River Otters UHL Weekly Release #23

Published on March 18, 2002 under United Hockey League (UHL)
Missouri River Otters News Release


RIVER OTTERS GRAB FOUR POINTS IN TWO-GAME WEEK, JUST ONE POINT OUT OF THE FINAL PLAYOFF SPOT IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE;

SHUT OUT KNOXVILLE 5-0 ON FRIDAY; BEAT FORT WAYNE 6-2 ON SATURDAY;

River Otters 2-0-0 in Week 23;

Missouri plays four in five nights this week, three at home and one on the road (vs. Kalamazoo – Wednesday; @ Fort Wayne – Friday; vs. Quad City – Saturday; vs. Fort Wayne – Sunday) 

Record	GP	W	L	SOL
5th place, Western Conference
Total	66	34	23	9
Home	31	17	10	4
Away	35	17	13	5
THE RECAP:

Friday, March 15, 2002 vs. Knoxville Game #63 UHL Game #449 River Otters 5 Knoxville 0

It was a case of déjà vu Friday night at the Family Arena for the Missouri River Otters.

They shut out the visiting Knoxville Speed 5-0 before a crowd of 2,281, a feat they accomplished in a similar fashion at home on February 20 against the Speed. The 5-0 score was the same but the similarities did not end there.

Missouri goaltender Aaron Vickar stopped 22 shots for his second shutout of the season and the team's fourth.

On February 20, similarly, Brian Regan turned away 30 Knoxville chances for his second shutout of the year.

Winger Jason Gudmundson picked up the hat trick for the River Otters in this game. It was the third of the season by a River Otters player and 14th in Family Arena history.

Center Dustin Whitecotton, who tonight picked up three assists in his first game back from call-up with Grand Rapids (AHL), also recorded a hat trick on February 20.

Missouri (33-23-9, 75 points) snapped a season-worst, five-game winless streak (0-3-2). With a Flint shootout loss in Fort Wayne tonight, the River Otters moved within three points of the Generals for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They have won six in a row against the Speed and improved to 9-1-1 against them. The River Otters also picked up their first home win in three games. Knoxville (19-45-2, 40 points) has lost nine in a row on the road and four in a row overall. They are now 8-24-0 away from home.

Saturday, March 16, 2002 vs. Fort Wayne Game #64 UHL Game #456 River Otters 6 Rockford 2

Winger Lonnie Loach recorded the hat trick and added an assist, as the Missouri River Otters defeated the Fort Wayne Komets 6-2 in front of 3,845 on Saturday night at the Family Arena.

Loach scored two of his three goals in the final period. His second of the night and 29th of the year was the game winner. He hammered a one-time shot from the high slot past Fort Wayne goaltender Martin Fillion at 3:48.

The tally gave Missouri a 3-0 lead but Fort Wayne finally got on the board after 45:44 of scoreless hockey. Defenseman Kevin Bertram sent in a quick snap shot from the bottom of the left circle for his seventh of the year.

Just 51 seconds later, the Komets got within one to make it 3-2 on winger Dustin Virag's 16th tally of the season. He finished a pinpoint passing play with center Brent Gretzky and winger Peter Cermak. Virag tapped in a cross-ice feed from Gretzky on the near post.

With less than five minutes remaining, River Otters defenseman Mike Jaros gave his team their two-goal cushion back. Jaros chipped in a Brandon Merli shot that was sitting on the Fort Wayne goal line. It was Jaros' fourth of the season.

After the goal, a melee ensued behind the Komets goal with every player on the ice getting involved. After all was said and done, the Komets were down two men for the remainder of regulation.

Missouri scored two 5-on-3 power play goals in the final minutes. Center Dustin Whitecotton connected for his 33rd of the season at 16:09, tying a franchise record for goals in one season set by center Eric Murano last season.

Loach completed the hat trick, his second of the season, at 18:55 on a slap shot from the high slot. It is the 15th hat trick in Family Arena history. It was Loach's first 30-goal season since the 1995-96 season with the Detroit Vipers.

Missouri (34-23-9, 77 points) moved within a point of the Flint Generals for the fourth and final playoff spot. The Generals lost in Muskegon 6-1. The River Otters have won two in a row overall and improved to 4-1-0 against the Komets. Fort Wayne (34-19-12, 80 points) had their three-game winning streak snapped with the defeat. They fell to 16-12-5 on the road.

--Keeping Track--

-UHL MVP...?-

The return of center Dustin Whitecotton from an eight-game call-up with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) brought two victories to the River Otters this past weekend, which snapped a season-worst five-game (0-3-2) winless streak. Missouri was 2-5-2 in the nine games Whitecotton was absent; he registered the first AHL goal of his career and was a +5 with the Griffins. Whitecotton tallied three points in each of the games this Friday (5-0 W vs. Knoxville) and Saturday (6-2 W vs. Fort Wayne). He set up winger Jason Gudmundson's hat trick on Friday with three assists and then posted one goal and two assists on Saturday. His tally, the 33rd of the season, tied a River Otters franchise record for goals in one season. The mark was set by center Eric Murano last season. He leads the River Otters in goals (33), assists (50), points (83) and plus/minus (+10). He is ranked sixth in the UHL in scoring.

-Two Weeks And Time's Up-

The River Otters are just one point out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference heading into the last two weeks of the 2001-2002 regular season. Missouri trails the Flint Generals by that single point and has a game in hand on them. The River Otters are five points back of the Fort Wayne Komets, a team they beat 6-2 on Saturday night at home, with a game in hand. In just two games against the Generals, Missouri finished undefeated in regulation (1-0-1). Through five games with the Komets, Missouri is 4-1-0 with two games remaining this week – Friday, March 22 in Fort Wayne, IN & Sunday, March 24 in St. Charles.

-Thirty-Goal Thunder-

With winger Lonnie Loach's 30th goal, the River Otters franchise now has four 30-goal scorers in their three-year history. Center Dustin Whitecotton, who tied a franchise record for goals in one season with his 33rd on Saturday, broke the 30-goal plane on February 20 with a hat trick against the Knoxville Speed in a 5-0 win. Last season, center Eric Murano (33) and winger Kiley Hill (30) hit the 30-goal mark. In the team's inaugural season, no one was able to score 30, although Loach came within one. The River Otters could potentially have five 30-goal scorers this season. Winger Joe Ritson (29), winger Jason Gudmundson (25) and Murano (24) are all within striking distance.

-They Look A Lot Alike-

The two games the River Otters played the Knoxville Speed on February 20 and this past Friday, March 15 looked a lot alike. Both games favored the River Otters with a 5-0 score. Brian Regan stopped 30 shots on February 20 for the shutout and Aaron Vickar stopped 22 on March 15. And in both contests, a River Otters player registered a hat trick. Center Dustin Whitecotton netted his first on February 20 and winger Lonnie Loach tallied his second this past Friday.

-Top Line Back On A Tear-

With center Dustin Whitecotton back from an eight-game call-up with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL), head coach Mark Reeds reunited the team's top line of Whitecotton and wingers Joe Ritson and Jason Gudmundson. The trio accounted for 13 of the club's 33 points (39.4 percent) in two wins this weekend.

-Not Giving Up Goals-

For the second time in March, River Otters goaltender Aaron Vickar has posted a shutout. He did so on Friday against the Knoxville Speed with a 22-save performance in a 5-0 win. On Friday, March 1, Vickar blanked the Asheville Smoke 4-0 with 29 stops. He has posted 20 or more victories for the first time in his three-year career with 21 (21-12-5); he is tied for fifth in the UHL in wins.

-Loach Lighting It Up-

With his second hat trick of the year in the team's 6-2 win over the Fort Wayne Komets on Saturday, veteran winger Lonnie Loach hit the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career since the 1995-96 season, when he scored 35 with the Detroit Vipers of the now-defunct International Hockey League (IHL). It was his the sixth time in his 14-year career he has scored 30 or more goals. He also posted his second four-point (3g, 1a) night of the season. He is ranked second in team scoring with 72 points (30g, 42a).

-Potent Power Play Re-Deploys-

After being held without a power play goal in four straight games and seven of their last 10 (4-for-44=9.1 percent), the River Otters went 4-for-9 (44.4 percent) in two wins this weekend over Knoxville (1-for-1) and Fort Wayne (3-for-8). They are fourth in the UHL on the power play with a conversion rate of 19.34.

-They Were Shot Down-

Missouri held the Fort Wayne Komets to a season-low 15 shots in Saturday 6-2 victory. The previous low the opposition had been held to was 18 on November 21, 2001 against the Knoxville Speed.

-Marvelous Merli-

Newcomer Brandon Merli, in his second year, equaled his season output with Atlantic City (ECHL) and Quad City in two games with the River Otters this past weekend. Merli, who had two goals with Atlantic City in 18 games and one goal in six games with the Mallards, registered a goal in his first game in Friday's 5-0 shutout of Knoxville and then added two assists in Saturday's 6-2 win over Fort Wayne.

-Injury, Call-up & Transaction Report-

-River Otters center Dustin Whitecotton has been reassigned from the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL), 03/14/02.

-River Otters defenseman Vaclav Pazourek remains on the 14-day injured reserve, 02/15/02.

-River Otters rookie winger Joe Pecoraro remains on the 21-day injured reserve, 12/23/01.

-Pawing Our Way Through The Schedule-

-On Wednesday, March 20, 2002, the River Otters host the Kalamazoo Wings for the final time this season. The River Otters were trounced 7-1 by the Wings on January 30 in their last meeting. Dating back to last season, Missouri is winless in their last eight games against Kalamazoo with a 0-5-3 record. This year, the River Otters are 0-2-1 against them. Kalamazoo (29-33-5, 63 points) is in sixth place in the Western Conference, 14 points back of the River Otters. The Wings are led by winger Randy Holmes, who has 57 points (26g, 31a). It is Dave & Buster's Power Card Night. The first 1,000 adults will receive a Dave & Buster's Power Card. The game broadcast can be heard on KFAV 99.9 FM or online at www.riverotters.com, beginning at 7:00 p.m. from the Family Arena. Game time is 7:15 p.m.

-On Friday, March 22, 2002, Missouri travels to Fort Wayne, IN for the final time this season. It will be the sixth of seven meetings and the second in three games for the River Otters, who won the most recent meeting on March 16 by the score of 6-2 at the Family Arena. Missouri is 4-1-0 against the Komets this year. Fort Wayne (35-20-12, 82 points) is in third place in the Western Conference, four points ahead of the Flint Generals and five points ahead of the River Otters. The Komets are led by center Brent Gretzky, who has 71 points (20g, 51a). The game broadcast can be heard on KFAV 99.9 FM or online at www.riverotters.com, beginning at 6:20 p.m. from the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Game time is 6:35 p.m.

-On Saturday, March 23, 2002, the River Otters welcome the archrival and defending Colonial Cup Champion Quad City Mallards to the Family Arena. It will be the 13th of 14 meetings on the year. Missouri has lost three in a row to the Mallards and is winless in their last five meetings (0-4-1). On Sunday, March 3 in Quad City, the River Otters were doubled up 4-2 in the back end of a home-and-home set after getting beaten 8-5 by them at home the previous night. The Mallards have become the first team in hockey history to win 50 or more games in six straight seasons. Last year, they became the first team in hockey history to win 50 or more games in five straight seasons. Quad City (50-14-2, 102 points) is in first place in the Western Conference, 10 points ahead of the Muskegon Fury. The Mallards are led by center Steve Gibson, who has 58 points (28g, 30a). It is Baymont Inn & Suites-St. Charles Hockey Puck Night. The first 2,000 fans will receive a hockey puck. The game broadcast can be heard on KFAV 99.9 FM or online at www.riverotters.com, beginning at 7:00 p.m. from the Family Arena. Game time is 7:15 p.m.

-On Sunday, March 24, 2002, Missouri hosts the Fort Wayne Komets in the seventh and final meeting of the season. It is St. Louis Post-Dispatch Family Day. Families of four receive four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for just $44. The game broadcast can be heard on KFAV 99.9 FM or online at www.riverotters.com, beginning at 2:45 p.m. from the Family Arena. Game time is 3:00 p.m.

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United Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2002


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