Rocky Mountain Rage Weekly

March 24, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rocky Mountain Rage News Release


LAST WEEK'S RECORD: 1-1-1

OVERALL RECORD: 36-22-6, 78 pts.

2nd Place Northwest Division

March 19 @ Arizona Sundogs, 7-6 Overtime Loss - The Rage allowed a 5-0 lead through two periods and a 6-3 lead in the final two minutes of regulation escape their grasp before losing in OT.

March 21 @ Tulsa Oilers, 3-2 Win - Trailing, 2-0, heading to the third in a must-win situation, Rocky Mountain rallied behind goals from defensemen Clay Plume and Tyler Butler to even the game at two by the mid-way point of the period. Simon Watson then swept in a rebound for the game-winner at 18:00 to keep the Rage alive in the Northern Conference playoff picture.

March 22 @ Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, 2-1 Loss - The Rage's playoff hopes were dashed on the final day of the regular season. Tied at one after two periods, the Mudbugs' Tyrel Lucas scored the game-winner at 7:54 of the third. The loss proved immaterial, though, as Rocky Mountain was officially eliminated from post-season contention during the second intermission when, 1,088 miles away, the Colorado Eagles avoided losing in regulation to the Youngstown SteelHounds. By earning a single point in an eventual shootout loss, the Eagles won the Northwest Division title and secured the fifth and final playoff berth out of the Northern Conference.

.600+ WINNING PERCENTAGE FAILS TO WARRANT PLAYOFF BID

Everyone associated with the Rage will have all off-season to debate the factors that led to the team's inability to clinch a post-season berth. The bottom line is that a 19-win improvement from last year's inaugural season and a winning percentage of .609 was simply not good enough in the very tough Northern Conference. Only one other team in the 16-year history of the Central Hockey League and five-year history of the Western Professional Hockey League (the two leagues merged in 2001 to create the current CHL) has had a better record than Rocky Mountain and failed to qualify for the playoffs - the 2002-03 Tulsa Oilers, who went 37-22-5 with 79 points and a .617 winning percentage.

2007-08 LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS

All things considered, the Rage's second season was a success and included many noteworthy accomplishments:

The CHL's Leading Goal Scorer - Daymen Rycroft with 48 goals. Rycroft also led the league with 23 power play goals and set the league-high with a 10-game goal-scoring streak.

Two Players in the Top 10 in Scoring - Brent Cullaton, 4th, with 92 points (21g-71a) and Rycroft, tied 7th, with 84 points (48g-36a)

Two CHL Players of the Month - Scott Wray (October) and Rycroft (January)

Three CHL Players of the Week - Simon Watson, Tyler Butler, and Rycroft

Four CHL All-Stars - Cullaton* (Northern Conference Captain and MVP), Wray*, Butler, and goaltender Scott Reid * Starter

Northern Conference All-Star Head Coach - Tracy Egeland, who also finished runner-up for CHL Coach of the Year

All-CHL Team - Cullaton, who set new career highs in points and assists and was also named a finalist for league MVP

Equipment Manager of the Year - Patrick Stevens

37-point Improvement in the Standings - During their inaugural campaign, the Rage finished 52 points out of first place. This year, they fell three points shy of unseating the Colorado Eagles for the Northwest Division title.



Central Hockey League Stories from March 24, 2008


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