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Quick Picks for 2004

January 5, 2005 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2) News Release


LAKE ST. LOUIS – After twelve weeks into the 2004-05 season, Danbury, Muskegon and Fort Wayne have come out on top of their divisions by two and three point margins. Flint right wing Kevin Kerr tied the all-time record for goals scored in all minor league professional hockey, and for the first time in UHL history, Danbury and Elmira went head-to-head in a twenty-one round shootout.

Danbury's Todd Stirling and Fort Wayne's Greg Puhalski have earned the honor of UHL All-Star coaches for Team Pepsi and Team Mountain Dew, respectively. In his first professional coaching year, Stirling has led the Trashers to a .671 winning percentage, while Puhalski's Komets lead the league in points (380), goals (140), and assists (240).

2005 Outlook

The sixth UHL All-Star Classic will be played at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, New York on Monday, January 24, 2005. Ticket prices include admission for both the Alumni and All-Star Games.... Thirty UHL players have been called up to the AHL since August of 2004 including Kalamazoo's Ryan Barnes and Kory Karlander, and Muskegon's Todd Robinson.

AROUND THE LEAGUE
EASTERN
Danbury (35gp, 23g, 11a, 1sop, 47pts); Adirondack (34gp, 19g, 9a, 6sop, 44pts)
Richmond (35gp, 17g, 16a, 2sop, 36pts); Elmira (38gp, 16g, 18a, 4sop, 36pts)

CENTRAL
Muskegon (35gp, 20g, 10a, 5sop, 45pts); Flint (35gp, 18g, 10a, 7sop, 43pts)
Kalamazoo (34gp, 17g, 14a, 3sop, 37pts); Port Huron (35gp, 16g, 17a, 2sop, 34pts)
Motor City (34gp, 8g, 23a, 3sop, 19pts)

WESTERN
Fort Wayne (37gp, 24g, 10a, 3sop, 51pts); Rockford (36gp, 22g, 9a, 5sop, 49pts)
Missouri (33gp, 20g, 10a, 3sop, 43pts); Quad City (32gp, 13g, 15a, 4sop, 30pts)
Kansas City (35gp, 11g, 22a, 2sop, 24pts)




Adirondack Frostbite - (3-2-0) – The Frostbite are 19-0-3 when leading or tied after the second period...Adirondack goalie Derek Gustafson has moved into third on the Adirondack All-Time wins list with eighteen...Center Sylvain Cloutier is on a seven-game home point streak...On Sunday, right wing Frank Littlejohn played in his 300th game with Adirondack against Danbury and had a five point game (1g, 4a). With 104 assists he has moved into fifth on the Adirondack All-Time assist list...The Frostbite have only lost one game in regulation when scoring first.

Danbury Trashers - (1-3-0) – The seven power play goals allowed by Danbury on Tuesday against Adirondack is the most in club history for a single game...The Trashers finished the month of December with a plus-57 rating and a 9-4 record...Center Blake Bellefeuille's first multi-point game of the season rang in the New Year on January 1st with two goals against Richmond for the 3-1 victory...The Danbury Trashers introduced their new mascot, Scrappy, on New Year's Day.

Elmira Jackals - (2-0-1) – Elmira finished the week with two consecutive wins versus Adirondack on Saturday, and Richmond on Sunday...Left wing Jamie Thompson posted a three-goal performance against Richmond Sunday. It was the first hat trick by a Jackal since Jason Sessa scored three against Danbury on October 16th...Due to injury, center Greg Koehler now sits fifth in the league with forty-seven points and third in goals scored (23).

Flint Generals - (2-1-1) – Defenseman Adam Sturgeon registered his first goal of the season in Port Huron on Friday night...Right wing Kevin Kerr has tied the record for career goals in all of minor professional hockey with 663 goals...Jim Duhart has thirteen goals in sixteen games with five power play goals and three game winning goals...Flint has a 6-0-1 record in games following a shootout loss this season...Flint posted a 2-5 record in seven shootout games in December...The last time the Generals lost in regulation before Sunday night against Muskegon was December 17th at Adirondack.

Fort Wayne Komets - (3-2-0) – The Komets were 13-2-2 for the month of December for a league best 28 points and .824 point percentage in 17 games played...Left wing P.C. Drouin is riding a three-game point streak and center Colin Chaulk has points in three straight games...Left wing Danny Stewart played his 100th UHL and Fort Wayne career game Monday 12/27 versus Kansas City... Greg Puhalski coached his 200th Komet win (regular season) Friday 12/31 versus Motor City...Tyler Masters posted two shutouts this week versus Motor City and Kansas City.

Kalamazoo Wings - (3-1-0) – Ryan Barnes and Greg Labenski were reassigned to Grand Rapids and Cleveland, respectively...The K-Wings had a four-goal period high to round up the Outlaws in a 4-1 victory on Friday...The K-Wings are 16-8-6 at home and 13-6-7 against their division opponents...Chad Alban stopped 62 of 66 shots he faced this week.

Kansas City Outlaws - (1-4-0) – Netminder Mark McArthur registered his first game as an Outlaw on January 1st...Kansas City has forty-five regular season games remaining with twenty-seven at home...Left wing Mark Lee had a team high four assists in the Outlaws win January 1st at Motor City. Before Sunday's win, Kansas City was 0-12-1 in their previous thirteen road games...Tony Arkeilpane scored his first professional and game-winning goal in the Outlaws 5-2 win over Motor City.

Missouri River Otters - (2-2-0) – The River Otters haven't lost more than two games in a row this season... Mat Snesrud has registered a point in 22.2 percent of the Otters goals this year, a higher percentage than any other UHL defenseman...The River Otters have won their last four shootouts...Kevin Reiter leads the UHL with a 76.9 winning percentage and a 1.94 goals against average...The River Otters have allowed 75 goals, the fewest amount in the UHL.

Motor City Mechanics - (1-2-1) – Left wing Jeff Goldie notched a goal and two assists on Saturday versus Kansas City...Rod Branch made forty-two saves in goal on Wednesday night versus Kalamazoo before losing in an eleven round shootout...The Mechanics earned their first victory of 2005, led by captain Blair Manning who not only scored the game winning goal, but added two assists...Right wing Dan Price notched his second goal of the year on Sunday versus the Mechanics.

Muskegon Fury - (3-0-1) – The Fury have allowed three goals against or less in thirty of their first thirty-five games this season...When the Fury have the lead entering the third period, they are undefeated 18-0-1...In the month of December, the Fury posted a 8-4-4 record... The Fury power play continues to rank #1 in the UHL at 25.9 percent...Muskegon started and ended the month of December with identical 7-3 triumphs on the road; December 1st in Kansas City and December 31st in Rockford.

Port Huron Beacons – (2-1-0) – David Beauregard is tied for first in goals with twenty-five...Left wing Trevor Edwards is third with five power play assists...Port Huron is currently on a five-game home win streak...The Beacons are 5-4-2 in one-goal games and are 8-3-0 when leading after the first period.

Quad City Mallards - (1-1-1) – Mike Kompon had a five-game scoring streak snapped on Sunday in Port Huron. During the streak, Kompon had five goals and seven assists for twelve points...Left wing Frantisek Skladany scored his first professional goal on Friday in Missouri...The Mallards are now 2-2-0 versus the River Otters after their 2-1 victory on Friday. After four games at the Family Arena, the River Otters will visit The MARK for the first time on Sunday, January 9th...DefensemanTerry Hollinger played his 800th professional game on Sunday in Port Huron...Defenseman Alexander Skorohod made his Mallards debut on Sunday in Port Huron.

Richmond RiverDogs – (2-2-0) – The ‘Dogs three-game winning streak ended Saturday...David Dartsch came out of retirement to join the RiverDogs posting the ‘Dogs first "Gordie Howe" hat trick of the season Sunday versus Elmira (goal, assist, and a fight)...The ‘Dogs lost for the first time this season when leading after two periods on Saturday in Danbury...Richmond has played four straight games with a short roster.

Rockford IceHogs - (2-1-1) – The IceHogs set a club record with 103 PIM's against Muskegon on Friday night...Center J.C. Ruid has a goal in four straight games, scoring a total of six points during this stretch...Rockford 9-4-2 road record is the top win percentage away from home in the UHL...Goaltender Michel Robinson scored a goal on Wednesday against Fort Wayne.



LEADING SCORERS

Chaulk, Colin (FW) 36gp, 13g, 39a, 52pts; Belanger, Hugo P. (ADI) 33gp, 19g, 31a, 50pts; Reynolds, Bobby (FLT) 35gp, 11g, 38a, 49pts; Koehler, Greg (ELM) 31gp, 23g, 24a, 47pts; Venedam, Sean (FW) 37gp, 22g, 23a, 45pts; Kelly, Justin (ADI) 34gp, 17g, 27a, 44pts; Sessa, Jason (ELM) 34gp, 25g, 17a, 42pts; Bouchard, Robin (MUS) 35gp, 19g, 23a, 42pts; Beauregard, David (PH) 33gp, 25g, 13a, 38pts; Ruid, J.C. (RCK) 30gp, 21g, 17a, 38pts; Valicevic, Rob (FLT) 33gp, 16g, 22a, 38pts; Nelson, Jeff (MUS) 35gp, 9g, 29a, 38pts; Drouin, P.C. (FW) 37gp, 12g, 25a, 37pts; Dufour, J.F. (RCK) 33gp, 11g, 26a, 37pts; Hymovitz, David (RMD) 35gp, 10g, 27a, 37pts; Blackned, Brant (MUS) 35gp, 13g, 22a, 35pts; Kinnie, Mike (FLT) 35gp, 20g, 14a, 34pts; Gretzky, Brent (DAN) 34gp, 11g, 23a, 34pts
Several Players Tied at 33


SHER-WOOD PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Adirondack left wing Hugo Belanger completed the week with fourteen points (4g, 10a) in five games. On Tuesday, he notched an individual game high with two goals and four assists. Wednesday, he played in his 800th professional career game, and on Friday, recorded his 350th assist in Adirondack uniform. Belanger is second in league scorers with fifty points (19g, 31a) in thirty-three games. Entering his fifth season with the Frostbite, the 34-year-old St. Hubert native, is second in power play assists (17) with six power play and three game winning goals.

Other players nominated for the Sher-Wood UHL Player of the Week include: Danbury forward Jeff Daw, Elmira right wing Jason Sessa, Flint right wing Bobby Reynolds, Kalamazoo center Yannick Carpentier, Kansas City right wing Joe Seroski, Missouri defenseman Mat Snesrud, Motor City forward Jeff Goldie, Muskegon left wing Brant Blackned, Port Huron left wing David Beauregard, Quad City forward Mike Kompon, Richmond right wing David Hymovitz, and Rockford center J.C. Ruid.


SOUTHERN SPORTS SUPPLY UHL GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Kalamazoo's Chad Alban finished the week with a 3-0-0 record, 1.33 GAA, and a .939 save percentage. On Tuesday, he stopped twenty-seven of twenty-eight Mechanics shots. On Friday, Alban saved eleven of twelve shots by Kansas City and twenty-four of twenty-six on Sunday versus Fort Wayne. He is currently fourth in wins (14) with two assists and a 14-9-3 record. The 28-year-old, Kalamazoo, Michigan native is in his second consecutive season with the K-Wings after playing for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.

Other players nominated for the Southern Sports Supply UHL Goaltender of the Week include: Adirondack's Derek Gustafson, Danbury's Scott Stirling, Elmira's Greg Hewitt, Flint's Dan McIntyre, Kalamazoo's Joel Martin, Kansas City's Maxime Gingras, Missouri's Kevin Reiter, Motor City's Rod Branch, Muskegon's Clayton Pool, Port Huron's Stu Dunn, Quad City's Jeff Reynaert, Richmond's Ryan McIntosh, and Rockford's Michel Robinson.


SHER-WOOD PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Fort Wayne left wing Sean Venedam completed the month with twenty-five points (17g, 8a) for a plus-fourteen rating in seventeen games played. He posted three consecutive hat tricks, five power play goals and two game winning goals. Venedam is currently fifth in league scorers with twenty-two goals and twenty-three assists for forty-five points in thirty-seven games played. He is tied for second best plus/minus (plus-23) with 142 shots on goal (with ninety in the month of December). The 28-year-old Valley, Ontario native is currently riding a five-game point streak, while notching points in thirteen of his seventeen December games.

Other players nominated for the Sher-Wood UHL Player of the Month include: Adirondack left wing Hugo Belanger, Danbury forward Jeff Daw, Elmira center Jeff Antonovich, Flint left wing Jim Duhart, Kalamazoo center Yannick Carpentier, Kansas City defenseman Matthieu Descoteaux, Missouri defenseman Mat Snesrud, Motor City center Blair Manning, Muskegon center Jeff Nelson, Port Huron left wing Joey Sewell, Quad City forward Mike Kompon, Richmond right wing Ryan Prentice, and Rockford center Olivier Proulx.


SOUTHERN SPORTS SUPPLY UHL GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH

Fort Wayne's Tyler Masters finished the month with a 9-2-2 record, 1.70 GAA, and a .932 save percentage for four shutouts. Two shutouts highlighted the week as Masters turned away twenty-four shots to a 4-0 win over Kansas City, and twenty shots to a 5-0 New Year's Eve win over the Mechanics. The 25-year-old Regina, Saskatchewan native is currently second in UHL leading goaltenders, with a 11-5-2 record and a .924 save percentage.

Other players nominated for the Southern Sports Supply UHL Goaltender of the Month include: Adirondack's Derek Gustafson, Danbury's Scott Stirling, Elmira's Greg Hewitt, Flint's Dan McIntyre, Kalamazoo's Chad Alban, Kansas City's Maxime Gingras, Missouri's Kevin Reiter, Motor City's Rod Branch, Muskegon's Clayton Pool, Port Huron's Stu Dunn, Quad City's Jeff Reynaert, Richmond's Ryan McIntosh, and Rockford's Michel Robinson.


ON THE UP AND UP

Kalamazoo left wing Ryan Barnes continues to play for the Grand Rapid Griffins with three points (1g, 2a) in 23 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... Muskegon center Todd Robinson, also with the Griffins, has notched sixteen points in twenty-four games (3g, 13a)...Kalamazoo left wing Nick Bootland, who was reassigned to the Cleveland Barons in late September, has three goals and four assists (32gp) with a plus-seven rating...Flint left wing Jay Henderson, who was called-up to the Providence Bruins at the start of the UHL season, has notched three goals and five assists in thirty-three games played...Rockford defenseman Tim Wedderburn has played twenty games with the Chicago Wolves earning two assists with a plus-two rating...Rockford defenseman Kevin Klein returned to the Milwaukee Admirals in early December notching eight points (3g, 5a) in twenty games...Danbury's J.F. David has played in two games with the Hershey Bears, and Kalamazoo defenseman Greg Labenski was reassigned to Cleveland playing in twelve games with two assists.

CONGRATULATIONS AND KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 5, 2005


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