SteelHounds And Eagles In Game One Tonight At 9:05 EST

Published on March 28, 2008 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Youngstown SteelHounds News Release


LOVELAND, COLORADO - After 64 regular season games the quest for the Ray Miron President's Cup begins for the SteelHounds tonight at 9:05 when they take on the Colorado Eagles in game one of the Northern Conference Semifinals. Youngstown finished the regular season winning five of their last six contests and going 39-20-5 (83 points) overall. The Hounds finished second in the Northeast Division securing the third seed in the Northern Conference. Colorado finished the regular season 37-20-7 (81 points) on way to winning their fifth consecutive Northwest Division title to gain the second seed and home ice advantage in this series.

The two teams met five times in the regular season with Youngstown finishing 3-1-1. These teams met in the final three games of the regular season last week with the Hounds taking all three to clinch the third seed. The wild card in this best-of-seven series is that the Eagles hold home ice advantage. In their three years of existence the SteelHounds have never won at the Budweiser Events Center (site of tonight's game) going 0-8-1 lifetime.

Youngstown will rely on a balanced scoring attack with 12 players scoring at least 20 points this season. Captain Chris Richards led the way with 80 points coming from 24 goals and 56 assists. Joel Irving led the team with 26 goals this season. Forward Ryan Bennett who missed the majority of the season due to injury has been on fire scoring six goals and registering three assists in his last three games to earn him CHL Player of the Week honors. The backbone for the Hounds is goaltender Andy Franck. Franck, 26, was 8-0-1 in the final month of the regular season posting a 2.26 goals against average and a .929 save percentage earning CHL Goaltender of the Month for March. The third year pro from Lakewood, Ohio finished the regular season second in the CHL in wins with a 26-10-4 record.

The Eagles are the defending President's Cup Champions and are led by veteran forwards Riley Nelson, Ed McGrane and Greg Pankewicz. Nelson led the team in all scoring categories with 37 goals and 54 assists for 91 points. McGrane also had 54 assists to go with his 35 goals for 89 points. Captain Greg Pankewicz had another strong year with 24 goals and 52 assists. The forwards are not the only weapons for the Eagles however as defenseman Aaron Schneekloth finished second in scoring amongst defensemen with 60 points.

This is not just a rematch of last week but also a rematch of last year's playoffs as these teams tangled in the first round of last year's postseason with the Eagles winning the series in six games. That series is still recognized as the most physical series the Eagles had en route to their championship.

The rivalry continues tonight at 9:05 EST. All the action is available on ESPN Radio 1240 and SteelHounds.com. Hounds playoff tickets for games three, four and five (if necessary) are on sale by calling (330) 747-PUCK or visiting the Chevrolet Centre Box Office. For more information crash the net at SteelHounds.com.

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Central Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2008


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