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CHL Central Hockey League

Shots from the Point for December 16, 2011

December 16, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release


Top Three

1.) Rivals Meet Again- The rivalry between the Allen Americans (13-4-4) and the Texas Brahmas (11-8-3) is alive and well as the teams prepare for their fourth meeting of the season on Friday night at the Allen Event Center. After losing the first two games of the series to the Americans for this season, the Brahmas came storming back with a 4-1 win in the last meeting (Dec. 3). The game featured 75 penalty minutes and some apparent bad blood that could spill over. More importantly for the Brahmas is that they trail Allen by five points in the Berry Conference with a chance to potentially close that gap on the line. Allen's Keith Johnson has been the star of the series so far scoring three goals (both game winners for the Americans) along with three assists. After Friday night, the two clubs do not see each other again until February 10.

2.) Special Teams- The Evansville IceMen (13-5-1) continue to lead the Turner Conference sitting one point ahead of Fort Wayne (13-7-0) and four points ahead of both Rapid City (11-10-1) and Quad City (11-9-1). A big reason for the success of the IceMen is their special teams which are among the elite in all categories. On the power play, the IceMen are second in the league connecting 24.4% of the time (19 of 78) and while shorthanded, Evansville boasts the league's best penalty kill (87%). The IceMen are tied for second in the league with six shorthanded goals led by Brian Bicek with three (tied for the league lead). The IceMen have a huge weekend ahead of them with a home-and-home against the Komets on Friday at the Ford Center and then Saturday in Fort Wayne and then a match-up with Missouri (10-8-2) at home on Sunday.

3.) Goal Leaders- Despite extended goalless stretches, both Tulsa's Mike Ullrich and Rio Grande Valley's Aaron Lee remain tied for the league lead with 13 goals apiece. Ullrich has not found the back of the net in four straight games and for Lee, it has been six games since he lit the lamp. The leader board is starting to get a bit populated as Brandon Marino (QDC), Bruce Graham (ALN) and Damian Surma (DAY) are all one off the pace and Jesse Schultz (RPD), Colton Yellow Horn (ALN) and Eric Giosa (QDC) all sit with 11 goals on the season. Giosa may be the hottest of the bunch with four goals in his last five games.

Inside the Numbers

14: The total number of points that Rapid City's Jesse Schultz scored last season in 21 combined regular season and playoff games played for the Rush (one goal, 13 assists). This season, the Regina, Saskatchewan native leads the CHL with 34 points (11-23=34) in 22 games played. Schultz and the Rush (11-10-1) will be in action Friday at Laredo (8-13-0) and Saturday at Texas (11-8-3).

On the Fly

-The 2012 CHL All-Star Game is set for Wednesday, January 11 in Prescott Valley, Arizona at Tim's Toyota Center. The game will feature the host Arizona Sundogs facing a team of CHL All-Stars. The coach for the CHL team will be known in a week as the coach whose team has the highest winning percentage after the games of December 23rd will be appointed the CHL teams coach. Entering play this weekend, Allen's Dwight Mullins is leading the way (.714) followed closely by Evansville's Rich Kromm (.711).

-Tulsa forward Marty Standish is just two games away from tying Don Margettie on the league's all-time games played list. Standish currently ranks ninth on the all-time list and could tie Margettie for eighth this weekend as the Oilers (12-8-2) are set to play a pair of games in Arizona against the Sundogs (9-11-4). Standish is currently tied for 18th on the league's all-time points list with 518 points (206 goals, 312 assists).

-The Quad City Mallards (11-9-1) saw their first regulation blemish in the month of December on Wednesday night in their 3-2 loss at Arizona against the Sundogs (9-11-4). The Mallards were on a six-game point streak going 5-0-1 over that stretch. The Flock plays at Missouri (10-8-2) on Friday, a team that has beaten them in seven of the nine all-time meetings, and then return home for a five-game home stand starting Saturday against the Mavericks (5-0 all-time in Quad City).

-The Fort Wayne Komets (13-7-0) have finished up on the plus side of the shot board as many times as any other team in the league (13) and are an impressive 10-3-0 when that happens. Conversely, when the Komets do not outshoot an opponent, they are 3-4-0.

-RGV's Jake Hauswirth was re-called by the AHL's Texas Stars on Wednesday and forward David Marshall was re-assigned from San Antonio (AHL). Hauswirth had 13 points (6-7=13) in 20 games with the Bees and Marshall had eight points (5-3=8) in six games with RGV before most recent re-call.

-The Dayton Gems (8-9-4) have lost four straight games but this weekend they have a chance to get back on track in a three-game series against the Bloomington Blaze (5-13-2). The Gems are 3-0-1 this season against the Blaze losing only the season opener for both teams in overtime. Bloomington is 4-3-0 in their last seven games with two of the three losses coming by one goal. The teams will square off on Friday and Saturday in Bloomington and then on Sunday in Dayton to end the series.

-After scoring just one goal in his first four games of the season, Tulsa's David Solway has caught fire registering 14 points in his next eight games. The former Bowling Green State University star currently is riding the longest active point streak in the CHL (eight games) recording five goals and nine assists over that stretch.

-The Wichita Thunder (14-7-0) own the league's most home wins with 10 and this weekend will have a chance to build on that when they host the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (10-8-4) on both Friday and Saturday nights. The Bees have lost six straight games (four of them in shootouts) but sit just four points behind the Thunder in the standings providing a big opportunity for them as well. The Bees want to stay away from a shootout against the Thunder who are 4-0 this season in the extra frame.



Central Hockey League Stories from December 16, 2011


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