Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights Weekly Update

Published on December 12, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


Omaha, NE - The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights face their busiest stretch of the season this week, playing four games in five days, all against West Division opponents. The Knights play a pair of home and home series, first hosting and then visiting Milwaukee and Iowa respectively. The Knights will try to get back on track at home on Wednesday when they host Milwaukee. The Knights are winless in five straight at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. They'll go to Milwaukee for a game on Friday. The road has been friendlier to the Knights in recent weeks. They've won three straight away from home. Omaha will host Iowa on Saturday before visiting Des Moines on Sunday. Saturday's game marks the first annual Teddy Bear Toss to benefit Toys for Tots. Fans are encouraged to bring new Teddy Bears to the game and toss them on the ice after the Knights score their first goal of the game. The bears will be collected and donated to Toys for Tots. The Knights are in fourth place in the West Division of the American Hockey League with a record of 12-11-0-5, good for 29 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: Wednesday, December 7: Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 3, Peoria Rivermen 2 The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights earned their third straight road win, beating the Peoria Rivermen 3-2 at Carver Arena. The Rivermen used the powerplay to seize the early lead. Trent Whitfield stepped out of the right wing corner and slipped the puck across to Jon DiSalvatore who tapped in his seventh goal of the season. The Knights responded on a penalty kill. Lynn Loyns threw the puck up the right wing wall to Brett Palin at the right point. His shot ricocheted off goalie Reinhard Divis to Cam Severson who slammed home the shorthanded goal to tie the game at one. It was the second shorthanded goal for Severson in as many games. Omaha took its first lead of the game five minutes into the second period. Justin Taylor curled behind the net and sent a wraparound shot off of Divis. Again, Severson was well positioned, banging home his second of the game to make it 2-1. The Rivermen were being heavily outshot in the period but grabbed some momentum back with two late powerplays. On the second, Whitfield got loose for a wrist shot that beat Curtis McElhinney over his left shoulder to leave the game tied at two at the break. The deciding goal came 7:08 into the third period. Dave Moss brought the puck across the line. He tried to hit Carsen Germyn who was coming late. The pass jumped back to Moss so he fired a shot. Divis made the initial save, but Germyn jumped on the rebound and knocked home his team-leading 14th goal of the year.

Saturday, December 10: San Antonio Rampage 3, Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 1 The Rampage jumped out to an early lead and held off the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 3-1 the Civic Auditorium. It was the Rampage's first win in three tries against the Knights. Mike Bishai gave the Rampage a 1-0 lead when he tucked a pass from Steve Gainey past Brent Krahn for his fourth goal of the year. San Antonio doubled that lead less than two minutes later when Layne Ulmer pounced on his own rebound and popped a shot past Krahn for his team-leading eighth goal of the year. Randall Gelech gave the visitors a 3-0 lead when he scored off a one-timer from the slot at 13:01 of the second period. The Knights broke goalie Karl Goehring's shutout bid on a late powerplay. Zenith Komarniski drove the puck in down the glass. With Goehring behind the net to play the puck, it took an odd hop and ricocheted to the slot. Justin Taylor got there first and fired the puck into the empty net. That would be all the scoring the Knights could muster. Goehring finished with 24 saves, the win and first star of the game honors.

Sunday, December 11: San Antonio Rampage 4, Ak-Sar-Ben Knights 1 The Rampage picked up their second win in as many tries against the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, winning 4-1 in the weekend finale. Steve Gainey had a goal and three assists for the Rampage. San Antonio took the lead on a powerplay in the first. Gainey slipped home a pass from Martin Sonnenberg for his seventh goal of the year. The Knights answered back when Justin Taylor broke in two-on-one with Derek Couture and steered Couture's feed past goalie Brian Boucher for his fifth goal of the year. Taylor scored both goals against the Rampage in the two games. San Antonio took the lead again with just one second remaining in the period. Randall Gelech converted a netmouth scramble for his third goal of the year, his second against the Knights. The Rampage stretched their lead on a late powerplay in the second. This time, Chris McAllister got free in the slot for a slap shot that beat Curtis McElhinney with just five seconds remaining in the period. Gelech scored again into an empty net in the waning minutes of the third period for the 4-1 final score. Boucher, down from the Phoenix Coyotes on a conditioning stint, appeared ready for NHL play again. He was solid, stopping 30 shots for his second AHL win.

THE WEEK AHEAD: DAY/DATE EVENT TIME BROADCAST Mon., Dec. 12 Practice @ OCA 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Tues., Dec. 13 Practice @ OCA 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Wed., Dec. 14 Morning Skate @ OCA 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Game vs. Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. 1420 AM, Web, B2 Thurs., Dec. 15 Travel to Milwaukee Fri., Dec. 16 Morning Skate @ BC 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Game at Milwaukee 7:00 p.m. 1420 AM, Web, B2 Sat., Dec. 17 Game vs. Iowa 7:00 p.m. 1420 AM, Web, B2 Sun., Dec. 18 Game @ Iowa 4:05 p.m. 1420 AM, Web, B2

Legend OCA--Omaha Civic Auditorium BC--Bradley Center 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 14: vs. Milwaukee Admirals & Friday, December 16: @ Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators), both games 7:00 p.m. Third and fourth meetings of ten; second of five in both Omaha and Milwaukee The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights play a home-and-home with the Admirals beginning Wednesday in Omaha. The Knights have lost and lost in a shootout to the Admirals in the first two meetings of the year. The Admirals won 4-0 in Milwaukee on October 29th. They took a 3-2 shootout decision in the rematch in Omaha on November 2nd. The Admirals begin the week in second place in the West Division with a record of 16-6-1-1, good for 34 points. That puts them six points behind the division leading Houston Aeros, although Milwaukee has five games in hand. The Admirals enter the game having won three straight and seven of their last ten games. Darren Haydar leads the team in scoring with ten goals and 24 points. Libor Pivko is the top set-up man for the Admirals with 16 assists. He's third in points with 21. Finnish netminder Pekka Rinne has received a lion's share of the work in goal. He's 10-6-1 with a 2.15 goals against average. The Admirals don't play before facing the Knights.

Saturday, December 17: vs. Iowa Stars & Sunday December 18: @ Iowa Stars (Dallas Stars/Edmonton Oilers), 7:00 p.m. (Sat.); 4:05 p.m. (Sun.) Sixth and seventh meetings of ten; Fourth of five meetings in Omaha; third of five meetings in Des Moines The weekend brings another home and home series, this time with the Knights' nearest geographical neighbors. The Knights have dropped their last two to the Stars, one in a shootout, after winning the first three meetings. The Knights are 3-1-0-1 in the season series. Iowa begins the week in fifth place in the West with a record of 11-12-1-1, good for 24 points. That puts them five points behind the Knights with three games in hand. Center Toby Petersen leads the Stars with nine goals and 19 points. Defenseman Patrick Traverse is second in scoring with 13 points including a team-best 12 assists. Mike Smith and Dan Ellis have shared time in the Stars' net. Smith is 6-8-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average while Ellis is 5-5-0 with a 2.89 goal-against mark. Iowa hosts Chicago on Friday before its series with the Knights.

KNIGHTS NOTES: The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights stretched their powerplay goal scoring streak to twelve games before that string was snapped on December 11th against San Antonio. The Knights' powerplay clicked at a 20.9% clip in that time.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Knights enter the week having won three straight on the road, the longest road win streak of their young existence.

Center Justin Taylor scored both Knights' goals against San Antonio and has now scored points in four straight games and five of his last six.

TRANSACTIONS: 12/9/05 DELETE Cam Cunning (LW), reassigned to Red Deer (WHL)

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.

Player Visit, Tuesday, December 13: Knights' players Steve Bancroft, Zenith Komarniski and Cam Severson will be visiting employees of First National Bank at their campus on West Dodge Road and 144th Street from Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Radio Appearance, Tuesday, December 13: Knights' left wing Brandon Prust will visit Hot 107.7/97.3 at 4:30 p.m. as part of the station's "Hockey 101" segment designed to give its listeners a greater appreciation of the sport of hockey.

Radio Appearance, Tuesday, December 13: 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 stretch of four games in five days this week.

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.

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 12, 2005


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