CHL Central Hockey League

Shots from the Point

Published on January 17, 2011 under Central Hockey League (CHL) News Release


CHL Headlines for Monday, January 17

MLK Day Games

There are three games on the schedule for Martin Luther King Day with Arizona facing Allen, Missouri at Dayton and Wichita at Quad City. The Sundogs will look to salvage a disastrous three-game road trip that was them getting outscored 15-6 in losses to Tulsa and Wichita. It doesn ‚¬â„¢t get any easier for Arizona after Monday ‚¬â„¢s game as they head home for three straight games versus Odessa beginning Wednesday. Allen is the top team in the CHL with 53 points and have won four of their last five games. Quad City enters the game in first place in the Turner Conference leading Bloomington and Missouri by a point each and they host the high-powered Thunder who look to keep climbing the Turner Conference ladder. Finally, the Mavs head to Dayton for the first time as each team is in contention for the top spot in the conference. The Mavs are 5-2-1 in their last eight away from Independence and the Gems are 4-1-1 in their last s ix at home creating a great holiday showdown.

CHL Standings

Team of the Week - Tulsa Oilers

The Oilers went 2-0 on the week making light work of both the Arizona Sundogs and the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. Tulsa used the second period to catapult themselves to blowout wins combining to outscore the opposition 7-0 in the middle frame. The four-point weekend for Tulsa has them tied for fourth place in the Berry Conference. On Friday, the Oilers beat the Sundogs 9-3 with Jack Combs scoring four points including a hat trick and Chad Costello netting a pair of goals and three assists. On Saturday, the Oilers beat the Mudbugs for the first time since March 18, 2008 (16 straight games). Tulsa defenseman Tyler Fleck scored a pair of goals in the win over the ‚¬ËœBugs marking the first time since Nov. 21, 2009. Trevor Cann has made his way back from the AHL and has been outstanding in net for the Oilers going 3-1-0 since being re-assigned and he is 6-2-0 with a .921 save percentage on the season.

Back in Familiar Territory

The Allen Americans cruised through their expansion season a year ago finishing 42-17-5 but it was 12 points behind the conference winners, Odessa, who finished with 101 points in the regular season. This year, the Americans are the ones front-running to a double-digit lead in the conference with a 26-7-1 mark and even more impressive a 15-3-0 road record. Allen ‚¬â„¢s high-powered offense leads the league averaging close to four and a half goals per game and at no time this season have they lost back-to-back games. After scoring just twice in a 2-1 win over Mississippi on the day after Christmas, the Americans have been in a different gear posting a 6-2-0 record while scoring an astounding 48 goals (six per game average). Bruce Graham has seven goals and six assists over that stretch. Goaltender Chris Whitley returned from the injured list where he was for six weeks and shutout the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs in his first game (29 saves). Allen hosts Arizona on Monday and then heads to South Texas for a pair of games in Rio Grande Valley over the weekend.

Numbers Game

24- The league-leading number of goals that Tulsa ‚¬â„¢s Jack Combs has scored this season. Over his last six games, the St. Louis native has netted nine total goals scoring in five of those six games and earning multiple-goal efforts in three of them. His line mate, Chad Costello, has been equally as impressive netting seven goals with 10 assists in his last six games.

4-1- The record of Quad City goaltender David Brown over his last five decisions allowing 10 goals over that stretch. On the season, Brown is 10-10-0 with a league-leading three shutouts. Teammate Adam Russo is also 4-1-0 over his last five decisions although his were much further apart with a trip to the injured reserve mixed in.

6- The number of games that Texas ‚¬â„¢ Chad Woollard ‚¬â„¢s goal streak currently stands. The Brahmas sniper leads the team with 20 goals on the season. The longest goal streak in the CHL this season is seven games set by Dayton ‚¬â„¢s Brandon Naurato. Woollard also has points in 11 straight games tying him for the longest point streak in the league this season (Allen ‚¬â„¢s Nino Musitelli). The Brahmas next play Friday at home versus Bossier-Shreveport.

15- The number of games that Bloomington ‚¬â„¢s Garrett Klotz had gone without scoring a goal before Sunday ‚¬â„¢s hat trick in the PThunder ‚¬â„¢s 5-2 win over the Rush. Klotz scored on Dec. 10, his first game with Bloomington, and then did not strike again until his 17th game with the club on Sunday.

Slap Shots

-Since a 2-9-1 start to the season, the Odessa Jackalopes have been one of the top teams in the CHL going 16-5-3 since and finding themselves in third place in the Berry Conference. The Jacks are coming off a three-point weekend in two games at Colorado and have earned points in eight straight games (6-0-2). The Jacks play three straight games in Arizona this week before heading home.

-It has been a tough start to the second half of the season for the Rapid City Rush who after hosting the CHL All-Star Game this past week dropped three straight road games and find themselves tied for fourth place after heading into the break in first place. The defending CHL Champs dropped close ones in Quad City (4-3) and Missouri (3-1) but were beaten handily in Bloomington on Sunday (5-2). The Rush return home where they host Colorado and Evansville twice on a three-game home stand.

-Fort Wayne finished off a strong weekend going 2-0-1 and now find themselves tied with Evansville for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Turner Conference. The Komets ended a seven-game losing streak on Dec. 22 and have gone 7-1-4. The Komets host Missouri on Wednesday and then play Bloomington in a home-and-home next weekend.

-Arizona ‚¬â„¢s Joey Sides has two goals and four assists in his last four games and is closing in on his numbers from his rookie season a year ago. Last season, Sides scored 18 goals with 20 assists while this season he already has 14 scores with 19 assists in 25 fewer games.

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Central Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2011


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