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Marchant, Bermingham score twice lead RiverBlades over Kettles, IceGators

January 14, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


North Little Rock, AR – Terry Marchant and Jason Bermingham each scored two goals for Arkansas, which held off Louisiana 4-3 at ALLTEL Arena, ending Kyle Kettles' shutout streak in the process. Jason Saal made 33 saves for the third-place RiverBlades, who ran their unbeaten streak to six games (4-0-2) and have 49 points, just five less than the first-place IceGators.

Daniel Goneau, Nathan Rempel and Shawn McNeil each scored for the IceGators, who dropped a game in regulation for just the second time in 13 games (8-2-3). Both of those regulation losses came at ALLTEL Arena versus Arkansas.

Kyle Kettles turned aside 23 shots and had his scoreless streak snapped in the first period at 155:27, the fourth best in team history. Kettles had his 10-game unbeaten in regulation streak ended (6-0-4) and was handed his first regulation loss since a 4-3 defeat in Columbus on November 2.

Arkansas stopped Kettles' scoreless streak just 2:20 into the game with Marchant's shorthanded tally. With Dean Stock in the penalty box for holding, Marchant blocked a Cal Benazic shot from the point and headed up ice alone. With McNeil attempting to hook Marchant off the play, Marchant got a shot by Kettles for his 12th goal of the season and team-best third shorthanded score.

The RiverBlades went up 2-0 at the 5:58 mark with another special teams tally, this one on the power play. With Goneau in the box for roughing, Marchant wound up from the right circle and beat Kettles high blocker side for his 13th of the season.

Rempel scored just 1:40 later to get the IceGators within 2-1. McNeil, on the left wing after a blocked shot, sent a cross-ice pass to Rempel, who tipped the puck past Saal for his 19th goal.

Twenty seconds after a Louis Mass penalty had expired, Bermingham made it 3-1 with 35 seconds left in the first. Bermingham's wrister from between the circles eluded Kettles, who appeared to be interfered with in the crease. The tally was Bermingham's 21st of the season.

McNeil got the IceGators within one just 52 seconds into the second period on the power play. McNeil beat his former teammate glove side from the right circle for his 22nd of the season – eighth in nine games against Saal.

The IceGators continued to dominate the game, as Arkansas managed just one shot in the first eight minutes of the stanza. However, Saal stopped every IceGators chance.

Bermingham then restored the Arkansas lead to two goals at the 17:22 mark. On a 4-on-3 penalty with Goneau in the box for roughing, Matt Pagnutti sent a pass low to Bermingham all alone. Bermingham slid it by Kettles, who had no chance on Bermingham's 22nd of the season.

Bermingham has 10 goals in nine games against Louisiana this season. He also has a five-game goal scoring streak, with seven goals in that span. Tonight also marked his fourth two-goal game, with three coming against the IceGators.

A sloppy power play by Arkansas helped Louisiana get within 4-3 with 5.2 seconds left in the second stanza. Saal and Eric Long gathered behind the Arkansas net in hopes of allowing the clock to run out. Bruce Richardson muscled a puck into his control behind the goal and slid a quick pass to Goneau, whose shot eluded the recovering Arkansas netminder for his 18th tally of the season.

Louisiana outshot the RiverBlades 12-7 in the third period but couldn't get the equalizer. The comeback attempt was hurt when McNeil was sent off for a double minor (slashing, roughing) along with Stock, at the 8:54 mark of the third. Those were the only penalties of the third period.

The IceGators pulled Kettles with a minute left, but Louisiana failed to get a clear shot on goal until the waning seconds. A faceoff deep in the Arkansas zone with seven seconds left gave the IceGators one last shot, but Saal got a piece of a Benazic launch from the point, and the rebound was cleared aside.

The RiverBlades finished 2-for-4 on the power play, while the IceGators were 1-for-4.

Gator Bites:

Louisiana still holds a two-point lead over Mississippi for first place in the Southwest Division, 54-52.

The last team other than Arkansas to beat the IceGators in regulation was Mississippi, which earned a 3-2 win at the Cajundome on December 13.

Kettles' streak ended 11:41 short of Frederic Cloutier's team-record 167:08 mark.

Louisiana's team shutout streak ended at 129:08, the third longest in team history. The longest such streak was 143:40, set last season.

McNeil's assist gave him 140 in his IceGators career, 12 behind John DePourcq for fourth on the team's all-time list. McNeil's goal was his 116th, one behind Don Parsons for fourth on the IceGators' all-time ledger.

Rempel has five points (3g, 2a) in a four-game point streak.

McNeil has six points (2g, 4a) in a four-game point streak.

The IceGators have led after one period in just three of 22 road games.

Louisiana allowed a goal in the opening 2:30 of a game for the 11th time this season. The IceGators are 2-7-2 when yielding that early of a goal.

Bermingham's first tally was just the ninth against the IceGators in the final 2:30 of a period.

McNeil's goal was Louisiana's 23rd in the first 2:30 of a stanza. It was McNeil's third in the opening 150 seconds of a period, but his first since October 19.

Goneau's tally late in the second was the team's 27th in 40 games in the final 2:30 of a stanza. Seven of those goals have come in the past six games.

IceGators enforcer Derek Boogaard sat out the game due to an ECHL suspension resulting from back-to-back spearing majors and game misconducts January 3-4.

Marchant had his second two-goal game this season. Marchant, who has six goals in the last nine games, recorded his other two-goal game at the Cajundome on November 7.

Richardson's two points moved him into the ECHL points lead with 59, one better than Arkansas' Buddy Smith, who had an assist, and Roanoke rookie Jason Jaffray. Richardson's 41 assists continue to lead the circuit, two better than Smith. In their last two games against the IceGators, Arkansas is 5-for-13 on the power play.

The IceGators have eight shorthanded goals, and Richardson has a hand in five of them. Richardson has two goals and three assists while his team is shorthanded.

Saal improved to 7-6-4 all-time against his former team. Saal played the 2000-01 campaign for the IceGators.

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