Louisiana game notes vs. Jackson

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


Bandits at IceGators – Perhaps the ECHL's tightest rivalry is renewed tonight when Jackson invades the Cajundome. Louisiana is 4-1-2 this season against the Bandits, with each of the last five games being decided by one goal since the IceGators outscored Jackson 10-2 in the first two meetings this season. That streak includes four straight overtime/shootout games, plus a 5-4 Jackson win at the Cajundome on January 17 – just Jackson's third regulation victory at the Frozen Swamp in 13 attempts. The game didn't go to overtime, but Mike Vigilante's second goal of the third period with 4:33 left was the winning tally. The IceGators are 9-3-1 all-time in the regular season against Jackson at home, including a 6-1-0 mark in the last seven games. Overall, Louisiana sports a 16-7-3 mark against the Bandits, going 12-3-3 in the last 18 meetings. The teams also met in last season's Southwest Division Semifinals, with Jackson pulling off the second-biggest ECHL post-season upset in five games. The teams will meet five times, including tonight, in the final 23 days of the season.

Last night – Shawn McNeil scored twice and Kyle Kettles stopped 36 shots as the Louisiana IceGators posted a convincing 4-1 victory over the visiting Pensacola Ice Pilots at the Cajundome. Louisiana kept within one point of first-place Mississippi, a 3-2 overtime winner over South Carolina. Casey Kesselring added a goal and an assist, Shawn Skiehar also scored and Konstantin Kalmikov celebrated his return to Lafayette with two helpers for Louisiana, which has won two straight and moved five points up on third-place Pensacola. Cal Benazic chipped in two helpers for the IceGators. Matt Poapst scored the lone goal for Pensacola, which is 2-5-1 in its last eight since an 11-1-1 stretch. Maxime Gingras made 31 saves for the Ice Pilots.

Scouting the Bandits – Jackson plays game No. 19 of a 20-game road trip tonight, having gone 8-6-4 in the first 18 games. The Bandits finish out the swing in Mississippi on Thursday. Jackson won its second straight last night, clinching a playoff spot in the process, beating the Kingfish in Baton Rouge 2-0 behind 36 saves from Adam Hauser. The Bandits had been shut out in three of four games prior to back-to-back wins. Jackson is led by former IceGator John McNabb (28g, 30a), who has seven power play goals, four shorthanded tallies and five game-winners. Veteran Jeff Bes (17g, 33a) is also at the 50-game plateau. One key to Jackson's turnaround after a miserable start has been Brent Gauvreau, who has 33 points (11g, 22a) in 36 games since coming to the Bandits from Augusta. Jackson has struggled to score goals all season, ranking 21st with a 2.8 goals per game average, and have just six players with 10 or more goals. Former Calgary Flame Tyrone Garner has been the workhorse lately, going 13-14-4 with a 2.91 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. Hauser, a rookie out of the University of Minnesota, has put up big numbers and was an All-Star, and is 16-9-3 with 2.59 goals against average and four shutouts. Jackson's main problem this season is its power play, which is dead last among all ECHL teams by clicking on just 11.1 percent of its man advantages.

Louisiana could move back into first – The IceGators, who enter tonight's game with 77 points, trail Mississippi by one point for first place in the Southwest Division after the Sea Wolves' 3-2 home overtime win over South Carolina last night. The IceGators do have two games in hand and lead third-place Pensacola by five points for third thanks to last night's victory. Mississippi plays host to Pensacola tonight and is off tomorrow. A loss by the Sea Wolves and an IceGators win would move Louisiana back into first place.

‘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. Each Southwest Division team, except for Baton Rouge, will make the playoffs this season. 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.

Rest? Who needs rest? – Rookie Kyle Kettles, who has started the team's last nine games and 21 of 23, is obviously enjoying life in the spotlight. Kettles has stopped 120-of-124 shots (.968 save percentage) in the last three games, going 2-1-0 in that span. Things could get better tonight for Kettles, who is 1-1-2 with a miniscule 2.16 goals against average versus Jackson this season. 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 15, set by Reading's Jeff Sanger from January 24-March 1. Kettles started the new streak February 12.

McNeil three goals behind Valicevic – Shawn McNeil's two goals last night give him 129 with the IceGators, moving him within three 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 with 262 games played, he could also pass Matthew Pagnutti (273) this season. January 24, McNeil became the IceGators' fourth leading goal scorer, passing Don Parsons. McNeil's 157 assists are just three 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.

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 are 69-27-5 all-time in March (counting four April regular season games) for a .708 winning percentage – best of all months. Under Dave Farrish, Louisiana is 23-9-1 in March. The IceGators are especially strong at home in March, compiling a .779 winning percentage (33-9-1). In the last three seasons, they are 15-2-1 at the Cajundome in March. The road has been kind as well, as Louisiana is 36-18-4 (.655 winning percentage) in March.

New acquisitions chipping in – 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 is currently on injured reserve, has eight points (2g, 6a) and an assist in each of his first five 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 February 28 in Peoria, has 79 games of AHL/IHL experience and 77 points (20g, 57a) and 934 penalty minutes in 415 career games.

Bartek at 48 ECHL goals, 100 points – Winger Martin Bartek, who is riding a five-game point streak, picked up his 100th ECHL point March 2 in Peoria. Bartek has 48 goals and 52 assists in just 82 career ECHL games.

Both teams have played in 33 one-goal games – Louisiana has played 33 one-goal games, tied for second in the ECHL and four 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. Louisiana's team record for one-goal games is 37, set both in the 1996-97 and 2000-01 seasons. Nineteen of the IceGators' one-goal games have been overtime/shootout contests. In non overtime/shootout one-goal games, Louisiana is just 5-9. Jackson is 14-8-7 in one-goal games, including a 4-5-5 mark on the road.

Brown on a multi-goal binge – Bobby Brown had his fourth career hat trick February 8, and his eight multi-goal games this season lead the team, two better than Shawn McNeil. 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 seven of his nine multi-goal games in the last 20 contests, since January 17.

Brown establishes new career high in points – Bobby Brown has 66 points combined between the IceGators and AHL Cincinnati, six 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 33 goals are three better than his previous career-best 30-tally campaign in 1998-99, while his 34 combined assists are five shy of the 39 that he had in 2000-01.

Brown has six-game point streak– Captain Bobby Brown has nine points (5g, 4a) in a six-game point streak to tie his season-high. Brown had 14 points (9g, 5a) in a six-game point streak that was snapped February 15. Brown also had at least one goal in four straight games during that run, tying his career-best. Brown's only other 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's next milestone will be pro point No. 400 – 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 104 goals and 112 assists in 247 ECHL games while playing for four different teams. Overall in 475 professional games spanning seven seasons, Brown has 394 points (169g, 225a), just six shy of the 400-point plateau.

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. 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, as the mark for fifth most overtime games is 20. 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 tied with 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 last night, McNeil has 1,063 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. This season, McNeil's 269 shots are the second most in the ECHL, trailing only Pensacola's Greg Pankewicz, who has launched 286 shots. The next closest player is Lexington's Ben Storey, with 235.

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 tied for second in the ECHL with 35 goals, does his best work in the clutch. He has four of the IceGators' extra attacker goals this season. More remarkably, 28 of his 35 goals (80 percent) have either tied the game or given his team the lead. Eighteen of his goals have given Louisiana the lead, while 10 of his goals have tied the game. McNeil is two ahead of Nathan Rempel for the team lead with eight game-winning goals, a total that places him one off the league-lead. McNeil's 12 third-period goals lead the team, while 16 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 103 goals, 16 more than Augusta's Andrew Williamson and former IceGators teammate Jay Murphy. Below are the players with the most ECHL goals since the 2000-01 season.

1. McNeil 103 Louisiana 6. Seitz 77 South Carolina

2t. Williamson 87 Augusta 7t. Pankewicz 76 Pensacola

2t. Murphy 87 Greensboro 7t. Dumont 76 Pensacola

4. Sirois 80 Pee Dee 9. Bousquet 74 NA

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 129 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 135 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 129 goals have come against 49 different ECHL goalies, with Cincinnati's Yutaka Fukufuji becoming the latest victim February 26. McNeil has yet to score on either Tyrone Garner or Adam Hauser. 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 .82 goals per third period he plays, better than the second period (0.88), which is better than the first (0.97). In 34 third-periods this season (Kettles had a third period in relief of Frederic Cloutier on November 15), Kettles has yielded 27 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 48 points (25g, 23a). His 31-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 26 more points in 2002-03 than in his 102 career pro games combined coming into this season. Rempel's 25 goals trail only McNeil (35) and Bobby Brown (33) 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 118 games, three better than Gary Roach for 16th on the team's all-time list. Ron Handy is up next on the list with 124 games played, good enough for 15th.

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 112 points and counting – IceGators center Kenny Corupe picked up his 100th pro point January 17. In 180 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 a fighting major March 2 against Peoria, moving him past Mike Kucsulain and Ryan Pisiak for sole possession of ninth place on the team's all-time list with 23. 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 60 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 200 of 204 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.

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 in January, 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 23 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.

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 111 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. The longest run without a goal is 119 games, by Pensacola's Eric Van Acker, who hasn't scored since October 14, 2001, with Greenville against Macon.

Picking up the slack – Since John DePourcq got injured again February 1, Shawn Skiehar has helped pick up the slack. Skiehar has eight points (4g, 4a), including four power-play tallies, in the 14 games since DePourcq got hurt. Skiehar's eight goals have tied his career-best, while his six assists are four behind his career-best. Skiehar's 14 points are just one 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 77 points through 70 games – Louisiana's 77 points through 60 games are the fifth most in team history. Last season's Brabham Cup winning team had 97 points through 60 games. A victory tonight would give the IceGators 79 points, which would also be the fifth best in franchise history after 60 games. Louisiana's winning percentage is .642, which would calculate into 92 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, while the fewest ever was 80 points in 1996-97. Strong at home – The IceGators are 21-5-4 at home this season for a winning percentage of .767. Through 30 games at home last season, Louisiana was 25-2-3, 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 30 home games, Louisiana's 46 points are the fourth most in team history, seven points off last season's mark. A win tonight would give the IceGators 48 points in 31 home games, which would still be the fourth most in team history and also seven behind last season's squad.

Road update – The IceGators were victorious March 2 in Peoria to keep from falling below the .500 mark on the road. Louisiana is 12-11-7 away from the Cajundome. The IceGators' 31 road points through 30 games are tied for the second fewest in the eight-year team history, trailing only 1999-2000 (30). The IceGators have won 51.7 percent of their road games, which would calculate to 37 road points, which would trail only the 1999-2000 team (34 points) for the fewest in team history.

Staying on the board – The IceGators have scored in 128 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 March 1. 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 20-9-3 when outshooting opponents, including a 13-1-2 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 25-1-3 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 96-5-4 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 13th of 15 stretches 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 nine of 12 occasions, going 6-3-3. Louisiana is 12-3-2 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 36 special teams points (15g, 20a), including a team-best 31 (13g, 18a) on the power play. Bobby Brown (11g, 16a) is second with 27 special teams points, three ahead of the departed Kevin Mitchell (4g, 20a) and five up on Bruce Richardson (8g, 14a), now in AHL Hershey.

McNeil tops with 16 special teams goals – Shawn McNeil has 16 special teams goals to lead the team, including a team-best 13 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 nineth in the ECHL with a 19.6 power play percentage, including 23.0 percent at home (seventh in league) and 16.2 percent on the road (14th). Louisiana went 2-for-7 last night on the power play after going 3-for-41 (7.3 percent) in eight prior games. On the penalty kill, Louisiana is ranked 17th with an 81.7 percentage. The team has never finished a season ranked lower than ninth on the penalty kill. At home, the IceGators are ranked only 22nd (81.8 percent), but on the road they are in eighth (81.8 percent). The IceGators allowed just one goal on seven power play chances last night after having allowed 10 power play goals on 37 chances (27.0 percent) in the last six games.

Welcome back – The IceGators locker room got a familiar face back Thursday when Konstantin Kalmikov was assigned to the team by the New York Islanders. Kalmikov recorded 47 points (20g, 27a) and five game-winning goals in 67 games with Louisiana last season before signing a free agent deal with the Islanders and AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers last summer. Kalmikov, who posted 19 points (10g, 9a) in 53 games with the Sound Tigers, has 140 points (54g, 86a) in 363 professional games in North America. He was a third-round draft pick (No. 68 overall) of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. Kalmikov posted two assists in his season-debut with Louisiana last night. The IceGators are 34-0-1 all-time when Kalmikov has a point.

Quick hits

· Louisiana's Kyle Kettles hasn't given up an even strength goal in 181 minutes, three seconds, since Peoria's Mike Nelson scored late in the game February 28. The last four goals that Kettles has allowed have all been power-play tallies.

· Jackson has four fewer power play goals this season (34) overall than Louisiana has (38) in 30 home games.

· The IceGators are 26-2-6 when yielding one or less power play goals this season, including a 16-0-1 mark at home, but they are 7-14-5 overall when allowing two or more.

· Louisiana is 3017-8 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.

· Bobby Brown has seven goals and eight points in seven games versus Jackson this season.

· Shawn McNeil has seven points – all assists – in seven games against the Bandits this season.

· Jackson's John McNabb has five points (3g, 2a) against Louisiana this season, the only Bandit with more than three points versus the IceGators this season.

· The IceGators' Cal Benazic has at least one penalty in each of the last 10 games, with 50 PIM's in that streak. The run is tied for the second longest current streak in the ECHL with South Carolina's Brent Henley. Benazic has seven minor penalties in his last three games and is fourth overall in the league in minors with 60.

· The IceGators sport a 10-0-2 mark when allowing 29 or fewer shots at the Cajundome.

· Louisiana's Milt Mastad and Jackson's Jeff Bes were teammates with the Bandits during the 2000-01 season.

· The Bandits' Bryan Forslund and Louisiana's Martin Bartek played together with New Orleans in 2000-01.

· Jackson's John McNabb spent part of the 2000-01 season with the IceGators, posting 14 points (4g, 10a) in 18 games.

IceGators vs. Bandits

Benazic 6gp, 3g, 2a, 5 pts,

Brown 12gp, 9g, 1a, 10 pts

Corupe 9gp, 3g, 2a, 5 pts, 1 GWG

McNeil 25gp, 7g, 13a, 20 pts, 2 GWG

Morin 7gp, 0g, 5a, 5 pts

Rempel 15gp, 2g, 4a, 6 pts

Sarich 7gp, 0g, 5a, 5 pts

Skiehar 11gp, 2g, 1a, 3 pts

Kettles 4gp, 1-1-2, 2.16 gaa, .935 save pct.

Bandits vs. IceGators

Bes 13gp, 3g, 5a, 8 pts, 1 GWG

Gauvreau 19gp, 8g, 10a, 18 pts, 3 GWG

McNabb 23gp, 6g, 5a, 11 pts

Vigilante 13gp, 4g, 2a, 6 pts, 1 GWG

Garner 3gp, 2-0-1, 1.58 gaa, .942 save pct.

Hauser 5gp, 2-2-1, 3.69 gaa, .882 save pct.

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ECHL Stories from March 8, 2003


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