Sports stats



SteelHounds weekly

February 18, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Youngstown SteelHounds News Release


Split with Blazers to Finish the Home Stand

The Hounds ended up with a perfect split in three games with the Oklahoma City Blazers over the weekend. Friday night goaltender Kevin Beech stole the show making 39 saves on 41 shots as the Hounds defeated the Blazers 4-2. Saturday night belonged to Blazers goaltender Sean Connors as he made 42 saves on 44 shots to lead Oklahoma City to a 3-2 win. Of the five goals scored, only the final goal came at even strength. Sunday afternoon belonged to Ryan Watson as he scored both goals for Oklahoma City as the Blazers defeated the Hounds 2-1 in overtime. Youngstown finishes their eight game home stand 3-3-2 earning eight of a possible 16 points. The Hounds finish their five game regular season series with the Blazers with a record 3-1-1.

What's On Tap: Crunch Time Starts on the Road

The Hounds return to the road where they are 16-9-1 on the season. The three game trip begins Friday night when the Hounds take on the Colorado Eagles at 9:05. The Eagles (28-14-5, 61 points) are one point ahead of Youngstown for the coveted third seed in the Northern Conference playoff picture. The Hounds have never defeated the Eagles inside the Budweiser Events Center. The SteelHounds will then travel south for their only game this season against the Amarillo Gorillas. The Gorillas (18-24-6, 42 points) hold a two point lead on the Corpus Christi Rayz for the final Southern Conference playoff spot. Face-off is scheduled for 7:05EST. The Hounds will then finish the trip on Tuesday night when they take on the Texas Brahmas at 8:05. Texas (28-18-1, 57 points) has won seven straight games and holds a one point advantage on the Mississippi RiverKings for the fifth and final Northern Conference playoff spot. The Hounds are 5-3-0 against the Brahmas with Tuesday night's game being the final regular season meeting. There are only 15 games left in the regular season and with teams so close to each other fighting for playoff positions, every point counts. All SteelHounds games are available on ESPN Radio 1240 and SteelHounds.com.

Returns and Debuts

The Hounds had some players return or debut with the team this weekend. Friday night saw the Hounds debut of defenseman David Simoes. Simoes, 22, was acquired on the trade deadline from the New Mexico Scorpions. The rookie from Vanderhoof, British Columbia had 19 penalty minutes in three games. Forward Ryan Bennett returned to the team with a vengeance scoring two goals in three games over the weekend. Bennett, 26, was placed on team suspension after playing two games in January recording four shots and zero points. Saturday night saw the return of defenseman Milan Maslonka. Maslonka, 21, was called up to the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League recording two penalty minutes in one game for the top affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes. The "Slovakian Smokestack" has three goals, four assists and 215 penalty minutes in 41 games for Youngstown this season.

Welcome to the 50 Point Club Joel Irving

Sunday afternoon saw forward Joel Irving become the fourth Hound to reach 50 points this season. The 6-5, forward from Lumsden, Saskatchewan has 20 goals and 30 assists on the season. The 10-year veteran is just one point shy of his career high of 51 that he recorded in 1999-2000 with the Johnstown, Chiefs of the ECHL. His 30 assists are a career best. Joel Irving was drafted in the sixth round (# 148 overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in 1994. The other Hounds in the 50 point club include captain Chris Richards (16g-41a) with 57 points, Eric Przepiorka (21g-35a) with 56 points and Petr Pohl (20g-36a) who also has 56 points.

• Discuss this story on the Central Hockey League message board...

Central Hockey League Stories from February 18, 2008


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.

Other Recent Youngstown SteelHounds Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central