Men O' War Prepare for Showdown with Johnstown
March 17, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Burlington News Release
Lexington, KY- The MOW won two of three games this weekend to pull even closer to a spot in the ECHL playoffs. The Men lost Friday's match-up with Cincinnati before sweeping two in a row vs. Wheeling. The two victories vs. Wheeling moved the Men ahead of Cincinnati for third in the division. This week, the Men play four road games. The week kicks off on Wednesday in Johnstown. J-town is chasing Lexington and Cincinnati for a spot in the Northwest Division playoffs. The Men's magic number (a combination of Lexington points plus Johnstown's missed points) to clinch a playoff spot stands at seven with six games remaining. After the J-town match-up, the Men head to Wheeling on Friday to take on the Nailers for the last time this year. On Saturday, the Men are in Cincinnati to face the âClones. The week ends with a Sunday afternoon game in Peoria.
Friday, March 14thâCincinnati 3 at Lexington 1
The Cincinnati Cyclones beat the MOW in a battle for third place in the ECHL's Northwest Division. The âClones increased their lead to three points in the division and lowered their magic number to eight points for a playoff spot. Cyclone goaltender, and the first Japanese goaltender in the ECHL, Yutaka Fukufuji stopped 45 of 46 Lexington shots for his fourth win as a Cyclone. Jared Smyth scored the lone Lexington goal.
Saturday, March 15th-Wheeling 0 at Lexington 2
The Lexington Men O' War shut out the Wheeling Nailers 2-0 on Saturday. Dan Murphy stopped all 36 Wheeling shots for his first shutout of the season. Joe Vandermeer and Brett Draney each tallied goals in the game.
Sunday, March 16th âWheeling 2 at Lexington 3
The Men downed the Nailers again on Sunday. The 3-2 win plus a Cincinnati loss in Dayton vaulted the Men back into third in the Northwest. Ben Storey tallied two goals in the Men's 31st win of the season. Dan Murphy picked up the win stopping 27 of 29 Wheeling shots. Joe Vandermeer added three assists. Van Burgess tallied the other Lexington marker.
UPCOMING GAMES ......
The Men play the most important game of their season on Wednesday night in Johnstown. The Chiefs are hot on the trail of the MOW in the Northwest. A regulation Lexington win would drop the MOW's magic number to three with five games remaining. The Men will be on the road the rest of the week as well. The trip continues on Friday in Wheeling. The Nailers were eliminated from playoff contention when they dropped two games this weekend to the MOW. On Saturday, the Men head to Cincinnati to take on the âClones for the final time this season. Sunday afternoon's game in Peoria marks the final time this regular season that the Men will face a Northwest Division opponent.
MOW Tracks
Joe Vandermeer established a new career high in both goals and points on Saturday night. Vandermeer scored his eighth goal and added an assist to accomplish the feat. On Sunday, Vandermeer added three assists to set a new career high for helpers. Vandermeer finished the weekend with eight goals and 37 assists for 45 points. Vandermeer was also nominated for ECHL player of the week after scoring a goal with four assists for five points over the weekend....Dan Murphy was nominated for goalie of the week after going 2-1-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .943 save percentage.
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