SteelHounds weekly

December 31, 2007 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Youngstown SteelHounds News Release


Sweep the Kings to Move Back into First

The Youngstown SteelHounds were able to sweep the Mississippi RiverKings over the weekend to move back into first place in the Northeast Division. Friday night at the Chevrolet Centre the Hounds jumped out to a 4-1 first period lead thanks to Joel Irving scoring just 15 seconds into the game. Eric Przepiorka then notched a shorthanded goal as well as a power play goal to go up 3-1. Kirill Starkov scored his first professional goal to make it 4-1 after one. Joel Irving and Petr Pohl finished the scoring as the Hounds defeated the Kings 6-3. Saturday night belonged to Kirill Starkov and Brad Roberts. Starkov scored two goals including his second straight game winning goal and Brad Roberts made 23 saves on 25 shots to put the Hounds back into sole possession of first place in the Northeast Division with a 3-2 win. The Hounds are now 19-8-1 (39 points).

What's On Tap: Christian and the Oilers Come Calling

The Hounds stay home for the new year and welcome back an old friend as former Hound captain Jeff Christian and the Tulsa Oilers come in for two games this Friday and Saturday night. Both games are 7:05pm starts. Christian was traded for four players including forward Bryan Lachapelle and defenseman Kurtis Dulle on June 21st. Christian was the CHL MVP last season and along with current Hound captain Chris Richards were the only two players to eclipse the 100 point plateau. The 37 year old currently leads the Oilers with 28 points coming from six goals and 22 assists. The Hounds are 1-1-0 against Tulsa this season with both of those games happening in Oklahoma. This weekend will be the final two meetings of the regular season between the two squads. Tulsa is currently 7-16-3 (17 points) and in fourth place in the Northwest Division. Tickets are on sale now for as little as $8 with great group rates available. Call (330) 747-PUCK for more information.

Congratulations to are Three All Stars

The Youngstown SteelHounds are pleased to announce that three players have been selected to the 2008 CHL All Star Game to take place on Wednesday, January 16th from the Broomfield Entertainment Center in Broomfield, Colorado. Goaltender Andy Franck was named the starting net-minder for the Northern Conference. In 14 games with Youngstown the Lakewood, Ohio native compiled an 11-2-1 record with a 2.40 goals against average and a .911 save percentage with 10 of his wins coming on the road. Franck has been with the American Hockey League's Providence Bruins since November and currently has a 7-1-0 record with a 2.70 goals against average and a .885 save percentage. Hound captain Chris Richards is making his fifth CHL All Star appearance. The Austintown, Ohio resident has 11 goals and a team-leading 22 assists on the season. This is the captain's second consecutive All Star appearance. Forward Petr Pohl will be making his first career All Star appearance. The second year man from the Czech Republic has a team leading 34 points coming from 13 goals and 21 assists.

Roberts and Starkov Breaking Out for Different Reasons

Two players that had breakout weekends for the Hounds were forward Kirill Starkov and goaltender Brad Roberts. Starkov, 20, was the sixth round draft pick (#189) for Columbus in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. The rookie from Yekaterinburg, Russia had yet to score a goal coming into the weekend. Friday night he put that to rest with his first of the season at 18:03 of the first period. That goal was the eventual game winner. Saturday night he tied the game at one with a late first period goal and then added his second straight game winner with a goal late in the second period. He has three goals and four assists in 11 games this season. Brad Roberts was stoic in net for the Hounds as he led them to the sweep in recapturing first place in the Northeast Division. Friday night the second year player out of Army made 24 saves on 27 shots. Saturday night he made 23 saves on 25 shots including a perfect 10 saves in the third period to lead the Hounds to the 3-2 win. Roberts is now 5-4-0 on the year. Last season he finished tied for third in the CHL in wins with 23.

Another Milestone for "Richie"

Chris Richards is approaching another milestone in his excellent career. The now five-time CHL All Star is looking to join a very exclusive club as he is only two assists away from 400 for his CHL career. With those two assists he will become only the ninth man in league history to reach that mark. With eight more goals he will become the 14th man to score 200 in the CHL. The captain has played 475 of his 522 professional games in the Central Hockey League and for his career he has 230 goals and 437 assists.



Central Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2007


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