CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Update

February 19, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


RiverKings Player Stat Leaders

Bobby Chaumont remains the RiverKings' goal scoring leader with 25 red-lighters for the season and has a team-leading nine power play goals. Martin Gascon has 41 assists for the season, but Louis Dumont and Jeff Nelson each have 34 assists in a RiverKings' sweater. Dumont is the team's point leader with 51 for the year and leads the squad in shorthanded goals scored with four. Jeff Nelson has scored the most game-winning goals with six. Matt Summers is plus-19 for the season, and Summers, Nelson and Jeff Alcombrack are each plus-17 for the year with the RiverKings. Adam Smyth's 209 penalty minutes puts him on top of that statistical category. At the crease, Kevin Beech leads the RiverKings is all statistical categories, including games (39), minutes (2353), wins (26), shutouts (3), goals-against-average (2.29), and save percentage (.911).

The Last Time Out...Sunday, February 15th, 2009 - RiverKings at Rocky Mountain Rage 1

Matt Summers scored two goals and Stephen Margeson, David Simoes and Louis Dumont each added markers in the RiverKings' victory in Broomfield, Colorado. Jeff Nelson chipped in with a trio of assists and Jeff Alcombrack added a pair of helpers. Tyler Sims won his first start in goal since returning from a two-week stint with the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League, raising his record to 6-4-0. Sims made a personal season-high 36 saves in the victory. Mississippi was 1-for-3 on the power play and stopped both Rocky Mountain chances. The RiverKings were also out shot by the Rage by a 37-27 margin. The win was the RiverKings' third in a row and marked the ninth time the team has earned standings points (7-0-2).

Last Time vs. Wichita: RiverKings 9, Thunder 2 (February 3rd, 2009 - DeSoto Civic Center, Southaven, MS)

In the last meeting on February 3rd at the DeSoto Civic Center, the RiverKings scored five times in the final period, enroute to a 9-2 victory, marking the most goals scored by the RiverKings in a single game this season. Darrell Stoddard scored a team season-high four goals in the third period alone; marking the first time in nearly five years that feat had occurred in a CHL game. Matt Pierce added a pair of goals and Bobby Chaumont and Dallas Steward chipped in with a trio of helpers apiece. Chaumont also scored a goal for a four-point night. In goal, Kevin Beech stopped 26-of-28 shots on goal for his 22nd victory of the season. The RiverKings scored three times on the power play in seven tries, while shutting out the Thunder in five power play chances.

This Weekend's Matchup: RiverKings vs. Wichita Thunder, Friday, February 20th and Saturday, February 21st, 2009

(7:05 PM Starts Both Nights, DeSoto Civic Center, Southaven, MS)

Mississippi meets Wichita for the final two times of the regular season in the pair of games scheduled for this weekend. The RiverKings have a 4-1-0 record and have won the last two meetings by a combined score of 17-5.

Bobby Chaumont leads the team in points scored with ten in the previous seven games. Darrell Stoddard is the team's goal scoring leader against Wichita with five, while Chaumont has earned seven assists. Matt Pierce is plus-seven against the Thunder, while Adam Smyth has 50 penalty minutes in games against Wichita.

Three of Stoddard's five goals have come on the power play, while two of Chaumont's three goals have been unassisted tallies.

In goal, Kevin Beech is 3-1-0 against Wichita, while Tyler Sims has won his only start against the Thunder. Beech has a 2.00 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .929.

The RiverKings have scored eight power play goals for a 25.0% success rate. Eleven of the RiverKings' 27 goals have come in the first period, while ten have come in the third period of play.

RiverKings Number One in CHL Coaches Poll

The three-game sweep of Colorado teams, including two against Northern Conference leader Colorado last weekend, has vaulted the RiverKings into the number one spot in the latest Yellowbook CHL Coaches Poll, released Wednesday afternoon. The RiverKings received seven first-place votes and 134 points to outdistance second-place Colorado by one vote. Southern Conference leader Texas is third with 131 points and three first place votes. It's the first time this season the RiverKings have been placed in the number one spot, moving up from sixth in the last poll taken around the first of February.

Against the Northwest Division

The RiverKings enter their game against the Thunder with a 12-3-1 record against the Northwest Division of the CHL. The only blemishes on the record have been losses to Colorado, Wichita, and Rapid City, along with a shootout loss to Rocky Mountain. Twenty-one of the thirty-two RiverKings victories this season have been against the Northern Conference (21-11-2).

Beech Nears Record Territory

RiverKings goaltender Kevin Beech is entering record territory with his play between the pipes this season. With a record of 26-10-3 and with three shutouts, the first-year RiverKings' goalie has already equaled the team record for shutouts in one season at three. Scott Brower (1995-96) and Sebastien Centomo (2007-08) also earned three shutouts in the crease as a RiverKings goaltender. The Brantford, Ontario native is also within one victory of moving into a tie for second place in victories in a season by a RiverKings goaltender at 27. He would join Mark Richards (2000-01) and Scott Brower (1995-96) in second place on the team charts for single season wins. He already is in a tie for fourth-place all time for victories by a RiverKings goaltender, equaling Antoine Mindjimba's 26-wins during the team's first season in 1992-93. Larry Sterling has the team victories record with 31 in the 2006-2007 season and is the team career wins leader with 34 from 2006-2008.

Special Teams Update

In Sunday's game against the Rage, the RiverKings scored one power play goal in three chances. It marked the second straight game in which the RiverKings had scored at least one power play goal. In the team's last five games, the RiverKings have scored five power play goals for a 25.0% success rate. In home games, the RiverKings this season enter the week third in the CHL on the power play at 22.8%. Overall, the RiverKings are also third in the league on the power play at 19.8% (67-of-338).

Sunday against Rocky Mountain, the RiverKings stopped both power play chances given the Rage. It marked the second straight game for the RiverKings to hold an opponent off the scoreboard on the power play. In the team's last five games, Mississippi has a penalty kill percentage of 91.3% (2-of-23). At home, the RiverKings are fifth in the CHL on the penalty kill at 86.5%. Overall, Mississippi is also fifth league-wise on the penalty kill at 84.7% (47-of-307).

Mississippi has scored six shorthanded goals, three at home and three on the road. The RiverKings have also allowed six shorthanded goals, five at home and one on the road.

2008-09 RiverKings Hat-Tricks: Darrell Stoddard (4 goals, February 3rd, 2009 vs. Wichita) (Franchise hat-trick number 90 in team history)

2008-09 RiverKings Penalty Shots: Jeff Nelson (miss, January 17th, 2009 at Tulsa)

2008-09 RiverKings Goaltender Shutouts: Tyler Sims (November 29th, 2008 at Corpus Christi), Kevin Beech - December 31st, 2008 vs. Bossier-Shreveport; January 9th vs. Tulsa; January 31st vs. Rapid City)

Streaking RiverKings

Goals: Stephen Margeson (2 games - 2 goals)

Assists: Garrett Larson (5 games - 6 assists); Jeff Nelson (2 games - 5 assists); Jeff Alcombrack (2 games - 2 assists); Matt Pierce (2 games - 2 assists)

Points: Garrett Larson (8 games - 11 points); Louis Dumont (8 games - 10 points); Stephen Margeson (2 games - 3 points); Matt Summers (2 games - 3 points); Jeff Alcombrack (2 games - 2 points); Matt Pierce (2 games - 2 points)

Penalty Minutes: Adam Smyth (3 games - 16 PIMS); Dane Marshall (3 games - 6 PIMS)

Goaltender Wins: Beech (2 victories)

Please To Note....

Coach Kevin Kaminski is fifth all-time for RiverKings coaching victories with 32 and is ninth all-time in coaching appearances with 49. At the end of the season, Kaminski will be tied for sixth all-time with Randy Boyd (1993-94) in coaching appearances at 64.

Matt Summers' two goals against Rocky Mountain Sunday came in his 100th career professional game.

Jeff Alcombrack is three away from 200 points for his professional career.

Garrett Larson is within two of 200 career professional penalty minutes.

Every RiverKings' player has now scored at least one goal this season, with David Simoes' second period goal becoming his first of the year.

Every RiverKings' player is above zero on the plus-minus scale.

Broadcasts

RiverKings hockey games are heard in the Mid-South and around the world on "The Voice of the Fan," Sports 56, WHBQ-AM and www.sports56whbq.com. Veteran hockey broadcaster and RiverKings media coordinator Bob Bakken provides the play-by-play coverage on Sports 56 and also on CHL-TV. "Never Miss another Away Game" with the CHL-TV link found on the team web site at www.riverkings.com. Games not broadcast on Sports 56 due to other programming commitments are heard on fellow Flinn Broadcasting station 96.1 "The Pig," WIVG-FM.

Tickets

RiverKings season and group tickets, fundraiser programs, and more are available by contacting the RiverKings' front office at 662-342-1755 or by e-mail at tickets@riverkings.com. New season ticket packages for the 2009-2010 season are now available for sale through the RiverKings offices or by calling the front office. Single game tickets for RiverKings hockey are available through the DeSoto Civic Center box office, or by contacting Ticketmaster.



Central Hockey League Stories from February 19, 2009


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