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Puhalski first to 300 UHL wins

February 23, 2005 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2) News Release


LAKE ST. LOUIS, MO – Komet head coach Greg Puhalski has become the first coach in UHL history to capture 300 regular season wins (504 games) with his 4-1 victory over the visiting Port Huron Beacons on Saturday night.

Puhalski is in his seventh season as head coach of a UHL team – his fifth with the Komets. He coached two seasons with the Port Huron Border Cats before joining the Komets in 2000. He led the Border Cats to 41 victories during the1998-99 season and a team record 47 victories in the 1999-00 campaign.

Prior to his stint in Port Huron, he coached four seasons with the ECHL Toledo Storm posting a .638 winning percentage and capturing the 1995-96 division title.

As a player, he won two consecutive Riley Cup championships with Toledo and led the team in scoring in the 1993-94 season.

Puhalski was named 2002-03 UHL Coach of the Year after guiding the Komets to their first UHL Colonial Cup championship and Tarry Cup with a record of 44-21-11 and 99 points. In the 2004-05 campaign, the Komets boast a .679 winning percentage with a 36-16-4 record, and are currently tied for the Western Division lead with 76 points.

Second to Puhalski is Quad City coach Paul Gillis with 294 wins (503 games). Third is Flint coach Robbie Nichols with 269 regular season UHL wins (472 games).

2005 Playoffs: Who Will Make It? The top two teams in each conference shall be seeded 1 through 6 (based on points). The two teams with the next highest point total clinch the remaining two spots (7 and 8).

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Adirondack Frostbite - (3-0-0) – The Frostbite are on a three-game winning streak and a season high six-game home winning streak...The Frostbite are 24-2-3 when scoring first and 25-0-0 when leading after the second period...Adirondack has the second best goals for per game at 3.45...Left wing Hugo Belanger is on a six-game point scoring streak and a five-game assist streak...Right wing Trevor Segstro is on a three-game road goal scoring streak...Scott Drevitch is now tied for the lead amongst defensemen in scoring with 41 points (11g, 30a)...Last Wednesday against Danbury, right wing Frantisek Bakrlik recorded only the second hat trick of the season by a Frostbite player...With a shorthanded goal Wednesday against Danbury, forward Ryan Bennett moved into a tie for third on the Adirondack (UHL) all-time shorthanded goals list with four...Coach Marc Potvin is one win shy of a .500 professional head coaching record...Defenseman Bob Rapoza is five points away from 300 on his career and seven games away from 600.

Danbury Trashers - (1-2-0) – Danbury set a number of individual and team records in their 9-3 win over Motor City on Saturday. The Trashers set marks for most goals (9) and assists (16) in a single game. Center Jeff Daw set the team record for most points by an individual (6); right wing Doug Christiansen and forward Alex Goupil most goals (3); and Jeff Daw and forward John Morlang a single game best plus-minus (plus-five)...Doug Christiansen and Alex Goupil became the second and third Trashers' players to notch a hat trick. Goupil was the first rookie in team history to notch a hat trick...Mike Bayrack signed a PTO with the Springfield Falcons on Thursday, and Doug Christiansen with the Manchester Monarchs on Friday. Bayrack played in a pair of games last weekend and finished with a plus-two rating. John Morlang returned to Bridgeport on Sunday to score a goal and an assist. Morlang returned to the Trashers following the Sound Tigers 4-1 win over Worcester.

Elmira Jackals - (0-2-0) – Center Eddy Lowe is four points from becoming the Elmira Jackals all-time leading scorer. In 341 career games with Elmira, Lowe has 215 points (111 goals, 104 assists) trailing the top mark of 219 points set by Randy Murphy...The Jackals set a new club record for most consecutive losses over the weekend. With a 5-1 loss to Adirondack on Saturday night Elmira has lost nine-straight games, the longest in the team's five-year history. The streak ties an earlier Motor City run for the UHL's longest winless streak of the 2004-05 season...Trevor Burgess is third amongst UHL defensemen with 29 assists, and is fifth in scoring for UHL blue liners with 34 points...Jason Jaworski is seventh among defensemen in the UHL with 30 points. Since joining the Jackals he has recorded two points in four games...The Jackals are 5-15-1 in the New Year and have gone 2-15-1 since winning their first three games of 2005.

Flint Generals - (1-1-0) – Defenseman Jason Woolley scored in his first game as a General on Saturday night versus Kalamazoo...Right wing Rob Valicevic had 13 shots on goal in Friday night's shootout victory over Richmond. Valicevic scored twice and had the game-deciding goal in the shootout...Flint is in a four-way battle with Richmond, Quad City, and Port Huron, for eighth place in the League's overall standings...Flint has a record of 2-16-4 when trailing after the first period and 1-16-5 when trailing after the second...The Generals are 19-0-3 when leading after two periods...Flint is 5-10 in shootouts this season...Goaltender Dan McIntyre has appeared in 10 shootouts with a 4-6 record...Right wing Bobby Reynolds has registered eight points (3g, 5a) in his last four games.

Fort Wayne Komets - (3-1-0) – Right wing Chris Grenville tallied his 600th career point with a goal Wednesday night versus Port Huron...Right wing Dustin Virag has posted 199 career UHL (and Komet) points...Kevin St. Pierre has registered 96 career UHL wins...Four players have skated all 56 Komet games to date. The Komet ironmen include center Sean Venedam, left wing P.C. Drouin, left wing Danny Stewart and defenseman Rob Guinn...The Komets earned four points for the fourth consecutive week to move into the top spot in the Western Conference with a 36-16-4 record. The Komets share first place in the West with the IceHogs (76pts), but hold a slim lead in point percentage with .697 to Rockford's .655...Friday the Komets played the first game of a home-and-home series against the Beacons at Port Huron posting a 3-2 shootout victory. Center Adam Lewis scored his first goal of the season while Stewart added the second Komet tally of the game.

Kalamazoo Wings - (4-0-1) – Kalamazoo is unbeaten in regulation in their last six games...Center Andrew Luciuk recorded his 400th career point on Friday versus Missouri. He is currently riding a four-game point streak earning nine points in that stretch...Center Matt Noga is a on a four-game point streak...Defenseman Greg Labenski and forward Tim Turner are on five-game point streaks...Center Yannick Carpentier's K-Wings season high seven-game point streak was snapped on Friday...Chad Alban is tied with Danbury's Scott Stirling for most wins in the UHL with 27...The K-Wings are two points behind the Muskegon Fury for the top spot in the Central Division...The K-Wings have more road wins than any other team in the UHL with 18...K-Wings host Education Day this Wednesday morning at 10:30 am against Motor City. It is the first of three morning games for the K-Wings this season...Right wing Tyler Willis is tied for third place in the UHL with 240 penalty minutes...Eighteen K-Wings players have recorded double digits in points, more than any other team in the UHL.

Kansas City Outlaws - (1-1-0) – The Outlaws are 2-2-1 after five games of their current six-game home stand...Kansas City is 5-0-0 when allowing one goal in a game...Wingers Joe Seroski, Jay Murphy, Jason Ruff, and defenseman Briane Thompson each had three points in the Outlaws 7-1 win over Rockford on February 19...Kansas City is undefeated (12-0-0) when scoring four or more goals in a game...Goaltender Tim Knudsen is 2-1-1 in his last four appearances...Kansas City will play three of their next four games against Western Division opponents...The Outlaws have only six games remaining this season against Central Division opponents...Right wing Joe Seroski is fifth in the league with a .185 shooting percentage...Left wing Mark Lee is fourth amongst leading rookie scorers with 37 points (9g, 28a).

Missouri River Otters - (3-0-0) – The River Otters are currently on a seven-game winning streak, their longest win streak of the season...Center Jim Montgomery has registered a point in eight straight games...Frank Littlejohn's hat-trick Wednesday night against Rockford was his first hat-trick of the season, and the second registered by a River Otters player this season...The River Otters are an impressive 15-1-0 when leading after the first period, and 24-1-0 when leading after the second period...The River Otters are 18-6-5 in one-goal games. They have the second-highest number of one-goal victories in the UHL.

Motor City Mechanics - (2-1-0) – Center Blair Manning tallied an assist in each of the three games played this week...Defenseman Brandon Fleenor scored his second goal of the season and game-winner on Friday night. Fleenor is fourth in the league with 158 penalty minutes in 56 games played...Rod Branch made 43 saves on Saturday night to register the 3-2 victory over the Trashers...Right wing Jeff Doyle posted a goal and an assist on Saturday night versus Danbury...Motor City is 4-2-0 in their last six games, and 6-4-0 in their last ten...Kevin Hansen is tied for first among UHL defenseman with Danbury's J.F. David with two shorthanded goals...The Mechanics are 6-13-3 within their own Central Division, and 11-20-3 against teams outside their division.

Muskegon Fury - (2-0-0) – The Fury's current five-game winning streak (5-0-0) equals their second longest win streak of the season. During this time, the Fury have scored 18 goals (3.60 goals for average) and have yielded only seven goals against for a goals against average of 1.40...In the first and second periods combined at home, the Fury have outscored the visitors 78-36...The Fury lead the UHL in second period total goals with 82...When they score four or more goals, the Fury post a 27-0-1 record; when they score three or more in a single game, their record is 32-2-1...With one goal and one assist in Friday night's victory, left wing Brant Blackned became the fifth player in Fury history to attain 300 points...Left wing Jason Lawmaster is currently on a six-game point-scoring streak...Right wing Scott Hollis is two assists from 300, seven goals from 300, and nine points from 600 on his professional career...Sylvain Daigle is 5-0-0 in his last five decisions allowing only four goals against for a save percentage of .939.

Port Huron Beacons – (1-2-1) – Daniel Berthiaume took over the team lead in save percentage at .902...With his shootout goal Friday versus Fort Wayne, left wing Josh Tataryn leads the team in shootout percentage, five for nine for 55.6 percent...Left wing Trevor Edwards is second among rookies with three game-winning goals...Center Aaron Brand is 19 points behind Michel Beausoleil for third all-time on the Beacons scoring list...Left wing David Beauregard is tied for third in the UHL with 13 power play goals...The Beacons currently hold the third best road power play record in the league at 19.3 percent.

Quad City Mallards - (1-2-1) – Rookie goaltender Robert Gherson recorded his first professional shutout on Sunday with the 5-0 win over Richmond...The Mallards are 13-1-2 when right wing Greg Barber scores a point...Rookie forward Mike Kompon recorded his fourth multiple-goal game of the season on Friday in Muskegon. Kompon has five goals in his last five games and leads the team in goals with 19...The Mallards scored twice on the power play on Sunday versus Richmond. It was the first time since January 9th that the Mallards recorded more than one power-play goal in a game.

Richmond RiverDogs – (0-3-1) – The ‘Dogs are winless in their last four games but have a three game home winning streak. The ‘Dogs are 1 for their last 18 on the power play after a 16 for 39 (41%) run over eight games. The ‘Dogs are home for three straight games versus first place clubs...The ‘Dogs scored five power play goals at Flint on Friday night. The ‘Dogs eight-game streak with 30-plus shots on goal ended Saturday. David Hymovitz club season high nine game point scoring streak ended Saturday...Left wing Francis Belanger had a "Gordie Howe" hat trick (goal, assist, and fight) Friday at Flint...Brent Belecki has played four straight games in goal...The ‘Dogs held Quad City to a season-low two shots on goal in the second period on Sunday...The ‘Dogs have scored one goal in their last two games after scoring 35 in their last seven...The ‘Dogs have 20 goals in their last three home games.

Rockford IceHogs - (1-3-0) – Winger J.F. Dufour has a point in five straight games. During this stretch, the Hogs leading scorer has three goals and four assists...Rockford has lost four of their last five games, their worst stretch this season...The IceHogs game up five goals in a single period twice last week...Eight of the IceHogs 17 losses this season have come by three or more goals...Winger Eric Labelle became the eighth IceHogs player to be called-up to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals on Sunday...Center J.C Ruid became the ninth player in IceHogs history to record 30 goals in a single season when he tallied on Wednesday at Missouri...The IceHogs tied a club record for most wins in a season on Friday with their 35th win. The club previously accomplished this during the 2002-03 season.

SHER-WOOD PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Missouri center Jim Montgomery completed the week with eight points (3g, 5a) in three games. He posted a goal and power play assist in Wednesday's 6-3 victory over Rockford. On Friday night, with only 16 seconds into the first, he assisted on the River Otters first goal. He netted on the man-advantage less than five minutes later, and with 4:33 seconds remaining in the first, posted another goal on the K-Wings. On Saturday night, he tallied three assists in the 3-2 victory over Quad City for 22 on the season. In 33 games played, he has posted 16 goals (two power play, five game-winning) for a 17.8 shooting percentage.

He has played more than 120 games in the National Hockey League (NHL), including a 67-game stint with the St. Louis Blues in 1993-94 where he scored six goals and added 14 assists. He scored his first NHL goal versus the New York Rangers in October of 1993, and in 1995, went to the NHL Semi-Finals with the Philadelphia Flyers. During the 1995-96 season, he scored 100 points with the Hershey Bears (AHL), and three years later, won the Calder Cup Championship with the Philadelphia Phantoms (1998). During the playoff run, he scored 29 points in 20 games. Montgomery began his career at the University of Maine (1989-93) where he won the NCAA Championship his senior year. The 35-year-old Montreal, Quebec native is in his twelfth professional season and first with the Missouri River Otters.

Other players nominated for the Sher-Wood UHL Player of the Week include: Adirondack center Greg Koehler, Danbury forward Alex Goupil, Elmira center Carl Drakensjo, Flint right wing Rob Valicevic, Fort Wayne right wing Chris Grenville, Kalamazoo center Andrew Luciuk, Kansas City defenseman Briane Thompson, Motor City forward Jeff Doyle, Muskegon center Jeff Nelson, Port Huron left wing Josh Tataryn, Quad City forward Mike Kompon, Richmond left wing David Hymovitz, and Rockford right wing J.F. Dufour.

SOUTHERN SPORTS SUPPLY UHL GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Adirondack's Kris Tebbs finished the week with a 3-0-0 record, 1.67 GAA and .944 save percentage. In Wednesday night's match-up against the Trashers, Tebbs turned away 21 of 22 shots on goal to register the 6-1 victory. In the first of Adirondack's two-game weekend series against Elmira, he stopped 32 shots for the 4-3 win. On Saturday, he allowed only one goal against for the 5-1 win over the Jackals. In his 12 appearances, Tebbs has posted a 10-2-0 record with one shutout and a .917 save percentage. The 23-year-old Calgary, Alberta native is in his first professional season. He played 15 games with the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2003-04, and in 2001-02, earned the Coastal Conference Goalie of the Year Award as a member of the Powell River Kings (British Columbia Hockey League).

Other players nominated for the Southern Sports Supply UHL Goaltender of the Week include: Danbury's Scott Stirling, Elmira's Greg Hewitt, Flint's Dan McIntyre, Fort Wayne's Kevin St. Pierre, Kalamazoo's Joel Martin, Kansas City's Tim Knudsen, Missouri's Jason Tapp, Motor City's Rod Branch, Muskegon's Sylvain Daigle, Port Huron's Daniel Berthiaume, Quad City's Robert Gherson, Richmond's Brent Belecki, and Rockford's Michel Robinson.

ON THE UP AND UP

Quad City right wing Greg Barber has posted one goal and two assists in twenty-four games with the Hershey Bears...Kalamazoo left wing Ryan Barnes continues to play for the Grand Rapid Griffins with eight points (4g, 4a) in 41 games played... Kalamazoo left wing Nick Bootland, who was reassigned to the Cleveland Barons in late September, has five goals and seven assists (53gp) with a plus-one rating... Flint left wing Jay Henderson who was called-up to the Providence Bruins at the start of the UHL season, has notched five goals and six assists in fifty-three games played... Kalamazoo center Kory Karlander has been with the Griffins since late September posting one goal and two assists in twenty-five games played... Danbury forward John Morlang has played twenty-four games with Bridgeport tallying two goals and five assists... Rockford defenseman Tim Wedderburn has played in forty-one games with Chicago posting a plus-eleven rating with six assists... Rockford defenseman Kevin Klein returned to the Milwaukee Admirals in early December notching eleven points (4g, 7a)... Danbury's J.F. David has played in two games with the Hershey Bears... Rockford's Seamus Kotyk has played sixteen games in net for the Milwaukee Admirals posting an 8-4-0 record and tallying one assist...Muskegon right wing Robin Bouchard has played in four games with the Grand Rapids Griffins tallying one assist...Danbury forward Mike Bayrack was called-up to the Springfield Falcons... Rockford defenseman Nathan Lutz was reassigned to the Chicago Wolves...Elmira's Darren Van Oene and Danbury's Doug Christiansen have each played in one game with the Manchester Monarchs...Rockford winger Eric Labelle has played in one game with the Milwaukee Admirals.



International Hockey League 2 Stories from February 23, 2005


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