Scorpions look to tame lion of a schedule

March 7, 2007 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
New Mexico Scorpions News Release


THIS WEEK:

THU Mar. 8 SCORPIONS @ Lubbock

6:05 p.m. City Bank Coliseum

New Mexico will look to extract some revenge on the Cotton Kings Thursday night. Last Saturday night the Scorpions suffered their first loss against Lubbock this season. The Scorpions start the week needing 12 points to clinch a spot in the CHL Playoffs.

Season Series: Scorpions lead 5-1-0

All Time Series: Scorpions lead 34-21-8

FRI Mar. 9 SCORPIONS @ Amarillo

6:00 p.m. Amarillo Civic Center

Division rivals meet once again. The Scorpions and Gorillas, along with the Sundogs, are battling for division supremacy. With March upon us, teams are looking to secure playoff births and division titles. New Mexico will face-off against Amarillo for the 96th time in the teams' histories.

Season Series: Scorpions lead 3-1-1

All Time Series: Scorpions lead 57-32-6

SAT Mar. 10 Wichita @ SCORPIONS

7:05 p.m. Santa Ana Star Center

*PEOPLES MORTGAGE JUNIOR JERSEY NIGHT*

*PEOPLES MORTGAGE SCORPIONS MEGAPHONE NIGHT*

*PET AWARENESS NIGHT*

The Thunder makes their inaugural trip to the Santa Ana Star Center. The two teams met in Kansas back in January, with Wichita pulling out a 3-1 victory. Each team is fighting for playoff position, but in different fashions. The Scorpions have their eyes on a division title while Wichita is in a battle with Tulsa for the Northern Conference's final playoff spot.

Season Series: Scorpions trail 0-1-0

All Time Series: Scorpions trail 6-9-0

LAST WEEK:

WED Feb. 28 Arizona @ SCORPIONS

(3-2 SOL)

7:35 p.m. Santa Ana Star Center

When the Scorpions and Sundogs meet, you can almost count on two things, a close game and the visiting team winning. Those two things happened on Wednesday night as the Sundogs beat the Scorpions 3-2 in a shootout.

Regulation, overtime and the standard five rounds in a shootout were not enough in this contest. The two teams needed three extra rounds in the shootout before David Svagrovsky scored the game winner.

Mike Falk gave the Scorpions the early lead with one of the year's prettiest goals. Falk brought the puck into the offensive zone, passed it to himself through Jon Landry's legs and then beat goalie Kris Mayotte for his 23rd goal of the season.

Arizona came back in the second period with a power play goal. Brent Kelly continued his great season with his first goal of the night, tying the game at one.

The teams traded goals in the third period. First, Mike Prpich tipped in an Aaron MacInnis shot giving the Scorpions back the lead. The lead was short lived as Kelly picked up his second goal of the game and 40th of the season.

The win gave the road team nine of 12 winning games in the rivalry this season.

FRI Mar. 2 Arizona @ SCORPIONS

(5-3 WIN)

7:35 p.m. Santa Ana Star Center

On a night when the Scorpions "Saluted the Badges" they beat their rivals from Arizona 5-3. As the police and fire battled for their own cup, the Scorpions continued to push towards a playoff birth.

The game was fast, furious, and fun throughout. The hits were big and loud, the players were skating fast and the hometown fans were treated to two exciting goals.

New Mexico used two special teams goals to grab the first period lead. On the power play, Mike Prpich put a Craig Macdonald rebound home to ignite the Santa Ana Star Center fans. Late in the period the Scorpions went down two men but the penalty kill rose to the occasion. Just as Vladimir Hartinger came out of the box, he found Aaron MacInnis. MacInnis started a two-on-one with Chris Robertson who finished the job for his 18th goal of the season.

Arizona turned the tide and gained momentum in the second period with two goals of their own. Dmitri Leonov picked up a power play goal cutting the lead to one at the 14:59 mark. Mike Falk gave the Scorpions their two-goal lead back at the 17:58 mark of the second period. Unfortunately, the Sundogs fought back and scored with only 22-seconds remaining in the second period, cutting the Scorpions lead to one after two periods of play.

The third period gave the fans all they could ever want in a hockey game. New Mexico wasted no time grabbing momentum back early in the final frame. Jamie Herrington picked up his own rebound and scored 24-seconds in. Once again Arizona fought back as Leonov scored his second goal of the game.

The period continued and the physical play picked up. The teams showed playoff intensity and a distain for each other. Mike Prpich finished the scoring with his second goal of the game, but that was only the start to the fun that would happen.

The Scorpions and Sundogs had enough of nice play and the team decided to take it the next level. Kevin Harvey delighted the fans with a decided win in a fight against the Sundogs' David Lizotte. Only a few seconds later, all six players on the ice grabbed a hold of each other and started an altercation of their own, once again bringing over 4,000 people to their feet.

SAT Mar. 3 SCORPIONS @ Lubbock

(4-2 loss)

6:05 p.m. City Bank Coliseum

Lubbock used a strong power play and three second period goals to beat the Scorpions 4-2 on Saturday night. The Cotton Kings win is their first in six chances this season against New Mexico.

The Lubbock power play proved to be strong as they used four goals with the man advantage in the victory. Bobby Brown led the Cotton Kings with two power play goals. Craig Minard and Cory Rutt also picked up power play goals in the first two periods.

The Scorpions got on the board first with a power play goal of their own. Konrad Reeder finished the play after Rob Guinn and Ryan McLeod worked the puck beautifully throughout the zone. McLeod then got the Scorpions back into the game with a late second period goal, cutting the Lubbock lead to two, after two periods of play.

The third period proved to be silent. The Scorpions had their chances and sent a flurry of shots towards the Lubbock net, but J.F. Perras stood tall in net.

SCORPIONS PROMOTIONS

- Mar. 10-"Junior Jersey Night"-The young Scorpions fans will not want to miss this special giveaway. The first 1,500 kids 12 and under will receive a replica Scorpions jersey courtesy of Peoples Mortgage.

- Mar. 10-"Pet Awareness Night"-The Scorpions will host a unique night when they host the Wichita Thunder. If you want to adopt a pet, the Santa Ana Star Center is the place to be. Local shelters will be on hand to help you go home with a new cuddly creature. In addition, if you want to bring your pet to the game contact Tim Marting at the Scorpions office or email tmarting@scorpionshockey.com for more details.

- Mar. 10-"MAGAPHONE NIGHT"-Get your Scorpions megaphone courtesy of Peoples Mortgage. The first 1,000 fans inside the Santa Ana Star Center on Saturday night will get their free megaphone.

- Mar. 10-"TURTLE MOUNTAIN POST GAME PARTY"-Following the game, visit Turtle Mountain Tap Room (original location) on Southern Blvd. for a post game party. All the Scorpions players will be in attendance to enjoy food and drinks with Scorps Nation.

- Mar. 13-"SCORPIONS COACH'S SHOW"-Join Head Coach Ray Edwards and Broadcaster Adam Minnick at the All-Star Bar & Grill inside the Santa Ana Star Casino. The monthly show takes place from 6-7 p.m. Those not able to make it in person can hear it on 610 The Sports Animal. Fans are encouraged to call or email the show.

- Mar. 14-"SMOKEHOUSE POST GAME PARTY"-Following the game, visit the Smokehouse on State Road 528 for a post game party. All the Scorpions players will attend to enjoy food and drinks with Scorps Nation.

- Mar. 16-"Puck and Hat Night"-The first 1,500 fans through the doors get a Scorpions puck and the first 500 adults will get a Scorpions hat, courtesy of New Mexico National Guard.

- THIS WEEK'S BROADCAST SCHEDULE-Thursday and Friday's games can be heard on 610 The Sports Animal. On Saturday the Scorpions game will be broadcast on 1050 KTBL. For Scorpions fans outside the listening area, you can hear all Scorpions games online by visiting http://www.scorpionshockey.com/schedule/broadcast/. Don't forget that CHLTV is the perfect place to watch Scorpions games online. Visit www.livesportsnetwork.com/chltv for more details.

- Fans inside the Santa Ana Star Center can now hear the games live on 89.5 FM.

SCORPIONS IN THE COMMUNITY

- Keep your eyes open, as the Scorpions will be around town visiting with many different people during March. Check out http://www.scorpionshockey.com/schedule/communitypromos/ for further information.

- Children ages 7-11 have their chance to "Fish with a Scorpion" on Sunday, March 11 courtesy of Charlie's Sporting Goods located at 8908 Menaul NE in Albuquerque . Tell us why you want to fish with your favorite Scorpion player by clicking here to fill out the entry form. All submissions are due by March 8.

- On Sunday, March 11 the Scorpions players will put on a clinic for National Guard families starting at 1 p.m.

TEAM NOTES

- New Mexico is ranked eighth in the latest CHL Coach's Poll.

- The Scorpions magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 12 points.

- JEREMY GARRISON has been signed by the Scorpions.

STANDOUTS

- MIKE FALK leads all CHL rookies with 24 goals.

- RYAN McLEOD leads all rookies with 34 assists.

- AARON MacINNIS is third among defense with a +26 plus/minus rating.

- JAMIE HERRINGTON and MIKE PRPICH have each scored three goals in the last five games.



Central Hockey League Stories from March 7, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central