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Knights hit the road for four games

November 6, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


Omaha, NE - The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights had early success on the road this season, and they'll return to the road this week looking for more wins. The Knights will play four straight games against the North Division beginning with a three-in-three stretch against Toronto, Hamilton and Syracuse. The Knights saw their franchise record eight-game winning streak end with a loss to Chicago last Friday. Omaha followed that with a shutout loss on Saturday against Iowa. The Knights are now 8-2-1-0 and tied with Chicago for second place in the West Division. 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.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
Friday, November 3: Chicago Wolves 3, Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 1
The Wolves wasted no time seizing the lead, getting a powerplay goal from Kyle Wanvig just 1:26 into the game. Mark Popovic added another powerplay tally in the first to put the Wolves up 2-0. The Knights countered with a powerplay tally from Andrei Taratukhin halfway through the second period, but they could get no closer. Darren Haydar scored into an empty net in the last minute for the 3-1 final. Curtis McElhinney made 22 saves in the losing effort.

Saturday, November 4: Iowa Stars 3, Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 0
As with the night before, the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights surrendered a first-period powerplay goal. Mike Green scored 8:08 into the first period to put the Stars up 1-0 after one. They doubled their lead when Loui Eriksson scored shorthanded at 2:28 of the second. Mark Ardelan added a five-on-three powerplay goal in the third period to end the scoring. Brent Krahn made 21 saves in the loss.

THE WEEK AHEAD:
DAY/DATE EVENT TIME*
Monday, November 6 Practice @ QCO 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 7 Practice @ TIA 10:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 8 Travel Day
Thursday, November 9 Morning Skate @ ACC 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Game @ Toronto (ACC) 6:30 p.m. CT
Friday, November 10 Game @ Hamilton 6:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, November 11 Game @ Syracuse 6:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, November 12 Day Off

QCO - Qwest Center Omaha TIA - Tranquility Ice Arena ACC - Air Canada Centre
* - Times subject to change

BROADCAST
1420 AM-KOTK 1420 AM, flagship station for Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' hockey
Web-Free live audio broadcast of game at www.omahaaksarbenknights.com (Choose "Listen Live" link)
B2-B2 Networks live, pay-per-view webcast, available at www.omahaaksarbenknights.com for $6 per game by clicking on B2 Networks link.


AK-SAR-BEN KNIGHTS BASICS
RECORD: 8-2-1-0 POWERPLAY: 9/65, 13.8% VS. DIV.: 6-2-1-0
HOME: 3-2-0-0 PENALTY KILL: 70/82, 85.4%
ROAD: 5-0-1-0 LAST TEN: 8-2-0-0 STREAK: 0-2-0-0

OPPONENTS THIS WEEK:
Thurs., November 9 @ Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs), 6:30 p.m. CT (Air Canada Centre)
First of two meetings; only meeting in Toronto, ON
The Knights play their first of two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs' top prospects in the first game of the three-in-three stretch. Last year, the two teams split a pair of games with the road team winning both times. The Marlies beat the Knights 5-3 in Omaha on November 13th. The Knights responded with a 3-2 shootout win in Toronto on February 25th. The Marlies begin the week in third place in the North Division with a record of 5-6-1-0, good for eleven points. They are just 2-4-1-0 on home ice but will host the Knights at the Air Canada Centre, the home ice of their NHL parent. Erik Westrum leads the Marlies in scoring with five goals and ten assists for 15 points. He's tied with Kris Newbury and Brett Engelhardt for the team lead in goals. Justin Pogge and Jean-Francois Racine share time in the Marlies' net. Pogge is 2-3-0 with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. Toronto does not play before hosting the Knights.

Fri., November 10 @ Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal Canadiens/Edmonton Oilers), 6:00 p.m. CT
First of four meetings; first of two meetings in Hamilton, ON
The Knights play the first of two games against the Bulldogs on Friday. Omaha went 3-1-0-0 against Hamilton last season including a record of 1-1-0-0 at Copps Coliseum. The Bulldogs are tied for fourth place in the North Division to start the week. They are 4-6-0-1 and have posted a record of 3-3-0-1 at home. Maxim Lapierre leads the 'Dogs in scoring with four goals and seven assists for eleven points. The assist total is also a team best. He is tied with four other players for the team lead in goals. Hamilton features former Ak-Sar-Ben Knight Ajay Baines who has three goals and five points in ten games. Yann Danis has worked a majority of the games in the Hamilton net. He has a record of 3-4-1 in eight games and has posted a 3.49 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage. The Bulldogs do not play before welcoming the Knights.

Sat., November 11 @ Syracuse Crunch (Columbus Blue Jackets), 6:30 p.m. CT
Second of two meetings; only meeting in Syracuse, NY
The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights finish their second three-in-three of the season against the Crunch on Saturday. It's the final meeting of the year between the two clubs. The Knights earned a 2-0 win over the Crunch in their Home Opener on October 20th. It was the first ever meeting between the teams. The Crunch are in sixth place in the North with a record of 2-8-0-1, good for five points. Both of their wins have come at the Onandaga County War Memorial. Geoff Platt and Joe Motzko are tied for the team lead in scoring with ten points. Platt has a team-best six goals while Motzko leads the Crunch with nine assists. Ty Conklin and Tomas Popperle have shared time in the Syracuse goal. Popperle has earned both wins and has a record of 2-4-0 this year. He has a 3.67 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage. The Crunch host Chicago on Friday before playing host to the Knights.

KNIGHTS NOTES:
Defenseman Adam Pardy earned his first AHL point with an assist on Andrei Taratukhin's goal on Friday, November 3rd against Chicago.

Center Dustin Boyd and left wing Brandon Prust made their National Hockey League debuts last week. Both players were recalled by the Calgary Flames on October 31st and played against the Detroit Red Wings the following night.

- The Knights lead the league in shots against per game, allowing 24.91. That has helped them to the second spot in team defense where they allow 2.18 goals/game.

TRANSACTIONS:
10/31/06 DELETE Dustin Boyd (C), recalled from loan by Calgary (NHL)
10/31/06 DELETE Brandon Prust (LW), recalled from loan by Calgary (NHL)
11/4/06 ADD Dustin Boyd (C), returned on loan from Calgary (NHL)

IN THE COMMUNITY:
Hospital Visit, Tuesday, November 7: Knights' players Justin Taylor, Derek Couture, Dustin Boyd and Kris Chucko will visit patients at Children's Hospital in Omaha at 2:00 p.m.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' Speakers Bureau provides 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.

CALGARY FLAMES UPDATE:
The Calgary Flames, the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' National Hockey League affiliate, are home for a pair of games before finishing the week in Vancouver on Saturday. The Flames host the Dallas Stars on Tuesday and the Anaheim Ducks on Friday at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The Flames snapped a four-game winless streak with a 3-2 win at St. Louis last Saturday. It was the last stop on a three-game road trip. Jarome Iginla continues to lead the Flames in scoring with eight goals and six assists for 14 points. Daymond Langkow is second in scoring with eleven points including a team-leading eight assists. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff has played all but one game for the Flames, posting a 4-7-1 record and a 2.77 goals-against average.

For more information on the Flames, visit calgaryflames.com.



American Hockey League Stories from November 6, 2006


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