CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Update

Published on April 20, 2009 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


The Playoff Schedule - Mississippi vs. Colorado - CHL Northern

Conference Finals

Wednesday, April 15th - Colorado 3, RiverKings 2 (Overtime)

Friday April 17th - Colorado 4, RiverKings 1

Tuesday April 21st- Colorado Eagles at Mississippi RiverKings, DeSoto Civic Center, Southaven, MS (7:05 PM CT)

Thursday April 23rd - Colorado Eagles at Mississippi RiverKings, DeSoto Civic Center, Southaven, MS (7:05 PM CT)

*Friday April 24th - Colorado Eagles at Mississippi RiverKings, DeSoto Civic Center, Southaven, MS (7:05 PM CT)

*Sunday April 26th - Mississippi RiverKings at Colorado Eagles, Budweiser Events Center, Loveland, CO (7:05 PM MT)

*Monday April 27th - Mississippi RiverKings at Colorado Eagles, Budweiser Events Center, Loveland, CO (7:05 PM MT) * - if necessary

RiverKings Playoff Stat Leaders Goals: Bobby Chaumont (5) Assists: Jeff Nelson (7) Points: Chaumont (9) Penalty Minutes: Adam Smyth (13) Power Play Goals: Louis Dumont (2) Goaltender Wins: Kevin Beech (2) Goals-Against-Average: Beech (2.70) Save Percentage: Beech: .894

Current RiverKings Streaks (more than one game) Goals: (none) Assists: Garrett Larson (2 games, 2 assists) Points: Larson (2 games, 2 points) PIMS: Derek Landmesser (3 games, 6 PIMS)

It's Rally Time!

Facing a 2-0 deficit heading into Tuesday's game three at home against Colorado, the RiverKings have history on their side in attempting to win game three. Three previous times in Memphis/Mississippi playoff history, the RiverKings have won game three each time they were down 2-0 in a series. In the 1993 first round best-of-seven set, Memphis trailed Oklahoma City 2-0, but won game three on Oklahoma ice 4-1. The Blazers went on to win the series in six games. The next time Memphis trailed 2-0 in a series was in a best-of-five set against Columbus in the 1999 Eastern Division's first round. The RiverKings won game three 5-4 in overtime, but lost game four and the series two nights later. Two years later in 2001, Memphis trailed Columbus again 2-0, but won game three of the best-of-five Eastern Division finals 3-1 in Columbus. Again, the Cottonmouths won game four and the series two nights later.

Back In the Finals Again

The RiverKings franchise returns to the CHL Northern Conference finals for the fourth time in franchise history, having won the conference title two of the previous three times. All three previous appearances came as the Memphis RiverKings in 2002, 2003, and 2007. On the team's road to its first Ray Miron President's Cup championship in 2002, the RiverKings defeated Bossier-Shreveport in seven games, including a 4-2 series-clinching victory at home in game seven. The following year, Indianapolis was swept by the RiverKings in four games of the Northern Conference finals, including a 6-3 victory on Indiana ice in the final contest. Memphis went on to win its second straight league championship that season, taking out Austin in five games of the finals. Colorado has the only victory over the RiverKings in the Northern Conference finals, handling the RiverKings in six games of the 2007 series. Prior to 2002, the RiverKings lost a best-of-five series in four games to Columbus in the 2001 Eastern Division finals and defeated Huntsville in six games of a best-of-seven set in the CHL Eastern Conference finals, before losing out to the Fort Worth Fire in the league championship series that season.

The Last Time Out...April 17th, 2009 - Colorado 4, RiverKings 1 Colorado held home ice advantage in the CHL Northern Conference finals with a 4-1 victory over the RiverKings on Friday night, April 17th, at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado. Konrad Reeder, Aaron Schneekloth, Ryan Tobler, and Riley Nelson netted goals for Colorado, with Schneekloth's goal at 15:27 of the first period becoming the eventual game winner. Mississippi averted a shutout when Joe Markusen scored his first playoff tally with less than five minutes remaining in the game. Goaltender Kevin Beech suffered his second straight loss, despite making 25 saves. The RiverKings out shot the Eagles by a 39-29 margin.

Second Time's The Charm

The RiverKings and Colorado organizations are dueling in the Ray Miron President's Cup post-season for the second time in the history of the franchises. The Memphis RiverKings last met Colorado in the CHL Northern Conference finals during the 2007 post-season. The series was won by the Eagles in six games. Colorado reeled off three straight wins after Memphis opened with a 3-2 overtime victory in Colorado. The RiverKings took another 3-2 extra-session victory in game five at home, before the Eagles advanced to the final round with a 6-3 win following game six in Colorado.

Picking Up a Point a Game

Last week's results in Colorado reduced the number of players on the RiverKings' roster averaging a point a game down to two. Bobby Chaumont has nine points in eight games, including five goals. Jeff Nelson has a goal and seven assists for eight points in eight playoff contests. Bubbling just under the point-a-game level are three RiverKings. Louis Dumont is bubbling just under the "point-per-game" level, with seven points on three goals and four assists in eight contests.

RiverKings Handle Eagles during Regular Season

While Colorado was successful with the majority of teams in the Central Hockey League during the regular season, such was not the case for the Eagles against the RiverKings. Mississippi took four of the five regular season meetings between the teams in the 2008-09 campaign, including a four-game winning streak prior to their playoff game one loss on Wednesday night. After falling to Colorado in the first game of the season series 4-3 on October 31st at the DeSoto Civic Center, the RiverKings pounded the Eagles 6-2 the following night on November 1st. The victory stopped Colorado's season-opening eight-game winning streak. Mississippi next met Colorado on successive nights in February, winning 5-2 on February 13th and 5-3 on February 14th. The RiverKings won their fourth straight game of the season series with a 4-3 shootout win two weeks later at home on February 28th.

Chaumont Scores!!

RiverKings forward Bobby Chaumont is continuing his offensive success in the playoffs, now tied for sixth place in the CHL post-season with nine points on five goals and four assists. Chaumont notched the team's second three-point night of the post-season in the 3-1 series-clinching victory over Oklahoma City on Monday, April 6th. Bobby scored the RiverKings' first goal of the game and assisted on the next two, including Andrew Lackner's clincher two minutes after Chaumont's goal, all part of a three-goal first period outburst against the Blazers. Last Wednesday night against Colorado, Chaumont's power play goal in the first period was the first marker of the Northern Conference finals. Chaumont also is fifth in the playoffs for shots on goal at 34. Scoring success for Chaumont against Colorado has been a carryover from his time in Laredo two years ago, when he led the Bucks in scoring against the Eagles during the Ray Miron President's Cup Championship Series. In the series won by Colorado, Chaumont scored three goals and had six points. The total included a power play goal and a shorthanded goal.

Larson Looks To Stop Former Teammates

Forward Garrett Larson has been in the CHL playoffs with the Eagles and against the Eagles. This is the third playoff series Larson has played in that includes the Colorado franchise, once with Colorado and one previous time against the Eagles. Garrett earned three assists in eleven games with the Eagles during the 2006 post-season, then went to Youngstown and played with the SteelHounds during the 2007 playoffs, where he failed to score in six games, all against his former team. Larson has assisted on two goals in the Colorado series and has one goal and three points in eight playoff games.

Landmesser Continues Lengthy Playoff Run

Defenseman and Captain Derek Landmesser is continuing a lengthy run in the playoffs wearing the RiverKings sweater. He took part in his 50th career playoff game as a RiverKings player last Wednesday night in Colorado; a team record for playoff appearances. During that time, Derek has scored nine goals and has 34 assists for 43 playoff points with the RiverKings. That places him in a tie for second all-time in RiverKings playoff points, equaling Kahlil Thomas' 43 points during the 2002 and 2003 Ray Miron President's Cup championship runs. Don Parsons has the team record for playoff points with 61 from 2001-2003. Landmesser's 34 assists puts him first all-time as a RiverKings' player, five more than Thomas' 29 helpers. The RiverKings captain has also moved into fourth all time on the team playoff charts for penalty minutes at 86, putting him fourth in that category on the team charts.

Beech Marks on the Charts

The Central Hockey League's Most Outstanding Goaltender is also moving up the RiverKings playoff charts in only his first season with the team. Kevin Beech was between the pipes for all four of the team's victories against Oklahoma City in the Northern Conference semi-final series and has played in both games of the Northern Conference finals against Colorado. The four goals charged to Beech in last Friday's loss were the most he has given up against Colorado in the playoffs.

The four victories in this year's post season put him fourth all-time in RiverKings goaltender playoff victories, three fewer than Larry Sterling in the number three spot. Beech is also fourth on the team list all-time for playoff minutes played by a RiverKings goaltender at 489, with Sterling in third place at 879 and is seven behind Sterling in playoff goaltender appearances at eight. During the regular season, Beech was named to the all-CHL first team as goaltender, and was also in consideration for the league's Most Valuable Player award. Kevin's 35 regular season goalie victories were the most in franchise history for a single season and he tied a team mark for shutouts in one season at three.

RiverKings Reach Near-Record Levels in Regular Season

During the 2008-09 CHL regular season, the Mississippi RiverKings approached near record levels for success. The team's 44 wins were two short of a franchise record for victories, as the 2001-02 RiverKings won 46 games of a 64-game schedule. The 91 standings points were one short of the 92 points earned by the 2000-01 and 2001-02 teams. The 20-10-2 (42 points) record away from home was the team's best road record ever. Mississippi also set a single season mark for fewest goals allowed at 166, eleven fewer than the mark set in the 2007-08 campaign. The team's eleven-game winning streak between February 13th and March 7th tied the league's season-longest streak (with Odessa) and was one short of the franchise win streak record. An eight-game road winning streak between February 13th and March 7th tied a team record for consecutive road wins set in 2001.

Broadcasts

Tuesday's game against Colorado will be heard in the Mid-South by Flinn Broadcasting station 96.1 FM, "The Pig," Tunica-Memphis. Air time for the contest will be 6:50 PM Central time with RiverKings Media Coordinator and veteran hockey broadcaster Bob Bakken providing the play-by-play. Fans with a high-speed internet connection can view and listen to RiverKings hockey with the CHL-TV link on the team's official web site, www.riverkings.com.

Tickets

Tickets to all RiverKings playoff home games are available through the DeSoto Civic Center box office or through local outlets of Ticketmaster. For group tickets and other information, call the RiverKings offices at 662-342-1755.

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Central Hockey League Stories from April 20, 2009


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