RiverBlades Holding Strong

Published on December 30, 2002 under ECHL (ECHL)
Arkansas RiverBlades News Release


The Arkansas RiverBlades went 1-1-1 last week, and remain in third place in the Southwest Division with a record of 17-13-6. The RiverBlades' 40 points rank fourth in the Southern Conference as well.

Last week...Arkansas began their weekend with a home contest against the Baton Rouge Kingfish Friday at Alltel Arena. Jason Bermingham scored twice, and Mike Cirillo added a goal as the RiverBlades outlasted the Kingfish 4-3 in the longest shootout in RiverBlades' history. The Blades got goals from Ernie Hartlieb in the 5th round, and Mike Cirillo in the 7th round to claim the victory.

Next up, the RiverBlades traveled to Mississippi Saturday for a huge division showdown with the Sea Wolves. Buddy Smith had a goal and an assist, and Ernie Hartlieb added a goal, but Mississippi proved too strong to overcome, defeating Arkansas 4-2. Steffon Walby assisted on all 4 Sea Wolves' goals, as Mississippi had goals from 4 different players to claim the win.

The following night, Arkansas ventured to Pensacola to face the Ice Pilots at The Hangar. Louis Dumont scored two power-play goals, and Martin Bartek contributed a goal and an assist as the Pilots edged the Blades 4-3 in a shootout. Maxime Gingras made 35 saves for Pensacola, including all 8 shots in overtime, as Arkansas outshot Pensacola 8-0 in that span. Mike Sandbeck had a goal and a helper, and Garry Toor had two assists in the loss for the Blades .

Team Leaders... Buddy Smith leads the RiverBlades with 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points. Smith is tied with Atlantic City's Kevin Colley for 3rd in the ECHL in scoring. In addition, Smith, the Blades' first-ever starter in the upcoming 2003 ECHL All-Star Game, ranks 3rd in the league with 30 assists and leads Arkansas with a 21.0 shooting percentage. Ernie Hartlieb has 10 points in his last 10 games, and ranks second on the team with 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points, also good enough for 9th in the ECHL. Jason Bermingham is tied with Matt Pagnutti for the team lead with 8 power-play goals, and is right behind Hartlieb with 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points. Bermingham is also third in the ECHL with 139 shots on goal. Eric Long leads all Blades' defensemen with 25 assists, 30 points, and a +3 rating. Long is tied with Reading's Simon Tremblay for 4th among ECHL defensemen with 30 points, and ranks 4th in both assists (25) and shots on goal (106). Matt Pagnutti ranks 6th among D-men with 26 points, and is tied with Columbia's Corey Hessler for most power-play goals among defensemen with 8. In addition, Pagnutti is tied for 2nd with South Carolina's Matt Desrosiers and Mississippi's Jim Baxter with 9 goals.

A look ahead...The RiverBlades return to action after the New Year, hosting the Louisiana IceGators Friday and the Mississippi Sea Wolves on Sunday. All games can be heard on the CSN radio network, FM 101 The River, and on the Internet at www.RiverBlades.com.

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ECHL Stories from December 30, 2002


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