Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights Weekly Report

Published on December 5, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


Omaha, NE - The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights play three important games against West Division rivals this week with a trip to Peoria on Wednesday and games at home against San Antonio on Saturday and Sunday. The Knights shook off a three-game winless streak on Saturday with their second win at Chicago in a week. That win gave the Knights a record of 1-1-0-1 for the week after an earlier shootout loss to Grand Rapids and a regulation loss to Iowa. Omaha is now in fourth place in the West Division of the American Hockey League with a record of 11-9-0-5, good for 27 points. Tickets for all home games are on sale all week at the Civic Auditorium box office from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 422-1212 and at Ticketmaster.com. The box office is open through the opening face-off on game nights.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
Thursday, December 1: Grand Rapids Griffins 4, Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 3 SO
The Griffins erased a two-goal deficit in the third period and then went on to outlast the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights in a shootout, winning 4-3 at the Civic Auditorium. The Griffins came in as the second most potent team in the AHL and scored just 4:09 into the game when Darryl Bootland snapped a shot over the shoulder of Brent Krahn. But the Knights hung with the Griffins, staying within a goal until midway through the second period. With Tomi Maki in the penalty box, Dave Moss stole the puck at center ice and walked in for a bad-angle shot that ricocheted back to Warren Peters who scored his fourth goal of the year to tie the game at one. Just after Maki's penalty expired, Peters forced a turnover, walked down the right wing and beat goalie Drew MacIntyre through the five-hole for his second goal in a span of 1:37. The scoring outburst continued with a later powerplay. Cam Severson found an opening and snapped a shot past MacIntyre to put the Knights up 3-1 after two periods. The Griffins offense came to life with startling speed in the third. Donald MacLean scored a pair of goals just 27 seconds apart midway through the stanza, both assisted by Matt Ellis, to tie the game at three. The Knights had the best chances to win in overtime, but MacIntyre stoned Eric Nystrom on a rush up the left wing and then lucked out when a shot by Mark Giordano hit the post in the last minute and a half. Tomas Kopecky then scored the deciding goal in the eighth round of the shootout before Carsen Germyn was turned back on the Knights' final try. Krahn took the loss in goal in spite of another strong night. He made 29 saves but fell to 7-5-4.

Friday, December 2: Iowa Stars 3, Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 2
The Stars picked up their second victory in as many meetings with the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, winning 3-2 at the Civic. The Stars beat the Knights 2-1 in a shootout on Sunday. The Knights got the game's first goal. Dave Moss set up Eric Nystrom for a one-timer from the slot that beat Iowa goalie Dan Ellis on the powerplay at 8:04 of the first period. The Stars responded on their own powerplay late in the first. David Oliver carried the puck down the left wing and dropped the puck to Toby Petersen who beat Brent Krahn with a wrist shot for his team-leading seventh goal of the season. Iowa built on its lead midway through the second period. During another powerplay, Kyle Brodziak sent a wrist shot past Krahn at 11:01. Yan Stastny added an even-strength goal late in the period to put the Stars up 3-1. The Knights got one back before the period ended. While on the powerplay, Mark Giordano got free in the slot. His shot was deflected right to Moss who knocked in his sixth goal of the year, all on the powerplay. The Knights outshot the Stars 7-3 in the third period but couldn't squeeze the equalizer past Ellis who finished with 28 saves and his second straight win against Omaha.

Saturday, December 3: Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 6, Chicago Wolves 4
The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights scored three third period goals to beat the Chicago Wolves 6-4 at Allstate Arena. The win snapped a three-game winless streak. Three different Knights' players scored their first goals of the season during the outburst. The Wolves struck with less than a half minute gone in the first period. With Zenith Komarniski serving a hooking penalty, Mark Popovic was the recipient of a lucky bounce, back handing a shot past Curtis McElhinney for an unassisted goal just 25 seconds into the game. The Knights responded later in the period. Warren Peters picked up a loose puck behind the Wolves' net and fed Brantt Myhres for a shot that slipped by Jani Hurme. It was Myhres fourth goal of the year, one away from matching his career high. The tie lasted just 40 seconds before Stephen Baby walked down the left wing and ripped a shot past McElhinney to put the Wolves back up by a goal. But the Knights had an answer, and it came during another penalty kill. Cam Severson picked up a deflected shot from the point, raced down the right wing and blew a slapshot past Hurme for his fourth goal of the season. It was the Knights' third shorthanded goal of the season, their second in three games. Omaha took its first lead of the game half way through the second period. With two Wolves in the penalty box, Carsen Germyn got free in the slot and beat Hurme with a wrist shot that sailed under the cross bar for his team-leading 13th goal of the year. It was the Wolves' turn to respond, and they did 5:30 later. Baby carried the puck across the blue line and dished it to Kevin Doell who walked in and beat McElhinney with a wrist shot over his glove hand to tie the game at three. The Knights broke the tie half way through the third. While on the powerplay, Steve Bancroft took a pass from Komarniski and beat Hurme between the pads for his first goal of the year at 9:42. Less than four minutes later, the Knights had just finished killing a penalty to Komarniski when Peters spotted him coming out of the penalty box. He fired a long pass that Komarniski collected at center ice. He raced in and beat Hurme with a quick wrist shot for his first goal of the season. The onslaught continued during the Knights' seventh powerplay of the game. Brandon Prust pushed a bouncing puck down the slot, then whipped a blind pass behind his back to Lynn Loyns who hammered home his first goal and first point of the year to make it 6-3. Chicago added a late powerplay goal with Hurme pulled for a six-on-four advantage. Doell got his second of the game, tucking home the rebound of a shot by Nick Naumenko.

THE WEEK AHEAD:
DAY/DATE EVENT TIME BROADCAST
Mon., Dec. 5 Practice @ OCA 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 6 Practice @ OCA 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 7 Morning Skate @ Peoria 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Game @ Peoria 7:00 p.m. 1420 AM, Web, B2
Thurs., Dec. 8 Off-ice Workout @ OCA 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 9 Practice @ OCA 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 10 Morning Skate @ OCA 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Game vs. San Antonio 7:00 p.m. TV, 1420 AM, Web, B2
Sun., Dec. 11 Game vs. San Antonio 5:00 p.m. 1420 AM, Web, B2

Legend
OCA--Omaha Civic Auditorium
TV--Cox Cable Channel 2
Web-Free live audio broadcast of game at omahaaksarbenknights.com (Choose "Listen Live" link from home page)
B2-B2 Networks live, pay-per-view webcast, available at omahaaksarbenknights.com for $6 per game by clicking on B2 Networks link.

OPPONENTS THIS WEEK:

Wednesday, December 7: @ Peoria Rivermen (St. Louis Blues), 7:00 p.m.
Third meeting of ten; third of five in Peoria
The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights make their second trip to Peoria, Illinois for a midweek meeting with the Rivermen. The two teams split a pair of game in the Knights' first visit. Peoria won 2-0 in the first game behind 28 saves from Curtis Sanford. The Knights won the rematch the next night, getting a powerplay goal early in the third period from Dave Moss that stood up as the game-winner. The Rivermen begin the week in second place in the West Division with a record of 15-6-0-1. They've won three straight after a 5-1 win over Milwaukee on Sunday. Peter Sejna leads Peoria in scoring with 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points. Mike Glumac ranks second with eleven goals and 15 assists for 26 points. Glumac and Blake Evans are tied for the team lead with +11 plus/minus ratio. Jason Bacashihua and Reinhard Divis share time in the Peoria net. Bacashihua is 9-3-0 with a 2.61 GAA and a .901 save percentage. Divis, recently assigned to Peoria from St. Louis, is 2-1-1 with a 2.02 GAA and a .924 save percentage. The Rivermen do not play before hosting the Knights.

Saturday & Sunday, December 10 & 11: vs. San Antonio Rampage (Phoenix Coyotes), 7:00 p.m. (Sat.); 5:00 p.m. (Sun.)
Third and fourth meetings of ten; third and fourth of five meetings in Omaha
The Knights welcome the Rampage for the third time this season. The two West Division foes will be nearly done with the Omaha half of the season series with just one more game to play in Nebraska following this weekend. The Knights have won both previous meetings, stopping the Rampage 2-0 on October 15th and then prevailing 2-1 on November 17th, a game that ignited a five-game winning streak. The Rampage begin the week in seventh place in the West Division with a record of 6-16-0-1. The team has won just twice in its last ten games. The Rampage rank 27th in the AHL in goals per game with 1.74 per contest. Layne Ulmer leads the team in scoring with seven goals and six assists for 13 points. His goal total is also a team best. The Rampage currently have three goalies on their roster including Brian Boucher, recently assigned from the Phoenix Coyotes. He is 1-2-0- so far this season but has posted a 1.46 GAA and a .935 save percentage. The Rampage visit Iowa on Friday before coming to Omaha.

CCM VECTOR/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE:
The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights nominated center Warren Peters as the CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week for the week ending December 4, 2005. In three games last week, Peters had two goals and two assists. On Thursday, Peters had two goals including a shorthanded tally as the Knights fell 4-3 in a shootout to the Grand Rapids Griffins. After being held scoreless the next night, Peters finished the weekend with two assists, including one on the game-winning goal, helping the Knights beat the Chicago Wolves 6-4 in Chicago. After suffering through a 13-game point drought, the native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan has two goals and four assists for six points in the last five games played.

KNIGHTS NOTES:
Rookie left wing Brandon Prust had four goals last week, all in the last three games. He scored the game-winning goal at Chicago on November 26th.

Three different Ak-Sar-Ben Knights scored their first goal of the season, and they all did it in succession during a three-goal third period outburst. Defensemen Steve Bancroft and Zenith Komarniski and forward Lynn Loyns scored in a span of 5:46 to help the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights beat Chicago, 6-4.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights have now scored powerplay goals in ten consecutive games, 16 in 72 chances during that stretch for a 22.2% success rate. It's helped them raise their overall powerplay percentage from 11.1% to 15.4% in that time.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights have scored two shorthanded goals in the last three games.

Saturday's 6-4 win over the Chicago Wolves marked just the second time this season the Knights have won when allowing more than two goals. Both wins have come against Chicago.

TRANSACTIONS:

None

IN THE COMMUNITY:
Hospital Visit, Monday, December 5: Knights' players Carsen Germyn, Mark Giordano, Steve Marr and Justin Taylor are scheduled to visit with patients at Children's Hospital in Omaha from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. The players will go from room to room speaking with the children and signing autographs.

Radio Appearance, Tuesday, December 6: Knights' head coach Ryan McGill will be a guest of "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" on 1620 AM "The Zone" during their broadcast from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Radio Appearance, Tuesday, December 6: Knights' play-by-play voice Dave Ahlers will be appearing on Pinnacle Sports Network's "Sports Nightly" program (KFAB AM 1110 in Omaha) on Tuesday at 7:40 p.m. He will speak on the Knights' season to date and look forward to the three games this week.

Players at Youth Hockey, Thursday, December 8: Knights players Brett Palin and Brandon Prust will be taking part in the Pee Wee Knights youth hockey practice at 7:30 p.m. at Benson Ice Arena in Omaha. The Knights will lead the players through drills and sign autographs for the players after practice.

Speakers Bureau, Friday, December 9: The Knights will bring their Speakers Bureau to a meeting of the Bellevue/Offutt Kiwanis Club at the Garden Café in Bellevue at noon. Vice President of Sales and Marketing Brad Haynes will speak about the team's performance on the ice and the club's marketing and community efforts off ice.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' Speakers Bureau is available to provide speakers to local businesses, civic and church groups and other interested organizations holding weekly or monthly meetings and special events. There is no charge for this program. For more information on the Speakers Bureau or to schedule an appearance for your group's next meeting, call Dave Ahlers at (402) 344-GOAL or contact him by e-mail at dahlers@omahaaksarbenknights.com.

BROADCAST NOTE:
Saturday's game against the San Antonio Rampage will be the first shown live on Cox Cable in Omaha. The game will appear on Cox Channel 2 beginning at 7:00 p.m. The Voice of the Knights, Dave Ahlers, will handle the play-by-play while Joe Clark, who covers the Knights for the Omaha World Herald, will provide the color commentary.

HOLIDAY TICKET PROMOTIONS:
TOYS FOR TOTS: The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights are inviting hockey fans from all over the Heartland to join them for their first annual Teddy Bear Toss on Saturday, December 17th when they host the Iowa Stars at 7:00 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring a brand new Teddy Bear to the game and when the Knights score their first goal, to toss those bears on the ice. They'll be collected and donated to Toys for Tots. For that game, the Knights are offering special ticket prices in the second and third balconies. In the second balcony, all tickets are just $12, a savings of $9.50 over the regular ticket price. Tickets in the third balcony center are $10, a savings of $7. Tickets in the third balcony on the ends are just $8, a savings of $5. Tickets may be purchased at the Omaha Civic Auditorium box office and through Ticketmaster by calling 422-1212. Tickets also may be ordered by calling the Knights at 344-4625. You do not have to bring a teddy bear to take advantage of this great ticket offer, but fans are encouraged to help out this very worthy cause.

HOLIDAY SIX-PACK: The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights have a great gift for the hockey fan on your list. The Knights' Holiday Six-Game pack includes six tickets in the third balcony center to all five Knights' home games in January and one in February for a 50% savings. The Holiday Six-Game pack also includes a souvenir puck all for just $55 (normally a $108 value). Call the Knights at 344-4625 to order your Holiday Six-Game pack.

OMAHAAKSARBENKNIGHTS.COM
The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' official web site, omahaaksarbenknights.com, is the comprehensive source for all information about the Knights during the season. Log on for player bios and stats, game recaps, a list of community appearances, stats, photos, great downloads and live links to listen to and watch Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' hockey all season.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 5, 2005


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