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CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings-PrairieThunder Start Weekend Set Tonight

January 28, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, MS --- The Mississippi RiverKings host the Bloomington PrairieThunder tonight at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, with game time set for 7:05 PM. It's the second of three consecutive meetings between the Central Hockey League (CHL) teams this week at the DCC. Broadcast coverage of both games this weekend is on Sports 56, WHBQ-AM, with Bob Bakken calling the action at 6:50 PM Central time.

Bloomington edged the RiverKings 5-4 in Tuesday ‚¬â„¢s Face Off Field Trip game at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, before a full house of area youngsters in for the 10:05 AM start. Chris Auger and Chris Richards both scored a pair of goals for the RiverKings in the game that saw the home team lead 3-1 after one period, but saw the PrairieThunder take a 4-3 advantage after forty minutes. Nathan Lutz and Jeff Christian each assisted on a pair of goals. Larry Sterling stopped 26 of 31 shots on goals in the RiverKings ‚¬â„¢ crease.

Defenseman Nathan Lutz remains one of the top scoring threats from the blue line in the CHL. He is fourth overall in power play assists at 17 (tops for all defensemen) and leads the league in points by a defenseman at 37. His nine goals puts him in a tie for third in the CHL for red-lighters from the blue line and he leads all defensemen in assists with 28.

Forward Matt Summers is in a four-way tie for the CHL lead in power play goals scored with ten. Summers is one assist short of 100 career professional assists, 73 of which have come with the RiverKings.

Rookie forward Chris Auger scored both a power play goal and a shorthanded goal in Tuesday ‚¬â„¢s contest, his fifth and sixth goals of the year. The power play goal was his first of the season, but the "shortie" was his third of that type this year. That ‚¬â„¢s puts Auger in a tie for the team lead in shorthanded goals and puts him in the CHL lead for shorthanded goals by a first-year play.

Of note, Chris Richards ‚¬â„¢ two goals and one assist Tuesday was the second time he ‚¬â„¢s scored two goals in one game and is the ninth time for the veteran forward to score multiple points in one contest.....Nathan Lutz has nine multi-point efforts this season, including a four-point performance in a 5-3 win at Evansville on January 15th.....Mississippi is 7-0-0 when ahead after two periods in home games.....Jeff Christian ‚¬â„¢s penalty time Tuesday (4 minutes, 2 minors) gives the veteran forward 600 minutes of sin-bin time in the CHL, 40 of which have come this year with the RiverKings.....Tuesday ‚¬â„¢s loss moved the RiverKings to 14-10-0 against the Turner Conference for the season and 1-2-0 in the season series against the PrairieThunder. Mississippi has played seven more games against Turner Conference competition than it has against its own Berry Conference rivals this year. The RiverKings have had its best success against the Turner Conference in Evansville (5-2-0) and Missouri (3-0-0).

Tonight's non-profit MVP is the Southern College of Optometry Lions Club. Tomorrow night is Belhaven University Faith and Family Night, presented by Chick-Fil-A. There's a post-game skate after tonight's game only; remember there's a limited number of skates available for rent and they are rented on a first-come, first-serve basis. Call the RiverKings office for more information.

For RiverKings' ticket information, call the team offices at 662-342-1755 or go online to www.riverkings.com today!

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