Iowa Stars (Dallas Stars/Edmonton Oilers, 7:05 p.m.

Ninth of twelve meetings; fourth of six meetings in Des Moines, IA

The Knights renew acquaintances with their division rivals for the first time since mid-January. The Knights are 5-3-0-0 against the Stars this season including a mark of 2-1-0-0 in Des Moines. The Knights lead the all-time series 10-6-1-1. The Stars begin the week in fifth place in the West Division with a record of 25-23-2-1, good for 53 points. They are just one point behind both Peoria in the West and Grand Rapids in the North Division for a playoff spot. However, both teams have games in hand. The Stars are 10-14-1-1 at home this season. Vojtech Polak is tops among current Stars in scoring with 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points. Junior Lessard leads the team with 18 goals and has 34 points. Former UNO Maverick Dan Ellis leads the team with 14 wins in goal while rookie netminder Tobias Stephan has a team-best 2.73 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. The Stars host San Antonio on Tuesday and visit Milwaukee on Wednesday before hosting the Knights.

Saturday, February 17 vs. Peoria Rivermen (St. Louis Blues), 2:00 p.m.

Sixth of ten meetings; third of five meetings in Omaha

The Knights play a rare 2:00 p.m. matinee with Peoria to finish the week. The Knights are 0-3-2-0 against the Rivermen this year and have lost 12 straight to them dating back to last season. Four of the five losses this season have been by one goal. Peoria is in fourth place in the West Division with a record of 25-19-2-2, good for 54 points. The Rivermen are 10-8-1-2 on the road. Trent Whitfield leads Peoria in scoring with 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points. The assist total also paces the team. Charles Linglet leads the team with 22 goals and is fourth in points with 34. Rookie goalie Marek Schwarz leads the team with 15 wins while Chris Beckford-Tseu has a team-best 2.27 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. Peoria hosts San Antonio on Wednesday and visits Milwaukee on Friday before coming to Omaha.



American Hockey League Stories from February 13, 2007


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.

OurSports Central