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AHL Bridgeport Islanders

Kochan Backstops Sound Tigers To Three Straight Wins

February 24, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


Goaltender DIETER KOCHAN stopped 102 of the 105 shots he faced as the Sound Tigers swept a three-game week blanking the division-leading Binghamton Senators 4-0 on the road Thursday and beating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 3-2 on Long Island Friday and the Worcester IceCats 4-1 in Bridgeport Sunday. The Sound Tigers finished last week in sixth place in the East Division with 48 points and a 23-26-1-1 record, including 19-5 at home, 4-21-1-1 on the road and 7-3 in their last ten games.

THU FEB 17th at BIN, 4-0 W: After a scoreless first period, the Sound Tigers took control with four second-period goals in two outbursts. First, JIM CAMPBELL and BRUNO GERVAIS scored 2:41 apart. Then, ROB COLLINS and RYAN CALDWELL converted both ends of a five-on-three power play in a 44-second span. Gervais and Collins also had an assist each. CHRIS CAMPOLI had two assists. DIETER KOCHAN set a team, season high with 45 saves en route to his first shutout of the year. The Sound Tigers were 2 for 3 on the power play, 7 for 7 on the penalty kill and won despite being outshot 45-25.

FRI FEB 18th vs. WIL, 3-2 W: Playing a home game at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island in front of a franchise-record 16,297 fans, the Sound Tigers scored once in each period to build a 3-0 lead then hold on for the win. SEAN BERGENHEIM scored an unassisted, delayed-penalty, shorthanded goal in the opening frame. JUSTIN PAPINEAU scored on the power play in both the second and the third periods. DIETER KOCHAN made 31 saves. The Sound Tigers were 2 for 7 on the power play, 8 for 9 on the penalty kill and won despite being outshot 33-13.

SUN FEB 20th vs. WOR, 4-1 W: With 7,943 fans packed into Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard, Worcester took the first lead on an unassisted, shorthanded goal by JAY McCLEMENT early in the second period, but the Sound Tigers tied the game on a goal by BRENDAN YAREMA, took the lead on a shorthanded marker by JUSTIN MAPLETOFT and iced the win on third-period goals by JOHN MORLANG and SEAN BERGENHEIM. Captain RICHARD SEELEY had two assists while Morlang had one. DIETER KOCHAN made 26 saves. The Sound Tigers were 0 for 6 on the power play while the IceCats were 0 for 7 and had a 27-26 shots on goal advantage.

CCM VECTOR / AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – G DIETER KOCHAN Kochan upped his winning streak to four games by winning all three starts and posting a 1.00 goals against average, a .971 save percentage and a shutout last week. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native who now calls Marquette, Michigan home is 11-11 with a 2.49 goals against average, a .915 save percentage and one shutout, as well as one assist and eight penalty minutes in 23 games this season. Kochan is also 2-0 in shootouts this season.

THIS WEEK – Sound Tigers Roll Into Four Game Week The Sound Tigers will take a three-game winning streak and a six-game, home-ice winning streak into a stretch of four games in less than five days this week hosting the Hershey Bears Wednesday, visiting the Hartford Wolf Pack Friday and the Albany River Rats Saturday and returning home to host the Portland Pirates Sunday.

WED FEB 23rd vs. HER, 7:05 p.m.: This will be the fifth of eight meetings of the teams this regular season, the second of four at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard. The Sound Tigers are 6-9-3 all-time versus Hershey, including 2-2 this season with a win and a loss at home. The Bears are just in front of the Sound Tigers in fifth place in the East Division with 59 points and a 29-25-1 record, including 12-13 on the road and 7-3 in their last ten games. Hershey is the only AHL team yet to loose a game in a shootout.

FRI FEB 25th at HAR, 7:05 p.m.: This will be the eighth game of the 2004-05 Geico Connecticut Cup, the fourth meeting of this season in Hartford. The Sound Tigers are 19-15-3 all-time versus the Wolf Pack, including 2-5 with a shootout loss this year. Hartford finished last week in second place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference with 73 points and a 35-17-1-2 record, including 23-4-0-1 at home. The Wolf Pack will host the San Antonio Rampage this Wednesday.

SAT FEB 26th at ALB, 7:30 p.m.: This will be the fifth of eight meetings of the teams this regular season, the second of four in Albany. The Sound Tigers are 17-6-5 all-time versus the River Rats with three home wins and a road loss this season. Albany is in seventh place in the East Division with 46 points and a record of 18-26-5-5, including 10-14-2-2 at home and 7-2-1 in its last ten games. The River Rats will host the Binghamton Senators this Friday.

SUN FEB 27th vs. POR, 4:05 p.m.: This will be the fourth and final meeting of the teams this regular season, the second of two in Bridgeport. The Sound Tigers are 6-5 all-time versus Portland, including 1-2 with an overtime win on the road and a home loss this season. The Pirates finished last week in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with 52 points and a 22-24-3-5 record, including 5-13-3-2 on the road. Portland will visit the Providence Bruins this Friday.

SOUND TIGERS TEAM LEADERS (active players)

Goals – R. COLLINS & S. BERGENHEIM, 15 Penalty Minutes – ERIC GODARD, 200 Assists – ROB COLLINS, 23 Wins – WADE DUBIELEWICZ, 12 Points – ROB COLLINS, 38 Goals Against Average – DIETER KOCHAN, 2.49 Plus / Minus – C. CAMPOLI & S. BERGENHEIM, +5 Save Percentage – DIETER KOCHAN, .915

SOUND TIGERS SPECIAL TEAMS; AHL RANK

Power Play – 38 for 256, 14.8%; t-15th Shorthanded Goals Against – 5; t-9th

Penalty Kill – 261 for 319, 81.8%; t-23rd Shorthanded Goal For – 9; 5th

SOUND TIGERS STREAKS

The Sound Tigers have won three games in a row and six straight at home, including Friday's victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Long Island. • The Sound Tigers have scored a shorthanded goal in the last two games, as well as three of the last four and five of the last seven games. • G DIETER KOCHAN is on a four-game winning streak. • D RYAN CALDWELL is on a two-game assist streak (2a) and a three-game point streak (1g,2a). • C JUSTIN PAPINEAU (2g,2a) is on a three-game point streak. • RW SEAN BERGENHEIM is on a two-game goal streak (UA-DP-SH-FG,EN). • RW JOHN MORLANG is on a two-game assist and point streak (1g,2a).

SOUND TIGERS TRANSACTIONS

JOHN MORLANG was released from a professional tryout contract Friday but re-signed to one Sunday. • D VINCE MACRI was reassigned to the ECHL's Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies February 1st. • D NIC BILOTTO was released from a PTO January 23rd. • D ED CAMPBELL signed a PTO January 15th. • C BRENDAN YAREMA signed a PTO January 3rd.

SOUND TIGERS INJURY UPDATE

C RYAN KRAFT had successful surgery on his fractured left ankle February 8th on Long Island. • D KEITH ALDRIDGE had successful surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday, February 2nd on Long Island. • C BLAINE DOWN is out of the lineup with fractures of three vertebral bodies of his cervical spine suffered on January 30th but is expected to make a full recovery and should be able to resume his hockey career once cleared by a specialist.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR & PROMOTIONAL NEWS

Net proceeds from last Friday's game at the Nassau Coliseum will benefit the New York Islanders Children's Foundation, which plans to distribute the funds to charities that support children in need. • JIM & ED CAMPBELL, the first brother act in team history, will visit the monthly Sound Tigers Booster Club meeting at the Rinks at Shelton tonight at 7 p.m. • KEITH ALDRIDGE, who is out of the lineup after having shoulder surgery earlier this month, will serve as a celebrity reader at the Norwalk Public Library tomorrow, Wednesday, February 23rd, at 1:30 p.m. • The team mascot STORM will take part in "Mascot Day" at the University of Hartford this Thursday at 7 p.m. • The first 2,000 fans who enter this Sunday's game will receive a Sound Tigers bandana courtesy of Blue Streak. • There will also be an open skate following this Sunday's game with select Sound Tigers players participating. Fans must bring their own skates. • STORM will make a pair of appearances next Monday, February 28th visiting Rogers Sherman Elementary School in Norwalk at 11:15 a.m. and Cos Cob Elementary School at 2 p.m. • Anyone interested in having a member of the Sound Tigers appear at an event is invited to call 203-334-GOAL.

SOUND TIGERS ON THE AIR

All games, home and away, are web-cast live at www.soundtigers.com. This Friday's game at Hartford will also be broadcast live on 600 WICC-AM. Sound Tigers head coach GREG CRONIN is scheduled to be interviewed live on WICC by news director TIM QUINN this Friday at 9:30 a.m. as well.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

The Sound Tigers will practice at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard this Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and at the Rinks at Shelton this Friday at 10 a.m. The team will depart for this weekend's road games Friday afternoon. Please call 203-334-GOAL to confirm practice times and locations or with any special media requests.

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