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NAHL North American Hockey League

RoadRunners sweep through Alaska

December 15, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release


For teams in the Lower 48, winning games in Alaska is no simple task, making the Topeka RoadRunners' perfect 6-0 jaunt through the state, including three wins last week over the Alaska Avalanche, all the more impressive.

"The Alaska swing is not easy, no matter how much you plan for it," said RoadRunners head coach Scott Langer, whose team improved to an NAHL-best 23-3-1. "This is something our guys can be proud of."

After winning three straight over the Kenai River Brown Bears the week prior, the RoadRunners headed north to Wasilla where they opened with a 6-3 triumph over the Avs on Wednesday. Steve Shafer notched two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist, with Alec Hagaman recording two goals of his own. Between the pipes, Bryce Merriam turned aside 19 shots.

On Friday, Hagaman rang up two more goals, including the game-winner, and Jacob Poe added a goal and two assists as the Roadrunners bested the Avalanche, 6-5. Goaltender Lyle Rocker made 25 saves to pick up the win in net.

Merriam stopped all 30 shots the next night as Topeka blanked Alaska, 3-0. Bryon Paulazzo connected for a goal and assisted on Matt Hartmann's game-winning marker, with Shafer adding two more assists to his weekend totals.

"We had 20 players to dress and all 20 contributed," said Langer. "We had a very tired lineup, but that didn't stop us from blocking shots and staying opportunistic on our scoring chances."

Wins and losses aside, the 13-day voyage to Alaska was also the perfect opportunity for the RoadRunners to build team unity and strengthen relationships away from the rink.

"All we have is one another on a trip like that," said Langer. "We do everything as a team with no distractions. It's a good time for everyone to really get to know one another."

One player who got himself familiar with the scoresheet against the Avs was Shafer. The 19-year-old from Rochester, Mich., led Topeka's offensive charge with three goals and four assists in the three games.

"Steve is a high-end player who has gifted vision and a real good feel for the game," said Langer of his second-year forward. "He's been a real big part of this team's success dating back to last season. There's no way he should go unnoticed to colleges; he's a player who will make someone real happy at the next level."

Goal-less in eight straight games heading into the week, Hagaman came alive against the Avs to the tune of four goals and one assist, giving the first-year forward from Peoria, Ill., 13 goals on the season (27 points).

"Hags has adapted very quickly to the speed of the game at this level and he pulled himself out of that small drought through hard work," said Langer of the 19-year-old. "He has a knack for the net and the grit to go along with it."

The RoadRunners are also fortunate to have two veteran goaltenders in Merriam, a Pittsburgh native, and Rocker, from Williamsville, N.Y. Each has made 13 appearances with Merriam leading the league with a 1.53 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage. Rocker's numbers aren't far behind.

"It's not the easiest situation to have two last-year goaltenders, because both want the net every night," Langer said of the 20-year-olds. "But both have given us a chance to win every night and I truly believe that having both right now makes us that much deeper."

On the defensive side of the puck, Langer has been impressed with the steady play of second-year blueliner Caleb Wolfgram, a 20-year-old from White Bear Lake, Minn., who holds a plus-20 rating.

"He's a strong kid who keeps it simple and is a huge part of our blue line," said the coach.

Topeka has also leaned on the veteran presence of Randy Swank, a Nuevo, Calif., product now in his third year with the organization.

"He's just a smooth, mistake-free defenseman who has been the leader of this year's D core," said Langer. "He's been an every-nighter for three years and has now put himself amongst the elite of the league."

Winners of this year's NAHL Showcase Tournament, Topeka's record 27 games into the season is impressive to say the least. A veteran-laden group that advanced to the Robertson Cup Championship Tournament last year has certainly helped the cause.

"This team has been focused since October," said Langer. "They work extremely hard and are willing to learn everyday, and I believe our game can improve everyday. We have the players with the mindset to do it, players who want it. Now we just have to achieve it."

The RoadRunners' success has also summoned colleges to take notice. Four players from this year's team have already committed to schools - Eric Artman (Air Force Academy); Jordan George (Bemidji State University); Bob Marx (University of Alaska-Fairbanks); and Hartmann (Bemidji State) - with plenty more expected to follow suit.

"We actually have a lot of interest right now," said Langer. "At this point, we're just waiting to see which schools pull the trigger."

STANDINGS/LEADERS
Central Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
Alexandria 27 16-9-2 34 .630 96 85
Bismarck 27 16-10-1 33 .611 79 63
North Iowa 27 15-10-2 32 .593 92 86
Owatonna 27 14-12-1 29 .537 97 90
Albert Lea 27 2-22-3 7 .130 54 119 North Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
Traverse City 25 15-5-5 35 .700 80 69
Mahoning Valley 24 16-6-2 34 .708 80 61
Marquette 31 14-13-4 32 .516 89 95
USNTDP 26 14-10-2 30 .577 94 73
Alpena 25 14-9-2 30 .600 66 68
Motor City 27 5-21-1 11 .204 54 107
South Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
Topeka 27 23-3-1 47 .870 112 53
St. Louis 30 21-6-3 45 .750 118 76
Wichita Falls 24 11-9-4 26 .542 74 87
Springfield 27 8-14-5 21 .389 78 97 West Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
Fairbanks 26 18-4-4 40 .769 103 68
Wenatchee 20 10-9-1 21 .525 57 69
Kenai River 30 9-18-3 21 .350 86 130
Alaska 23 9-13-1 19 .413 79 92 LEADING SCORERS
PLAYER TEAM P GP G A PTS
George, Jordan TPK F 27 16 24 40
Bourbonais, Clinton STL F 30 11 27 38
Hamburg, Andrew STL F 24 8 29 37
Gorczyca, Grant STL F 29 18 18 36
Delaurell, Kyle WIC F 24 9 26 35
Block, Austin FBX F 26 13 21 34
Freismuth, Jerry ALX F 26 11 23 34
Shafer, Steve TPK F 27 14 18 32
Greco, Kyle STL F 30 15 15 30
Kirchhevel, Justin STL F 28 11 19 30

LEADING GOALTENDERS
PLAYER TEAM GPI MINS W-L-OTL GAA SPCT
Merriam, Bryce TPK 13 783:55 11-1-1 1.53 .938
Tibbett, Jordan MVY 15 916:53 13-2-0 1.90 .928
Bosner, David BIS 19 1117:15 11-6-1 2.09 .924
Yanakeff, Will USA 10 600:20 5-4-1 2.10 .914
Graves, Nick ALP 17 1030:24 11-5-1 2.21 .920

GOALS
PLAYER TEAM P GP G Frey, Trent SPR F 27 19
Gorczyca, Grant STL F 29 18

ASSISTS
PLAYER TEAM POS GP A
Hamburg, Andrew STL F 24 29
Bourbonais, Clinton STL F 30 27

PLUS/MINUS
PLAYER TEAM POS GP +/-
Wolfgram, Caleb TPK D 27 +20
Bourbonais, Clinton STL F 30 +19

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sherwood/NAHL North Player of the Week: Erik Peterson - Alpena IceDiggers
Alpena forward Erik Peterson recorded two goals and two assists as the IceDiggers skated to a 2-1 record. On Thursday, the Alpena native assisted on the IceDiggers' lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Marquette. The next night, the 20-year-old collected an assist and scored the game-winning goal in the shootout in a 4-5 win over Traverse City. On Saturday, Peterson netted two goals in regulation as Alpena again downed the North Stars in a shootout, 4-3.

"Erik proved last weekend why he's the offensive leader of this team," said IceDiggers assistant coach Justin Bracci. "He came up big in a lot of important situations for us and was definitely a key to our success."

HONORABLE MENTION: Marquette forward Jim Gallagher; Mahoning Valley forward Jordy Trottier; Motor City forward Josh Bussell

Sherwood/NAHL South Player of the Week: Steve Shafer - Topeka RoadRunners
Topeka forward Steve Shafer struck for four goals and four assists as the RoadRunners celebrated a three-game sweep over Alaska. On Wednesday, the Rochester, Mich., native notched two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist in a 6-3 victory. The 19-year-old followed that up with a one-goal, one-assist effort as the RoadRunners downed the Avalanche on Friday, 6-5. The next night, Schafer added two more assists, including one on Matt Hartmann's game-winning marker, in a 3-0 victory.

"Alaska trips are not the easiest for players, but Steve brought everything he had to the ice for every game," said RoadRunners head coach Scott Langer. "He's been one of our top forwards since the season started, and this past week proved that again."

HONORABLE MENTION: Wichita Falls forward Brett Hartung

Sherwood/NAHL Central Player of the Week: Joe Knoepke - Alexandria Blizzard
Alexandria forward Joe Knoepke struck for three goals and two assists as the Blizzard split a pair of games with Owatonna. On Friday, the Rochester, Minn., native put home a goal and an assist in a 7-2 loss. The next night, the 20-year-old scored two goals and added an assist as the Blizzard downed the Express, 5-3. He was also a plus-4 on the weekend.

"Joe has played very well for us all season," said Blizzard head coach Brad Willner. "He has a great shot and great vision. He plays a tough-nosed game and it's paying off with more production on the ice."

HONORABLE MENTION: North Iowa forward Alex Carlson; Owatonna defenseman Tim Smith

Sherwood/NAHL West Player of the Week: Brian Parson - Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Fairbanks defenseman Brian Parson registered four assists as the Ice Dogs went 2-0-1 against Kenai River. On Thursday, the Phoenix native assisted on both Ice Dogs goals in a 3-2 shootout loss. The next night, the 20-year-old tallied an assist in a 4-3 win. On Sunday, Parson collected another assist as the Ice Dogs topped the Brown Bears in overtime, 2-1. He was also a plus-2 for the week.

"It was nice to see Brian break out and put some big points up on the board for us last weekend," said Ice Dogs head coach Josh Hauge. "He's made some significant strides over the past few weeks and we expect that to continue."

GDI/NAHL Goalie of the Week: Kevin Kissaw - Marquette Rangers
Marquette goaltender Kevin Kissaw backstopped the Rangers to three wins last weekend, turning aside 73 of 78 shots. On Thursday, the Goodrich, Mich., native made 22 saves in a 2-1 victory over Alpena. The next night, the 19-year-old stopped 26 shots as the Rangers bested Motor City, 4-1. On Saturday, Kissaw steered aside 25 shots in Marquette's 4-3 triumph over the Machine.

"Kevin has been solid all season and last weekend was no exception," said Rangers head coach Kenny Miller. "When we needed a big save, he came up with it and that's why he was able to help us to a weekend sweep."

HONORABLE MENTION: Alpena's Nick Graves; Mahoning Valley's Jordan Tibbett; North Iowa's Thomas Callaghan; Topeka's Bryce Merriam

AROUND THE NAHL
ALASKA AVALANCHE: Shawn McNeely registered four assists as the Avalanche dropped three games to Topeka. The Minnesotan is tied for eighth in scoring among NAHL defensemen.

ALBERT LEA THUNDER: The Thunder's leading scorer Danny Wood collected a goal and two assists as Albert Lea lost two games to North Iowa.

ALEXANDRIA BLIZZARD: St. Cloud State recruit Bryce Ravndalen struck for a goal and three assists in the Blizzard's two-game split with Owatonna. He was also a plus-3 for the weekend.

ALPENA ICEDIGGERS: Goaltender Nick Graves backstopped the IceDiggers to a pair of shootout wins over Traverse City, stopping a combined nine of 10 shots in the shootouts.

BISMARCK BOBCATS: Idle last weekend, the Bobcats return to action on Saturday to face off against Central Division-leading Alexandria.

FAIRBANKS ICE DOGS: Jared Larson tallied two goals and two assists in two games against Kenai River. The 19-year-old from Minnesota was also a plus-2.

KENAI RIVER BROWN BEARS: First-year forward Patrick Sullivan has committed to Canisius College (Atlantic Hockey) for the 2010-11 season. He's the first Brown Bears player in the program's two-year history to commit to a Division I program.

MAHONING VALLEY PHANTOMS: Jordy Trottier scored the game-winning goal and an assist in the Phantoms' 2-1 triumph over the U.S. Under-17 Team on Friday. "Jordy has consistently been one of our hardest workers this season, and it paid off on Friday for him and for our team," said head coach Bob Mainhardt.

MARQUETTE RANGERS: Jim Gallagher collected two goals and two assists as the Rangers skated to three wins last week. He was also a plus-3. "Jimmy had one of his best all-around weekends," said head coach Kenny Miller.

MOTOR CITY MACHINE: Josh Bussell netted a pair of goals in the Machine's 4-3 loss to Marquette on Saturday. "Josh took advantage of his playing time against his former team and made his efforts count," said interim head coach Sean Clark.

NORTH IOWA OUTLAWS: The Outlaws' nine goals scored their 9-3 triumph over Albert Lea on Saturday is the most North Iowa has ever scored in a single game in its three-plus-year history.

OWATONNA EXPRESS: Defenseman Tim Smith put home two goals and two assists in the Express' two-game split with Alexandria.

SPRINGFIELD JR. BLUES: With last weekend off, the Jr. Blues travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a pair of games against the U.S. Under-17 Team on Friday and Saturday.

ST. LOUIS BANDITS: Grant Gorczyca answered with the overtime game-winner and an assist in the Bandits' 4-3 victory over Wichita Falls on Friday.

TOPEKA ROADRUNNERS: Bryce Merriam backstopped the RoadRunners to two wins over Alaska, including a 30-save shutout on Saturday (3-0). "Bryce has always been a great goaltender," said head coach Scott Langer. "He's been very consistent for us."

TRAVERSE CITY NORTH STARS: Kyle Bonis added three more goals to his team-leading point totals as Traverse City fell twice to Alpena in shootouts.

TEAM USA: Chase Balisy rang up the game-winning goal and an assist in the Under-17 Team's 2-1 win over Mahoning Valley on Saturday.

WENATCHEE WILD: Nearly 1,800 stuffed animals were collected after the Wild's first ever "Teddy Bear Toss" held on Dec. 7 against the Northern Pacific Junior League All-Star Team.

WICHITA FALLS WILDCATS: Brett Hartung connected for three goals in two games against St. Louis. He now has points in his last eight games (11 goals for 16 points). "Brett has been a catalyst for our team," said head coach John Bowkus. "He's working extremely hard and it's paying off for him."

THE WEEK AHEAD
Thursday, December 18
St. Louis @ Owatonna, 7:00 pm
Albert Lea @ Alexandria, 7:00 pm

Friday, December 19
Topeka @ Wichita Falls, 7:05 pm
St. Louis @ Owatonna, 7:00 pm
Marquette @ Mahoning Valley, 7:15 pm
Motor City @ Alpena, 7:00 pm
North Iowa @ Albert Lea, 7:00 pm
Fairbanks @ Alaska, 7:00 pm
Springfield @ USNTDP, 7:00 pm

Saturday, December 20
Topeka @ Wichita Falls, 7:05 pm
Albert Lea @ North Iowa, 7:30 pm
Marquette @ Mahoning Valley, 7:15 pm
Alexandria @ Bismarck, 7:00 pm
Motor City @ Alpena, 7:00 pm
Fairbanks @ Alaska, 7:00 pm
Springfield @ USNTDP, 7:00 pm

Sunday, December 21
Traverse City @ Motor City, 5:10 pm

(all times local)
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