Louisiana game notes vs. Arkansas

January 19, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


RiverBlades at IceGators – Arkansas, a team which has given Louisiana fits at times this season, invades the Cajundome for the final regular-season meeting between the teams. The IceGators are 4-3-2 this season against Arkansas, with three of their nine regulation losses coming at the hands of the RiverBlades. Home ice has been better to Louisiana, which has gone 3-1-1 at the Cajundome versus Arkansas. In the last meeting in North Little Rock, Todd Marchant and Jason Bermingham each scored twice and Jason Saal made 33 saves in a 4-3 Arkansas victory. The teams last met at the Cajundome on December 21, with Louisiana's Nathan Rempel and Daniel Goneau each scoring twice for an impressive 6-2 win. The IceGators are 18-9-5 all-time against the RiverBlades, including a 10-4-2 home mark.

Friday night – Mike Vigilante's second goal of the third period proved to be the game-winner with 4:33 left, as the Jackson Bandits rallied from a two-goal third period deficit for a 5-4 win over the Louisiana IceGators at the Cajundome. Reagan Rome, Dave Stewart and Andrei Lupandin each added two assists for the Bandits, who started off a 20-game, two-month road trip with their second win in four games. Bobby Brown scored twice and Shawn McNeil added three helpers for the IceGators, who fell to 8-3-3 in their last 14 and dropped into a first-place tie with Mississippi, a 3-2 victor over Baton Rouge Friday. Louisiana and the Sea Wolves each have 54 points.

Scouting the RiverBlades – Fresh off a five-hour return road trip following last night's 6-4, come-from-behind road win in Pensacola, red-hot Arkansas tries to extend its unbeaten streak to eight games tonight. The RiverBlades, 5-0-2 in their last seven, also had an eight-game streak earlier in the season, going 7-0-1 from October 26-November 10. Overall since a 6-2 loss at the Cajundome on December 21, Arkansas is 7-1-2. Last night against Pensacola, the RiverBlades scored the game's final three goals, all coming in a 4:05 span late in the third. Eric Long had two scores in the game, one shorthanded and one on the power play, while Jason Saal stopped 45-of-49 shots. Buddy Smith, Arkansas' All-Star starter, has been on fire all year and he lead the team with 61 points (19g, 42a), a total that has second in the league, trailing Roanoke's Jason Jaffray (63) and one up on Louisiana's Bruce Richardson. Jason Bermingham (23g, 27a), Ernie Hartlieb (18g, 29a) and Terry Marchant (13g, 30a) are also averaging more than a point per game. The strong blueliner corps is led by Long (8g, 26a) and Matt Pagnutti (11g, 23a), who have combined for 15 power-play goals. No other RiverBlade has more than 21 points, although Mike Cirillo has 13 goals in 34 games with the team. Saal is the go-to guy in net, having gone 17-10-6 with a 3.08 goals against average in 33 games. He is backed up by rookie Jimi St. John, who is 5-3-1 with a 3.36 goals against average.

Trying to stay on top – The IceGators are in danger of falling out of a first place tie in the Southwest Division with Mississippi, which plays host to Jackson tonight. Louisiana and the Sea Wolves each enter tonight's game with 54 points, although the IceGators do have a game in hand. This marks the first time Louisiana has dropped into a first place tie since the morning of December 31, when the IceGators and Sea Wolves each had 47 points. Louisiana has held at least a share of first place every day since December 20, when its 39 points trailed Mississippi by one.

A matchup to watch – Shawn McNeil and Jason Saal have a friendly rivalry that went back to Saal's days with the IceGators in 2000-01. This season alone, McNeil has eight goals in nine games against Saal. Last season, he had two goals in five games versus Saal. The two first met before they were teammates. In the second round of the 2000 Kelly Cup Playoffs, when Saal was playing for South Carolina, McNeil scored the goal that ended Saal's night in an 8-3 win in Game 3, which moved Louisiana into the next round. McNeil would go on to complete the hat trick, the only one of his post-season career. All together, including the post-season, McNeil has 11 goals in 17 games against Saal.

Saal climbing charts – If he plays tonight, Jason Saal will tie Sean Gauthier for the most games played by a goaltender against Louisiana in team history. Gauthier, who also played for Louisiana, played 18 games against the IceGators while Saal, Paxton Schafer and Chuck Thuss have each seen action in 17 games. The only other active goalies close are Brian Leitza and Jeff Salajko, who each have 13 appearances against Louisiana. A win tonight would be Saal's eighth against the IceGators, tying him with Gauthier for the most. Saal, Thuss, Mike Lenarduzzi and Mark Richards all have seven wins and are tied for second. Also, Saal's four overtime/shootout losses versus the IceGators are tied for the most all-time with Schafer and Mike Tamburro. Saal has played 957 minutes versus Louisiana, the second-most all time, trailing only Gauthier (1,038.3). Lastly, Saal has yielded 58 goals all-time against the IceGators. Only Gauthier (64) and Schafer (60) have yielded more.

Iron man – Arkansas netminder Jason Saal has started 18 of the last 19 games. The only game he didn't start was a 3-2 win in Mississippi on December 22. That came a night after he was pulled in the first period of a 6-2 loss to the IceGators at the Cajundome. Other than that game on December 22, Jimi St. John's last start was December 1 against Jackson.

Watch these four guys closely – The RiverBlades' quartet of Buddy Smith, Jason Bermingham, Matt Pagnutti and Ernie Hartlieb have combined for 58 of the team's 93 points against Louisiana this season. The foursome has notched 62.4 percent of Arkansas' scoring output versus the IceGators, with Smith (4g, 16a) and Bermingham (10g, 6a) accounting for 36 points alone.

Just second loss when scoring four or more – The IceGators' 5-4 loss to Jackson on Friday was just the team's second regulation all season when scoring four or more goals. Louisiana dropped to 18-2-1 in the situation, with the only other regulation loss coming December 11, a 6-5 decision in Baton Rouge. When scoring three or fewer goals, the IceGators are 5-8-7.

Quite the line – The trio of Bobby Brown, Nathan Rempel and Shawn McNeil has been on fire lately, as each player has a five-game point streak. Brown has 10 points (4g, 6a), McNeil 9 (2g, 7a) and Rempel 6 (3g, 3a) in the span.

Trying to nip it in the bud – The IceGators have lost two straight games in regulation for the third time this season, and the first since December 11-14. Louisiana lost three straight regulation games, just the 11th time in franchise history that has happened, from November 2-7. Louisiana's franchise-record for consecutive regulation losses, not counting forfeits, was a four-game stretch from February 10-18, 2001.

Kettles second-fastest with two shutouts – IceGators rookie netminder Kyle Kettles recorded two shutouts in his first 13 starts with the team, becoming the third fastest goalie in team history with two shutouts. 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.

Getting better as the game progresses – The statistics don't lie, Kyle Kettles gets stronger as the game goes on. Kettles allows just .69 goals per third period he plays, better than the second period (.87), which is better than the first (.93). In 16 third-periods this season (Kettles had a third period in relief of Frederic Cloutier on November 15), Kettles has yielded 11 goals – three of them January 17 versus Jackson.

McNeil one goal behind Parsons – Shawn McNeil's 116 goals as an IceGator have him in fifth place on the team's all-time list, just one behind Don Parsons for fourth. Also, McNeil's 143 assists are nine 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) 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 has scored Louisiana's first goal 11 times – There's no better scorer early in the game on the IceGators than Shawn McNeil. Eleven of McNeil's 21 goals have been his team's first goal, and 11 of his goals have also given Louisiana the lead. Six of his goals have tied the game, while he is also tied for the team-lead with three game-winning goals. McNeil's nine first-period goals are also a team best.

Rempel skates in 100th game, Shiryaev closing in – Friday, Nathan Rempel became the 19th player in team history to skate 100 games with Louisiana. Rempel, who passed Doug Bonner for 19th on Friday, is tied with Jack Williams for 18th on the team's all-time list. Rob McCaig (17th with 114) and Gary Roach (16th with 116) are up next on the list. Teammate Dennis Shiryaev will soon join Rempel. Shiryaev has played 94 games while Kevin Mitchell, currently in AHL Bridgeport, has played in 92.

Richardson 21st on team's all-time goal list – Captain Bruce Richardson has 28 goals in 61 games with the IceGators. His 28 goals are two behind Mikhail Kravets for 20th on the team's all-time list. It took Kravets 81 games to get his 30 goals. Cory Cyrenne and Steve Aronson, both members of the 2001-02 Brabham Cup winning team, are tied for 18th with 33 goals. When he scores two more goals, Richardson will become the 13th player in team history record 200 penalty minutes and 30 goals in his time in an IceGators uniform. Richardson is nine points shy of joining the 200 penalty minute/100 point club. He will become just the 11th player in team history to accomplish that feat.

Richardson has pair of five-point games - Bruce Richardson has two five-point games this season, both against Columbus.

Richardson, who picked up the 25th five or more point game in team history on January 9, is just the fourth player to have more than one such game in a season in team history. Richardson also joins John Spoltore (five), Chris Valicevic (four), Don Parsons (three), Jon DePourcq (two) and Jay Murphy (two) as IceGators with more than two career five-point games.

Richardson attempting to be second IceGator to lead league in points – IceGators center Bruce Richardson is attempting to join John Spoltore as the IceGators in team history to lead the ECHL in points at season's end. Richardson has 60 points, tied for third with Reading's Brian McCullough. Roanoke's Jason Jaffray (63) and Arkansas' Buddy Smith (61) currently stand in Richardson's way. Spoltore led the league in points in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Richardson is currently tied with Arkansas' Buddy Smith for tops in the league with 42 helpers. Spoltore led the ECHL in helpers three times, while Ron Handy did it once.

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 89 goals, five more than former teammate Jay Murphy, who is currently on 30-day IR with Greensboro. Below are the players with the most ECHL goals since the 2000-01 season.

1. McNeil 89 Louisiana 5t. Bousquet 74 NA

2. Murphy 84 Greensboro 7t. Schneider 71 CHL – Laredo

3. Demarski 77 Greenville 7t. Seitz 71 South Carolina

4. Williamson 76 Augusta 9. Tiltgen 70 WCHL – San Diego

5t. Sirois 74 Pee Dee 10t. Two tied 68

A combo that clicks – Daniel Goneau has 18 goals, and Bruce Richardson has an assist on 12 of them. Goneau has also helped out on eight of Richardson's 18 tallies.

Corupe gets 100th point – IceGators center Kenny Corupe picked up his 100th pro point Friday. In 162 games, Corupe has 40 goals and 60 assists. Corupe showing up on the scoresheet has been ultra important to the IceGators this season. The team is 5-1-3 when Corupe has a goal and 12-1-4 when he has a point. Friday was the first time the IceGators lost when Corupe had an point.

Boogaard living up to expectations, and more – IceGators winger Derek Boogaard, who scored his first pro goal Saturday, came to the team with the reputation as the top enforcer in Canada's western junior hockey ranks, and he hasn't disappointed. Boogaard has 95 penalty minutes in 10 games, picking up at least one penalty in each of his first nine games. If Boogaard continues his current pace, he would finish the 2002-03 season with 390 penalty minutes in just 41 games, which would be the second-highest penalty-minute season in team history. Louisiana's Rob McCaig had 512 penalty minutes in 1995-96. If you project Boogaard's current pace out on a 72-game season, he would finish with 684 penalty minutes. Not afraid to go the extra mile – The IceGators have gone to overtime 14 games this season, most in the ECHL. The IceGators are 3-4 in overtime games and 3-4 in games decided in a shootout. Louisiana is 3-2 after regulation at home but just 3-6 on the road. The most times that the IceGators have gone into overtime or a shootout in one season is 18, in 1999-2000. That season, Louisiana was 9-9, including a 7-3 home mark. The ECHL record for most overtime/shootout games in a season is 25, by Toledo in the 1995-96 campaign. From December 27-January 1, the IceGators tied their franchise record of four overtime/shootout games in a row, going 3-0-1 in that span.

Five straight decided in regulation – Louisiana has played five straight games that have ended in regulation for the first time since a six-game stretch November 10-23.

Strong at home – The IceGators are 14-3-2 at home this season for a winning percentage of ..789. Through 18 games at home last season, Louisiana was 16-1-2. Louisiana finished last season 30-2-4 at home. The IceGators would have to win each of their final 17 home games to equal last season's home points mark. Louisiana is on pace for 28 home wins, which would tie the 1998-99 and 1999-00 squads for the second most in team history. The IceGators played 35 home games in those seasons and will play 36 in 2002-03.

Road not so bad either – Louisiana's loss Tuesday dropped the team to 9-7-6 on the road. The IceGators are 3-2-3 in their last eight road games (including 3-2-1 in the last six) since a 6-5 loss in Baton Rouge on December 11. The IceGators cannot reach their franchise record of 26 road wins, set last season, but could reach a tie for second place on the team's ledgers with 12 wins in their final 14 games. Louisiana went 21-10-4 away from the Cajundome in 1997-98.

Staying on the board – In Friday's 5-4 loss to Jackson, the IceGators scored at least one goal for their 109th straight game dating back to a 1-0 shootout loss to 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 10 occasions.

Benazic saves best for last – Cal Benazic has scored seven of his 11 goals this season in the third period. Five of his goals have given the IceGators the lead, and three more have tied the game.

Benazic tied for second among ECHL blueliners in goals – Cal Benazic's 11 goals are tied for second among ECHL defenseman, one behind Columbia's Corey Hessler. Benazic's career high in goals is 18, set with Hassfurt in Germany in 1999-2000. The Kelowna, B.C., native has five goals in his last eight games and is closing on one of the top five goal-scoring seasons by an IceGator defenseman. Chris Valicevic has the top five seasons; his fifth-place total was 18, in the 1996-97 campaign. Benazic is one goal shy of last season's best by a Louisiana defenseman. Corey Neilson had 12 goals and Valicevic added 11 in the 2001-02 season.

Tough to come back on – The IceGators are 17-1-3 this season when leading after two periods, with the lone loss coming Friday. In the three-year Dave Farrish era, Louisiana has dropped just five games in regulation when leading after 40 minutes. The IceGators are 88-5-4 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.

Shiryaev tied with Maxwell – Dennis Shiryaev's 34 major penalties are tied with Roger Maxwell for sixth on the team's all-time list. Maxwell played in 98 games, while Shiryaev has seen action in 94. Eric Cloutier is fifth on the ledger with 44. Teammates Jeff Worlton and Shawn Skiehar, each with 18, are quickly advancing into the top 10. Ryan Pisiak and Mike Kucsulain are tied for ninth with 22 majors.

Iron men – Shawn McNeil, Rod Sarich and J.P. Morin have each played in all 41 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 181 of 185 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. John Spoltore and Chris Valicevic are the only players who played all games in a season more than once.

Quick hits

· Louisiana's 23 shots Friday were there fewest since another game against Jackson, last March 29, when they were outshot 43-22 but won 3-0 behind a Marc Magliarditi shutout.

· The IceGators are 17-1-4 when yielding one or less power play goals this season, but they are 6-9-4 when allowing two or more.

· Former IceGator Jason Saal is 7-6-4 lifetime with a 3.64 goals against average and a .893 save percentage against Louisiana.



ECHL Stories from January 19, 2003


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