CHL Central Hockey League

Shots From The Point For January 29, 2010

January 29, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release


Northern Conference Fight

The Rapid City Rush (26-10-3) and the Colorado Eagles (26-9-3) head into this weekend tied for the top spot in the Northern Conference with 55 points apiece. For both clubs, the road is where they will look to create some separation as the Rush play at Missouri on Friday and at Wichita on Saturday and the Eagles are at Tulsa on Friday and at Bossier-Shreveport on Saturday. Rapid City is on a seven-game road trip that has them 0-0-2 thus far falling twice in shootouts to Mississippi. The Eagles have won back-to-back games versus Amarillo.

Jacks Streaking Again

Odessa pulled off another unreal comeback, something they have grown quite accustomed to this season, as they erased a 4-2 third period lead on Wednesday night in Rio Grande Valley with Mike Ramsay scoring twice in the final eight minutes and then scored the game winning goal in overtime leading the Jacks to their seventh straight win overall and their seventh straight win on the road. Odessa has stretched their lead in the Southern Conference to 10 points over Allen. This weekend, the Jackalopes play three straight home games hosting Arizona on Friday and Saturday and Laredo on Sunday.

In the Close Ones

Winning the close contests is what typically sets a team apart and prepares them for the post-season. If this season is any indication, than the Odessa Jackalopes and Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs should be set for long runs. The Jacks lead all CHL teams with 33 points earned in one-goal games posting a 15-4-3 record. The 'Bugs are 13-3-4 in one-goal games accounting for 30 points. Rounding out the top five are the Amarillo Gorillas (10-7-6, 26 points), the Allen Americans (11-1-3, 25 points) and the Rapid City Rush (11-4-3, 25 points). The teams having the toughest times in the close ones are the Wichita Thunder (2-5-3), the Arizona Sundogs (4-10-3) and the Corpus Christi IceRays (5-8-6).

________________________________________

BY THE NUMBERS

599- The number of points that Colorado Captain Riley Nelson has in his CHL career sitting just one point away from becoming the 11th player to reach 600 points. Nelson is just 17 points from tying Jonathan Dubois for 10th on the league's all-time points list. This season, Nelson is tied for second in the CHL with 56 points (20-36=54). Of his total, 552 points have come during his 6+ years with the Eagles.

6-0- The Odessa Jackalopes record versus the Arizona Sundogs this season with the two teams set to meet on both Friday and Saturday in the Jack Shack. Odessa has won seven straight games, while the Sundogs have lost six straight.

13- The number of consecutive home games the Wichita Thunder has lost this season tying them for the CHL single-season record (Nashville, 1996-97). The Thunder can end this streak as they play their second home game in the INTRUST Bank Arena on Friday night versus Mississippi. The Thunder's last home win was on November 20th versus Arizona.

6- The number of goals that Laredo's Darryl Smith has scored in his last three games tying him for the league-lead with 22 goals (Chad Woollard, Corpus Christi). Smith's six goals last week earned him the Oakley CHL Player of the Week Award. The Bucks play home to Texas on Friday.

4-0- The record of Mississippi goaltender Mark Sibbald who has won back-to-back shootouts versus the Rapid City Rush this week. Sibbald was signed by the RiverKings from the Southern Professional Hockey League where he was an amazing 13-1-2 this season. Mississippi's four-game win streak have them tied for third in the North with the Mudbugs.

SLAP SHOTS

-On January 22, Corpus Christi veteran forward Chris Richards helped his team to a 6-2 win in Texas with two goals and an assist. That helper was the 500th of his CHL career making him just the fifth CHL player to reach 500 assists joining Doug Lawrence, Travis Clayton, Jason Duda and Hardy Sauter. Richards is just 27 from passing Sauter for fourth on the league's all-time list.

-The defending champion Brahmas are having an uncharacteristic January compared to last season. So far this year, Texas is 5-4-0 in January while last year they posted a 12-1-1 mark. Over the 2007-08 and 2008-09 season, February is where they made big moves posting a combined 18-6-1 mark over those seasons. On the road is where they have had their struggled losing five straight away from the NYTEX Sports Centre.

-The Arizona Sundogs and Corpus Christi IceRays were dealt roster blows this week when all-stars Jon Landry (ARZ) and Kevin Nastiuk (CRP) both left their teams to play for the top level league in Germany.

-The Colorado Eagles have registered at least 40 shots on goal in eight of their past 11 games including each of their last five and are second in the league averaging 35.7 shots per game. Colorado is 17-5-3 when out-shooting their opponent.



Central Hockey League Stories from January 29, 2010


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.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central