Smith Records Second Hat Trick O\' War
December 30, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Burlington News Release
Lexington, KY- The Men O' War finished the weekend 1-1-1 after starting the Post-Christmas break with a 5-2 win in Greensboro on Friday. Saturday the MOW lost in Roanoke 5-2. Sunday Lexington closed out their weekend with a 4-3 shootout win over Wheeling at home. This week Lexington will play four games within their division. Tuesday the Men will close out the year with a 7:00 face-off in Wheeling. The Men return home on Friday to host Dayton before heading to Dayton on Saturday. Sunday the MOW will close out their week in Peoria.
Friday, December 27th âLexington 5 at Greensboro 2
The Men O' War blasted the ECHL's hottest team on Friday, besting the Greensboro Generals 5-2 in Greensboro. The win marked the first time Lexington has beaten Greensboro this season. The win also ended the Generals league high five-game winning streak and move Lexington over .500 for the first time this year. Mike Sgroi, Alex Mathieu, Marc-Andre Thinel, and Mark Smith all enjoyed two-point nights in the win. Bryce Wandler stopped 31 shots in his debut for Lexington in the win, getting his first win of the year.
Saturday, December 28thâ Lexington 2 at Roanoke 5
The Express got revenge for a 5-2 loss Lexington handed them back on November 30th. Joe Dusbabeck's goal with 8:31 passed in the third period proved to be the game winner. Dan Carlson, Jason Jaffray, and Rick Kowalsky combined for nine points in the three-goal Roanoke win. Lexington netminder Bryce Wandler played well stopping 40 shots on the night. His teammates didn 't offer much help with only 17 shots on goal. Ryan Fultz and Ben Storey scored both Lexington goals.
Sunday, December 29th â Wheeling 3 at Lexington 4 SO
Mark Smith scored the second hat trick in Men O' War history on Sunday night. Smith tallied once in the first and twice in the second to raise his goal total to 15 for the season. Smith added another marker in the shootout. The game also marked the return of Marc-Andre Thinel to Rupp Arena. Thinel and Van Burgess each recorded an assist playing on a line with Mark Smith. Thinel rejoined the MOW on Thursday after spending time in the AHL with the Utah Grizzlies. Ben Storey earned second star honors by contributing two assists. Storey also scored the shootout-winning goal. Wheeling goalie Mike Valley had not allowed a shootout goal on the season but was beaten twice by the MOW.
UPCOMING GAMES......
The Men start the week off in Wheeling on Tuesday, Lexington leads the season series 2-1...The MOW follow up with an intra-division match-up with the Dayton Bombers. The MOW are 4-1 against the Bombers this year. The last time the teams met on December 8th at Rupp Arena, the MOW prevailed 4-3 in a shootout. On Saturday, the Men O' War travel to Dayton to wrap up a home-at-home series...The weekend concludes with a trip to Peoria on Sunday. The MOW are 1-1-1 this season vs. Peoria. The teams split a two-game series in Lexington on December 5th & 7th. On December 7th, the MOW tied a season-high by scoring five goals against the Rivermen.
MOW TRACKS...
The Men O' War are tied for the ECHL lead giving up only one shorthanded goal this season...Lexington is 6-0-1 in their last seven home games...The Men O ' War have averaged 37.6 shots per game over the last five contests...Lexington's power play has gone 14-45 (31.1%) in their last 10 games. The Men have moved from last in the league on the extra-man advantage to 14th in the league... Mark Smith has nine assists and four goals in his last nine games.
• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...
ECHL Stories from December 30, 2002
- Chiefs Weekly - Johnstown Chiefs
- Bombers Top Peoria to Cap Post-Holiday 3-in-3 - Dayton Bombers
- Kingfish Shore Up Roster - Baton Rouge Kingfish
- Generals Announce 'Tux and Pucks' Night - Greensboro Generals
- Blades Riding Franchise Record Unbeaten Streak - Florida Everblades
- âGators win two more, tied for ECHL points lead - Louisiana IceGators
- Aces Salvage Idaho Series, Enjoy Week off - Alaska Aces
- Lawson Named Goaltender of the Month - Fort Wayne Komets
- Royals Reach Halfway Point - Reading Royals
- San Diego Extends Winning Streak to Double Figures - San Diego Gulls
- RiverBlades Holding Strong - Arkansas RiverBlades
- RiverBlades Announce 'Bubba' Night - Arkansas RiverBlades
- Falcons Claw Way Back above .500 - Fresno Falcons
- Ice Pilots Win Three In A Row & Play Home On Sunday - Pensacola Ice Pilots
- Royal Review - Reading Royals
- Condors Enter 2003 in Second Place Tie with San Diego - Bakersfield Condors
- Generals Intelligence Report - Greensboro Generals
- Lynx Update - Augusta Lynx
- âGades Snap Winless Streak - Richmond Renegades
- Stingrays Go 1-1-1, Lose Grip on First Place - South Carolina Stingrays
- Davyduke Loaned to Hershey - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Grrrowl drop two games to Florida - Greenville Grrrowl
- Nailers Week in Review - Wheeling Nailers
- Storm Tracks - Toledo Walleye
- Titans Finish 2002 On The Road, Welcome 2003 At Home - Trenton Devils
- Mississippi Tied for First in League Points Race - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Smith Records Second Hat Trick O' War - Burlington
- Komets Grab Eastern Brass Ring - Fort Wayne Komets
- Kingfish Weekly - Baton Rouge Kingfish
- Inferno Weekly - Columbia Inferno
- Pride Weekly - Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz
- Aces End Idaho Domination - Alaska Aces
- Generals fall to Checkers 4-2 - Greensboro Generals
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.
