Mass picks good time for first pro goal

November 19, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Louisiana IceGators News Release


Biloxi, MS – Louis Mass scored his first pro goal in his 77th game with 5:21 left in the third period and Frederic Cloutier made an acrobatic 26 saves, as the Louisiana IceGators beat the Mississippi Sea Wolves 2-1 at Mississippi Coast Coliseum.

Bobby Brown also scored for the IceGators, who pulled even with the Sea Wolves for second place in the Southwest Division. Louisiana, which killed off a big 5-on-3 just before Mass' goal, won for the third time in four games and improved to 3-1-1 in its last five. The IceGators, who open up a five-game homestand Friday at 7:05 p.m. against Baton Rouge, rebounded from Friday's 6-1 loss in Pensacola, their worst loss since the 2000-01 season.

Sean Matile turned aside 22 shots and Cody Bowtell scored for Mississippi, which finished 0-for-6 on the power play. The Sea Wolves have converted just 1-of-27 attempts with the man advantage against the IceGators this season.

Brown's score came on the IceGators' third power play of the night, at the 5:00 mark of the second. Daniel Goneau duck a loose puck out from along the boards and got it to Kevin Mitchell at the point. The second-year defenseman ripped a shot from just inside the blueline. Matile made the initial stop, but the puck bounced into the low slot. Brown was there to pick up the rebound, and he went top shelf on Matile for his sixth goal of the season. The assist was Mitchell's 50th in his pro career.

The rest of the period also went in the favor of the IceGators, who outshot Mississippi 10-5 in the period. The Sea Wolves had outshot Louisiana 11-5 in the opening period.

Mississippi got even just 36 seconds into the third on a 4-on-4. Mike Scott picked Rod Sarich's pocket behind Cloutier and fed Bowtell, who was camped out in the slot. Bowtell slipped the puck past Cloutier to tie the game at 1-1. Jim Baxter was credited with an assist on the play as well.

Brown nearly tied the game 5:24 into the third period, as Matile lost the puck in the crease. Brown got the puck even with the goal line, but no further. Matile robbed Nathan Rempel at the halfway point of the period, as Rempel one-timed a pass from Sarich between the circles. Matile stacked the pads and turned Rempel's attempt aside.

The IceGators' penalty killing was put to a test when they went down a man at the 10:34 mark after Goneau was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Baxter, the league's point leader among defensemen, ripped a shot from the point midway through the period but Cloutier turned the shot aside and covered up.

The Sea Wolves went on a 5-on-3 for the final 35 seconds of the Goneau penalty, as Mitchell went off for roughing. Cloutier dove on a loose puck between J.P. Morin's legs just before Goneau's penalty had expired. Seconds later, Cloutier stopped Bowtell from close range. Cloutier made two more big saves, including a diving stop, to help finish the penalty kill.

Mass' first goal in 77 pro games was the deciding tally, and it came just 39 seconds after Mitchell came out of the box. In transition, Shawn McNeil sent a cross-ice pass from the circle to a streaking Mass, and the defenseman beat Matile with a wrister. Mass was acquired earlier this month from the Pee Dee Pride for cash considerations.

Cloutier came up big again with 1:15 left, flying across the crease to stone Scott. The Sea Wolves called a timeout with less than 30 seconds left, but even with the extra attacker, couldn't beat Cloutier.

Cloutier came up big late in the first period to keep the game scoreless after Sarich went for high-sticking at the 17:36 mark. Dave Paradise ripped a shot from the point, and the rebound came to Travis Lisabeth at the bottom of the circle. Cloutier reached behind his body with his stick to push the shot away. Seconds later, Cloutier stopped Jeff Hutchins from close range.

Gator bites:

The teams combined for 128 penalty minutes, 81 by Mississippi, in their last meeting on November 3, but tonight's game saw just 50 combined penalty minutes. The Sea Wolves won the November 3 meeting 4-3.

Three of Mississippi's five losses in regulation this season have come against the IceGators. The Sea Wolves are 9-5-2.

Louisiana has won five of the last six meetings against the Sea Wolves to improve to 23-16-7 in the all-time series.

The IceGators are 6-3 all-time in the first game after a loss by five or more goals.

Tonight was Louisiana's first win when scoring less than four goals. The IceGators are now 1-5-2 when scoring less than four goals, while they are 8-0-0 when putting four or more goals on the board.

The IceGators scored first for just the third time in their last 13 games.

Brown's goal gave him 347 points in his pro career.

Mitchell's power play assist was his 14th special teams point of the season, one better than McNeil for the team best. Brown is third with 12 special teams points.

Bruce Richardson's seven-game point streak was snapped. Richardson, who spent last week in AHL Milwaukee, had 11 points (3g, 8a) in the span.

Goneau has eight points (4g, 4a) in the last six games, failing to record at least a point in just one of those games.

IceGators right wing Tony Tuzzolino, in his second game since being assigned to the team by NHL Minnesota, picked up a 10-minute misconduct and game misconduct at the 12:00 mark of the third period for taking exception to Mitchell's roughing penalty.

Mass isn't the only IceGator defenseman who took awhile to get on the scoreboard. Ryan Marsh, who played with the team late in 2000-01 and for the entire 2001-02 season, scored his first pro regular-season goal in his 100th game. Marsh did score a goal in the 2001 playoffs.

The IceGators finished 1-for-5 on the power play.



ECHL Stories from November 19, 2002


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