CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Game Day - Season Starts at Bossier-Shreveport

October 14, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


Regular Season Game #1-7:05 PM CT-CenturyTel Center, Bossier City, LA MISSISSIPPI RIVERKINGS (0-0-0) at BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT MUDBUGS (0-0-0) Radio: WMFS-AM (1210 AM) (Audio stream at www.sports56whbq.com) CHL-TV (chltv.neulion.com/chltv/)

RIVERKINGS RECAP: The RiverKings finished the pre-season with a 5-3 loss at Evansville on Monday night, October 11th. The loss completed the pre-season at 1-2-0. Playing without several veteran players and arriving at the arena two hours before the game would begin, Mississippi fell behind 4-0 before Matt Summers netted a goal in the final minute of the first period. Mississippi continued the attack with goals from Jordan Lane and Ryan Kretzer to get within 4-3 before an empty-net goal in the final seconds provided the final margin. Each time took 37 shots, with Brant Hilton taking the loss in goal for the RiverKings. Mississippi was 0-for-6 on the power play.

KAMINSKI STARTS SEASON THREE: Mississippi Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Kevin "Killer" Kaminski starts his third season behind the RiverKings' bench in Friday's season opener at Bossier-Shreveport. Kaminski is the team's 11th head coach and has a 77-41-10 record in his time in the Mid-South. The record includes one Northeast Division championship. As a professional head coach, Kaminski is 248-230-43 life time.

CAPTAIN LANDMESSER BACK: Captain Derek Landmesser is back for his tenth season wearing a RiverKings sweater. Part of the second RiverKings' Ray Miron President's Cup championship team 2002-03, Landmesser has been in the Mid-South since the 2000-01 season, having left only for the 2001-02 year with the United Hockey League's Muskegon Fury, before returning back to Memphis. Landmesser also played three games in the AHL for the Toronto Marlies in the 2005-06 season. Last season, Landmesser led Mississippi defenseman with 40 assists and 51 points.

RETURNING STAT LEADERS: Playing with Missouri last year, new RiverKings forward Jeff Christian was seventh in the CHL for points with 78 and eighth in the league for assists with 49. Louis Dumont brings the most points back from last year's squad with 63, 23 goals and tied Landmesser with 40 assists. Darrell Stoddard led the RiverKings at the end of last season for penalty minutes with 180. Dumont also scored five power play goals, one shorthanded goal, and four game-winning goals along with Landmesser.

SEASON AND HOME OPENERS: In season openers, the RiverKings are 4-3-1 over the last eight years, while the Mississippi/Memphis franchise is 6-1-1 in home openers during the last eight seasons. Last season, the RiverKings opened the season at home against Tulsa and lost to the Oilers 6-3. The last time Mississippi opened the season against Bossier-Shreveport came in the 2007-08 season, when Mississippi defeated the Mudbugs 2-1. The last time the RiverKings opened on the road came in the 2005-06 campaign, when Memphis lost at Bossier-Shreveport by a 4-3 score. Friday's game at Bossier-Shreveport will be the first time the RiverKings have opened the year away from home since that 2005-06 campaign.

PLAYERS WAIVED, ACQUIRED: As with any CHL team at this point of the year, just before opening night, the RiverKings have made some moves to position themselves for the start of the year. Earlier this week, six players from the pre-season roster were waived. They were goaltender Brant Hilton, forward Jordan Lane, J.J. Koehler, Ryan Petersen, Matt Piegza, and defenseman Dean Moore. Mississippi also received forward Matt Miller's rights to complete a trade made in the off-season with the Allen Americans for defenseman David Simoes. Miller, who has CHL experience with Amarillo, Rapid City, and Laredo, comes from Cardiff in the United Kingdom's EIHL last season.

TODDINGTON TRADED: Prior to the deadline for opening night rosters, defenseman Kerry Toddington was traded to the Bloomington Prairie Thunder for future considerations. The Regina, Saskatchewan native did not score in the pre-season, his return to North American hockey after five seasons playing in Europe.

ROSTER GLANCES: The shortest player on the opening night roster is 5-foot-7 inch Ryan Kretzer, while the tallest player is 6-foot-6 Milan Maslonka. At 170 pounds, Kretzer is also the smallest player on this year's roster, while the heavyweight of the team is Maslonka at 240 pounds. Of the 19 players starting the year in Mississippi, seven are American-born, 11 are Canadian, and one was born in Slovakia. The Americans on the RiverKings team come from Maryland, Minnesota, Utah, Illinois, Missouri, Rhode Island and Michigan. Mississippi's Canadian Connection comes from Nova Scotia, Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Seven players were on the RiverKings at the conclusion of the 2009-10 campaign, five were on other CHL teams, three were on teams from the old International Hockey League, two played in Europe, and two come directly from NCAA collegiate programs.

UP NEXT: Mississippi opens the home portion of the regular season tomorrow night, with a rematch of tonight's game between the RiverKings and Mudbugs. The 7:05 PM tilt at the DeSoto Civic Center includes indoor fireworks, DJ music on the concourse, red carpet welcome in the Grand Hall, and magnetic schedules for the 3,500 fans to come. Chickasaw Council of the Boy Scouts of the America will be the night's non-profit MVP.

OFFICIALLY SPEAKING: The referee tonight is Jon McIsaac, the linesmen are Jon Shaw and Cory Piche.

CHL REGULAR SEASON FRIDAY SCHEDULE: Mississippi at Bossier-Shreveport, Odessa at Missouri, Texas at Allen, Laredo at Rio Grande Valley, Wichita at Tulsa, and Arizona at Colorado.

RIVERKINGS RADIO: Mississippi RiverKings hockey is back on the air for another season with Sports 56, WHBQ-AM serving as the flagship station for the majority of the game broadcasts. However, with high school football in full swing, some movement of the broadcasts will occur, beginning tonight. WMFS-AM 1210 will air tonight's game and tomorrow's re-match will air on 87.7 FM, "The Pig." One constant is 30+ year veteran broadcaster Bob Bakken, who comes back to the RiverKings microphone for his third season with the team.

TICKETS: Season tickets remain on sale for the RiverKings' 19th season of hometown professional hockey in the Mid-South. For more information, call the RiverKings at 662-342-1755 or go online to www.riverkings.com today!

FYI: Shots on the Spot will be offering flu shots and B-12 shots in the DeSoto Civic Center concourse on Saturday, October 16th. They work with the RiverKings as the "Official Shot Provider" for the team.



Central Hockey League Stories from October 14, 2010


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