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Louisiana game notes vs. Pensacola, 11/28

November 27, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


The IceGators are hardly breaking for the holidays, opening up a three-game set Thanksgiving night at the Cajundome at 7:05 against Pensacola. The first 1,000 fans in attendance get a Thanksgiving puck, sponsored by the Louisiana HockeyPlex. Friday is Leftover Night, which will also feature local musician Marc Broussard during the intermissions. Anyone bringing a canned food item to the Cajundome Friday will get their pick of something out of the IceGators' store room from years past. Saturday, the IceGators play in Biloxi against the Sea Wolves at 7:35 p.m.

Ice Pilots at IceGators – Pensacola looks for its first win at the Cajundome in more than three seasons in tonight's Thanksgiving contest. The IceGators, trying to avenge their worst loss of the season, a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Ice Pilots on November 15, have won eight straight home meetings with Pensacola since a 5-1 loss on November 12, 1999. In the last 13 meetings with the Ice Pilots at the Cajundome, Louisiana is 12-1-0, and the IceGators hold an 18-5-1 record versus Pensacola all-time at the Cajundome. Overall, Louisiana is 33-14-2 against the Ice Pilots, although dropping two of the last three meetings after winning 13 of 15. In the Pensacola win back on November 15, Greg Pankewicz had two goals and two assists and the Ice Pilots exploded for five goals against Frederic Cloutier in the second period. Nathan Rempel scored the lone goal for the IceGators, who actually led 1-0 in the game.

Sunday night – Brent Cullaton scored at 3:18 of overtime to lift the Columbus Cottonmouths to a wild 7-6 win over the Louisiana IceGators at the Cajundome. Sean McAslin and Jerome Bechard each scored two goals for Columbus, which snapped a season-high four-game losing streak – including a 7-3 loss to the IceGators on Saturday night. Cullaton's goal ruined a memorable comeback by Louisiana, which scored two goals in the final 2:34, including the game-tying goal by Shawn McNeil with 47 seconds left. Bruce Richardson, coming off his four-goal, five-point game Saturday, scored two goals and added an assist for the IceGators, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Frederic Cloutier stopped 18-of-25 shots, while Daniel Goneau and Kevin Mitchell each chipped in with three assists.

Scouting the Ice Pilots – Pensacola tries to get back on the winning track tonight after having a five-game winning streak snapped Saturday with a 4-1 loss at Arkansas. The Ice Pilots had been the hottest team in the ECHL up until that point, winning the last five games by a combined 18-5 margin. It took 32 saves by Jason Saal to cool off Pensacola, which is finishing off a five-game road swing tonight. Louis Dumont scored the lone goal Saturday for the Ice Pilots, while Maxime Gingras – arguably the hottest goalie in the ECHL – made 33 saves. Gingras is a workhorse for Pensacola, as he is the played in each of the team's last 14 games – starting all but one of them. The diminutive netminder had given us two goals or less in each of his last six games prior to Saturday, and he hasn't yielded more than three goals in any of his last 12 games since a 5-2 loss in Mississippi on October 19. Gingras is 7-4-3 with a 2.06 goals against average and a .939 save percentage, and over his past 10 games he has a 1.62 goals against average. Just as vital to Pensacola's hopes this season are veterans Dumont and Greg Pankewicz, who have combined for 35 of the team's 116 points so far, including 15 of 42 goals. Dumont is the team's leading scorer with 20 points (4g, 16a), while linemate Pankewicz has 15 points, including a team-best 11 goals. Pankewicz has seven more goals than any other Ice Pilot. The Ice Pilots' depth has been limited this season, but should improve with the addition of Gaetan Royer, who began the season with Jackson. Josh Harrold (2g, 8a) and Brad Dexter (1g, 8a) lead a solid defensive corps. An Ice Pilot who has come on particularly strong of late is Trevor Allman, a 64-point scorer last season in the Central Hockey League. Allman has all three of his goals and five of his seven points in the last five games. Pensacola enters tonight's game 8-5-3 for 19 points, in fourth place in the Southwest Division, seven points behind Arkansas and Mississippi, and six behind the IceGators.

Back on top – An IceGators win tonight, combined with a Mississippi regulation loss to Baton Rouge, would put the IceGators in sole possession of first place for the first time since October 26, when they were 5-0-0 and two points up on Mississippi. Louisiana did hold a share of first place with Arkansas and Mississippi over the weekend. The IceGators haven't been out of first this late in the season since December 20, 2000.

Magic numbers all around – The IceGators are 9-0-1 when scoring four or more goals, and they are 10-1-1 when allowing three or less.

He's the guy who puts the power into play – IceGators defenseman Kevin Mitchell has 21 points (1g, 20a) this season, and 16 of those points (1g, 15a) have come on the power play. Five of Mitchell's eight career goals have come with the man advantage. Sunday night, Mitchell became the 19th player in team history to record 50 assists.

Seven-goal plateau isn't reached often - In the 513-game history of the IceGators' franchise, Sunday was just the 15th time it has given up seven goals in a game. The feat happened only one other time in the three-year Dave Farrish era, an 8-5 loss in Toledo on January 6, 2001.

An unusual occurance – Sunday's 7-6 overtime loss to Columbus marked just the second time – the first since March 19, 1999, against Pensacola that the IceGators scored six goals in a game and didn't win. That night, Louisiana also dropped a 7-6 decision on the road. The IceGators had won their last 30 games when scoring six or more goals. All-time, the IceGators are 99-1-1 when scoring at least six goals. Five was an important number last season, as when the scored five or more goals, it went 24-0-0.

Getting it done in the third – Bruce Richardson has 11 goals this season, including a team-best seven in the third period. Shawn McNeil (four) is the only other IceGator with more than three goals in the third period. Four of Richardson's goals have been classified as "insurance goals," or the last goal when the IceGators win by two goals.

Can he do it again – Bruce Richardson is the first IceGator with six goals over a two-game span since Jay Murphy had back-to-back hat tricks from March 12-17, 2000. Murphy had a run of four hat tricks in six games late that season. Bob Berg also totaled six goals in two games – five in one contest – in the 1995-96 campaign. Murphy holds the record for most goals in a three game span with eight – from March 12-18, 2000.

Goneau "helping" out – Daniel Goneau is in the midst of a career-best four-game assist streak, with nine assists in that span. Goneau did the majority of the damage the last two games against Columbus, notching seven assists, including a career-high tying four helpers Saturday. Goneau's 24 points and 17 assists both rank him third on the IceGators. Five of Goneau's assists this season have come on goals by Bruce Richardson, the most times Goneau has set up an opposing player. Goneau has recorded an assist on goals by seven different players this season. Goneau has at least one point in eight of his last nine games.

Mitchell dishing it out as well – Kevin Mitchell notched his first career three-point game Sunday, picking up three assists in the 7-6 overtime loss to Columbus. The contest was also Mitchell's sixth multi-assist game this season, after picking up two assists in a game just five times last season. Mitchell, who has five assists in his last two games, has set up both Shawn McNeil and Bruce Richardson five times this season.

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 81 goals, five more than former teammate Jay Murphy.

Doing their best work while shorthanded – The IceGators yielded eight power play opportunities in Sunday's 7-6 overtime loss to Columbus. Amazingly, Louisiana is 6-0-2 when allowing eight or more power play opportunities.

Quick hits

Shawn McNeil has responded after a season-high four-game drought without a goal, picking up one tally in each of the last two games.

Kenny Corupe has a three-game point streak, with one goal and two assists in that span. Corupe has five points (1g, 4a) in his last six games.

Jeff Worlton had a fighting major in five straight games prior to Sunday.

Bruce Richardson has played four straight penalty-free games after 10 straight with a penalty, including his 31-PIM performance November 10 against Greenville.

Bruce Richardson is a plus-nine in his last six games, with 13 points (7g, 6a) in that span.

With a point tonight, Tony Tuzzolino can get his first four-game point streak since December 8-20, 2000, with AHL Hartford. Tuzzolino has five points (2g, 3a) in his last three games.

Louisiana yielded five or more goals in a game just five times last season, and the team has done it four times already in 2001-02.

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