Louisiana game notes at Texas

Published on November 8, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


IceGators at Wildcatters – A new era in the ECHL and IceGators hockey kicks off tonight, with Texas hosting its first-ever ECHL game. The Wildcatters previously played in Huntington, W.Va., and are now Louisiana's closest rival (two hours down I-10). The IceGators enjoyed their meetings with the Blizzard, going 3-0-0 in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.

2003-04 IceGators/Wildcatters matchups (First meeting)

TONIGHT: Louisiana at Texas
Saturday, Nov. 15 – Texas at Louisiana
Wednesday, Nov. 26 – Louisiana at Texas
Sunday, Nov. 30 – Texas at Louisiana
Friday, Dec. 5 – Texas at Louisiana
Friday, Dec. 12 – Texas at Louisiana
Friday, Jan. 16 – Louisiana at Texas
Saturday, Jan. 17 – Louisiana at Texas
Friday, Jan. 23 – Louisiana at Texas
Saturday, Jan. 24 – Texas at Louisiana
Tuesday, Feb. 3 – Texas at Louisiana
Friday, Feb. 13 – Louisiana at Texas
Sunday, Feb. 22 – Louisiana at Texas
Sunday, Feb. 29 – Texas at Louisiana
Wednesday, March 3 – Texas at Louisiana

Last night – Konstantin Kalmikov scored the deciding shootout goal and Ben Kilgour and Ben Storey each tallied power play goals, as the Louisiana IceGators beat the Mississippi Sea Wolves 3-2 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in a physical game that saw heavyweights Dennis Shiryaev and Roger Maxwell duke it out early on. Kevin Mitchell had two assists in his return to an IceGators uniform and Derek Gustafson made 28 saves for Louisiana, which is 4-2-0 on the season – with three wins coming against the arch-rival Sea Wolves. Jeff Hutchins tied the game with 43 seconds left in regulation, and Greg Gardner made 36 saves for Mississippi, which is 1-2-1 in its last four and 3-3-3 this season. Brent Gauvreau also scored for the Sea Wolves.

Scouting the IceGators – Louisiana caps off a five-game, three-week road trip tonight, having gone 2-2-0 in the first four contests, including two straight wins. The IceGators finally return home to the Cajundome to face Columbus tomorrow at 4:05 p.m. Last night in Biloxi, Ben Kilgour and Ben Storey provided the offense in regulation, with a power-play goal apiece. Konstantin Kalmikov notched the deciding shootout goal. The game also marked the IceGators return of Kevin Mitchell, who had two assists in the game, his first since being assigned to the team by the AHL's Houston Aeros. The IceGators have been led offensively by Kenny Corupe and linemate Bobby Brown. Corupe has seven points (3g, 4a) and Brown six (3g, 3a), while Corupe carries a four-game point streak into tonight's game. Kalmikov is tied with Brown for the team lead with three goals. The IceGators' leading defensive scorers early on are Storey (1g, 3a) and Josh Mizerek (4a), both with four points. Kilgour (2g) is the only Louisiana rookie with a goal this season, and he is tied with Jamie Johnson (2a) for the team lead in rookie scoring. Frederic Cloutier, the 2001-02 ECHL Most Valuable Player, is 2-1-0 with a 2.33 goals against average and a .903 save percentage early on. His win November 1in Columbus was the 50th of his pro career. Derek Gustafson has won two of three decisions, with a 2.73 goals against average and a .914 save percentage after 28 stops last night against the Sea Wolves.

Scouting the Wildcatters – Texas plays its home opener tonight after an exhausting seven-game road trip to open the season. The road trip, which spanned five states, followed training camp – which the Wildcatters held in Idaho. Texas is 1-5-1, including an 0-3-1 winless streak, heading into tonight's game. The Wildcatters have been off since a 4-2 loss in Mississippi on October 26. In that game, Brian Stacey and Bob Cunningham scored the team's goals. Texas has given up an average of 51.3 shots in its last three games, including 64 in a 6-5 loss in Greensboro on October 23. The Wildcatters netminders being tested are Jason Cugnet and Davis Parley. Parley has been the most consistent early on, going 1-1-1 with a 3.15 goals against average. Cugnet, who is facing 38 shots per game, is 0-4-0 with a 5.97 goals against average. Texas should have no trouble scoring goals this season, at least with its top line. Cunningham has 11 points (7g, 4a) in just seven games, and his seven goals are just 10 less than the team has scored as a whole. Corey Morgan has nine points (2g, 7a), and his assist total is tops on the team. Stacey has four points (1g, 3a) in six games, but is on the injured reserve list.

The traveling home opener show – College football teams always invite the creampuffs for homecoming. The ECHL did no opposing teams any favors by scheduling the league's all-time winningest team (by winning percentage), the IceGators, to play in four home openers, including their own. Louisiana is 2-1-0 thus far, and will play its final home opener tonight. The IceGators beat Mississippi 3-2 on October 17, then won their own home opener 2-1 the next night, before falling in Florida 4-2 on October 24.

‘Gators look for hot November – After ending the season's opening month with their only non-winning October in team history, the IceGators try to start November 3-0-0 tonight. The year's 11th month hasn't been as kind as the rest to Louisiana. The IceGators are 58-30-13 all-time in November, good for a .639 winning percentage – a good winning percentage but still sixth out of six months. On the road, the IceGators are 26-19-5 in November (.570), good for the fourth-best record in team history. Under Dave Farrish, Louisiana is 26-10-7 in November, including a stout 21-5-4 mark the last two seasons.

IceGators' scoring streak is franchise best – The IceGators have scored in 146 straight regular-season games, dating back to a 1-0 shootout loss to Mike Tamburro and Jackson at the Cajundome on October 17, 2001. That's the longest regular-season streak in team history by 11 contests. 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 19 occasions, including November 24 at TECO Arena against Florida. The IceGators have recorded an astounding 16 shutouts since they were last kept off the scoreboard. Mississippi and Greg Gardner did shut out Louisiana in the post-season in April.

Masa two points from 500 in pro career – Louisiana left wing Martin Masa is just two points shy of 500 entering tonight's game. Masa, at 30 the eldest statesman in the IceGators locker room, has 498 points (212g, 286a) in 579 pro games beginning in 1994-95. Masa, who was a member of Greenville's 2002 Kelly Cup winning team, has more game-winning goals (32) than all of his teammates, except Bobby Brown, have goals in the ECHL. Masa has most victimized South Carolina, with four game-winners. Masa was held without a point in four straight games to begin the season, but scored a goal November 1 in Columbus.

Cloutier picks up win No. 50 – Frederic Cloutier, the league MVP in 2001-02, has rejoined the IceGators and will look to continue to climb the IceGators' charts. Cloutier's goals against average of 2.35 trails only Marc Magliarditi (2.26) and Bujar Amidovski (2.32) on the team's ledgers, and he is second all-time in the ECHL in that category, trailing only Curtis Sanford (2.17). Cloutier's save percentage of .926 is best in team history. Magliarditi is second (.924). Cloutier's eight shutouts are also a team-best (Kyle Kettles, 5). Cloutier has 50 wins in his first 77 pro contests, having picked up win No. 50 Saturday in Columbus. Cloutier's all-time pro marks are 50-15-9 with a 2.36 goals against average and .923 save percentage. With the IceGators and in the ECHL, the St. Honore, Que., native is 46-12-7.

Farrish fifth among ECHL coaches with 142 wins – IceGators head coach and vice president of hockey operations Dave Farrish is 142-58-22 with the team. He is fifth among active ECHL coaches in victories in the league, behind Greenville's John Marks (341), Greensboro's Rick Adduono (203), Reading's Derek Clancey (147) and Gwinnett's Jeff Pyle (144). Farrish's 141 wins are just 29 shy of Doug Shedden's team record. Farrish's .689 winning percentage is third all-time in the ECHL, behind Don Jackson (.758) and Troy Ward (.722). Both of those coaches coached just one season, though.

Brown lights them up early – Louisiana captain Bobby Brown has 40 goals in his season-plus with the team, and 21 of them have come in the first period (52.5 percent).

Kalmikov loves the game-winner – Winger Konstantin Kalmikov has 22 goals as an IceGator, and seven of them have been game-winners (32 percent), including one in a 2-1 win over Mississippi on October 18. Kalmikov also scored the deciding shootout goal in a 3-2 win at Mississippi on November 7, but that doesn't count as a game-winning goal.

Shiryaev cracks the Top 10 – Louisiana's Dennis Shiryaev picked up 15 penalty minutes in less than four minutes Friday in Mississippi, moving him into the IceGators top 10 list in that category. Shiryaev has 430 penalty minutes in 105 games with Louisiana. Dan O'Rourke was 10th on the team's list with 417. Next on the list is Chris Valicevic (463).

They can hold a lead – In the three-year Dave Farrish era, Louisiana has dropped just five games in regulation when leading after 40 minutes. The IceGators are 106-5-4 when taking a lead into the third period under Farrish. As amazing as those numbers are, consider this: Louisiana is 48-1-2 on the road when leading after 40 minutes, with the only blemish being a 3-2 loss in Peoria on January 4, 2001 – Farrish's first season. In that game, Louisiana led 2-0 after one period and 2-1 after 40 minutes. The IceGators went on to lose the next two games of the road trip, in Peoria and Toledo, by a combined 12-6 margin. Louisiana has had to recover in a shootout to win two games this season that they led after two periods, both against Mississippi – October 17 and November 7.

And the youth shall lead them – The IceGators have 10 players on their roster born in 1980 or later. Armands Berzins, who won't turn 20 until December 27, is the ECHL's youngest player.

Storey, Corupe approaching milestones – Louisiana defenseman Ben Storey is one point shy of 50 in his ECHL career, and two points away from 100 in his pro career, spanning both North American and European games. Tonight, Kenny Corupe will play in his 200th professional game. He enters that contest one point shy of 125 in his pro career.

Special teams update – The IceGators are 8-for-30 on the Louisiana Motors Pontiac Power Play so far this season, and their 26.7 percent ranks them third among all ECHL teams. On the Acadiana Bottling Pepsi Penalty Kill, Louisiana is 21-of-25 (84.0 percent). That ranks the IceGators 10th in the league. Louisiana has given up one power play goals in five of its six games.

Quick hits

Texas' Tony Lawrence played two games with Louisiana in 2001-02 after finishing up his collegiate career at St. Thomas University, the same school that gave the IceGators Steve Aronson.

Louisiana has scored eight of its 12 goals this season on the power play. Amazingly, six different players have accounted for those eight power play goals.

IceGators rookie defenseman Maxime Fortunus picked up his first career point last night, an assist, in his sixth pro game.

Louisiana's Kenny Goetz notched career penalty minute No. 800 last night.

Louisiana is 4-0-0 when scoring first and 0-2-0 when allowing the game's first goal.

All four of the IceGators' wins this season have been by one goal.

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ECHL Stories from November 8, 2003


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