CHL Mississippi RiverKings

Sibbald's Goaltending Leads RiverKings Sweep of Mavericks

Published on January 23, 2010 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, MS --- The DeSoto Civic Center was nearly packed with hockey fans Saturday in Southaven, as 6,308 fans filled the Southaven building to watch the Mississippi RiverKings defeat the Missouri Mavericks 5-1 in a Central Hockey League.

Mississippi was led by the 35-save performance of goaltender Mark Sibbald, who won his second straight start since joining the team in time to play Friday night and helping the RiverKings handle the Mavericks 4-2.

The RiverKings completed the weekend sweep by starting the game with a 3-0 advantage in the first period. Forward Matt Summers opened the scoring with the first goal, his eighth of the season at 1:53.

The RiverKings made it 2-0 just about four minutes later on a goal from defenseman Derek Landmesser, whose shot from the point found the upper left corner for his eighth goal of the year at 5:34. The third Mississippi goal came from new forward Glenn Detulleo, whose close-in shot beat goaltender Alexandre Vincent at 10:39, just over five minutes after the goal from Landmesser. The marker was Detulleo's first as a RiverKing and fifth overall this year. Missouri finally found the net with three and a half-minutes left in the first period on a goal from Andrew Davis, who netted his fifth goal of the season at 16:28 for a 3-1 lead after twenty minutes of play. There was no scoring in the second period, but Missouri continued to have the advantage in offensive opportunities, out shooting the RiverKings 12-10 in the middle session, but Sibbald stopped every attack made against him. Mississippi put the game away in the third period, when David Simoes scored his second goal of the year on an unassisted effort at 10:06, followed by a power play goal from Dane Marshall with just over six minutes left in the game to complete the 5-1 victory. Frustrations took over in the final minute of the physical contest, as a total of eight players, four on each side, where ejected on fighting majors. Adam Smyth and Landmesser also were asked to leave earlier in the final period on game misconduct penalties. Mark Sibbald (2-0-0) was the winning goalie for the RiverKings, stopping 35 shots on goal for the night, while allowing just the one goal. Vincent (8-9-1) was tagged with the loss in goal for the Mavericks, stopping seven shots while allowing three goals in the first period, including the eventual game-winner. Gerry Festa replaced Vincent in the crease at the start of the second period and allowed two goals, while stopping 17 shots. The RiverKings scored twice on the power play in seven chances, while Missouri scored their only goal on the power play, but were stopped eleven other times for a 1-for-12 night with the man advantage. With the win, Mississippi moved with two points of third place in the Central Hockey League's Northern Conference with a record of 19-15-4 for 42 points. Missouri fell to 17-19-3 with the loss for 37 points, but still in the playoff chase with Tulsa. Following the contest, an auction of the special jerseys worn was held and a total $6,900 was received. Half of the proceeds will go to Ducks Unlimited and the other half of the proceeds goes to the Jr. StreetKings youth roller hockey program in Hernando. Next action for the RiverKings will come Tuesday morning, January 26, when Mississippi hosts its annual "Face Off Field Trip" game against the Rapid City Rush. Game time is 10:05 AM for the game where the RiverKings host 8,000 school children on an annual field trip to a home hockey game. Mississippi will again host the Rush on Thursday night, January 28, at 7:05 PM, before leaving for a Friday night contest at Wichita on January 29 and a Saturday night encounter with the Oilers on January 30 at Tulsa, beginning at 7:35 PM

RiverKings hockey remains the best pro sports entertainment value in the Mid-South. For more information on tickets, call 662-342-1755 or go online to www.riverkings.com!

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Central Hockey League Stories from January 23, 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.

OurSports Central