Rocky Mountain Rage Weekly Update
March 2, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rocky Mountain Rage News Release
Feb. 25 @ Rapid City Rush, 7-1 Win - The Rage matched the team record for largest winning margin in the conclusion of the season series against the Rush. Domenic Maiani turned a 2-1 contest into a 5-1 rout with a natural hat trick bridging the first and second periods, and David Morelli turned in a five-point (1g-4a) performance in perhaps the team's most dominating win of the season.
Feb. 27 @ Tulsa Oilers, 4-2 Win - In their first meeting of the year against the Oilers, the Rage were led to victory by three points from Colt King (1g-2a) and a goal and an assist from Daymen Rycroft. Marty Magers made 30 saves in net as the club won for the fifth time in its last six road games.
Feb. 28 @ Oklahoma City Blazers, 3-2 Loss - A possible preview of the Northern Conference's first round playoff match-up, the fourth-seeded Blazers stormed to a 3-0 lead mid-way through the second period on the strength of three power play goals. Fifth-seeded Rocky Mountain responded, though, closing to within 3-2 heading to the third behind goals from Maiani and Tyler Butler. Despite heavy pressure with goaltender Scott Reid pulled over the final minute, the Rage yielded in the end.
THIS WEEK'S UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday, March 5, vs. Colorado Eagles, Broomfield Event Center, 7:05 p.m.
Live Audio & Video Webcast: CHL Network on www.rockymountainrage.com
Friday, March 6, @ Colorado Eagles, Budweiser Events Center, 7:05 p.m.
Live Audio & Video Webcast: CHL Network on www.rockymountainrage.com
Saturday, March 7, @ Amarillo Gorillas, Amarillo Civic Center, 6:05 p.m. MST
Live Audio & Video Webcast: CHL Network on www.rockymountainrage.com
RAGE ARE PLAYOFF BOUND
Despite losing to the Blazers on Saturday, Rocky Mountain still secured the franchise's first-ever berth into the President's Cup Playoffs because Rapid City lost later in the evening to the Wichita Thunder. If the Rage were to lose their final eight games of the regular season and the Rush ran the table, the teams would actually be tied with 62 points in the standings. But Rocky Mountain would still qualify as the Northern Conference's fifth-seeded team by virtue of winning the first tie-breaker - most wins. For the latest on the league-wide playoff picture, including the playoff format, log-on to the CHL's Playoff HQ at http://www.centralhockeyleague.com/pagebank/index.html?id=4316.
BACK TO THE FRIENDLY CONFINES ... BRIEFLY
The Rage finally concluded a long stretch of 12 of 13 road games in Oklahoma over the weekend. The club went a total of 7-6-0 over the 13 games, which included a loss to the Mississippi RiverKings during the one home game on Feb. 15. Thursday's tilt against the Eagles is just the team's second game at Broomfield Event Center since Jan. 25 - a span of 40 days. Of course, then it's back out on the road on Friday and Saturday at Colorado and Amarillo, respectively.
KING'S RANSOM
That's what other teams would willingly pay to see the Rage's Colt King slow down a bit. Named the CHL's Player of the Week earlier today with seven points (3g-4a) and a +7 rating last week, King leads Rocky Mountain in goals (26), assists (35), and points (61), all career highs. He is currently tied for 15th in the league in scoring and ranked fifth in shooting percentage (19.1%). The former 4th-round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche is also 11th with 154 penalty minutes, including seven fighting majors, establishing himself as one of the elite power forwards in the CHL.
MOONS OVER MAIANI
Domenic Maiani began last week with three goals in 38 games this year. He promptly doubled that output in a span of 16:15 with his hat trick on Feb. 25 in Rapid City. The rookie from Ohio State also scored single goals against Tulsa and Oklahoma City, giving him a five-goal week and eight on the season.
HAT TRICK FACTS
Maiani's performance last week gives the team four hat tricks this year as he joins Scott Wray (Nov. 22 vs. Rapid City), Aaron Davis (Nov. 28 @ Amarillo), and David Morelli (Jan. 16 vs. Wichita) in the three-goal club. Like Maiani's, Wray's and Morelli's were also natural hat tricks, meaning the individual scored three consecutive goals during the course of the game. The team record for most hat tricks in a season occurred last year when the club racked up six.
PLAYMAKERS
Maiani definitely had help during his goal-scoring binge against the Rush as somewhat remarkably Morelli and defenseman Mark Smith both assisted on all three of his tallies. Morelli and Smith each turned in four-assist performances that night, tying the team record set on three other occasions. Nine times previously this year a Rocky Mountain player dished out three assists (termed a "playmaker") but never four. Morelli's total of five points were one off the team record of six set by Scott Wray last season on Nov. 10, 2007, in a game against Amarillo.
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Central Hockey League Stories from March 2, 2009
- Rocky Mountain Rage Weekly Update - Rocky Mountain Rage
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- Longest Homestand Continues - Tulsa Oilers
- Thunder Weekly Update - Wichita Thunder
- RiverKings Update - Mississippi RiverKings
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