RiverBlades Unbeaten in New Year

January 13, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Arkansas RiverBlades News Release


The Arkansas RiverBlades went 1-0-1 last weekend, and remain in third place in the Southwest Division with a record of 20-13-7. The RiverBlades' 47 points rank fifth in the Southern Conference as well.

Last week...Arkansas kicked off their week with a home matchup against the Toledo Storm on Tuesday. Buddy Smith scored a goal and an assist, and Ernie Hartlieb had two helpers, but the Blades fell in a shootout 5-4. Ernie Hartlieb had the chance to tie it on the final shot of the shootout, and he managed to slip the puck behind goaltender Doug Teskey, but the puck did not cross the line and Toledo prevailed.

Then, on Friday, the RiverBlades hosted the Mississippi Sea Wolves for the second time in 5 days. Matt Pagnutti tallied a goal and two assists, and Terry Marchant and Buddy Smith each had two assists as the Blades defeated the Sea Wolves 4-2. Jason Bermingham added a goal and an assist for Arkansas, who also got goals from Dean Stork and Ernie Hartlieb.

Team Leaders... Buddy Smith leads the RiverBlades with 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points. Smith trails Roanoke's Jason Jaffray by one point for the league lead in scoring. In addition, Smith, the Blades' first-ever starter in the upcoming 2003 ECHL All-Star Game, ranks 2nd in the league with 38 assists and leads Arkansas with a 21.6 shooting percentage. Jason Bermingham leads the team with 20 goals, and ranks second with 45 points. In addition, Bermingham has 9 points in his last 5 games, and also leads the Blades with 10 power-play goals and 155 shots on goal. Matt Pagnutti has 12 points in his last 10 games, and leads all RiverBlades' defensemen in scoring with 33 points. Pagnutti has a career-high 11 goals already this year, with 9 coming on the power-play.. Ernie Hartlieb is third on the Blades with 26 assists and 43 points. Hartlieb is 4th on the team with a +3 rating, and 2nd with 133 shots on goal. Terry Marchant has 6 points in 4 games in the month of January, and is second on the team with 29 assists. Marchant has produced 4 power-play goals, 2 short-handed goals, and 2 game-winners this season. Jason Saal is 3-0-2 in his last 5 games, with a 2.52 goals-against-average and a .908 save percentage.

A look ahead...The RiverBlades return to action Tuesday at Alltel Arena, hosting the first-place Louisiana IceGators on "Two Dollar Tuesday." Following that, the Blades hit the highway this weekend for two road match-ups with Pensacola and Louisiana before returning home to Alltel Arena to host the Baton Rouge Kingfish on January 23 and 24. All games can be heard on the CSN radio network, FM 101 The River, and on the Internet at www.RiverBlades.com.



ECHL Stories from January 13, 2003


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