Renegades Rookies Hoist Flag for OCN
Published on January 31, 2007 under SPHL (SPHL) News Release
Kids from all walks of life play hockey in youth leagues across North America. Most play for a few seasons and eventually lose interest or become involved in other things. Very few have what it takes to be considered for the professional ranks. Fewer yet make the cut.
Lifelong friends Don Melnyk and Duane Whitehead not only made the cut, but also play together in the SPHL for the Richmond Renegades under veteran coach John Brophy.
The chances a couple of buddies both making the pros seem pretty slim, much less playing on the same team. As members of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN), the aboriginal (native) Canadians overcame even longer odds though. It's been 15 years since anybody from OCN made it to hockey's pro ranks.
That OCN drought came to an end this season when Melnyk, Whitehead and their friend Ryan Constant, who plays for the ECHL Charlotte Checkers, all embarked on their rookie seasons in the pros.
As boys, Melnyk and Whitehead spent years playing hockey together. They both dreamed of going on to play for the Blizzard, which featured mostly native players. At 5-10, 180 pounds, Melnyk wasn't big, but his gritty style of play helped the left-handed forward earn a spot on the hometown team.
"It was a big accomplishment for me to play for OCN,"Melnyk said. He went on to notch 220 points and 653 PIM in four seasons with the Blizzard. Unable to make the team, the 5-9, 165-pound Whitehead found himself on the outside looking in.
"When I tried out, the Blizzard had won five championships in a row. I was never looked at as a strong enough player,"Whitehead said.
As representatives of their band, both young men feel a sense of urgency to succeed that comes from within and stays with them every day. To some, the dread of returning home unsuccessful may exceed the fear of leaving in the first place. They gladly bear the weight of that pressure, and encourage other young people to follow in their footsteps.
"I'm a smaller guy, but that doesn't mean I won't throw my body around. I like to be the energy guy, finishing my checks and getting my team on top with early goals,"Whitehead said.
Melnyk's path to Richmond first went through Texas, where he had signed to play with the CHL Laredo Bucks. The team, stacked with veteran talent, had just come off its second championship in three years. Unfortunately, his stay there lasted only a few games before his release. He got an encouraging phone call from Renegades captain/asst coach Brian Goudie, who comes from The Pas. "Knowing Whitehead was in Richmond made me want to come here too,"Melnyk said.
He joined the Renegades in time for their seventh game, notching an assist in a 4-3 road victory over the Florida Seals. He has brought speed, energy and a feisty edge to the team ever since.
"I like to hit, and I like the rough stuff. I'm more of a set-up guy; a playmaker,"Melnyk said.
Despite the different paths they took to Richmond, Melnyk and Whitehead both made it. Now the brothers in arms are back together playing hockey, fulfilling their dreams of playing in the pros. And hoisting the flag high for OCN.
(This story has been abridged, for more of this uplifting story, please go to www.prohockeynews.com)
Mustukovs Shines in ECHL Play
After three hours on the phone ECHL Toledo Storm Coach Nick Vitucci finally found a net minder for his team, which had lost both its regular net minders to AHL call ups. The dialing paid off, and thanks to the play of Ervins Mustukovs, Vitucci knows were to find an emergency goaltender.
Mustukovs, 22, from Latvia, did not just go into a situation with no pressure on him. He got thrown into a playoff race. If the Storm squeaks into the ECHL playoffs this year, the organization will owe him at least a thank-you card. The fourth-place Storm had games against its two closest teams in the standings and Mustukovs played spotless goaltending in his first game, making 41 stops in a 4-0 win over Dayton. In his next outing, the moonlighting Ice Bears net minder made 33 stops in a 5-3 win over the Reading Royals. His play was so strong that he was named the ECHL Goaltender of the Week.
"I can't say enough about Ervins'play this past weekend,"said Vitucci. "For a unknown he stepped in and did a great job for us on the road against two good hockey clubs. I'm planning on bringing him back for our game Wednesday and our western road trip that we leave for on Thursday."
They Said It
He had a tough first pro game allowing 11 goals vs. Fayetteville. I gave him another chance, and he has been outstanding ever since."
Knoxville coach Jim Bermingham on Ervins Mustukovs.
"They came. They saw. And they went home ecstatic! This was our best crowd of the season and the players made the game one to remember. There was everything from scoring to four fights, great saves at both ends, and the wave made its first appearance this year. The atmosphere was electric and it was a night to remember!"
Allan Harvie, about the crowd of 5,168 that witnessed Richmond's 3-2 win over Huntsville on January 27.
"My telephone is going crazy. Everyone is desperate for defensemen. We don't have any leagues to draw on like other leagues do (for defensemen). I'm pulling guys off of couches or something."
Huntsville coach John Gibson, when asked about the difficulties of finding defensemen to play in the SPHL late in the season.
"We were not ready to play. Our team didn't have it and didn't want it. People ask me why I'm going to be making changes. The proof is in the pudding."
Knoxville coach Jim Bermingham to Nick Gates of the Knoxville Times after the Ice Bears lost to Pee Dee 3-2 in overtime on Sunday.
TEAM NOTES
The Cottonmouths drew 5,473 fans for Racin'Weekend and entertained the large crowd with a definitive 6-3 win over the Pee Dee Cyclones. The game was fairly even until the 'Snakes scored three times to open up a 6-2 lead. Tylor Keller had an excellent outing as he led the club with a goal and three assists. Keller was ably supported on offense by Mat Ponto (1-1-2) and Tim Green (1-2-3), and defensively by net minder Chad Rycroft, who made 25 saves and helped limit the Cyclones potent power play to a single goal on seven tries. Craig Stahl showed he has come back all the way from a facial injury as he picked up an instigator, fighting and misconduct penalty in a tilt with Chris Kovalcik. Despite Mike McIlveen missing the contest, the club skated with a full roster as forward Jason Price was signed to a tryout pact. Price spent six games with the UHL Port Huron Flags earlier this season. The Cottonmouths'31 games to date are the fewest played in the SPHL this season.
Tim Velemirovich had a great night against Jacksonville with a SPHL record-tying fiveassist game in a 7-1 win over the Barracudas. Velermirovich's five assists were the most by a single player since Columbus'Orrin Hergott accomplished the same feat on March 12, 2005. The contest was dominated by the newly formed line of Rob Sich, Josh Welter and Velemirovich, with each player bagging a plus-6 for the night and combining for 14 points in the blowout. Defenders Dylan Row (2 -1-3) and Mike Clarke (three assists) also had excellent evenings. The FireAntz held Huntsville to only 20 shots on goal, but gave up four goals and were held scoreless in a disappointing loss in the game before. Gavin Hodgson fought in both games. Neither fight was easy for Hodgson as he took on tough players in both instances, fighting Travis Kauffeldt in the first game and Chris Bain in the second. Coach John Marks has been outstanding in personnel matters the last two weeks, adding Clarke from the UHL and Sich from the Florida Seals. Forward Nick Kormanyos was placed on the 30-day injured reserve list.
Matt Carmichael made 31 stops in both of the club's games this week with two absolutely different results. In the first game, the net minder stopped all shots headed his way in a 4-0 win over Fayetteville, but gave up three goals in a 3-2 loss to Richmond. The loss to Richmond put the clubs in a first-place tie, but Huntsville has two games in hand over the expansion outfit. With the departure of Jesse Baraniuk to Pensacola and Jason deGuehery on leave, the club has recently been skating with five rookies on the blue line. DeGuehery is slated to return to the ice for this week's games. Tristan Senior led the way with two goals against Fayetteville while Jonathan Lounsbury picked up a trio of assists. Huntsville traveled to Richmond and fired 48 shots on goal, but was limited by Richmond's Doug Groenestege. The team fell behind 2-0 then 3-1 and could never get the tying goal despite putting on heavy pressure. Justin Schmit doubled his offensive output with a goal and an assist in the contest. The departure of Kelly Miller leaves the club with one vet.
Ryan Person made 28 saves and the Barracudas scored two unanswered goals to defeat the first-place Richmond Renegades by a 2-1 count. The game started poorly when Richmond took a 1-0 lead just 36 seconds into the contest. But Person shut the Renegades down the rest of the way, while Jason Cassells and Jim Murphy found the range. The next game turned out completely opposite of the first outing as Person got shelled by four goals and then chased after just one period in a 7-1 setback to the Fayetteville FireAntz. The loss knocked the club into a dead heat in the race for the final two playoff spots after 33 games played. Only a late goal by Bryan Gent kept the Barracudas from being shut out against the FireAntz. The team added defender Billy Rochefort, late of the Florida Seals, to fill the roster slot opened up by Derek McKinlay's suspension. Perhaps no player mirrored the up-and-down week better than Cassells, as he had a hand in both goals against Richmond but was a minus- 4 against Fayetteville. The club hosts Pee Dee this week and travel to Columbus. Caleb Moffat, who is on the team's season-ending disabled list, was injured in a single-car accident on Monday morning.
Each year there is a loss that bothers a team, and the nomination for that loss this year for the Ice Bears will probably be their 3-2 overtime loss on Sunday to the Pee Dee Cyclones. There is no shame in losing to the Cyclones under normal circumstances, but the situation surrounding the loss exacerbated the defeat. Knoxville played, and defeated, the Cyclones in Knoxville on Friday night and then rested while Pee Dee had to go to Columbus to play. In theory this would leave the Ice Bears with a tired team to face on a day's rest. But just the opposite took place as the Cyclones scored two unanswered goals to win Sunday's affair. The start of the week also frustrated the Ice Bears as the club fired 49 shots on goal in a 2-0 loss in Richmond. To make matters worse, the return of Bob Rangus forced Coach Jim Bermingham to cut heart-and-soul forward Aaron Lewis after the Renegades game. The team rebounded behind Kevin Swider, who scored twice and added two assists in a 5-4 win over Pee Dee. Included in Swider's output was the game-winning goal in overtime as the Ice Bears fired 54 shots on goal, erasing two Pee Dee leads. Rangus showed why he needed to be on the roster as he notched the game-tying goal at the 18:05 mark of the third period.
Forward Daryl Moore scored for eight consecutive games in a row when he beat Knoxville net minder Terry Dunbar 1:27 into overtime to salvage the week for the club. Moore's goal allowed the Cyclones to finish the week with three points in three games, which is good. But time is running out on the club and it needs wins. The Cyclones nearly had the Ice Bears in the first meeting and held leads of 3-2 and 4-3 before losing in overtime. Chris Rebernik had two goals in the contest while Moore had a goal and two assists in the defeat. Guy St. Vincent was tested once again in goal as he made 49 saves. Brad Buss took a turn in goal and the Cyclones allowed 48 shots on goal as the Cottonmouths defeated them by a 6-3 count in Georgia. Forward Jeff Marler returned from a stint on the injured reserve list with a goal and an assist against the Ice Bears in the capper. St. Vincent picked up the win as he stopped 31 shots over the course of the night. Mark Richards tweaked the lineup again as he added David Mullins and waived Mark Hammersmith. Pee Dee has a pair of "four-point"games this week as it faces off against Jacksonville and Fayetteville. A win in each game could pull the club to within six points of the playoffs - or push it back a minimum of 12 points.
At week's end, the statistics were telling - and awesome. In three games, net minder Doug Groenestege made 120 saves, allowed only four goals, posted a shutout, and was named the first star in one game, the second star in the second and had two wins to his credit. The young net minder started the week with a 49-effort in a 2-0 shutout over Knoxville, lost 2-1 in overtime to Jacksonville and made 46 more stops, despite suffering an upset stomach in a first-place showdown against Huntsville. After the game, Groenestege said the way he is playing now, the Renegades should win if they score three or four goals. If the SPHL wants to make a highlight video of a game, the contest between Richmond and Huntsville would have to be under consideration. The rivalry is alive and well between the two clubs as even the two coaches got into it behind their respective benches, and will resume on Super Bowl Sunday. Hockey fans interested in a good game should visit www.thesphl.tv to watch the contest. The club is getting balanced scoring with four players on the roster with at least 10 goals. A fifth player, Brett Cross was suspended by the team and is off the club according to John Brophy with, more than likely, a defenseman coming in to replace him. Brophy showed confidence in Mat Goody as he was on the ice for the final minutes against Huntsville due to his size and the fact the Havoc crashed the net in an attempt to tie the game. Brian Goudie leads all SPHL defensemen in scoring. March 10 will be a very special night in Richmond with the Renegades Foundation is the beneficiary of the NASCAR/RIR (Richmond International Raceway) Jessica Beck Memorial Scholarship Night. The club will auction special jerseys, race tickets and there will be many special events including the appearance of the Earnhardt Jr. #8 Budweiser car. Keep your eye on page five of this release as the date gets closer for more information on the event.
The Lighter Side!
1) Who holds the SPHL record for most wins in a season by a goaltender?
Hint: He started the season in the SPHL, but is not in the league at present.
2) Who holds the record for most shutouts in a season?
Hint: He was a rookie that season, led the league in GAA, but did not play in the playoffs.
3) What is the record for save percentage for a goaltender?
Hint: See question two.
1) Terry Denike won 28 games for the Florida Seals last year.
2) Fayetteville's Chad Collins had four shutouts during the 2004-05 season.
3) Collins had a save percentage of .922 that same season.
Helping and Honoring
SPHL hockey isn't all just fun and games. All of the league's team are reaching out to the community and doing what they can to help out. Check out some of these upcoming events;
- On February 3rd the Columbus Cottonmouths will hold their annual Teddy Bear Toss with the Bears going to children who are victims of tragic fires, accidents or illness. On the 13th the club will hold their annual Tip-A-Snake. This fundraiser has been successful over the past six years, as the team has been able to raise over $180,000 to date! All proceeds go to the Children's Miracle Network in the Columbus area.
- Knoxville will hold Bike/Mullett weekend on February 17th.
Three Stars of theWeek (in no particular order)
Tim Velemirovich #11 Fayetteville Five Assists vs. Jacksonville 1/27
Doug Groenestege #40 Richmond 49 saves, SO 1/24 vs. Knoxville 48 saves 1/27 vs. Huntsville
Kevin Swider #12 Knoxville 2-2-4 GW OT goal 1/26 vs. Pee Dee
SPHL Stories from January 31, 2007
- Barracudas Split Weekend Road Games - Jacksonville Barracudas
- Jeff Moor called to ECHL - Columbus Cottonmouths
- Renegades Rookies Hoist Flag for OCN - SPHL
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
