Louisiana game notes at Peoria

March 2, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


IceGators at Rivermen – This afternoon, Louisiana looks for its first regular season win in Peoria since its inaugural 1995-96 campaign. The IceGators are 1-4-0 all-time in the regular season in Peoria, including a 4-3 loss Friday, having not won there since a 6-5 decision on December 13, 1996. Louisiana is, however, 4-1 all-time in Peoria during the playoffs, with the only loss a 4-3 overtime decision in the deciding Game 6 of the 2000 Kelly Cup Playoffs. In the last four regular season meetings in Peoria, the Rivermen have outscored Louisiana by a combined 15-8 margin. The IceGators, who are 3-5-1 all-time in the regular season versus the Rivermen, dropped back-to-back games in Peoria by the score of 3-2 and 4-1 on January 4 and 5, 2001.

Last night – Matt Ellis' power-play goal with 6:17 left in the second period helped ruin a 47-save performance by Louisiana's Kyle Kettles, as ECHL points leader Toledo earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over the IceGators at Toledo Sports Arena. Doug Teskey made 29 saves and Tim Verbeek also scored for the Storm, who won their seventh straight home game and kept a one-point Northwest Division lead over Peoria. Chris Taliercio scored the lone goal for the IceGators, who are 0-2-1 on their four-game road trip which ends today, with all three games being decided by one goal. Louisiana fell three points behind Southwest Division leader Mississippi, which rallied for a 3-2 home win over Arkansas tonight. The IceGators do have two games in hand on the Sea Wolves, who are idle Sunday.

Scouting the Rivermen – Peoria enters tonight's game red-hot, unbeaten in its last eight (6-0-2), including a 6-2 come-from-behind road victory in Dayton last night. The Rivermen, who trail Toledo by one point for the Northwest Division lead, are 24-4-3 in their last 31 games. Peoria is a well-balanced team that gets production from all three lines and each of its defensemen nightly. The Rivermen, though, are expected to play without All-Star Tyler Rennette for the third straight game. Rennette, on loan to AHL Hamilton, has 61 points (35g, 26a) and is tops in the ECHL with nine game-winning goals and seven shorthanded tallies. The Rivermen also rely heavily on Randy Rowe (21g, 29a), who had a goal and two assists in last night's win in Dayton, and Brendan Brooks (21g, 28a). The key to Peoria's run over the past two-plus months had seemingly been Randy Copley. Copley, who had just four points – all assists – in 17 games this season before coming to the Rivermen – had 28 points (15g, 13a) in 33 games but was shipped to last-place Columbus at the trading deadline for former AHL'er Alex Zinevych and Mike Nelson. As good as its offense is, goaltending has been the Rivermen's trump card this season. It has been a goaltending carousel, however, with much movement among Peoria's affiliates. The two goalies currently on the roster are Alfie Michaud and Duane Derksen. The former NHL'er Michaud is 16-2-3 with a 2.10 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. Derksen, meanwhile, is 10-7-2 with a 2.86 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. Former Mobile Mystick Simon Lajeunesse and Ottawa prospect Mathieu Chouinard have also seen action in the Peoria net this season.

Road not so kind – The IceGators are in danger of tying their season high with a third straight loss. Louisiana lost three straight in regulation from November 2-7. If the IceGators lose in regulation tonight, it would be just the 14th time in team history that they have lost at least three straight regulation games. That would also be one shy of the franchise-record of four, set from February 10-18, 2001. The IceGators are winless on their four-game road trip, going 0-2-1 through the first three games. Louisiana's two straight road losses also tie their season-high, set twice previously. The IceGators have lost three straight road games just four times in franchise history, including a team-worst four-game stretch from December 25, 1999-January 1, 2000.

Tough on the ‘kill' at home – Louisiana is 1-for-12 on the power play in the first three games of its road trip, including 0-for-8 the last two nights, and it shouldn't come as a surprise when you look at the opponents. Last night, the IceGators went 0-for-4 against Toledo, which ranks second in penalty killing at home among all ECHL teams. Toledo has allowed just 19 power play goals on 161 chances in 28 games at Toledo Sports Arena (88.2 percent). Only Peoria (88.4 percent), today's opponent, has a better percentage. The Rivermen have allowed just 17 goals on 146 power play chances at Carver Arena

Louisiana finds itself in unfamiliar position – The IceGators, who enter tonight with 73 points, trail Mississippi by three point for first place in the Southwest Division, although they do have two games in hand. Louisiana had held at least a share of first place for 70 straight days, dating back to December 21, prior to Friday night. The IceGators had the second-longest first-place run in the ECHL among current division leaders. Atlantic City has been in at least a share of first since November 30. The Sea Wolves are idle today.

‘Gators in playoffs, again – February 19, the IceGators became the first team to qualify for the 2003 Kelly Cup Playoffs, officially eliminating Baton Rouge from finishing in first place. Five of the six teams in the Southwest Division will make the playoffs, with the fourth- and fifth-place teams meeting in a wild card game. Louisiana qualified for the post-season for the eighth time in as many seasons. That's the fourth-longest current streak in the ECHL. Dayton, which has made the playoffs in 11 straight seasons, is on the outside looking in on the post-season right now. South Carolina and Roanoke have each made the playoffs in nine straight seasons.

And down the stretch they come – It should come as no surprise that a team with five straight division titles such as Louisiana is strong in the month of March. The IceGators, who just capped off a 2-2-1 February, are 67-27-5 all-time in March (counting four April regular season games) for a .702 winning percentage – best of all months. Under Dave Farrish, Louisiana is 21-9-1 in March. The IceGators are especially strong at home in March, compiling a .774 winning percentage (32-9-1). In the last three seasons, they are 14-2-1 at the Cajundome in March. The road has been kind as well, as Louisiana is 35-18-4 (.649 winning percentage) in March.

Paying immediate dividends – The IceGators shook up their lineup February 18, acquiring winger Martin Bartek and defenseman Milt Mastad from Richmond in exchange for left wing Daniel Goneau and blueliner Branislav Kvetan. Bartek, who has seven points (2g, 5a) in his first four games with the IceGators, is no stranger to Louisiana, having enjoyed a 30-goal, 63-point campaign in just 51 games with New Orleans in 2000-01. Mastad, meanwhile, is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound defenseman who is expected to help improve the Louisiana penalty kill. Mastad, who scored an extra attacker goal last night in Peoria, has 79 games of AHL/IHL experience and 76 points (20g, 56a) and 930 penalty minutes in 412 career games.

Bartek at 48 ECHL goals, 99 points – Winger Martin Bartek, who is riding a four-game point streak, needs one more point for 100 in his ECHL career. Bartek has 48 goals and 51 assists in just 81 career ECHL games.

Louisiana at 33 one-goal games – Louisiana has played 33 one-goal games, including three straight, and are in fifth place in the league and three behind Baton Rouge for the league lead, going 13-9-11 in such contests. The IceGators are 9-2-4 at home in one-goal games and 4-7-7 on the road.

Sarich's point streak snapped one shy of team rookie record – IceGators rookie blueliner Rod Sarich, who had a pair of four-game assist streaks earlier this season, had a new career-high five-game assist and point streak snapped February 15. Sarich, who represented Louisiana in the ECHL All-Star Game last month, had a goal and six helpers in his most recent stretch, including his first career multi-point game – a three-point contest February 2 against Baton Rouge. Sarich's five-game assist streak was the best ever by a Louisiana rookie blueliner, and it was the longest by an IceGators rookie since Shawn McNeil's five-gamer from March 9-17, 2000. The longest assist streak every by an IceGators rookie is John Spoltore's six-game streak from February 28-March 8, 1996. Spoltore had nine assists in that span. The only other IceGators rookie to have an assist in four straight games is Rob Valicevic, also in the 1995-96 season. Sarich has at least one point in nine of his last 11 games and in 10 of his last 12. Sarich's 22 rookie assists are already the fourth best total in team history. McNeil is fourth on the list with 28, while Kevin Mitchell is third with 32 and Russ Hewson is second with 39. Spoltore's rookie record of 68 is well out of reach.

Brown's four-game goal streak, six-game point streak snapped February 15 – Forward Bobby Brown had 14 points (9g, 5a) in a season-high six-game point streak that was snapped February 15. Brown also had at least one goal in four straight games, tying his career-best. Brown's only four-game goal streak came more than four seasons ago, with Dayton from November 15-22, 1998. Brown had six goals in that span. In his run this season, Brown had three multi-goal games, including a hat trick.

Brown notches fourth career hat trick – Bobby Brown had his fourth career hat trick February 8, and his eight multi-goal games this season lead the team, three better than each Shawn McNeil and Nathan Rempel. Brown's last hat trick came October 20, 2000, with CHL Austin versus Bossier City, and his last ECHL three-goal game came on February 13, 1998, with Dayton against Louisville. Brown has six of his eight multi-goal games in the last 18 contests, since January 17.

Brown establishes new career high in points – Bobby Brown has 63 points combined between the IceGators and AHL Cincinnati, three better than his previous career high. Brown, who set the new mark with 17 games left in the regular season, had 60 points in both 1998-99 with Dayton (30g, 30a) and in 2000-01 with CHL Austin (21g, 39a). Brown's 31 goals are one better than his previous career-best 30-tally campaign in 1998-99, while his 33 combined assists are six shy of the 39 that he had in 2000-01.

Brown collects 200th ECHL point, 100th goal – Bobby Brown's goal February 7 was the 200th point of his ECHL career, while his first tally February 19 was his 100th ECHL goal. Brown now has 102 goals and 111 assists in 245 ECHL games while playing for four different teams.

Kettles sets franchise record for consecutive starts – Rookie Kyle Kettles started 12 straight games in net for Louisiana (January 4-February 7), establishing a new franchise-record, before Derek Gustafson played February 8 in Pensacola. Kettles' 12-game streak was one game better than Marc Delorme's 11-game span from February 19-March 13, 1996. Kettles enjoyed success in the streak, going 7-3-2. The longest starting streak this season by an ECHL netminder is 13, set by two players, most recently Columbia's Josh Blackburn from November 22-December 20. Kettles started a new streak February 12, as he has played each of the last seven games, and he is expected to again get the call this afternoon. The rookie has started 19 of Louisiana's last 21 games.

Kettles third-fastest with two, three shutouts – IceGators rookie netminder Kyle Kettles recorded two shutouts in his first 13 starts and three in his first 23 with the team, becoming the third fastest goalie in team history to reach each landmark. Frederic Cloutier had two in his first four starts in 2001-02, and a third in his fifth game, while Bujar Amidovski earned two shutouts in his first six starts in 1998-99. Amidovski, also a rookie that season, had his third shutout in his ninth game in 1998-99. Only Cloutier (seven) and Marc Magliarditi (four in 2001-02) have more shutouts in a season than Kettles has in 2002-03.

OT mark set to be broken - With 16 games left February 28, the IceGators established a new franchise-record for overtime/shootout games with 19. The IceGators had played seven straight regulation games – one shy of their season-high – before Wednesday's 6-5 shootout loss in Cincinnati. Louisiana is 5-6 in overtime games and 3-5 in games decided in a shootout. The team is 5-4 after regulation at home but just 3-7 on the road. The IceGators also played 18 overtime/shootout games in 1999-2000. Louisiana isn't that far from making its way into the ECHL record book. Toledo's 25 overtime games is the league record (1995-96), while three teams are tied for second with 21. The next most overtime games is 20, set by several teams, including Dayton in 1999-2000. This season, Louisiana is one up on Atlantic City for the most overtime/shootout games in the ECHL.

Eleven OT/shootout losses are new team record – The IceGators have 11 overtime/shootout losses this season, one more than their previous franchise record set in the 1997-98 campaign. That season, Louisiana went 43-17-10. The team's seven overtime/shootout losses on the road are also a team record (six, 1999-2000).

McNeil shoots, he shoots again! – Shawn McNeil had six shots February 7, giving him 1,002 in his IceGators career. Through February 16, McNeil has 1,036 shots. He became become just the third player in team history to take 1,000 shots, joining Chris Valicevic (1,920) and Jay Murphy (1,438). McNeil accomplished the feat in his 251st game with the team, and he's just off that pair's pace. Valicevic took his 1,000th shot in his 240th game, while Murphy accomplished the feat in just 225 contests.

McNeil sets sights on Valicevic – Shawn McNeil's third-period tally Wednesday night was his 127th goal as an IceGator, moving him within five goals of former league Most Valuable Player Chris Valicevic for third place on the team's all-time list. McNeil played in his 250th game with the IceGators February 7, and February 16 he moved past Jason McQuat for sixth place on the team's all-time list with 256 games played. McNeil, who has played in 261 games with the team, could also pass Matthew Pagnutti (273) this season. January 24, McNeil became the IceGators' fourth leading goal scorer, passing Don Parsons. McNeil's 155 assists are five behind John DePourcq for fourth on the IceGators' ledgers. McNeil has passed Ron Handy (132) and Louis Dumont (137) on the assist list this season, while he got by Dumont (102) and Parsons (117) on the goal list.

McNeil has four career shootout clinchers – Shawn McNeil's shootout game-winner December 31 against Baton Rouge was his fourth career shootout game-winner. McNeil is tied for second with Ron Handy, Jay Murphy and teammate John DePourcq in that category, trailing only Louis Dumont's six.

McNeil chooses his spots well – Shawn McNeil, who is fifth in the ECHL with 33 goals, does his best work in the clutch. He has four of the IceGators' extra attacker goals this season. More remarkably, 26 of his 33 goals (79 percent) have either tied the game or given his team the lead. Sixteen of his goals have given Louisiana the lead, while 10 of his goals have tied the game. McNeil is one ahead of Nathan Rempel for the team lead with seven game-winning goals. McNeil's 12 third-period goals lead the team, while 15 of McNeil's goals have been his team's first goal.

McNeil leads all ECHL goal scorers, since 2000-01 – Shawn McNeil has more goals than any other ECHL player since the beginning of the 2000-01 season. McNeil has 101 goals, 14 more than Augusta's Andrew Williamson. Below are the players with the most ECHL goals since the 2000-01 season.

1. McNeil 101 Louisiana 6. Seitz 76 South Carolina

2. Williamson 87 Augusta 7. Pankewicz 75 Pensacola

3. Murphy 86 Greensboro 8t. Bosquet 74 NA

4. Sirois 80 Pee Dee 8t. Dumont 74 Pensacola

5. Demarski 79 Greenville 10. Schneider 71 CHL – Laredo

McNeil hits 30, again – Shawn McNeil has reached the 30-goal plateau for the third straight season. McNeil will likely be the only ECHL player to boast that honor for the 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. Only Dean Tiltgen, Jay Murphy, Hugues Gervais and Dany Bousquet had 30 goals in each of the past two seasons. Of those four, only Murphy is currently in the ECHL, and he is currently on 30-day IR with Greensboro. McNeil has second most goals among players 25 or younger – IceGators winger Shawn McNeil has scored 127 goals before the age of 25, the second most among active ECHL players in that category. McNeil will turn 25 on March 17. Richmond's Lars Pettersen, who began play in the league when he was 19, has 130 goals (plus three in the AHL) and won't turn 25 until November 20 of next season. Augusta's Andrew Williamson, currently 27 years old, had the most goals by 25 of active ECHL players. Williamson had an eye-popping 151 tallies, including 52 in 2000-01.

McNeil looking for 50th victim – Shawn McNeil's 127 goals have come against 49 different ECHL goalies, with Cincinnati's Yutaka Fukufuji becoming the latest victim on Wednesday. McNeil one career goal against Duane Derksen, but hasn't scored on Alfie Michaud. McNeil has victimized Arkansas' Jason Saal the most, with 11 goals, while former New Orleans and current Pee Dee goaltender Ron Vogel has yielded nine goals to McNeil.

Getting better as the game progresses – The statistics don't lie, Kyle Kettles gets stronger as the game goes on. Kettles allows just .84 goals per third period he plays, better than the second period (0.93), which is better than the first (1.00). In 30 third-periods this season (Kettles had a third period in relief of Frederic Cloutier on November 15), Kettles has yielded 26 goals.

What a second season in IceGators uniform – Nathan Rempel, who had 17 points (7g, 10a) in 60 games last season, is fifth on the team with 47 points (25g, 22a). His 30-point increase is the best by a second-year IceGator in team history. Shawn McNeil had an increase of 27 points, from 54 to 81 from 1999-00 to 2000-01. Rempel has 25 more points in 2002-03 than in his 102 career pro games combined coming into this season. Rempel's 25 goals trail only McNeil (33) and Bobby Brown (31) for the team lead. Rempel has 13 multi-point games after just two combined in the first two years of his career.

Rempel passes 100-game mark – January 17, Nathan Rempel joined the 100-game played as an IceGator club. Teammate Dennis Shiryaev, placed on injured reserve February 1, has played in 99 games. Rempel has currently played in 117 games, one better than Gary Roach for 16th on the team's all-time list.

Hat trick notes – The IceGators already have five hat tricks this season (Bobby Brown, Shawn McNeil, Nathan Rempel, Bruce Richardson and Tony Tuzzolino). Last season, they had only four all season and in 2000-01, they finished with two. The five different players with hat tricks ties the team record, set in 1995-96 and in 1997-98. The five total hat tricks are the most for the IceGators since 1999-2000 (six). Louisiana's team record is 14, set in 1995-96.

Corupe has 111 points and counting – IceGators center Kenny Corupe picked up his 100th pro point January 17. In 173 games, Corupe now has 46 goals and 66 assists. Corupe showing up on the scoresheet has been ultra important to the IceGators this season. The team is 8-3-4 when Corupe has a goal, 12-2-2 when he picks up an assist and 17-5-6 when he has a point. Skiehar in top 10, Worlton quickly approaching – Shawn Skiehar picked up two majors February 16 against Mississippi, moving him into a tie with Mike Kucsulain and Ryan Pisiak for ninth place on the team's all-time list with 22. Jeff Worlton has 21 major penalties with the IceGators, tied with Dan O'Rourke for 12th on the team's all-time list.

Iron men – Shawn McNeil, Rod Sarich and J.P. Morin have each played in all 58 of the IceGators' games this season, the only players to do so. If the trio end up playing in all 72 games, it would mark the first time since 1995-96 that three IceGators have played in every game (John Spoltore, Chris Valicevic, John Vary). McNeil has been an ECHL iron man before, playing in all 72 games in the 2000-01 season. Since the beginning of the 2000-01 campaign, McNeil has played in 198 of 202 games. He missed four contests last season – one due to a callup and three due to injury. The IceGators have had a player go through the full 70- or 72-game schedule just 12 times without missing a game. Spoltore and Valicevic are the only players who played all games in a season more than once.

Worlton gets first point, still racking up the PIM's – Rookie defenseman Jeff Worlton picked up his first pro point in his 62nd game February 14, assisting on the first of Bobby Brown's first-period goals. Worlton's 247 penalty minutes are the 14th most for an IceGator in a single season. Jason McQuat is up next on the list; he's 13th with 251, set in 1997-98. Morin looking for first goal with IceGators – Louisiana defenseman J.P. Morin's 17 assists are a new career-best, bettering the 14 he had in his rookie campaign of 2001-02, but the blueliner is still searching for his first goal in an IceGators uniform. Morin has gone 109 games since his one and only pro goal, November 20, 2001, with Port Huron vs. Quad City. That is the third longest streak in the ECHL. Columbia's Regan Darby had gone the longest since his last goal – 119 games, before scoring Friday night in Greensboro. Darby's last goal came with December 27, 2000, with AHL Utah.

Picking up the slack – Since John DePourcq got injured again February 1, Shawn Skiehar has helped pick up the slack. Skiehar has seven points (3g, 4a), including three power-play tallies, in the 12 games since DePourcq got hurt. Skiehar's seven goals are one shy of his career-best, while his six assists are four behind his career-best. Skiehar's 13 points are just two shy of his career-best 15 in each 1999-2000 and 2000-01 with WPHL Lake Charles. Skiehar's power play goal February 16 was his 50th career point. ‘Gators have 73 points through 58 games – Louisiana's 73 points through 58 games are the fifth most in team history. Last season's Brabham Cup winning team had 95 points through 58 games. A victory tonight would give the IceGators 75 points, which would also be the fifth best in franchise history after 59 games. Louisiana's winning percentage is .629, which would calculate into 91 points at the season's end. That total would be tied for the third fewest in team history. The IceGators' franchise and league-record point total of 116 was set last season. Strong at home – The IceGators are 20-5-4 at home this season for a winning percentage of .759. Through 29 games at home last season, Louisiana was 24-2-3, and the IceGators finished the season 30-2-4 at home. Louisiana is on pace for 55 home points, which would be the fifth most in franchise history. Through 28 home games, Louisiana's 44 points are the fourth most in team history, seven points off last season's mark. A win March 7 would give the IceGators 46 points in 30 home games, which would still be the fourth most in team history and also seven behind last season's squad.

Road update – The IceGators, who play the final game of a season-high four-game road swing tonight, are an even 11-11-7 away from the Cajundome. The IceGators' 29 road points through 29 games are tied for the second fewest in the eight-year team history. The IceGators have won 50.0 percent of their road games, which would calculate to 36 road points, which would trail only the 1999-2000 team (34 points) for the fewest in team history. With a regulation loss tonight, the IceGators would be under .500 on the road this late in the season for the first time in franchise history.

Staying on the board – The IceGators have scored in 126 straight games, dating back to a 1-0 shootout loss to Mike Tamburro and Jackson at the Cajundome on October 17, 2001. That's the second-longest streak in team history. Louisiana went 135 games without being shut out from the franchise's first game, on October 13, 1995, to a 1-0 loss at Baton Rouge on March 22, 1997. In the team's current streak, they have been held to one goal on 14 occasions, including seven times this season and a 2-1 loss in Toledo last night. There have been several other close calls. January 24, Shawn McNeil scored with 51.1 seconds left to get on the board and force overtime. December 31, Cal Benazic scored twice inside of a minute to get Louisiana on the board. If the IceGators keep up the scoring, they will break the franchise-record of 135 games without being shut out at home against Mississippi on March 22.

Troublesome when outshooting opponents – Louisiana is 19-9-3 when outshooting opponents, including a 12-1-2 mark at home. The IceGators' only home regulation loss when outshooting their opponent was a 5-2 loss against Arkansas on November 7, a game in which they held a 38-31 shot advantage.

Tough to come back on – The IceGators are 23-1-3 this season when leading after two periods, with the lone regulation loss coming January 17. In the three-year Dave Farrish era, Louisiana has dropped just five games in regulation when leading after 40 minutes. The IceGators are 94-5-4 when taking a lead into the third period under Farrish. In 2001-02, Louisiana dropped just one game in regulation when leading after two periods (45-1-1), a 5-4 home loss to Mississippi on December 29. In that game, Louisiana led 4-2 in the second period and 4-3 after two.

Comeback kids – Allowing the game's first goal isn't always the worst thing for the IceGators, especially at home. Louisiana is 15-12-4 this season when yielding the first goal, including an impressive 10-2-2 mark at home.

No wonder overtime treats them well – The IceGators have outscored their opponents in most situations this season, especially 4-on-4. Louisiana holds a 17-9 advantage in 4-on-4 situations this season.

Rally ‘Gators – The IceGators are 8-8-1 when trailing after one period and 4-13-3 when trailing after two. Louisiana's win January 24 was its second this season when trailing by three goals. The IceGators rallied from a 3-0 deficit for a 5-4 overtime win over Arkansas on December 6.

Go ahead, blow your whistle – Killing penalties isn't always bad for Louisiana. The IceGators are 6-1-1 when allowing 10 or more power play attempts, and a 4-1-0 mark at home.

Back to back, to back – The IceGators are in the midst of their 12th stretch of three games in three nights this season. They have picked up at least a point in the last game of a three-in-three set on eight of 11 occasions, going 5-3-3. Louisiana is 11-3-2 in the first of a three-in-three (or back-to-back situations) and 7-5-4 in the second. The IceGators have swept a pair of three-in-threes (October 18-20, November 28-30), while they have failed to win any of the three games on one occasion, an 0-2-1 stretch from November 1-3.

McNeil has special teams lead – Winger Shawn McNeil leads the IceGators with 34 special teams points (15g, 19a), including a team-best 29 (12g, 17a) on the power play. Bobby Brown (10g, 15a) is second with 25 special teams points, one ahead of the departed Kevin Mitchell (4g, 20a) and three up on Bruce Richardson (8g, 14a), now in AHL Hershey.

McNeil tops with 15 special teams goals – Shawn McNeil has 15 special teams goals to lead the team, including a team-best 12 power-play tallies and an IceGators-leading three shorthanded tallies. Nathan Rempel is second with 12 special teams goals, including 10 power-play scores. Rempel, Bobby Brown and Bruce Richardson are right behind McNeil with two shorties apiece.

Special teams update – The IceGators are currently ranked 10th in the ECHL with a 19.5 power play percentage, including 22.8 percent at home (sixth in league) and 16.4 percent on the road (13th). Louisiana, however, has gone 2-for-33 (6.1 percent) on the power play in the last seven games. On the penalty kill, Louisiana is ranked 19th with an 81.4 percentage. The team has never finished a season ranked lower than ninth on the penalty kill. At home, the IceGators are ranked only 22nd (81.4 percent), but on the road they are in 10th (81.4 percent). The IceGators have allowed nine power play goals on 28 chances (32.1 percent) in the last five games.

Quick hits

· The IceGators are 24-2-6 when yielding one or less power play goals this season, including a 15-0-1 mark at home, but they are 7-14-5 overall when allowing two or more.

· Louisiana is 29-7-8 when scoring three or more goals, including a 23-3-4 mark when scoring four or more. When scoring two goals or less, the IceGators are 2-9-3.

· Peoria's Brendan Brooks played with Macon last season alongside IceGators Casey Kesselring and Milt Mastad.

· IceGators goalie Kyle Kettles and Peoria's Brad Voth played together for two-plus seasons in Medicine Hat from 1999-2001.

· Last night's loss dropped the IceGators to 19-2-1 when allowing two goals or less.



ECHL Stories from March 2, 2003


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