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Steelhounds Weekly Report

October 22, 2007 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Youngstown SteelHounds News Release


2 Games, 2 Wins!

Last weekend saw the Youngstown SteelHounds begin their third season of professional hockey with a fast start as they defeated the Oklahoma City Blazers by a score of 4-2 and the Mississippi RiverKings by a score of 4-3. Friday night in Oklahoma City belonged to Chris Richards as he had a natural hat trick in the third period and an assist on Joel Irving's second period goal to lead the Hounds to victory. Andy Franck stood on his head in his SteelHounds debut making 37 saves. Saturday night saw veteran forward Joel Irving dominate the special teams with a power play goal and a shorthanded goal for the game winner as the Hounds now sit tied for first place in the Northeast Division.

What's on Tap: The Trip Continues

The Hounds are off for a couple of days before playing three games in four days. Saturday night the Hounds travel to Corpus Christi to take on the Rayz at 8:05, Sunday it is a 4:05 matinee when the Hounds take on the returning Texas Brahmas and then they will travel to Louisiana to take on the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs for an 8:05 start. All games are available on ESPN Radio 1240, SteelHounds.com and the CHL Network.

The Mother of All Road Trips

The Youngstown SteelHounds are currently 2-0-0 while embarking on the longest road trip in CHL history. The trip is 34 days, 14 games and at the end the Hounds will have logged over 7,000 miles. Last season the "Road Warriors" were 16-11-5 away from home. The Hounds will not enjoy home cooking until Thanksgiving weekend when they host the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs on Friday, November 23rd.

Newcomers are Fitting In Nicely

During the off-season Head Coach Kevin Kaminski made it a point to bring more depth to this hockey team. Of the eight players who registered a point over the weekend, five were first time Hounds. Leading the way for the new breed of SteelHounds is forward Joel Irving who has five points including three goals. The 10-year veteran from Lumsden, Saskatewan netted the first goal of the season on Friday night at just 12 seconds into the second period and then scored the game winner on Saturday night with a shorthanded goal against the Mississippi RiverKings. Other new Hounds hitting the scoreboard include forwards Erik Johnson, Eric Przepiorka and Petr Pohl and defenseman Nathan Schwartzbauer.

Richie is on Fire

Youngstown captain and player/assistant coach Chris Richards used the weekend to let the league know that he has no plans on slowing down anytime soon. The 32-year old had four points on Friday night including a natural hat trick in the third period and then chipped in with two assists during Saturday night's victory. Last season Richards was an MVP candidate and one of only two players in the Central Hockey League to record 100 points with his 106 coming from a team leading 39 goals and 67 assists.

"Franck-ly" a Truck May Not be able to Get By Him

One of the biggest acquisitions by Kevin Kaminski this off-season was obtaining the services of Andy Franck as his goaltender. Franck, the native of Lakewood, Ohio showed why he was an ECHL All Star with the Wheeling Nailers as he had 65 saves on 70 shots for the two games giving him a league best 2.59 goals against average and .929 save percentage for goaltenders who played in two games. Friday night in Oklahoma City he made 37 saves while making 28 against Mississippi on Saturday night.

You Have the Time, Get Your Season Tickets

With the Hounds being on the road that you means you have plenty of time to still get your season tickets. Hounds season tickets start for as little as $42 per month and great group rates are available. Call the Hounds today at (330) 747-PUCK and reserve your seat for the fast paced, hard hitting excitement that is Youngstown SteelHounds Hockey at the Chevrolet Centre.

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Central Hockey League Stories from October 22, 2007


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.

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