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Lynx Weekly

March 17, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Augusta Lynx News Release


Current Record: 28-31-1-3, 60 pts. (7th place in the South Division)

Augusta, GA - The Augusta Lynx played a season-high five games in one week this past week. It was a week in which the Lynx ended their seven-game losing and put together their first winning streak since early February. The week began on Tuesday with a 5-3 loss at home against the Gwinnett Gladiators. The Lynx led 3-2 after two periods which included a goal from #9 Louis Goulet, which tied the all-time Lynx record, but Gwinnett stormed back with three goals in the 3rd period to win their 4th straight game over the Lynx. The Lynx ended their 7-game skid on Wednesday night with a 4-2 win over the Charlotte Checkers. #9 Louis Goulet scored again to set the all-time Lynx goal scoring record, passing Jonas Solig's mark of 90 goals. #11 Matt Christie posted three assists and goaltender #35 JP Levasseur returned from Portland in the AHL to win his first game for the Lynx since being called up on January 12th. The Lynx then headed to Texas over the weekend for a three game set with the Wildcatters. On Friday, the Lynx used goals from Goulet, #7 Travis Fuller, and #25 Adrian Veideman and 42 saves from #35 JP Levasseur to win in a shootout, 4-3. Matt Christie posted his second straight 3-assist game and had the game-winner in the shootout. On Saturday, the Lynx winning streak came to an end as the Wildcatters used four power play goals to defeat the Lynx 5-2. The Lynx had goals from Goulet (his 4th straight game with a goal) and #17 Anthony Battaglia. On Sunday in the rubber match of the series, the Lynx managed to hold two leads in the game, but Texas scored the final two goals and won 3-2 to even the season series at three wins a piece. #25 Adrian Veideman and #11 Matt Christie scored for Augusta.

THREE GAMES THIS WEEK:

Thursday, March 20 @ Charlotte Checkers, 7:05pm (Charlotte Bobcats Arena)

Friday, March 21 vs. Pensacola Ice Pilots, 7:35pm (James Brown Arena)

Saturday, March 22 vs. Gwinnett Gladiators, 7:05pm (James Brown Arena)

GOULET TIES, THEN SETS GOAL SCORING RECORD: Augusta Lynx captain #9 Louis Goulet had a memorable week this past week. On Tuesday, he tied the Lynx all-time goal scoring record with his 14th goal of the season in the Lynx 5-3 loss at home against Gwinnett. The next night, Goulet was named the game's #1 star as he posted his 15th goal of the season and set the all-time Lynx goal scoring record of 91 goals, eclipsing the previous mark of 90 goals held by Jonas Solig who played for the Lynx from 1998-2001. Goulet leads the Lynx in points scored this season.

LYNX IN THE PLAYOFFS FOR 3RD STRAIGHT SEASON: The Augusta Lynx have clinched a Kelly Cup Playoff berth for the 3rd straight season. The Lynx clinched on Sunday thanks to Charlotte's win over Pensacola. The Lynx are in 7th place in the South Division, nine points ahead of 8th place Mississippi and eight points behind Charlotte and Columbia, who are in a tie for 5th place. In his 9th year of professional coaching (26th overall), Head Coach Bob Ferguson has never coached a team that has missed the playoffs.

LEVASSEUR RETURNS FROM PORTLAND, SHINES FOR LYNX: Augusta Lynx goaltender #35 JP Levasseur returned to the Lynx earlier this week from his most recent stint with the Portland Pirates in the AHL. Levasseur, who last appeared in a game for Augusta back on January 11th, spent two months with the Pirates, playing in seven games. Levasseur posted his first AHL shutout on January 26th, stopping 21 shots against the Lowell Devils. Levasseur has won three out of his last four starts for the Lynx.

LYNX BACK HOME THIS WEEKEND: The Augusta Lynx return to their home ice of the James Brown Arena on Friday, March 21st at 7:35pm against the Pensacola Ice Pilots, and Saturday, March 22nd at 7:05pm against the Gwinnett Gladiators.

4 FOR $44 NIGHT THIS FRIDAY: This Friday, March 21st against Pensacola is 4 for $44 night at the James Brown Arena. Fans can get four tickets, four hot dogs, and four sodas for just $44! To order the 4 for $44 special, call the Lynx office at 706-724-4423.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY JERSEY NIGHT THIS SATURDAY: This Saturday, March 22nd as the Lynx host the Gwinnett Gladiators at 7:05pm, the Lynx will also be wearing special St. Patrick's Day jerseys. Following the game, the jerseys will be auctioned right off the players backs to the general public in the Lynx Den.

COLEMAN, BOLT CALLED UP TO PORTLAND: Head Coach Bob Ferguson announced this past Thursday that goaltender #1 Gerald Coleman has been reassigned by the Anaheim Ducks to the Portland Pirates of the AHL. This will be Coleman's second stint with the Pirates this season. Coleman played in 16 games from October through January this season. While with the Lynx, Coleman appeared in nine games, posting a 2-5 record with a 2.64 goals against average and a 90.2% save percentage.

Lynx forward #21 Bobby Bolt was recalled to Portland this past Wednesday. This is the first action of the season for Bolt in the AHL. After recovering from an early season injury, Bolt joined the Lynx in November and has scored 25 points in 53 games played for the Lynx during his first full rookie season. Bolt is the youngest player on the Lynx roster.

PLAYOFF TICKET PACKAGES NOW AVAILABLE: The Augusta Lynx have released and posted their 2008 Kelly Cup Playoff ticket information on their website. Playoff ticket prices start at $100 for the first 10 home playoff games. Money for playoff home games not played can be applied towards 2008-09 season tickets or refunded. For more information, please call the Augusta Lynx office at 706-724-4423 or visit the Augusta Lynx website at: http://www.augustalynx.com/tickets/playoffs/

NEXT BROADCAST: The next broadcast of Augusta Lynx hockey is Thursday, March 20th as the Lynx travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to face the Charlotte Checkers at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Face-off time is 7:05pm with the Stone by Design Pre-Game Show beginning at 6:50pm. The game can be heard live in Augusta on NewsTalkSports 1630AM WRDW, or live over the internet at www.augustalynx.com

20 YEARS OF ECHL BOOK AVAILABLE NOW: Orders are still be accepted for "20 Years of the ECHL," a comprehensive book by noted minor league hockey historian and author Jim Mancuso that is called a "must read" for ECHL fans. Fans can purchase the book on the left-hand side of the ECHL web site at ECHL.com. Mancuso takes readers on a tour that has seen the "East Coast Hockey League" transform from five teams in four states into the "ECHL" with 25 teams across North America. The book has more than 200 photographs and interviews. The soft-cover, 136-page book is $26 per copy.

COMPARED TO LAST YEAR: After 63 games last season, the Lynx were 35-25-1-2. This season after 63 games, the Lynx are 28-31-1-3. The Lynx won a franchise-record 39 games last season.

The week that was:

Tuesday, March 11, Gwinnett Gladiators 5 @ Augusta Lynx 3

Thanks to three 3rd period goals, the Gwinnett Gladiators were able to defeat the Augusta Lynx on Tuesday night by a score of 5-3, sending the Lynx to their 7th straight loss and 10th loss in the past 11 games. The game started on the right foot for the Lynx with a goal from #16 Chase Watson early in the 1st period with help from #21 Bobby Bolt and #18 Dan Kronick. However, the Glads power play responded with a goal from Chad Painchaud to tie the score at 1-1. The Lynx would regain the lead on a nice backdoor goal from Bobby Bolt with help from Watson and Kronick. The Glads fought back in the 2nd period to tie the game at 2-2, but the Lynx again answered with a historic goal from #9 Louis Goulet, who came from behind the net to beat goaltender Dan Turple with help from #17 Anthony Battaglia and #2 Jason Platt. However, the Lynx undoing came in the 3rd period with three Gladiators goals. First, Jamie Milam tied it at 3-3 on the first shift of the period with a drive that beat Lynx goalie #30 Bobby Goepfert. Minutes later, Guillaume Desbiens tipped home a drive from the point to give the Glads their first and only lead of the game. The Lynx could never recover and fell to the Gladiators for the 3rd time in four nights. Goepfert made 22 saves and dropped his 6th decision in a row, while Turple stopped 36 shots.

Wednesday, March 12, Charlotte Checkers 2 @ Augusta Lynx 4

Entering Wednesday night's game against the Charlotte Checkers, the Lynx were looking to snap a 7-game skid before heading out on their roadtrip to Texas this weekend, and thanks to #9 Louis Goulet's 91st career goal, three assists from #11 Matt Christie and a nice effort in goal from #35 JP Levasseur, the Lynx snapped their 7-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday night in Augusta. After a first period that saw both goaltenders made some great saves, the Lynx finally got on the board in historic fashion as captain #9 Louis Goulet scored the 91st goal of his career on a 4 on 3 power play to give the Lynx a 1-0 lead. #11 Matt Christie and #25 Adrian Veideman assisted on the goal and for Goulet, it set the all-time Lynx record as he moved past Jonas Solig's mark of 90 goals. The Lynx ended up outshooting the Checkers 15-10 in the period thanks to some late period power plays. The Lynx increased the lead to 2-0 in the 2nd period with a shorthanded goal from #16 Chase Watson, who swooped in and smashed home a rebound drive from Matt Christie with more help from #3 B.J. Crum. Lynx goaltender #35 J.P. Levasseur made some big saves in the 2nd period, but the Checkers finally broke through late in the 2nd period on their fifth power play of the night as a shot from the point from Kenton Smith found its way though traffic and beat a screened Levasseur. However, when it seemed like the Checkers had momentum heading into the lockerroom, the turning point of the game came when Louis Goulet walked the puck in the Checkers zone, took it behind the net, and centered a pass for #17 Anthony Battaglia, who smashed home a one-timer with only :04 seconds remaining in the 2nd period. For Battaglia, it was his first goal for the Lynx since being traded by Columbia and the first in a Lynx uniform since the 2005-06 season. The 3rd period saw the Checkers close the gap with another power play goal, this time from Mark Lee, but the Lynx would respond to ensure that the losing streak would end tonight. The Lynx sealed their first win since February 23rd as #7 Travis Fuller smashed home a backdoor 2 on 1 pass from Matt Christie with more help from #20 Matt Auffrey. Levasseur and the Lynx held the fort the rest of the way for their 27th win of the year.

Friday, March 14, Augusta Lynx 4 @ Texas Wildcatters 3 (SO)

The Augusta Lynx played a very good road game on Friday night in Beaumont, Texas against the first-place Texas Wildcatters and thanks to some opportunistic scoring on the power play and the play of goaltender #35 JP Levasseur, the Lynx got themselves a well deserved 4-3 shootout win. The 1st period was perhaps one of the better ones for the Lynx on the road in recent memory, as they outshot the Wildcatters 10-7. The Lynx scored the game's first goal with a beautiful back door pass on the power play from #7 Travis Fuller to #9 Louis Goulet who streaked in from the point and smashed home the pass with more help from #11 Matt Christie. Lynx goaltender #35 JP Levasseur, made his second straight start for the Lynx and was hot early. The Lynx increased the lead early in the 2nd period to 2-0 as Travis Fuller took a back door pass in front from Matt Christie and hammered home the puck past goaltender Jeff Pietrasiak for a 2-0 Lynx lead. The Wildcatters wouldn't die as they got on the board with a 5 on 3 power play goal from Cleve Kinley, who snuck a shot underneath Levasseur. Late in the period, the Wildcatters made it 2-2 with a late goal from Riley Emmerson, who after getting cut up in an earlier fight with #6 Will Bodine got his revenge with the goal. The Lynx took advantage of their own 5 on 3 power play early in the 3rd period and it paid off with a slapshot goal from the point from #25 Adrian Veideman with another assist to Matt Christie (his 3rd of the night) and Louis Goulet. Late in the game and with the goalie pulled, Texas managed to tie the game with only :11 seconds remaining as Kevin Baker got around the outside of the Lynx defense and slid a pass in front for Jonathan Paiement to hammer home underneath Levasseur to send the game to overtime tied at 3-3. In overtime, it was the JP Levasseur show, as the goaltender made several sprawling saves to keep the Lynx alive. On the night Levasseur would make 42 saves. In the shootout, the Lynx got goals from #20 Matt Auffrey and #12 Ryan Dingle, while Paiement and John McNabb scored for the Wildcatters. It all boiled down to the 5th shooter for the Lynx, who was Matt Christie and Christie gave the Lynx the win with a snap shot right between the legs of Pietrasak for the first Lynx winnning streak since February 8th.

Saturday, March 15, Augusta Lynx 2 @ Texas Wildcatters 5

Fueled by 11 power plays including four power play goals, the Texas Wildcatters broke a 2-2 tie heading into the 3rd period with three goals to defeat the Augusta Lynx 5-2 Saturday night in Beaumont, Texas. For the Lynx, it ended their brief two-game winning streak. The Lynx once again, came out playing a solid road game. The Wildcatters got on the board first thanks to a freak goal on the power play. As Texas dumped the puck in the Lynx zone, goaltender #30 Bobby Goepfert went to stop the puck behind the net. A couple feet before the puck reached Goepfert, it redirected off a uneven crease in the dasher boards and popped directly out front for John McNabb to deposit into the empty net. The Lynx struck back however with a goal from #17 Anthony Battaglia. On the play McNabb hit #22 Shane Hynes from behind and the Lynx took advantage of the delayed penalty as #2 Jason Platt and #27 Nick Toneys kept the play alive to get the puck to Battaglia on the left wing for the goal. McNabb was given a game misconduct for his hit on Hynes. The Wildcatters struck back during the Lynx power play, as a turnover at the Texas blueline led to a 2 on 1 from Dan Welch who sniped a drive over the glove of Goepfert for a 2-1 lead. But, just :38 seconds later #9 Louis Goulet took the puck coast to coast and scored on a backhander to tie the score at 2-2 at the end of the 1st period. The 2nd period was dominated by special teams play with the two teams unable to score during a combined 15 power plays through the first two periods. However, with the Lynx in the box to start the 3rd period, the Wildcatters took advantage with Welch's 2nd goal of the night as a drive from the point bounced off two players to Welch who beat a diving Goepfert. The best chance for the Lynx to tie was off the stick of Battaglia, who was awarded a penalty shot after being hooked from behind on a 2 on 1, but Battaglia's drive couldn't beat goaltender Kris Tebbs to the blocker side. The last four penalties of the game and all the penalties in the 3rd period came against the Lynx and the Wildcatters made them pay with two more power play goals from Kevin Baker and Scott Champagne. Augusta finished 1 for 7 on the power play, while Texas was 4 for 11.

Sunday, March 16, Augusta Lynx 2 @ Texas Wildcatters 3

Despite leading twice, the Augusta Lynx fell to the Texas Wildcatters on Sunday in Beaumont by a score of 3-2. The Wildcatters scored the game's final two goals, which was the difference. The Lynx once again, put together a very good 1st period in Texas. The Lynx kicked off the scoring right after killing off their first penalty of the game, which was against #25 Adrian Veideman. As soon as Veideman's penalty expired, #17 Anthony Battaglia hit him with a perfect pass coming out of the box for a breakaway, which he put past goaltender Kris Tebbs. However, Texas would tie the game again utilizing the power play with a goal from Kris Baker, who put a rebound past Lynx goaltender #35 JP Levasseur. The Lynx regained the lead with a goal from #11 Matt Christie, who won a face-off and slipped a one-handed shot past Tebbs. But, just :36 seconds later Texas struck back with a goal from Scott Champagne, who smashed home a pass from behind the net after a botched Lynx breakout and subsequent turnover. The Wildcatters outshot the Lynx 14-11 in the period. The 2nd period saw the Lynx fire 11 more shots on goal including two power play opportunities, but the lone goal in the period came from the Wildcatters, who took their first lead of the night with a tip-in goal from Colin Nicholson. The Lynx could not get the puck deep and the Wildcatters made them pay with their transition game and a shot from the point was tipped in behind Levasseur. The Lynx had plenty of chances in the 3rd period with great opportunities from Christie and #10 Garrett Winder, but couldn't get anything behind Tebbs. At the end of the game and with Levasseur pulled for the extra attacker, the Lynx had a good :30 seconds of 6 on 5 advantage time, but could not get the puck on goal despite several chances from the point and the Wildcatters squeaked one out and evened the season series at 3 to 3. The shots in the game were even at 28-28.

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