Manatees Have November to Remember
Published on December 3, 2003 under SPHL (SPHL)
Miami Manatees News Release
Miami â The Miami Manatees have come out strong in the month of November by compiling a record of five wins, 1 loss, and one overtime loss to give them 11 points, good for first place in the WHA2.
The season started for Miami on November 8th when they faced off against the Macon Trax. Center Darren Cain scored the first goal in Manatees history just 38 seconds into the first period, and he would add two more goals by the end of the second period to give him the first hat trick in WHA2 history.
Left wing Eric Perricone scored a season high six points that night, scoring three goals and three assists, while right wing Oak Hewer added four points of his own. Adding to the night of firsts, left wing Kevin Swider scored the first short-handed goal in WHA2 history in the third period. By the end of the night, a total of 16 goals were tallied and the Manatees emerged victorious 10 - 6.
After the opening night game, Perricone was named as the WHA2 Player of the Week on the strength of his opening night performance.
Next up for the Manatees was the Lakeland Loggerheads on November 14. The makings of a solid trio emerged that night. The "Trans-Canada" line of Hewer, Cain, and Perricone had four points in the game. Perricone and Hewer each scored a goal and an assist, while Ryan Kiley made a statement by adding the final two goals of the game to pull the Manatees ahead of the Loggerheads 6 - 2.
Jacksonville took on the Manatees the following night, and the Manatees winning streak continued as the first five goals of the game were scored by the Manatees. Kiley added two more goals and an assist, Perricone and Swider had two points each, and team captain and defenseman Tom Perry continued his point scoring streak by adding a goal and two assists.
With two goals and an assist in the two games, and seven points in three games overall, Hewer was named the WHA2 Player of the Week.
"Oak has been an integral part of our team. He has been playing solid for us since the start of the season, so this is a good accomplishment for him to be named the player of the week." Player/Assistant Coach Tom Perry said.
The Manatees won their first three games convincingly and their accomplishments gained recognition in the national press. Just Hockey Magazine, in conjunction with In the Crease.com releases a weekly "AA" hockey poll. The poll ranks the top 20 teams in the nation out of 70 possible teams that comprise the UHL, ECHL, CHL, SEHL, and the WHA2.
The Manatees didn't rank in the first edition, but they did debut at #8 in the second week of the poll.
The poll stated, "This kind of huge jump, from not-ranked to eighth only takes place early in the poll. When the votes were tallied last week the Manatees had only appeared in one game. Now they have played in three contests and have won them all."
The Manatees headed to Orlando for their first road game on November 23rd. For the first and only time this season, the Manatees allowed their opponent to score first in a game. The teams exchanged goals all game, with Perricone extending his goal-scoring lead by adding two goals, Kiley and Perry added two points each as well. But with less than a minute to go in the game, the Seals scored the equalizer to send the game into overtime where Orlando's Mike Sanderson netted the game-winning goal. The Final score was 5 - 4.
The overtime decision was the first time the Manatees weren't able to skate away with the two points for the win. But good news persisted in the ITC/Just Hockey Top 20 poll, as the Manatees moved up to fourth in the nation.
The poll stated, "The Manatees are the only team in professional hockey that has yet to lose in regulation play this season. Granted they have only played in four contests, but thus far they are the class of the league."
It also was announced that Sean Weaver was named the Goaltender of the Week in the WHA2, making it three weeks in a row that a Manatees player has earned that honor.
The Manatees got their chance at revenge when the Seals made the trip south the Miami on November 26th. Seven Manatee players got on the score sheet that night, led by Hewer's three assists, while center Todd Nowicki, defensemen Dmitri Doulebenets, and Perry each added two points. The game was tied up until Doulebenets deflected a Hewer shot past Orlando goalie David Goverde with 45 seconds left in the game. The Manatees won 4 - 3.
Playing in the opening night of the brand new Jacksonville Veteran's Memorial Arena, the Barracudas were the victims of an unlucky schedule quirk which pitted them against the first place Manatees. The first and last three goals were scored by the Manatees in a 6 - 2 rout in front of approximately 9900 fans. The "Trans-Canada" line was buzzing all night, with Hewer and Perricone notching four points each, while Cain added two points of his own. Defenseman JF Picard scored his first goal of the season and added two assists in the victory.
Maybe it is the TD Waterhouse Center, maybe it is the Seals, or maybe it is just the city of Orlando. Whatever it is, the Manatees have had a hard time on the road against the Seals. A night after playing in Jacksonville, the Manatees were handed their first regulation defeat of the season in a 5 - 2 decision. Nowicki was able to get his fourth goal of the season, and Kiley stayed in the race for league goal-scoring by getting his seventh goal of the season.
Even though they suffered their first and only loss of the season, the Manatees still jumped up to #2 in the most recent ITC/Just Hockey Top 20 poll.
The poll stated, "Just like the other mammals in Miami (the Dolphins) the Manatees are off to a fast start."
So as the Manatees closed out the month of November, they have set the early standard for the rest of the league. Their 11 points after seven games has them sitting in first place in the standings. They have scored 36 goals, good for second in the league, while allowing the second least goals against with 3.71 per game.
The Manatees have seven players in the top 10 in league scoring, defensemen Perry and Doulebenets share the top two spots in WHA2 scoring for defensemen, and goaltender Weaver leads the WHA2 in wins with five, and is third in the league with a 3.70 GAA (min. 5 games).
Special teams have also made the difference for the Manatees. Up until last week, the Manatees boasted the top power play in the league, and now are currently ranked second with a 26.82% success rate. The Manatees also lead the league in killing penalties with an 86% success rate, and the three short-handed goals scored leads the league as well.
The Manatees are currently in the midst of a six-game road trip. They return home to play the Alabama Slammer on December 13 and 14. Coach Boyer set high expectations before the season started, and now that the team has shown that they can play at a high level, the expectations will remain as the next month of play commences.
The Miami Manatees play in the Miami Arena as part of the six-team WHA2. The Miami Manatees will face off against the Alabama Slammers, Jacksonville Barracudas, Lakeland Loggerheads, Macon Trax, and Orlando Seals in the WHA2's inaugural season.
Season Tickets for the Miami Manatees are now on sale. For further information, please contact the Manatees at (305) 536-PUCK (7825) or visit www.miamimanatees.com.
SPHL Stories from December 3, 2003
- Manatees Have November to Remember - Miami Manatees
- Loggerheads Update - Lakeland Loggerheads
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.
