Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights Weekly Report

Published on December 4, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


Omaha, NE - Fresh off a visit to San Antonio, the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights will return to Texas for two more games this week. Their road trip comes on the heels of a successful week in which the Knights earned five of a possible six points with a win and an overtime loss to San Antonio and a home win over Houston. That helped the Knights move up to second place in the West Division. They are now 14-7-2-0 on the season, good for 30 points. That puts them three points behind first-place Chicago and just one point ahead of Peoria. While in Texas this week, the Knights will play Houston on Thursday and Saturday to complete a string of five straight games against the American Hockey League's Texas-based teams. Tickets are on sale for all upcoming Knights' home games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets may be purchased by phone at (402) 422-1212. Kids 12 and under get in free with an adult admission. Restrictions apply.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
Thursday, November 30: San Antonio Rampage 3, Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 2 OT
The Knights fell behind in the first period on a goal by San Antonio's Bill Thomas. They tied the game in the second period on a breakaway goal by Tomi Maki and took the lead on a tally by Ryan Donally. It took the Rampage just 40 seconds into the third period to tie the game when Donald MacLean scored a powerplay goal. The Rampage won it on a powerplay in overtime. Jeff Taffe scored 1:14 into the extra frame to get San Antonio its first win of the year against the Knights. Brent Krahn took the loss in goal with 20 saves.

Friday, December 1: Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 3, San Antonio Rampage 1
In the rematch, the Knights got off to a quick start with first period powerplay goals from Dave Moss and Kris Chucko to make it 2-0 after 20 minutes. The Rampage trimmed the lead in half when Pascal Rheaume scored off an odd-man rush early in the second period. The Knights allowed San Antonio just four shots while protecting the lead in the third period and got an insurance marker from Richie Regehr in the final four minutes. Andrei Taratukhin finished with two assists, and Curtis McElhinney earned the win with 23 saves.

Saturday, December 2: Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 4, Houston Aeros 0
The Knights saved their best for last while playing their third game in three nights. David Van der Gulik opened the scoring when he outworked a Houston defender and knocked in a shorthanded goal at 18:10. The two teams played a scoreless second period even though the Knights outshot the Aeros 14-7. Omaha finally doubled its lead at 3:03 of the third when Brandon Prust scored his fourth goal of the year. Carsen Germyn added his fifth of the season at 9:55, and Warren Peters added a late powerplay tally for the 4-0 final. Curtis McElhinney earned his second shutout of the season with 27 saves.

CCM VECTOR/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINATION:
The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights nominated goaltender Curtis McElhinney as the CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week for the week ending December 3, 2006. In two games last week, McElhinney posted a record of 2-0-0, allowing just one goal on 51 shots. His goals-against average for the week was 0.50 and his save percentage was .980. On Friday, McElhinney allowed just one goal on 24 shots in the Knights' 3-1 win at San Antonio. He returned home the next night to post his second shutout of the season, a 27-save effort in a 4-0 win over Houston.


THE WEEK AHEAD:
DAY/DATE EVENT TIME*
Monday, December 4 Practice @ OCA 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 5 Practice @ OCA 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 6 Travel
Thursday, December 7 Morning Skate @ TC 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Game @ Houston 7:00 p.m.
Friday, December 8 Practice @ SIA TBD
Saturday, December 9 Morning Skate @ TC 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Game @ Houston 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 10 Day Off

OCA - Omaha Civic Auditorium TC - Toyota Center SIA - Sugarland Ice Arena * - Times subject to change

BROADCAST
1420 AM-KOTK 1420 AM, flagship station for Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' hockey
Web-Free live audio broadcast of game at www.omahaaksarbenknights.com (Choose "Listen Live" link
B2-B2 Networks live, pay-per-view webcast, available at www.omahaaksarbenknights.com for $6 per game by clicking on B2 Networks link.

AK-SAR-BEN KNIGHTS BASICS
RECORD: 14-7-2-0 POWERPLAY: 20/144, 13.9% VS. DIV.: 10-5-2-0
HOME: 6-4-0-0 PENALTY KILL: 130/149, 87.3%
ROAD: 8-3-2-0 LAST TEN: 5-4-1-0 STREAK: 2-0-1-0

OPPONENTS THIS WEEK:
Thurs., December 7; Sat., December 9 @ Houston Aeros (Minnesota Wild), 7:00 p.m. Thurs.; 7:30 p.m. Sat.
Third and fourth of ten meetings; first two of five meetings in Houston, TX
The Knights will play their second and third consecutive games against the Aeros in their first trip to Houston this season. The Knights have won both previous meetings, blanking the Aeros 3-0 and 4-0 in Omaha. The Aeros begin the week in fifth place in the West Division with a record of 10-13-0-1, good for 21 points. They have lost two straight and are 4-6-0-0 in their last ten games. The Aeros have never lost to the Knights at home, posting a record of 5-0-0-0 at the Toyota Center last season. Matt Foy leads the Aeros in scoring with eleven goals and eleven assists for 22 points, but he is currently on recall to the Minnesota Wild. Rookie Benoit Pouliot is second in scoring with a team-best 12 goals and 16 points. Josh Harding carries the load in the Aeros' net. He's played in 22 games and has amassed 1,288 minutes, more than any other AHL goalie. So far, he's posted a record of 9-11-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. The Aeros don't play until hosting the Knights.

KNIGHTS NOTES:
Goaltender Curtis McElhinney has now allowed just seven goals in his seven wins this season, a goal-against average of 1.00 and a save percentage of .962. The native of Calgary is second in the AHL in goals-against average and save percentage.

Rookie left wing David Van der Gulik scored his second shorthanded goal of the season against Houston on Saturday. He leads the team in that category. It was the first shorthanded goal the Knights have scored at home this season.

Right wing Dave Moss has scored points in four straight games and in six of his last seven ((3-4-7).

Moss isn't the only one on a hot streak. Defenseman Richie Regehr has points in four straight (2-3-5) while center Andrei Taratukhin has assists in three of his last four games (0-4-4).

TRANSACTIONS:
12/2/06 ADD Mark Giordano (D), re-assigned on loan from Calgary (NHL)

IN THE COMMUNITY:
Knights Tour, December 4: The Knights kick off their "Knights Tour" at Pauli's Bar at 40th and Leavenworth Streets in Omaha from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Players Dave Moss, Carsen Germyn, Eric Godard, Mark Giordano, Richie Regehr, Brett Palin, Tomi Maki and David Van der Gulik and coaches Ryan McGill and Scott Allen are scheduled to attend.

Player Appearance, December 10: Knights' players and mascot Nitro will be appearing at Moe's Southwest Grill at 17607 Gold Plaza off West Center Road in Omaha to sign autographs beginning at 12:30 p.m.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' Speakers Bureau provides 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.

CALGARY FLAMES UPDATE:
The Calgary Flames, the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights' National Hockey League affiliate, picked up two more wins last week. They beat Colorado 5-2 on Tuesday and came from behind to stop Columbus 2-1 on Friday. This week, the Flames will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. In between, they'll make a trip to Minnesota on Thursday. The Flames are tied for fourth place in the Northwest Division with a record of 12-10-2, good for 26 points. Jarome Iginla leads the Flames in scoring with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. Alex Tanguay is second with five goals and a team-best 17 assists for 22 points. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff is 12-9-1 this season with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.

For more information on the Flames, visit calgaryflames.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 4, 2006


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