Rocky Mountain Rage Weekly Update

November 3, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rocky Mountain Rage News Release


LAST WEEK'S RECORD: 0-2-0

OVERALL RECORD: 1-6-0, 2 pts.

4th Place Northwest Division

Oct. 31 @ Wichita Thunder, 3-1 Loss - The Thunder scored all the goals they needed in the game's first 3:46. Colt King scored the lone tally for the Rage, who despite having a 27-18 edge in shots still lost to Wichita for the second time in a three-game span.

Nov. 1 vs. New Mexico Scorpions, 6-3 Loss - In a game that was closer than the final score would indicate, Rocky Mountain took a 3-1 lead 33 seconds into the middle period. But the visitors answered less than a minute later before tying the game mid-way through the frame. The teams remained deadlocked at three until the 12-minute mark of the third when New Mexico's Chris Robertson swept in a rebound off his own miss for the eventual game-winner. The Rage generated several chances looking for the equalizer and actually out-shot the Scorps in the third, 18-11, but Robertson effectively ended the game with an insurance goal on the power play to complete a hat trick at 17:31. Daymen Rycroft (1g-2a) and Brent Cullaton (3a) each had three points in the loss.

THIS WEEK'S UPCOMING GAMES

Friday, Nov. 7, @ Mississippi RiverKings, DeSoto Civic Center, 6:05 p.m.

Radio: ESPN Radio 1600, LIVE at 5:55 p.m.

Live Audio & Video Webcast: CHL Network on www.rockymountainrage.com

Saturday, Nov. 8, @ Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, CenturyTel Center, 6:05 p.m.

Radio: ESPN Radio 1600, LIVE at 5:55 p.m.

Live Audio & Video Webcast: CHL Network on www.rockymountainrage.com

SHOOTING BLANKS

It seems as if the Rage are shooting blanks at times through the season's first seven games. The club has out-shot its opponent in five straight games, which includes a combined 69-48 edge over Wichita and New Mexico this past weekend, but has just one win to show for it. Rocky Mountain is ranked fourth in the league averaging more than 34 shots per game but is 15th in goals per game, scoring just more than two per contest.

RYCROFT OVERTHROWS KING

It was a peaceful coup, though, as last year's leading goal scorer in the CHL leap-frogged his teammate to the top of the Rage's scoring rolls. Rycroft's three-point night on Saturday gives him eight points on the year (4g-4a), one more than King, whose seven points include a team-high six assists.

DOESN'T GET ANY EASIER

Rocky Mountain's schedule toughens the next two weeks as the team heads out on the road for four games. Following next weekend's trip to face the Northeast Division's RiverKings and Mudbugs, the Rage then visit two teams from the Southwest Division on Nov. 14 and 15 when they travel to New Mexico and Odessa, respectively. The club doesn't play again at the BEC until Bossier-Shreveport and Rapid City arrive in Broomfield on Nov. 21 and 22.

TRICK OR TREAT

Ask the Rage and they'll tell you they were tricked a couple of times over Halloween Weekend. There is no doubt that with its record the team needs to improve in several areas, but Rocky Mountain hasn't been the recipient of many breaks, either. On both Friday and Saturday the Rage got unlucky when they had goals waived off in the third period of each game. Scott Wray's apparent tally on Friday would have made the margin a single goal with still plenty of time to pull the goaltender, and Scott Bulawka's effort in the final period of Saturday's game would have given Rocky Mountain a 4-3 lead.



Central Hockey League Stories from November 3, 2008


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