CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Weekly

Published on January 17, 2011 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, MS --- RIVERKINGS RECAP: The RiverKings finished a five-game road trip last week with a 2-1-0 record in a three-game weekend on the road against Turner Conference opposition. Mississippi shutout Missouri 3-0 on Friday, January 14th, then stopped Evansville 5-3 on Saturday, January 15th. The weekend ended Sunday, January 16th in a 6-1 loss at Fort Wayne. Goaltender Larry Sterling posted his first shutout of the season in Friday ‚¬â„¢s victory, Matt Summers and R.G. Flath each scored a pair of goals in Saturday win, including the last two from Flath to clinch the victory. Jeff Christian scored the RiverKings ‚¬â„¢ final goal on the power play after Fort Wayne had built a 6-0 in Sunday ‚¬â„¢s loss.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Mississippi begins a three-game week Tuesday, January 18th against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs at the DeSoto Civic Center. The RiverKings are 2-6-0 against the Mudbugs this season, but won the last meeting on Sunday, January 2nd in a 4-3 shootout victory. Tuesday ‚¬â„¢s game will be the last meeting of the year between the RiverKings and Mudbugs. Friday and Saturday, January 21st and 22nd, the RiverKings host the Dayton Gems at the DeSoto Civic Center. Mississippi won the only previous meeting of the season, which took place in Southaven on December 11th, by a score of 4-2. The teams meet once more in the regular season, again in Southaven, on March 10th. Mississippi does not go to Dayton this season.

RIVERKINGS STATISTICAL LEADERS:

GOALS: Matt Summers (14)

ASSISTS: Nathan Lutz (25)

POINTS: Nathan Lutz (34)

PLUS-MINUS: Derek Landmesser (+10)

PENALTY MINUTES: Darrell Stoddard (101)

POWER PLAY GOALS: Summers (10)

SHORTHANDED GOALS: Dumont (3)

GAME-WINNING GOALS: R.G. Flath (3)

RIVERKINGS GOALTENDING LEADERS:

GAMES PLAYED: Alexander Pechurskiy (19)

MINUTES PLAYED: Pechurskiy (1018)

WINS: Pechurskiy (9)

SHUTOUTS: Sterling, Pechurskiy (1)

GOALS-AGAINST-AVERAGE: Pechurskiy (2.89)

SAVE PERCENTAGE: Pechurskiy (.896)

LAST FIVE GAME STAT LEADERS:

GOALS: Brennan Sarazin (3)

ASSISTS: Nathan Lutz (4)

POINTS: Lutz (5)

PLUS-MINUS: Derek Landmesser, Lutz (+4)

PENALTY MINUTES: Matt Boyd (9)

POWER PLAY GOALS: Matt Summers (2)

SHORTHANDED GOALS: (none)

GAME-WINNING GOALS: R.G. Flath, Patrik Levesque, and Jeff Christian (1)

GOALIE GAMES PLAYED: Alexander Pechurskiy, Larry Sterling (3)

GOALIE MINUTES PLAYED: Sterling (160)

GOALIE WINS: Sterling (2)

GOALS-AGAINST-AVERAGE: Pechurskiy (2.59)

SAVE PERCENTAGE: Pechurskiy (.915)

RIVERKINGS SPECIAL TEAMS: Mississippi scored once in six power play chances in Sunday ‚¬â„¢s loss at Fort Wayne, the second straight game the RiverKings have scored at least one power play goal in a contest. In the team ‚¬â„¢s last five games, Mississippi have scored four power play goals in 26 chances for a success rate of 15.4% and for the season rates 12th in the CHL on the power play at 16.97%. On the penalty kill, Mississippi allowed a season-tying high four power play goals in Sunday ‚¬â„¢s loss to the Komets. The RiverKings also allowed four extra-man goals to Bossier-Shreveport in the season-opener on October 15th (4-for-9). The RiverKings have allowed a man-advantage goal in each of the past two games and are 7-for-28 in the team ‚¬â„¢s last five games for a 75.0% penalty kill success rate. For the season, Mississippi ranks eighth in the CHL on the penalty kill at 82.2%.

ROAD WARRIORS NO MORE: Mississippi this week begins a nine-game home stand, the longest such stay-at-home-visit of the season. The home stand follows the RiverKings ‚¬â„¢ longest time away from home of the year, as ten of the past eleven games have been played on enemy ice. The stretch was divided into two, five-game road trips, the second of which ended in Fort Wayne Sunday afternoon. In the last road-trip, Mississippi finished with a 3-2-0 record and for the eleven-game stretch had a record of 5-6-0.

LANDMESSER NEAR 600 CHL GAMES PLAYED: RiverKings captain and veteran defenseman Derek Landmesser is again nearing record territory in his distinguished career. Already the record holder for appearances as a RiverKing, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native is nine points short of Don Parsons ‚¬â„¢ record for points with the Memphis/Mississippi franchise, now with 543 points, to Parsons ‚¬â„¢ 552 points with the RiverKings. Landmesser reached the 900 career professional games played with his appearance Saturday, January 8th at Laredo. A team record 598 of Landmesser ‚¬â„¢s 903 career appearances have come as a RiverKing. Landmesser ‚¬â„¢s 600th game as a RiverKing should come Friday at home against Dayton.

LUTZ FOR THE DEFENSE: Defenseman Nathan Lutz continues to produce from the blue line for the RiverKings. The CHL All-Star starter leads all defensemen in points with 34, leads defensemen in assists with 25 and is second for goals from the blue line with nine. Lutz is fourth in the CHL for power play assists with 16 (first among defensemen).

SUMMERS LEADS THE POWER PLAY: Mississippi forward Matt Summers leads the CHL in power play goals with ten, the last coming Saturday night in the win at Evansville.

AUGER NOT COMING UP SHORT: Rookie forward Chris Auger leads the CHL in shorthanded goals by a first-year player with two.

DUMONT COMES IN TO HELP: RiverKings ‚¬â„¢ forward Louis Dumont is tied for third in shorthanded assists in the CHL with three. Dumont has also scored three times in shootouts this season.

CAN ‚¬â„¢T WIN NUMBER THREE: The RiverKings have won two straight games on six occasions this season, but have yet to forge together a three-game winning streak. The last time Mississippi has won two straight came this past weekend, but the RiverKings ‚¬â„¢ attempt at win number three in a row was thwarted by Sunday ‚¬â„¢s loss to Fort Wayne.

NOTABLES: Mississippi is 6-0-0 when ahead after two periods in home games. Five of the team ‚¬â„¢s nine shorthanded goals have come on DeSoto Civic Center ice. R.G. Flath is one point short of 100 career professional and CHL points. Matt Summers is two short of 100 career professional and CHL assists. Jeff Christian is nine points short of 500 career CHL points and four short of 600 career CHL penalty minutes. Patrik Levesque is five penalty minutes short of 500 career professional PIMS. Louis Dumont is four short of 300 career CHL/RiverKings penalty minutes.

TICKETS: For RiverKings ticket information, call 662-342-1755 or go online to www.riverkings.com today!

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Central Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2011


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