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December 21, 2007 - Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release


ALL-STAR COACH FOR SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TBD THIS WEEKEND

Two coaches head into this weekend with a chance to coach the Southern Conference All-Star team at the 2008 CHL All-Star Game in Broomfield, Colorado on Wednesday, January 16th. The coach whose team has the highest winning percentage after the games on December 23rd earns the honor of being the all-star coach. Rocky Mountain's Tracy Egeland has already earned the distinction with his club's 17-2-2 record and .857 winning percentage. His counterpart will be either Arizona's Marco Pietroniro or Laredo's Terry Ruskowski.

The Sundogs bench boss currently leads the charge with a .729 win percentage. Arizona hosts the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (8-11-4) tonight and on Sunday. After last night's 6-0 loss at Odessa, Ruskowski's team sits with a .704 win percentage. The Sundogs need to earn three of a possible four points this weekend versus the Bees to secure the appointment for Pietroniro who would be coaching his first all-star game. Arizona has a three point lead in the Southwest Division over Odessa.

Laredo hosts the Austin Ice Bats (6-18-1) in a pair of games this weekend. The loss last night by the Bucks to the Jackalopes is the worst of the season and the biggest deficit for the Bucks since an 8-0 loss to Memphis on January 29th, 2005. The Bucks still lead the Southeast Division by 18 points over the Killer Bees.

RAGE LOOK TO SOLVE THE RIDDLE THAT IS THE SCORPIONS

The Rocky Mountain Rage (17-2-2) are having a dream season earning points in 19 of 21 games they have played this season. The only two blemishes on the Rage's record are from the New Mexico Scorpions (12-9-3) who have defeated the Rage twice by a combined 14-2 margin. The first meeting resulted in a 10-0 Scorpions victory and the second (Dec. 2) was a 4-2 New Mexico win. In the last meeting, the game featured an ugly incident when Rage goaltender Terry Dunbar (currently serving a 15-game suspension) swung his stick making contact with Shawn Skiehar. The game featured 154 penalty minutes. Rocky Mountain is currently on a five-game winning streak and are 9-0-2 at home this season. The Scorpions are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games and 4-6-1 on the road this season.

GORILLAS AND RIVERKINGS LOOK TO KEEP STREAKING

The Amarillo Gorillas (7-13-3) and Mississippi RiverKings (16-6-1) both bring four-game win streaks into tonight's home games. The Gorillas host the Odessa Jackalopes (13-6-6) on Friday night looking to continue their winning ways. The offense has been the difference for the Gorillas who have scored 22 goals in their last four games. Several hot Gorillas during their win streak include David Nimmo (3-6=9), Bill Vandermeer (4-5=9), Chris Lipsett (3-3=6) and Grant Selinger (4-2=6). The RiverKings host the Texas Brahmas (13-7-1) on Saturday night with a chance to catch the Northeast Division leading Youngstown SteelHounds (17-6-1) who lead the division by two points. Mississippi will be without Chad Woollard (14-13=27) who was placed on the 14-day IR this week.

TULSA TWO-STEP

The Tulsa Oilers (6-13-2) play their final two home games of 2007 this weekend hosting a pair of tough competitors before heading out for a six-game road trip. On Friday, the Oilers host the Youngstown SteelHounds (17-6-1) and on Saturday they play host to the Oklahoma City Blazers (10-11-2). The Hounds defeated the Oilers 4-3 on November 13th in the only previous meeting. Former SteelHound Jeff Christian is one of two hot Tulsa forwards with nine points (3-6=9) in his last five games. Warren McCutcheon has scored goals in five straight games for the Oilers (tied for the longest goal streak in the CHL this season). Tulsa and OKC have played four times this season with the Blazers winning each of the last three contests. Marty Standish and Jason Weitzel have each scored five points for OKC versus the Oilers. The Blazers are 3-9-0 on the road this season.

ROOKIE GOALTENDER CLASS MAKING WAVES

With the 2008 CHL All-Star Game less than a month away, several CHL rookie goaltenders are making a bid to earn a spot on the team. In the net, Odessa's Alexandre Vincent is fourth in the CHL with a 2.15 GAA and an impressive 6-1-4 record. His .932 save percentage is the best in the CHL. The rookie goaltender came from the Quebec Junior League where he went 64-41-5 with seven shutouts in his career. The league's top goals against average belongs to Laredo's Kevin Beech (1.72) and he is second with his .928 save percentage. The former Tampa Bay Lightning sixth round selection is 7-1-1 this season. Arizona has leaned heavily on the NCAA Division III Player of the Year, Andrew Gallant, who has posted outstanding numbers with an 11-3-0 record with a 2.73 GAA. His last year at Manhattanville College was magical with a 19-2-5 record and four shutouts. Northern Michigan University's Bill Zaniboni is the other half of the rookie goaltending tandem in Arizona. He is 6-3-1 on the season helping the Sundogs into the top spot in the Southwest Division.



Central Hockey League Stories from December 21, 2007


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