Mechanics Complete Inaugural Season

Published on April 11, 2005 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Motor City Mechanics News Release


Fraser, MI – The Motor City Mechanics finished their inaugural season with a 12-0-0 winning streak after picking up four more wins last week. The Mechanics finish the season with a 37-36-7 overall record and a third place Central Division standing (9th overall).

Wednesday, April 6th vs. Muskegon 4-2 WIN: In their first win over the top ranked Muskegon Fury, Joe Burton scored his 600th career goal and the Mechanics fired 43 shots on net as they dominated the top ranked team in the UHL. Motor City jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, on goals by Jeff Doyle and Sean Avery. At the 8:00 mark of the second period, Burton gave the Mechanics a 3-0 advantage when he lifted the puck past Fury netminder Sylvain Daigle for goal number 600. Chris Gignac scored the fourth Motor City goal, while Jason Lawmaster and B.J. Gaustad scored for Muskegon. Rod Branch helped the Mechanics to their ninth consecutive win, making 21 saves in net, while Daigle stopped 39 shots in goal for the Fury.

Friday, April 8th @ Richmond 2-1 WIN: After going down 1-0 midway through the first period, David Ambler scored, drawing assists from Rick Smith and Chris Gignac to tie the game. 6:07 into the second period, Blair Manning found the back of the net to give the Mechanics a 2-1 lead and the eventual game winner. Joe Burton and Jason Reimers assisted on the goal. In net, Rod Branch collected 26 saves for Motor City.

Saturday, April 9th @ Richmond 3-1 WIN: Matt Hunter picked up a goal and an assist, while Burton netted a goal and two assists as the Mechanics picked up their 11th consecutive win. The Mechanics took a 2-0 lead before the RiverDogs Bobby Kukulka scored midway through the third period to cut the lead to 2-1. Jeff Doyle secured an empty netter late in the third to secure the game. Branch made 24 saves between the pipes for Motor City.

Sunday, April 10th @ Elmira 4-1 WIN: In their season finale, the Mechanics earned their 12th straight victory. Despite being outshot 48-35, the Mechanics got goals from new players and picked up the 4-1 win. Tom Welch, a rookie out of Ohio State University, netted two goals and Rob Sich, a rookie from the OHA's Tecumseh Chief's tallied a goal and an assist. Chris Gignac scored a goal and added an assist, Mike Burgoyne lended an assist and Jeff Doyle dished out two assists.

Congrats Joe! Assistant Captain and Garden City, MI native Joe Burton scored his 600th career goal in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over the Muskegon Fury. Burton is only the second American born player at any level of professional hockey to reach the 600 goal mark.

Jersey Auction: On Wednesday April 6th, the Mechanics held their fourth and final jersey auction of the season. The entire teams home white jerseys were auctioned off and over $16,000 was raised to benefit the Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan. Thank you to all the fans who helped support this great cause by bidding on a jersey!

Buy Your Season Tickets Now! Season tickets for the upcoming 2005-06 season are on sale now! Put your $50.00 deposit down NOW to reserve your seat. If you pay in full before July 1st, receive additional savings! Packages start as low as $264! For more information on season tickets, please call 866-997-PUCK.

Setting Records: The Mechanics finished up their inaugural season as the hottest team in the UHL with a 12-0-0 streak dating back to March 23rd. In their last 20 games, the Mechanics hold an 18-2 record, including 10 consecutive road wins. Motor City closed out the home season with a 19-17-4 record and a road record of 18-19-3 (37-36-7 overall).

Rockin' Rookies: David Bonk finished first among Mechanics rookies in scoring and 9th in UHL rookie scoring with 41 points (15g, 26a) in 66 games. Jeff Doyle finished the season ranked 16th among UHL rookies with 31 points (14g, 17a), while Matt Hunter finished 17th (29 pts – 14g, 15a).

Iron Men: Only two players played in all 80 games for the Mechanics this season. Captain Blair Manning and defenseman Brandon Fleenor skated in all 80 contests in the inaugural season.

Defense: Despite suffering a knee injury late in the season, Kyle Kos led all Mechanics defenseman in scoring with 32 points this season (6g, 26a). All-Star defenseman Kevin Hansen finished the season tied for second among UHL defenseman for shorthanded goals (2). Chris Chelios finished the season tied for second among UHL defenseman for shorthanded points (3).

Upcoming Events: Keep your eyes and ears open for Mechanics events over the summer including golf outings, Mechanics Summer Blast, Hockey Fest and more!

MOTOR CITY MECHANICS (37-36-7) TEAM LEADERS

Points: Blair Manning – 76 (18g, 58a)

Goals: Joe Burton – 36

Assists: Manning – 58

Penalty Minutes: Brandon Fleenor – 227

Power Play Goals: Burton – 12

Game Winning Goals: Burton, Matt Hunter – 4 each (Hunter is tied for 2nd among rookies in the UHL)

Short Handed Goals: Burton – 3

Shots on Goal: Burton – 276

Shoot Out Goals: Burton – 7

Plus/Minus: Bryan Smolinski +20

Goaltending

Minutes Played: Rod Branch – 3,686 (ranked 2nd in the UHL)

Saves: Branch – 1,812 (ranked 1st in the UHL)

GAA: Branch – 2.85

Save %: Branch - .912

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from April 11, 2005


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