CHL Central Hockey League

Shots from the Point for March 3, 2014

Published on March 3, 2014 under Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release


Three Things You Need to Know

1.) Oilers Keep on Rolling- After a 9-1 month of February, the Tulsa Oilers (29-23-3) looked like there might be a hangover to start March as they fell behind St. Charles 2-0 on Saturday night, but four straight goals later and the Oilers had their fifth straight win and improved to 10-1 in their last 11 games. Tulsa has moved from out of the playoffs in ninth place all the way up to sixth place, just two points behind Brampton. Ben Gordon continued his torrid pace with a goal in Friday's shutout win over Wichita and four assists in the come-from-behind effort on Saturday against the Chill. Tulsa has just 11 games remaining this season; five against Wichita, two against Rapid City, two against Missouri and one each against St. Charles and Denver. The Oilers are next in action this weekend with games Friday and Saturday against Rapid City (32-20-1).

2.) Allen Getting Ready for Defense- The Allen Americans (31-18-4), the defending CHL Ray Miron Presidents' Cup Champions, appear to be getting hot at the right time as the post-season is less than a month away. Allen has won five straight games and are coming off two impressive wins this past weekend against Arizona (25-24-6). The Americans offense has erupted for 26 goals over their five-game win streak while the defense has allowed just 13 goals. Jonathan Lessard had three goals (two game winners) and four assists in last week's three wins earning the second-year pro the Oakley Player of the Week award. The Americans swing through the state of Missouri this weekend for their final regular season meeting with the first place Mavericks (35-16-2) on Friday and then back-to-back showdowns on Saturday/Sunday with St. Charles (10-38-6).

3.) Beast Turning the Corner- After falling to .500 in their last game of 2013, the Brampton Beast (29-21-5) have turned the corner and are now alone in fifth place in the standings and are just two points behind Rapid City for fourth place and three points behind both Allen and Denver for second place. The Beast are coming off back-to-back wins in Quad City (26-17-8) and overall have won five straight games. In 2014, the expansion club has gone 15-7-3 with eight of their 15 wins coming by one goal showing they can take the close ones. Brampton is 16-6-5 on the season in one-goal games with only Arizona playing in more (Sundogs are 13-9-6 in one-goal contests). Forward Tylor Michel had his goal scoring streak snapped on Saturday after striking in five straight contests (tied for the third longest goal streak this season in the CHL).

By the Numbers

69: The number of saves on 70 shots that Denver goaltender John Griggs made in his two wins this past weekend. The youngster was summoned as an emergency back-up after Kent Patterson was re-called to Lake Erie (AHL). In his first start for the Cutthroats, Griggs made 35 saves shutting out the Rapid City Rush. He followed that up less than 24 hours later with a 34 save effort in his team's 7-1 win over the Rush. Griggs' two wins have pushed the Cutthroats past the Rush in the standings and into a tie for second place with Allen.

One-Timers

-Missouri forward Sebastien Thinel is just one point from becoming just the third player to record 900 CHL points. Thinel will join Hall of Famers Joe Burton (985) and Travis Clayton (982) in the 900-point club. The veteran currently had 305 goals and 594 assists. He will go for the milestone on Wednesday in Quad City.

-St. Charles forward Martin Hlinka has goals in four straight games and is second on the Chill with 13 goals on the season (Kyle O'Kane has 22 goals).

-Denver forward A.J. Gale has scored in every game since his return from the AHL and dating back prior to his call-up is riding an 11-game point streak. In his five games since his return, Gale has scored five goals (two GWG's) and has added five helpers. On the season, Gale has 27 points (10-17') in 18 games.

-Quad City forward Jim McKenzie is having a very productive run in the AHL with the Iowa Wild scoring three goals with five assists in 24 games. In 28 games with the Flock this season, McKenzie scored 11 goals with 13 assists.

-Rapid City forward Winston Day Chief has scored just one goal in his last 16 games after striking for 13 goals in his previous 13 games. It is not just a coincidence that the Rush are 5-10-1 over that 16 game stretch as on the season they are 11-5-0 when Day Chief scores a goal.

-The Arizona Sundogs (25-24-6) picked the perfect time to end their seven-game slide (0-4-3) defeating the Wichita Thunder (23-27-4) on Sunday by a 3-1 count. The win cushioned the Sundogs lead for the final playoff spot extending it to six points over the Thunder. Arizona has three games remaining (one in STC and two in QDC) on their final road trip of the season before ending the campaign with eight straight home games.

-The Wichita Thunder (23-27-4) have scored just four goals during their current three-game slide and on the season are averaging just 2.94 goals per game (eighth in the CHL).

-CHL-TV, powered by America ONE Sports, is back for a second season with monthly and season packages available as well as all games on a given night available for $8.00. Visit www.americaonesports.com for ordering information.

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Central Hockey League Stories from March 3, 2014


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