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RiverBlades Maintain Third Place

December 16, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Arkansas RiverBlades News Release


The Arkansas RiverBlades went 2-1-1 last week, and remain in third place in the Southwest Division with a record of 15-9-5. The RiverBlades' 35 points rank third in the Southern Conference as well.

Last week...Arkansas began their week with a Tuesday home matchup with the Jackson Bandits at Alltel Arena. The Blades and Bandits played 65 minutes of scoreless hockey in the game, and in the end, it was Jackson getting the 1-0 shootout win. Jackson got shootout goals from Eric Fortier and John McNabb, and goaltender Adam Hauser was able to keep the RiverBlades off the scoreboard as Jackson came away with the victory.

Next up, the RiverBlades traveled to Baton Rouge Friday to take on the Kingfish. Arkansas jumped out to a 5-0 lead before staving off a late comeback attempt by the Kingfish to take the game 5-3. Mike Cirillo had two goals and Eric Long had three assists for the Blades, who also got goals from Garry Toor, Mike Renzi and Ernie Hartlieb. Jason Saal made 23 saves in the game, and set a new RiverBlades' record for longest scoreless streak at 125 minutes, 50 seconds. Jason Norrie's goal at 5:12 of the third broke that streak.

The following night, Arkansas ventured to Pensacola to face the Ice Pilots at The Hangar. Greg Pankewicz scored twice in the first period, and Gregor Baumgartner had a goal and two assists as the Pilots edged the Blades 4-3. Ernie Hartlieb had two goals and Jason Bermingham had two assists for Arkansas.

Sunday, the RiverBlades ended their busy week by hosting the Baton Rouge Kingfish at Alltel Arena. Matt Pagnutti got his 8th goal of the year on the power-play, and Mike Renzi and Mike Sandbeck each racked up goals in the win. Jason Saal made 20 saves to earn his 11th win of the season. After Arkansas jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Baton Rouge made it interesting early in the third period, as Jason Norrie tallied his 11th of the year at 1:13. But there would be no comeback this time, as the RiverBlades held on for 2 important points in the standings.

Team Leaders... Buddy Smith leads the RiverBlades with 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points. Smith is tied with Reading's Brad Rooney for 3rd in the ECHL in scoring. He trails Roanoke's Jason Jaffray, who has 43 points, and Reading's Brian McCullough, who leads the league with 44. Ernie Hartlieb and Jason Bermingham are tied for 2nd on the team with 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points, respectively. Hartlieb has 8 points (4-4) in his last 5 games, and 16 in his last 10. Terry Marchant has 7 points in his last 10 games, all assists. He ranks third on the team with 31 points and ranks 5th in the ECHL with 24 assists. The RiverBlades' power-play continues its production, and now ranks 5th in the ECHL at 22.28 percent. Matt Pagnutti has led the charge on the power-play, scoring all 8 of his goals this year on the power-play. Both Buddy Smith and Jason Bermingham have 6 power-play goals, and Dean Stork has 5.

A look ahead...The RiverBlades host Mississippi and Jackson this week before hitting the road on a pre-holiday road trip. The Sea Wolves come to town Wednesday, and the Bandits are here Friday for "Teddy Bear Toss Night." All fans who bring a new teddy bear to the game will receive $2 off their ticket. The teddy bears will then be thrown onto the ice after the first RiverBlades' goal and will go to the State Troopers' teddy bear program. 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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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.

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