Louisiana game notes vs. Texas

Published on November 15, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


Wildcatters at IceGators – The expansion Texas Wildcatters make their first ever trip to the Cajundome tonight. The teams have met once before, with the IceGators emerging with a 3-1 win at brand-new Ford Arena in Beaumont one week ago. In that game, the teams combined for a whopping 193 penalty minutes – 113 by Texas. The Wildcatters franchise previously played in Huntington, W.Va., and is 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 (Second of 15 meetings; LA 1-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 home, 1-0-0 road)

Saturday, Nov. 8: Louisiana 3 at Texas 1
TONIGHT – 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 – Bobby Brown scored twice and rookies Brian Herbert and Jamie Johnson added their first pro goals, and the Louisiana IceGators held on to beat the Pensacola Ice Pilots 5-4 at the Pensacola Civic Center. Konstantin Kalmikov's third-period goal was the game winner, Josh Mizerek tied his career-high with three assists and Frederic Cloutier made 28 saves to pick up his third straight win for Louisiana, which has won five straight. Brian Collins scored twice, Aaron Phillips and Tyler Kindle added a goal apiece and former IceGator Evgeny Konstantinov turned aside 32 shots for Pensacola, which plays at the Cajundome on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

Scouting the IceGators – Louisiana hits the ice tonight in search of its sixth straight win. Goaltending had been key in the four previous wins, before the offense broke through in a big way last night. In the first four games of the streak, Louisiana got by because it averaged 1.25 goals against per game, but last night the IceGators put five goals up on Pensacola in a 5-4 win. Kenny Corupe is having a breakout season thus far, averaging more than a point per game, with 10 points (2g, 8a) in nine games. Corupe carries a seven-game point streak and six-game assist streak into tonight's game. Bobby Brown (5g, 3a), who had his 29th career multi-goal game last night, is tied for second on the team with eight points with Ben Storey (2g, 6a), who had two helpers last night. It's been a balanced IceGators scoring attack early, with eight players having at least four points. Konstantin Kalmikov, who had the game-winner in the third period last night, has four goals – second on the team – and six points. Louisiana's leading rookie scorers are Jamie Johnson (1g, 4a), who had his first pro goal last night, and Ben Kilgour (2g, 2a), who has four points in just five games after beginning the season with Idaho. The defense is led by Storey and Josh Mizerek (7a), who tied a career-best with three assists last night. The IceGators defense is helping the goalies, allowing just 27.1 shots per game (seventh in the ECHL). The hot goaltending has helped Louisiana's offense, which is averaging 2.67 goals per game. Derek Gustafson is 3-1-0 with a 1.92 goals against average, while Cloutier is 4-1-0 with a 2.40 goals against average. Cloutier has won three straight, while Gustafson has picked up wins in two straight. The duo has combined for a 2.22 goals against average, fourth in the ECHL.

Scouting the Wildcatters – Texas has just one win in its last eight games (1-6-1), with that victory coming Sunday with a 4-3 overtime win against Pensacola. The Wildcatters, who lost a one-goal, second-period lead in a 5-3 loss in Pensacola on Thursday, are riding a five-game road winless streak (0-4-1) and haven't won away from Ford Arena since a 3-1 win in Trenton on October 19. Texas had a rough schedule early on waiting for its new arena to be completed, starting the season on a seven-game road trip, which came on the heels of a pre-season training camp in Idaho. The Wildcatters' most dangerous weapon on offense is Bobby Cunningham, who is averaging nearly a goal per game, with 10 goals and eight assists in 11 games. Cory Morgan (3g, 8a) and former IceGator Tony Lawrence (3g, 7a) have also reached the double-digit plateau in points. Texas' captain, defenseman Brian Stacey, had four points (1g, 3a) in the first six games, but is currently on injured reserve. The Wildcatters have been picking things up on the offensive end lately, but are struggling mightily defensively. Texas is yielding 4.45 goals per game, easily the worst in the 31-team ECHL. The goalies aren't actually playing badly, considering the team is allowing 40.27 shots per game. The Wildcatters netminders being tested are Jason Cugnet and Davis Parley. Parley has been the most consistent early on, going 2-2-1 with a 3.68 goals against average and a good .908 save percentage. Cugnet, expected to be the team's go-to goalie, is 0-6-0 with a 5.13 goals against average. His best game, though, was in a 3-1 loss to the IceGators last Saturday.

Looking for sixth straight overall - The IceGators' five-game winning streak ties their season-high from last season, set three times, the last from March 15-22. Louisiana's last six-game winning streak was from January 13-January 29, 2002, during the IceGators' record-setting 116-point season. That campaign included a league-record tying 14-game winning streak.

Masa a point away from 500 in pro career – Louisiana left wing Martin Masa is just one point shy of 500 entering tonight's game. Masa, at 30 the eldest statesman in the IceGators locker room, has 499 points (213g, 286a) in 582 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.

Special teams update – Louisiana enter tonight's game third in the ECHL on the power play following another impressive performance last night, going 2-for-6 with the man advantage. The IceGators are 14-for-52 on the Louisiana Motors Pontiac Power Play so far this season, good for an eye-popping 26.9 percent. Louisiana has scored 14 of its 22 regulation goals this season on the power play, with two more coming with the goalie pulled for a delayed. Over the last four games, the IceGators are 8-for-27, with eight of their 12 goals (not counting a shootout goal) coming with the man advantage. On the Acadiana Bottling Pepsi Penalty Kill, Louisiana is 34-of-40 (85.0 percent). That puts the IceGators 10th in the league. Texas is 15th in the league on the power play at 17.2 percent and just 24th on the penalty kill at 79.7 percent. Only four teams have allowed more shorthanded chances than the Wildcatters have (74) in 11 games.

Scoreless streak ends – Louisiana's scoreless streak stopped at 114 minutes, 49 seconds last night when Aaron Phillips scored just 52 seconds into the game. It was the first goal that the IceGators had given up since Texas' Cory Morgan's goal 6:03 into the first period last Saturday. Frederic Cloutier held the Wildcatters off the board for the remainder of that game, and then Derek Gustafson shut out Columbus on Sunday. The IceGators were less than 10 minutes away from both the third-longest scoreless streaks in team history. The fourth-longest streak was by Cloutier and Marc Magliarditi (123:45) from March 26-29, 2002. The third longest was Cloutier and Kyle Kettles (123:52) from January 2-14, 2003. Cloutier was actually involved in all four of the longest shutout streaks in team history. He and Magliarditi combined for the second-longest combined shutout streak in team history (142:15) from November 23-29, 2001, and the longest streak (143:40) from November 3-10, 2001. Cloutier holds the longest individual streak at 167:08, from October 26-November 15, 2001 – his rookie season.

Corupe has points in seven straight, assists in six straight – IceGators centerman Kenny Corupe has at least a point in seven straight games, including one assist in six consecutive contests. Corupe has eight points (2g, 6a) in the last seven games, dating back to October 24 at Florida, and has a point in all but one of the IceGators' game this season. Corupe's point streak is one better than his previous longest ECHL streak, set with Johnstown from March 9-24, 2001. His longest career point streak was nine games with CHL Odessa from February 12-March 7, 2002. His six-game assist streak is already a new career high. Corupe had an assist in five straight with Odessa from February 12-23, 2002.

Storey ties career-high with five-game point streak – Louisiana defenseman Ben Storey has one point in five straight games, with two goals and four assists in that span. The five-game point streak is one better than his previous ECHL high, set twice, most recently from February 16-22 of last season with Lexington. With a point tonight, Storey will break his career-high, five-game point streak from December 29, 1999-January 9, 2000, with AHL Hershey.

‘Gators look to continue hot November – After ending the season's opening month with their only non-winning October in team history, the IceGators try to start November 6-0-0 tonight. The year's 11th month hasn't been as kind as the rest to Louisiana. The IceGators are 61-30-13 all-time in November, good for a .649 winning percentage – a good winning percentage but still tied for fifth out of six months. On the road, the IceGators are 28-19-5 in November (.587), good for the third-best record in team history. At home, Louisiana is 33-11-8 in November (.712), which is the fifth best in team history. Under Dave Farrish, Louisiana is 29-10-7 in November, including a stout 24-5-4 mark the last two-plus seasons.

IceGators' scoring streak is franchise best – The IceGators have scored in 149 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 14 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.

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 .925 is best in team history. Magliarditi is second (.924). Cloutier's eight shutouts are also a team-best (Kyle Kettles, 5). Cloutier has 52 wins in his first 79 pro contests, having picked up win No. 50 on November 1 in Columbus. Cloutier's all-time pro marks are 52-15-9 with a 2.36 goals against average and .923 save percentage. With the IceGators and in the ECHL, the St. Honore, Que., native is 48-12-7.

Farrish fifth among ECHL coaches with 145 wins – IceGators head coach and vice president of hockey operations Dave Farrish is 145-58-22 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 (206), Reading's Derek Clancey (148) and Gwinnett's Jeff Pyle (146). Farrish's 145 wins are just 25 shy of Doug Shedden's team record. Farrish's .693 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.

Kalmikov loves the game-winner – Winger Konstantin Kalmikov has 23 goals as an IceGator, and seven of them have been game-winners (35 percent), including one last night and 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 has been racking up the penalty minutes lately, and he has 63 PIM's in nine games this season. His 451-penalty minute total with the team is in 10th place on the team's all-time list. Next on the ledgers 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 109-5-4 when taking a lead into the third period under Farrish. As amazing as those numbers are, consider this: Louisiana is 50-1-2 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.

‘Gators have four straight road wins - Louisiana has won four straight on the road, bettering last season's three-game run from December 20-29. The last time Louisiana won five straight on the road was from December 28, 2001-January 26, 2002, during the team's record 116-point campaign. The IceGators won't go on the road again until November 26 at Texas.

Mizerek can dish it out – Louisiana defenseman Josh Mizerek tied his career-high last night with three assists, the second time he has accomplished the feat against Pensacola. Mizerek's seven assists are just one shy of his entire total from last season, and he is just three points shy of his 10-point total from last season. Just how much does Mizerek like playing for Louisiana teams? In his 135 games with New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the IceGators, Mizerek is averaging .39 points per game. In his 70 games elsewhere, Mizerek is averaging just .16 points per contest.

Keep them coming – Tonight, Louisiana will play a Central Division rival for the eighth time, and will look to go 8-0-0 against them. The IceGators and Roanoke (5-0-0) are the only teams undefeated against their own division. Roanoke plays in the Southern Division of the Eastern Conference.

Quick hits

The IceGators have had nine different power play scorers among their 12 man-advantage goals. Amazingly, seven different Louisiana players have at least four power-play points.

Louisiana is 5-0-0 when scoring first and 2-2-0 when allowing the game's first goal.

The IceGators are 6-0-0 when yielding two or fewer goals, and 1-2-0 when allowing four or more. Louisiana hasn't yielded exactly three goals at all in the 2003-04 campaign.

Louisiana's Ben Storey has points in all seven of the IceGators wins. Storey will also play in his 200th North American pro game tonight.

Last night was the first time the IceGators have scored more than three goals all season. Louisiana had scored three goals on four different occasions, twice coming in shootouts.

Louisiana's Frederic Cloutier allowed his first, second-period goal all season last night. Still, Cloutier has stopped 47 of 48 shots sent his way during the middle period (97 percent).

The IceGators' Bobby Brown led the team last season with 17 goals on the road, and his five scores away from the Cajundome in 2003-04 are once again tops on the team.

Louisiana has been outshot just once all season, 39-27, in Florida on October 25 against the Everblades.

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.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from November 15, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central