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AHL Henderson Silver Knights

Series Preview: March 8 vs. Coachella Valley

March 7, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Henderson Silver Knights News Release


HENDERSON, N.V - The Silver Knights will take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds, who are second in the Pacific Division, in a single-game contest on Wednesday evening. The Knights are looking to continue their six-game winning streak, most recently defeating the Abbotsford Canucks in two victories at home.

"Guys blocked a lot of shots. Obviously we weren't happy that they got two goals, but my goal is just to stay in the game and get the two points, keep the winning streak going," said goaltender Jiri Patera after the shootout victory on Saturday.

Patera has won his last five straight starts, and in four of those five - including his game against the Canucks - he has made 30 or more saves to help the Silver Knights stay in the win column.

"I thought that was a character win," added recent forward addition Gemel Smith. Smith, who is on loan from the Syracuse Crunch, has 10 points (4G, 6A) in his eight games since joining Henderson.

"I think we stayed with it, we didn't quit...obviously we got some solid goaltending. We were just able to push through," he continued.

And the recent hot streak could not be coming at a better time.

"It's good that this is starting towards the end of the season, right when we're making a playoff push," Patera continued. "Six wins for the team is huge and we want to keep it rolling."

LAST TIME OUT

The Henderson Silver Knights defeated the Abbotsford Canucks in both games of their home series; 5-2 on Thursday evening and 3-2 in the shootout on Saturday evening.

The team saw offensive contributions throughout their lineup, with goals from Daniil Miromanov, Sheldon Rempal, Kaedan Korczak, Spencer Foo, Ivan Morozov, and Daniil Chayka over the course of both games. Chayka's goal marked his first career AHL goal.

Isaiah Saville made his first AHL start of the season, making 33 saves to lead the Knights to a 5-2 victory. Patera made 32 to lead the team to a 3-2 victory in the shootout the next game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Forward Gemel Smith has 10 points (4G, 6A) in the team's last eight games, since joining Henderson for his first game as a Silver Knight on February 18.

Henderson forward Gage Quinney leads the team in goals, with 20.

Henderson defenseman Lukas Cormier is second overall among rookie defenseman in points with 32 (8G, 24A) and first among rookie defensemen in goals.

Coachella Valley forward Max McCormick leads the Firebirds in points and stands 10th overall among all AHL players in points. Over the last five games, he has six points (3G, 3A).

Coachella goaltender Joey Daccord has a 2.43 GAA and a .913 save percentage on the season. His GAA ranks sixth among all AHL goaltenders.

ACTIVE HSK POINT LEADERS

Gemel Smith: 47 (17G, 30A)

Sheldon Rempal: 44 (19G, 25A)

Gage Quinney: 39 (20G, 19A)

Lukas Cormier: 32 (8G, 24A)

Byron Froese: 28 (9G, 19A)

Brendan Brisson: 26 (9G, 17A)

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Fans can watch the game on AHL TV with subscription. Fans can also listen to the radio broadcast on 1230 The Game.

Check out the Henderson Silver Knights Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from March 7, 2023


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.

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