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CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Weekend

January 29, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


RiverKings Player Stat Leaders

Louis Dumont remains the RiverKings scoring leader with 40 points for the season, leads the team in assists with 27, and in shorthanded goals with four. Bobby Chaumont is the Mississippi goal scoring leader with 23 and in power play goals with nine. Jeff Nelson has the RiverKings' lead in game-winning goals with six. Matt Summers has the best plus-minus statistic on the team at plus-13 (plus-11 with the RiverKings). Adam Smyth has accumulated the most penalty minutes on the roster at 165. In the crease, Kevin Beech leads in all goaltending categories, including games played (31), minutes (1868), wins (20), shutouts (2), goals-against-average (2.41), and save percentage (.906).

The Last Time Out...

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 - Bossier-Shreveport 2, RiverKings 1

Two late Mudbugs' goals spelled doom for the RiverKings in the Tuesday morning "Face Off Field Trip" event at the DeSoto Civic Center. Mississippi opened the game with a goal from Bobby Chaumont at the 13:23 mark of the first period, assisted by Louis Dumont and Andrew Lackner. The RiverKings kept the lead through a scoreless second period and into the final frame, before Bossier forward David Pszenyczny tied the game at 8:32. That goal was followed exactly two minutes later by a power play red-lighter, netted by Joe Ori at 10:32, which became the game-winning goal. Ken Carroll was the winning goaltender for the Mudbugs, stopping 39 shots on net, while Kevin Beech (20-10-1) took the loss, despite a 26-save performance. Mississippi failed to score on the power play in nine chances, while Bossier-Shreveport scored once in five opportunities.

This Week's Opponents

RiverKings at Texas Brahmas, Friday, January 30th, 2009 (7:05 PM Start - NYTEX Sports Centre, North Richland Hills, TX)

Friday's game will be the fifth game in the season schedule between the RiverKings and Brahmas, with Mississippi holding a 3-1-0 record for six points in the series. In the teams' last meeting, Mississippi prevailed 4-1 at the DeSoto Civic Center. This will be the first game between the RiverKings and Brahmas since Texas defeated Mississippi 4-2 in the Brahmas' home opener on October 18th, 2008. In the last meeting, Mississippi prevailed over Texas 4-1 on January 10th at the DCC.

Garrett Larson paces the RiverKings in scoring against Texas with five goals and six points. Two of Larson's goals have come on the power play and Larson is also plus-four in games against the Brahmas. Derek Landmesser, Joe Markusen, and Jeff Nelson each have three assists against Texas. David Simoes has nine penalty minutes against the Brahmas this year.

Kevin Beech has played in all four games against Texas this season, fashioning the 3-1-0 record in the pipes. Beech has a 2.21 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .914

Jordan Cameron leads the Brahmas in points earned against Mississippi this season with four. Marc Belanger has scored three goals, while Cameron and Tyler Skworchinski each have a pair of assists. Cameron is also plus-two against the RiverKings this season. Lance Galbraith leads the team in penalty minutes with 17 versus Mississippi. Cameron and Grant Jacobson each have scored a shorthanded goal and Belanger has the only game-winning goal.

In goal, Brett Jaeger has a 1-2-1 record against the RiverKings, a 3.84 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .865.

Rapid City Rush at RiverKings, Saturday, January 31st, 2009 (7:05 PM Start - DeSoto Civic Center, Southaven MS)

Saturday's game will be the third and final meeting between the RiverKings and Rush during the regular season, with each team winning a game in the Black Hills back in the first weekend of December. Saturday's game will also be the first visit ever to the DCC by the expansion franchise. In the last meeting, Rapid City defeated the RiverKings 3-2 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center on December 6th.

Garrett Larson leads the RiverKings in scoring against the Rush with three goals and four points. Larson is also plus-four against Rapid City this season. Andrew Lackner leads the club in assists in the series with two. Adam Smyth and David Simoes each have 12 penalty minutes, but Smyth also has the only power play goal scored by the RiverKings in the season series.

Tyler Sims has faced Rapid City in the crease for both games of the series in the Black Hills, earning a 1-1-0 record, a 2.02 goals-against-average, and a save percentage of .927.

Gio Flamminio is the Rapid City leader in points scored against Mississippi with two. Luke Fritshaw has a plus-three stat against the RiverKings and Kyle Sheen leads the team in penalty minutes with nine.

Miguel Beaudry and Lanny Ramage each have split time in the crease for the Rush against Mississippi, with Beaudry winning his only start. Each goaltender has a 2.00 goals-against-average and Beaudry has a .955 save percentage.

Special Teams Update

The RiverKings went 0-for-9 against the Mudbugs in Tuesday's game. It was the first time in three games Mississippi had failed to score on the power play, after going 6-for-20 in the previous two contests. The RiverKings have scored power play goals in two of the team's last five contests. For the season, Mississippi is 18.64% on the power play (55-of-295).

Mississippi was 1-for-5 on the penalty kill in Tuesday's contest, as Bossier-Shreveport scored the game-winning goal on the power play mid-way through the third period. The RiverKings have allowed at least one power play goal in four of the last five games, with Saturday's win against Laredo being the last time an opponent was held scoreless with the man advantage. For the year, the RiverKings are 84.15% on the penalty kill (42-of-265).

Talk About Longevity

Derek Landmesser will take the ice for the 780th time in his professional hockey career, when the veteran defenseman plays against the Brahmas in Texas Friday evening. Landmesser has played in the Mid-South since 2000-2001, when he first played in the CHL played for the Memphis RiverKings. In between then and now, Derek played the 2001-02 season with the Muskegon Fury of the United Hockey League, and also played three games with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. Landmesser started playing professionally in his native Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1996-97 with the Colonial Hockey League's Thunder Cats. He's also played pro hockey with the IHL's Manitoba Moose and the UHL's Rockford IceHogs.

Fellow defenseman Jeff Alcombrack will appear in his 340th career professional hockey contest Friday against the Brahmas. Alcombrack is in his second season with the RiverKings, having played 18 games with the Memphis RiverKings in the 2002-03 season, before being traded to New Mexico. Alcombrack has spent his entire professional hockey career in the CHL, having also played at Odessa, Austin, and Youngstown, before returning this season to Mississippi.

Dumont Nears 350

RiverKings' forward Louis Dumont is approaching 350 goals for his professional hockey career, entering Friday's contest at Texas. Dumont is at 349 entering Friday's game against the Brahmas in Texas, including 13 scored this season. Dumont's most productive goal scoring season as a professional came in the 1996-97 ECHL season with the Louisiana Ice Gators, when he scored 42 goals in 64 games and earned 87 points. Dumont scored 20 goals in the 2006-07 season with the Memphis RiverKings, his first in the Mid-South and in the Central Hockey League.

Hitting For Singles

Tuesday's game was the first time Mississippi had been held to one goal in a game since a 5-1 loss to Oklahoma City on January 16th. The RiverKings have scored only one goal on just six occasions this season and have not been shutout yet this year. Mississippi won a 1-0 decision at Corpus Christi on November 29th. The RiverKings have averaged 2.60 goals-scored-per-game in the last five games, going 2-2-1.

Keeping It Low

While winning the game against the RiverKings on Tuesday, Bossier-Shreveport was held to only two goals, the lowest goal total by a Mississippi opponent since Oklahoma City mustered only one red-lighter in the RiverKings' 2-1 victory at the Ford Center on January 11th. The RiverKings have allowed an average of 3.20 goals-per-game in the team's last five contests.

Home Stand Awaits

A five-game home stand is on the horizon for the RiverKings to finish January and start the month of February. Following Friday's game at Texas, the RiverKings will be home to play the Rapid City Rush for the first time ever in Mississippi and last time this season, on Saturday, January 31st. Next, Northern Conference rival Wichita comes in for a Tuesday night game February 3rd at the DeSoto Civic Center. Mississippi plays host to the Odessa Jackalopes on Friday, February 6th, takes the next day off before the Rocky Mountain play in Southaven on February 8th (5:05 PM) and 10th.

Goaltender Sims Signs Norfolk PTO

Mississippi goaltender Tyler Sims this week signed a Professional Tryout Contract, or PTO, with the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. With the RiverKings, Sims has posted a 5-4-0 record with one shutout, a save percentage of .898, and a 2.80 goals-against-average. The shutout came November 29th, when the RiverKings defeated the IceRays in Corpus Christi 1-0. Sims made 34 saves in the victory.

Broadcasts

RiverKings games are heard in the Mid-South and around the world primarily on Sports 56, WHBQ-AM and on www.sports56whbq.com. Veteran broadcaster and RiverKings' Media Coordinator Bob Bakken provides the play-by-play, with pre-game coverage beginning 15 minutes prior to the opening faceoff. Coverage is also available on your computer through the CHL-TV broadcast. For more information, click on the CHL-TV link on the RiverKings' web site, www.riverkings.com. Games not heard on WHBQ due to other programming commitments are aired on fellow Flinn Broadcasting station "The Pig," WIVG-96.1-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. Single game tickets for RiverKings hockey are available through the DeSoto Civic Center box office, or by contacting Ticketmaster.



Central Hockey League Stories from January 29, 2009


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