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Mississippi, Arkansas Top Southwest

November 4, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


The Southwest Division has a different look with Mississippi in first place with 16 points and Arkansas in second place with 14 points. Louisiana is in third place with 13 points. The IceGators are in unfamiliar territory having won the division each of the past five seasons, and they haven't been out of first place this late in the season since December of 2000.

After losing 4-3 to Arkansas on Friday, the Sea Wolves posted a 3-1 win at Pensacola on Saturday and beat Louisiana 4-3 on Sunday. Arkansas is 6-2-2 tying the best start in its four-year history. The RiverBlades won 4-3 at Mississippi on Friday before going 1-0-1 against Columbia over the weekend. Arkansas' 5-4 win on Sunday was its first ever against an opponent from the state of South Carolina, having previously gone 0-10-1 against teams from the Palmetto State. Louisiana went 0-2-1 last week, losing three one-goal games.

Mississippi plays only one game this week hosting Greenville on Friday. Arkansas and Louisiana meet in Lafayette on Thursday, a makeup for the October 13 game cancelled by Hurricane Lilli, and the RiverBlades and IceGators will meet again on Saturday in North Little Rock. Arkansas travels to Baton Rouge on Sunday while Louisiana will host Greenville.

Mississippi's Steffon Walby leads the East Coast Hockey League with 22 points and three short-handed goals and he is tied for the ECHL lead with 15 assists. Walby scored the game-winning goal for the Sea Wolves on Saturday and Sunday giving him three game winners, tied for the ECHL lead with teammate Cody Bowtell, Reading's Brian McCullough and Arkansas' Mike Cirillo. Walby was named the Sher-Wood ECHL Player of the Month after leading the league with 12 assists and 17 points in October. Mississippi's Jim Baxter leads ECHL defensemen with six goals and 14 points, and he is tied for first with three power-play goals and is tied for third with eight assists. Arkansas' Eric Long is tied for third among ECHL defensemen with eight assists, and he is tied for fifth in scoring with nine points. Louisiana's Kevin Mitchell is tied for the ECHL lead among defensemen with 11 assists, and he is tied for third with 12 points.

Toledo Leads ECHL With 17 Points, 8-1-1 Record

Posting a 5-2 win at home against Johnstown on Friday and a 7-4 win at Wheeling on Saturday, Toledo improved to 8-1-1 and sits atop the Northwest Division and the East Coast Hockey League with 17 points. The Storm is 6-0-0 at home and has the longest home-winning streak in the ECHL. Toledo plays at Cincinnati on Wednesday before returning home to host Peoria on Friday and Lexington on Saturday.

Toledo ranks fifth in the East Coast Hockey League in scoring with 3.80 goals per game and is tied for sixth in goals against with 2.80 per game. The Storm penalty kill ranks fourth (82.23 percent) while its power play ranks 15th (18.57 percent).

Rookie Nick Parillo leads Toledo with six goals and 14 points, and is tied for the team lead in assists (8), plus-minus (+10), power-play goals (2) and game-winning goals (2). Among ECHL rookies, Parillo is tied for the lead in game-winning goals while ranking second in scoring, tied for second in assists, and third in goals.

Martin Fillion, Brian Finley, and Doug Teskey have shared the goaltending duties for Toledo. Teskey is 3-1-1 with a 3.53 goals against average and a .888 save percentage in eight games. Fillion is 1-0-0 with a 0.00 goals against average and a 1.000 save percentage, having made 17 saves in Saturday's win at Wheeling after relieving Teskey in the second period. Currently on the injured reserve, Finley is 4-0-0 and ranks third in the ECHL with a 1.82 goals against average and a .938 save percentage. The first goalie chosen and the sixth player selected overall in the 1999 National Hockey League Entry Draft by Nashville, Finley is the second-highest draft choice to ever play in the ECHL.

Pride Wins Four In Row, Leads Southeast Division

Pee Dee went 3-0 last week, extending its winning streak to four games, and sits atop the Southeast Division with 15 points and a 7-2-1 record. The Pride lead the ECHL in scoring with 4.30 goals per game while ranking third in goals against with 2.50 per game and third in power-play percentage (25.35 percent).

Pee Dee hosts Richmond on Friday and travels to Greensboro on Saturday. The Pride is 4-0-1 at home having won its last four home games after losing in a shootout to South Carolina on opening night. Pee Dee has won three consecutive road games, improving to 3-2-0 on the road.

Matt Reid leads the East Coast Hockey League in plus-minus (+13) and is tied for the lead in assists with 15 while ranking fourth in the ECHL with a team-high 17 points. Wes Goldie ranks second in the ECHL with nine goals and is tied for 14th in scoring with 14 points. Mike Glumac is tied for the ECHL lead among rookies with seven goals and ranks third with 12 points. Reid was named C&T Hockey Products ECHL Plus Performer of the Month after leading the ECHL in plus-minus (+11) for October while Glumac was named CCM ECHL Rookie of the Month.

IceGators' McNeil Scores Point In League-High 10 Consecutive Games

Shawn McNeil has scored in each of Louisiana's first 10 games, and enters the week leading the ECHL with 10 goals while tying for fifth in scoring with 17 points. He had a career best 12-game scoring streak from January 19 to February 21, 2001. McNeil scored in each of Louisiana's last seven regular season games in 2001-02 and has scored a point in his last 17 regular season games, registering 26 points (15g-11a). McNeil is looking for his third consecutive 30-goal season having scored 36 goals in 2000-01 and 32 goals in 2001-02. IceGators defenseman Kevin Mitchell has scored in nine of Louisiana's first 10 games and is tied for the lead among ECHL defensemen with 11 assists and is tied for third with 12 points.

InGlasCo ECHL Player Of The Week
Nick Parillo, Toledo Storm
GP: 3 G: 5 A: 3 PTS: 8 +/-:+1

ECHL Goalie Of The Week
Tyrone Garner, Jackson Bandits
GP: 3 W-L: 3-0 GAA: 2.33 PCT: .926

Sher-Wood Player Of The Month
Steffon Walby, Mississippi Sea Wolves

SUN National Bank Saver Of The Month
Kirk Daubenspeck, South Carolina Stingrays

DirecTV/NHL Center Ice Alumnus Of The Month
Andrew Brunette, Minnesota Wild (Hampton Roads)

CCM Rookie Of The Month
Mike Glumac, Pee Dee Pride

C&T + Performer Of The Month
Matt Reid, Pee Dee Pride

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