CHL Central Hockey League

Shots from the Point for March 14, 2011

March 14, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release


CHL Headlines for Monday, March 14

Team of the Week - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs

The ‚¬â„¢Bugs had a busy week playing four times winning all four games and climbing back into second place in the Berry Conference, two points ahead of the Texas Brahmas. Bossier-Shreveport won a pair of home games versus Dayton and then took both games in a home-and-home with the Brahmas. Overall, the Mudbugs have won five straight games allowing just seven goals over that stretch as both Ryan Munce and John DeCaro appear to be catching stride heading towards the post-season. Munce is 4-1-0 in his last five decisions with a pair of shutouts and DeCaro is 5-2-0 with a shutout in his last seven decisions. David Rutherford paced the offense with two goals and five assists, good for Oakley CHL Player of the Week honors. He leads the team with 66 points (35-31=66) on the season. Bossier-Shreveport will play four of their final five games on the road including all three games this week (Wednesday and Friday at Fort Wayne and Satu rday at Bloomington).

Tight Turner Going Down to the Wire

The Turner Conference is about as close as it can be with the Rapid City Rush sitting with 76 points, two more than both the Colorado Eagles and Bloomington PrairieThunder. The PThunder may be the hottest of the three teams and may be in the best position with three games in hand on the Rush and two games in hand on the Eagles. Bloomington is 15-5-5 in their last 25 games. Maybe most impressive for the PThunder is what they are doing on the road earning points in nine of their last 10 away games (6-1-3). After a four-game win streak, the Eagles are limping a bit to the finish line going 2-3-1 in their last six games with the two wins coming against teams near the bottom of their conferences (RGV and FTW). The Rush have picked up the defense winning three straight games while allowing just one goal in each of those victories. Colorado plays four times this week including a huge showdown on Tuesday night in Rapid City and then t heir home finale on Wednesday versus Laredo and then two straight games in Arizona to finish out the week. The Rush play their final three home games of the regular season this week hosting the Eagles and then the Laredo Bucks twice. The PThunder host Missouri and Bossier-Shreveport this week before finishing the week in Fort Wayne on Sunday.

Battle for the Final Spot

While everything is determined in the Turner Conference as far as the eight participating teams, the Berry Conference is far from decided. The Laredo Bucks are currently the ninth team and on the outside but back-to-back wins over the Mavericks and Sundogs have them back in the discussion sitting just two points behind the RGV Killer Bees for the final spot. Laredo travels north this week for three tough games facing Colorado on Wednesday and Rapid City on Friday/Saturday. The Killer Bees have a home-and-home with Odessa on Thursday/Friday and then play in Allen on Saturday.

By the Numbers

2- The magic number for the Allen Americans in order to win the Bud Poile Governors ‚¬â„¢ Cup (the CHL ‚¬â„¢s regular season point champions). The Americans need to earn two points or have the Bloomington PrairieThunder fail to earn two potential points to clinch the regular season championship. Allen is next on the ice Friday versus Tulsa but it could be determined before then when the PThunder host Missouri on Wednesday.

300- The number of consecutive sellouts the Colorado Eagles will celebrate on Wednesday when they host the Laredo Bucks. The Eagles hold the minor pro record and will finish the 2010-11 season with the streak intact.

12-1-2- The Wichita Thunder ‚¬â„¢s record at the INTRUST Bank Arena versus the Turner Conference this season. The lone regulation loss came on Dec. 27 against Missouri when Robby Nolan made 31 saves in a 2-0 shutout win over the Thunder.

6-2-2- The record of Wichita rookie goaltender Marc-Antoine Gelinas over his last 10 games, allowing 27 goals over that stretch. Gelinas has won three straight decisions allowing just five goals during that span. On the season, the first-year netminder is 24-10-5 with four shutouts.

11- The number of overtime/shootout losses the Evansville IceMen have this season leading the league in that category. The IceMen have six games remaining in the regular season and are three OT/SO losses shy of tying the CHL record of most in a single season with 14 (set twice, most recently by the 2006-07 Austin Ice Bats). Evansville has eight decisions in overtimes this year going 1-7 in those games.

One-Timers

-Allen enters the week with a league-best 22-8-1 road record and with two road contests remaining could tie the CHL record for road victories in a season with wins at both Mississippi on Mar. 25 and Tulsa on Mar. 27. The record of 24 road wins in a season was reached twice with the most recent being the in 1999-2000 with Central Texas (WPHL) and the first time during the 1996-97 season with Oklahoma City. The Americans and the RGV Killer Bees are the only two CHL teams with more wins on the road than they have at home (Allen 22 to 21 and RGV 13 to 11).

-Fort Wayne is coming off a two-game journey to Colorado and Rapid City falling in both games while getting outscored 9-2 combined versus the top two teams in the Turner Conference. The Komets are 2-5-1 in their last eight games and sitting in the eighth spot in the Turner with a potential Opening Round series versus Colorado or Rapid City looming. The Komets have a tough finish to the regular season with lone games versus Evansville and Dayton to go along with a pair of games versus each the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, Bloomington PrairieThunder and Colorado Eagles.

-Two of the top defenses in the CHL meet on Wednesday when Bloomington hosts Missouri in a Turner Conference battle. The PThunder are third in the CHL allowing 2.84 goals per game and the Mavericks are first allowing 2.61 goals per game. Missouri goaltender Robby Nolan, a finalist for both the league MVP and the Most Outstanding Goaltender award) has lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time since Jan. 22 and Jan. 29. He still leads the league with a 2.10 GAA and six shutouts.



Central Hockey League Stories from March 14, 2011


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