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Shortbenched IceHogs loan players to AHL

February 9, 2005 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2) News Release


LAKE ST. LOUIS, MO – Despite the NHL lockout, the United Hockey League (UHL) has seen thirty-three players called up this season, nine coming out of Rockford.

Tim Wedderburn, who was reassigned at the beginning of the season, has played 36 games with Chicago. The Rockford IceHogs have recently loaned All-Star defenseman Nathan Lutz to the Wolves. For Lutz, it marks his second call-up of the season. Earlier in the campaign, the fourth year defenseman was loaned to the Milwaukee Admirals. For the season, Lutz has netted a career high of 10 goals and 16 assists, ranking third in the UHL with a plus-29. In Lutz's last 10 contests, he has posted three goals and five assists with a plus-12.

Goaltenders Seamus Kotyk and Michel Robinson swapped spots on the Milwaukee roster this past week. In his short stint with the IceHogs, Kotyk recorded a 3-1-0 record and was named Sher-Wood Goaltender of the Week. Kevin Klein who came down to the UHL in the beginning of December, returned shortly to the AHL after recording three points in three games with the Hogs. Terry Harrison, Olivier Proulx, Jason Ralph and Ryan Bonni have also been called-up this season.

Rookie Debut Adirondack's Kris Tebbs is a perfect 5-0 in his professional career and 3-0 this week. He recorded his first professional shutout on Wednesday, turning away all thirty Danbury Trashers shots on goal. He began his career in 2001 in the British Columbia Hockey League as a member of the Powell River Kings. He recorded his first collegiate win in 2003 with the University of Nebraska in a 2-1 decision over Northern Michigan.

The Turnstiles Keep Turning League attendance is just short of the 1.1 million mark. The Fort Wayne Komets had 10,505 fans at the gate on Saturday against the visiting Quad City Mallards. The Motor City Mechanics, for the first time since opening night, had a sell-out crowd of 3,110 with the introduction of Chris Chelios, Kris Draper and Derian Hatcher. The Missouri River Otters had their largest crowd in two seasons on Saturday night (5,280) with Ryan Johnson and Barret Jackman's UHL debuts.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Adirondack Frostbite - (3-0-0) – Kris Tebbs is 5-0 in his professional career and 3-0 this week. He recorded his first professional shutout on Wednesday versus Danbury and first shootout victory on Friday...Defenseman Scott Drevitch is tied for seventh on the Adirondack all-time assist list with 73...The Frostbite are 22-2-3 when scoring first and 22-0 when leading after two periods of play...Center Sylvain Cloutier is fifth on the Adirondack all-time power play goal list and one out of fourth...The Frostbite are on a five-game winning streak...The Frostbite are 9-2-2 against the Central Division and 9-1-1 versus Elmira...The Frostbite are the least penalized team in the league averaging 18.9 penalty minutes per game.

Danbury Trashers - (2-1-1) – Danbury's 3-0 loss at Adirondack on Wednesday was the first shutout loss in team history...Centers Jeff Daw, Bruce Richardson and left wing Mike Bayrack, are all riding three-game scoring streaks...The Trashers added another pair of shorthanded goals last week to extend their UHL leading mark to 15...Mike Bayrack leads the league in shorthanded points with eight (five goals) and Bruce Richardson is tied for second with seven (two goals)...Danbury is now second in goals scored per game with an 3.43 average and 178 goals for on the season.

Elmira Jackals - (0-2-0) – In the their current five-game losing streak, Elmira has been outscored 21-12 by their opponents...Over the entire season Elmira has a negative-25 goal differential (159 goals for, 184 goals against)... After winning their first three games of 2005, the Jackals have won only two their last 14 games, going 5-11-1 in 2005...Goaltender Kevin Kurk didn't get any ice time this past weekend, but he did move up in the UHL standings. Kurk now leads the UHL in shootout percentage stopping 17 of 19 shootout attempts for a 89.5 percent success rate...Left wing Derek Campbell is third in the league amongst rookies with 145 penalty minutes and is second in minors (25)...Defenseman Chris Shaw is fourth in rookie penalty minutes with 140 and third in majors with 14.

Flint Generals - (2-1-0) – Defenseman Kam White scored his first goal of the season in Flint's 5-1 victory over Motor City on Wednesday (Attendance for that game was a sell-out 4,421)...Right wing Rob Valicevic has nine two-goal games this season...Right wing Kevin Kerr received a congratulatory visit from Scott Gruhl during the first of two games in Richmond last weekend. Kerr established the new record for most career goals in all of minor league professional hockey on January 7th, breaking the record held by Gruhl, who was also featured as an intermission guest during the team's radio broadcast.

Fort Wayne Komets - (2-0-0) – The Komets extended their win streak to six games and are unbeaten in regulation in eight consecutive games...The Komets are riding streaks of three straight home wins and four straight road wins...Saturday the Komets clipped the visiting Quad City Mallards 3-2 in front of a sell-out crowd of 10,505 at the Memorial Coliseum...Right wing Chris Grenville has recorded 597 career points...Left wing Sean Venedam is riding a nine-game point streak (9g, 5a, 14pts), five-game goal streak (5g), four-game home goal streak (5g) and seven-game home point streak (11pts).....Right wing Chris Grenville has a five-game point streak (3g, 4a, 7pts) and four-game home assist streak (4a).....P.C. Drouin has a six-game home assist streak (6a) and nine-game home point streak (11pts).....Left wing Danny Stewart has a four-game home assist streak (5a).

Kalamazoo Wings - (2-0-0) – Defenseman Mark Vilneff has recorded six points in his last eight games...Center Yannick Carpentier has six points in his last five games, including four points in his last two games...Chad Alban is sixth in the UHL with a goals against average of 2.46. He is also third in the league in wins (23)...Goaltender Joel Martin leads the league in save percentage with a .927...K-Wing rookies Tim Krueckl (.173) and Sean Starke (.167) are third and fourth respectively in shooting percentage among rookies in the league...Defenseman Daniel Carriere is fourth in the league among defenseman with 31 points...Kalamazoo is 23-1-2 when leading after two periods...The K-Wings lead the league in road victories with 17...The K-Wings are 20-10-2 when they outshoot their opponents...Right wing Kevin Kotyluk and defenseman Shaun Fisher have each scored nine points in their last 10 games.

Kansas City Outlaws - (0-3-0) – The Outlaws begin a six-game home stand on Wednesday when they host the Muskegon Fury...The Outlaws are 1-5-0 in their last six games and 4-6-0 in their last 10...Goaltender Tim Knudsen has played in six consecutive games...Kansas City will play 13 of their next 15 games against the Western Division...The Outlaws have been shutout five times this season...Kansas City has yet to post a shootout win this season...Kansas City has 18 home games and 12 road games remaining this season...Kansas City is 11-3-0 when scoring the first goal of the game.

Missouri River Otters - (2-2-0) – Winger Charlie Blyth is currently fifth on the all-time Missouri River Otters scoring list with 166 points. He needs one more point to tie Jeremy Rebek for fourth on the list. Lonnie Loach is the River Otters all-time leading scorer with 310 points in 238 games...With his league-leading sixth shutout Saturday against Kansas City, River Otters goaltender Jason Tapp is one shutout away from tying the club's single-season record of seven, set by Brian Regan in 1999-00...The three largest River Otters home-crowds this season have come in the last three weeks. 5,280 fans saw the River Otters host the Kansas City Outlaws on Saturday, February 5, while 5,096 came to watch the team's game versus Kansas City on Saturday, January 22...St. Louis Blues Barret Jackman and Ryan Johnson both dished out one assist, and were a plus-two for the weekend.

Motor City Mechanics - (2-2-0) – The Mechanics signed three Detroit Red Wings this week...Derian Hatcher scored his first two UHL goals this weekend against Flint and Quad City...Chris Chelios scored his first UHL goal on Saturday versus Kalamazoo...Center David Bonk tallied four points in four games, assisting on all three goals in Sunday's victory over Quad City...Veteran winger Dan Price scored the game winner in a shootout on Friday versus Rockford...Mechanics are 2-2 under new head coach Steve Shannon.

Muskegon Fury - (2-2-0) – Muskegon is 5-2-0 in the last seven games; 14-5-1 in the last 20 games...When scoring four or more goals, the Fury are undefeated 24-0-1...Right wing Rustyn Dolyny is one point away from becoming the twelfth player in Fury history to reach 200 points...Left wing Brant Blackned has moved into eighth place on the Fury's All-Time Games Played list (256). He is the Fury's fifth all-time leading scorer, and is three points away from the Fury 300...In their last 11 road games, the Fury are 8-3-0...In the first half of the season, the Fury were 25-10-5 for 55 points; in the second half they are currently 6-5-0...In 2005, the Fury have posted a record of 12-5-0...The Fury have the top home record in the league (18-4-3), with their four home defeats as the fewest in the UHL.

Port Huron Beacons – (2-2-0) – The Beacons are on a two-game losing streak...Left wing David Beauregard continues to lead the league in goals with 36. He is also second in the league with thirteen power play goals...Daniel Berthiaume is fourth in league goaltenders in shootout percentage (.778)...Right wing Mat Goody is second in league rookies in majors (20) and defenseman Ivan Curic second in minors (25)...Left wing Trevor Edwards is tied for second among league rookies in game-winning goals with three...The Beacons are tied for second in the UHL with the Muskegon Fury with a 20.0 road power play percentage...At home, Port Huron is 8-1-0 when leading after the first period, and 11-1-0 when leading after the middle session.

Quad City Mallards - (1-2-0) – Right wing Greg Barber scored the Mallards fourth shorthanded goal of the season on Sunday in Motor City. Two of the Mallards shorthanded markers have been scored in Motor City...Sunday's game marked the first time this year that the Mallards lost a game when Barber had a point. The team is 10-1-2 when Barber records a point...The Mallards lost a game when leading during the second intermission for the first time this season on Saturday night in Fort Wayne...Defenseman Andy Fermoyle scored his first goal of the season on Friday night at home vs. Kansas City...With Friday night's win versus Kansas City, the Mallards are now 3-0-0 vs. the Outlaws at home. The Mallards have won the games by a combined score of 17-6.

Richmond RiverDogs – (1-2-0) - The 'Dogs are 1-2 on a six-game homestand...The 17 shots allowed by the 'Dogs Saturday is a season low...The 'Dogs are seven for their last 26 on the power play (27%) and 28 for their last 32 on the penalty kill (87.5%) over a seven-game stretch...David Hymovitz has points in three straight games...Defenseman Dennis Vial made his 'Dogs debut Friday with a three-point game...Ten of the 19 'Dogs on the active roster have been added since the start of the season...Richmond has used 36 players this season. The 'Dogs used 38 last year...Center Derek Schutz returned to the lineup from IR Friday...Richmond has lost three of their last four after winning four out of five...Opponents have had 40 more power play chances than the 'Dogs this season.

Rockford IceHogs - (1-1-1) – The IceHogs held Muskegon to just 1-for-11 on the advantage on Saturday night. Coming into Saturday's game, The Fury's average at home was over 32 percent...Defenseman Vince Malts scored the game-winning goal on Wednesday against Muskegon then helped complete a three-goal comeback with the game-tying goal at Motor City on Friday...Winger Eric Labelle has 357 penalty minutes...The IceHogs finished a stretch of 10 of 13 away from the Metrocentre with a record of 8-4-1...Rockford is in the middle of eleven straight games against non-Western Division opponents...The Hogs are fourth overall with a 85.2 percent penalty kill rate, with an 87 percent rate on the road.

SHER-WOOD PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Danbury forward Bruce Richardson completed the week with eight points (3g, 5a) and a plus-one rating in three games. On Friday night, he posted a goal and two assists in the 5-4 shootout loss to Adirondack. On Saturday, he netted a shorthanded and game winning goal on the power play. He also tallied two assists (one power play) over the Jackals, and on Sunday, tallied an assist against the Beacons. Richardson has netted 17 goals (six power play, four game-winning) and 39 assists on the season. He leads the league with five shorthanded assists, and is tied for second with seven shorthanded points. The 27-year-old Ville St. Pierre, Quebec native is in his eighth professional season and second with the UHL since he spent 16 games as a member of the Quad City Mallards during the 1998-99 season.

Richardson played in the AHL during seven seasons with Hershey, Cincinnati and Milwaukee. His most recent stint coming in 2003-04 with the Hershey Bears. Richardson leads his team in scoring with 56 points. The Quebec native also spent time in the ECHL with Chesapeake, Pensacola and Louisiana.

Other players nominated for the Sher-Wood UHL Player of the Week include: Adirondack center Sylvain Cloutier, Elmira center Carl Drakensjo, Flint right wing Rob Valicevic, Fort Wayne right wing Chris Grenville, Kalamazoo center Yannick Carpentier, Kansas City right wing Scott Kirton, Missouri center Lars Pettersen, Motor City forward David Bonk, Muskegon left wing Brant Blackned, Port Huron center Aaron Brand, Quad City center Joe Dusbabek, Richmond left wing David Hymovitz, and Rockford defenseman Vince Malts.

SOUTHERN SPORTS SUPPLY UHL GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Kalamazoo's Chad Alban finished the week with a 2-0-0 record, 1.00 GAA and .965 save percentage. On Friday night he stopped 25 of 26 shots on goal, registering the 3-1 victory over Missouri. In Saturday's game versus Motor City, he turned away 30 of 31 shots to post a 23-12-3 record on the season. He is currently third in the league with 23 wins, fifth in saves (2,270) and first with six shootout wins. The 28-year-old Kalamazoo, Michigan native is in his third season with the K-Wings.

In 2003-04, he tied the UHL record for shutouts in a season with eight, was named Sher-Wood Goaltender of the Week three times and Goaltender of the Month for the month of March. He was the first K-Wings goaltender to be named as a regular and post-season all-star. He is the K-Wings overall All-Time leader in wins (54) and saves (2,775). He played in 132 collegiate games in four seasons with Michigan State University (1994-98) and split time over several seasons with the Mobile Mysticks (ECHL), Houston Aeros (IHL), Utah Grizzlies (IHL and AHL), and Grand Rapids Griffins (IHL and AHL).

Other players nominated for the Southern Sports Supply UHL Goaltender of the Week include: Adirondack's Kris Tebbs, Danbury's Ryan McIntosh, Elmira's Greg Hewitt, Flint's Marco Emond, Fort Wayne's Kevin St. Pierre, Kansas City's Tim Knudsen, Missouri's Jason Tapp, Motor City's Cory Campbell, Muskegon's Clayton Pool, Port Huron's Daniel Berthiaume, Quad City's Robert Gherson, Richmond's Brent Belecki, and Rockford's Seamus Kotyk.

ON THE UP AND UP

Kalamazoo left wing Ryan Barnes continues to play for the Grand Rapid Griffins with seven points (4g, 3a) in 37 games played...Kalamazoo center Kory Karlander has been with the Griffins since late September posting one goal and two assists in twenty-five games played...Muskegon center Todd Robinson, also with the Griffins, has notched twenty-four points in thirty-eight games (6g, 18a) with three power play, and one game-winning goal...Kalamazoo left wing Nick Bootland, who was reassigned to the Cleveland Barons in late September, has four goals and six assists (48gp) with a plus-one rating...Kalamazoo's Greg Labenski has been reassigned to the Cleveland Barons playing twenty-four games and tallying three assists...Rockford defenseman Tim Wedderburn has played in thirty-six games with Chicago posting a plus-thirteen rating with four assists...Rockford defenseman Kevin Klein returned to the Milwaukee Admirals in early December notching ten points (4g, 6a)...Rockford's Seamus Kotyk has played fourteen games in net for the Milwaukee Admirals posting a 7-4-0 record and tallying one assist...Rockford's Michel Robinson has returned to the UHL after recording a win with the Milwaukee Admirals...Flint left wing Jay Henderson who was called-up to the Bruins at the start of the UHL season, has notched five goals and six assists in forty-eight games played...Danbury's J.F. David has played in two games with the Hershey Bears...Danbury forward John Morlang has played twenty-one games with Bridgeport tallying one goal and three assists. CONGRATULATIONS AND KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

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International Hockey League 2 Stories from February 9, 2005


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