Storm brewing in Texas
March 13, 2007 - North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release
Always a force come March, the three-time defending NAHL champion Texas Tornado jumped into second place in the South Division last weekend after a three-game sweep of Wichita Falls.
"The Wildcats have a good team and they're a good rival, so it was nice to beat them," said Tornado coach-GM Tony Curtale, whose team improved to 34-16-6. "We play in a very tough division, so any time you can sweep it provides some good momentum."
The Tornado opened its weekend on Friday with a 5-2 win. Julian Mikola scored two goals, including the game-winner, while Jake Newton and Ben Miller each netted a goal and an assist. Between the pipes, Stephen Ritter (pictured left) turned aside 26 shots.
Texas doubled up Wichita Falls, 6-3, on Friday, as Stephane Da Costa struck for a pair of goals, including the game-winner. Nielsson Arcibal added a goal and two assists, while goaltender Thomas Tragust made 25 saves.
Ritter came back with a perfect 32-save performance on Sunday as the Tornado skated to a 3-0 win over the Wildcats. Da Costa rang up a goal and an assist, with Colin Long and Brad McCabe adding the other Texas markers.
"I thought we were better defensively last weekend, which led to more offense for us," said Curtale. "We're finally starting to get healthy, which will add some more depth to our lineup."
With the wins, Texas now trails first-place St. Louis by only nine points with six games to play, but a South Division title isn't where Texas' sights are set.
"There has never been a focus on first place," said Curtale. "We want to improve daily, weekly, monthly. The only thing we're worried about is getting ourselves ready for the playoffs. We know what it takes to win in the postseason and right now that's the primary focus."
One player who is establishing himself as a force upfront is Da Costa. The 17-year-old from Paris, France, tallied five points (three goals) last weekend and now has 35 on the season after 44 games.
"I think Stephane is the best young prospect in the league," said Curtale. "He's blessed with a tremendous amount of natural skill and he's had six months of good training and is getting into really good shape.
"But our success has to be team effort," Curtale continued. "All of our younger players, including Stephane, are getting a lot of playing experience and it's helping them on a game-by-game basis to become better players and teaching them to play together as a team."
It's tough to ignore Ritter's exploits. The New Jersey native who played six games at Providence College last season before starting this year in Marquette, along with Thomas Tragust, has given the Tornado one of the NAHL's top goaltending tandems.
"We were well aware of Ritter's situation last year at Providence because of all of our alumni there and we knew what type of skill he has," said Curtale. "I think he's the best goalie in the league and he's proven that since he has been with us.
"Thomas logged a lot of playing time through January and adding Stephen took some pressure off of him and allowed Ritter to help out right away. Both are capable of being the No. 1 guy and both will be ready to start come playoff time."
Curtale has also been impressed with the drive of college hopefuls Nielsson Arcibal and Sean Roadhouse, both of whom have been banged up during the season but continue to deliver.
"They're both legitimate Division I prospects and both can play in any situation," said the coach. "They've really stepped it up because both have had injuries the past couple months and they've played through it with success."
On the blue line, Lyon Messier is evolving into an outstanding two-way defenseman, according to Curtale, with first-year Jake Newton impressing to the tune of 11 goals.
"The whole (defensive) group has been very solid the past month, but they're always working to become better and understand game situations better," said Curtale.
In addition to picking up Ritter, the Tornado landed a gem in McCabe, who was acquired from Alaska at the trade deadline last month. The University of Alaska-Anchorage recruit is also on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's radar.
"Brad is a big-time player with a lot of skill and hockey sense and he's been a very nice addition to our team," said Curtale. "Like Da Costa, he's still very young and has unlimited potential.
"The most important part about adding Ritter and McCabe was the fact that they're game-changing performers. Any time you can add two players like that to your team for the stretch run is a good thing. Bottom line is that they're impact players."
The Tornado finishes with four of its last six games against St. Louis. With a 3-4-2 record against the Bandits this season, Texas is looking forward to meeting St. Louis with a healthy squad.
"They are a good team, but we feel we can compete and win," said Curtale. "We've had success in the past against them, but every season is different.
"We're primarily focused on becoming the best team we can be for the playoffs. Playing St. Louis down the stretch will enable us to prepare for that."
STANDINGS/LEADERS
North Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
yMahoning Valley 55 42-12-1 85 .773 254 149
xAlpena 56 32-20-4 68 .607 202 183
xUSNTDP 54 25-25-4 54 .500 187 181
Marquette 54 21-29-4 46 .426 163 200
Traverse City 56 17-34-5 39 .348 163 248
South Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
xSt. Louis 55 40-12-3 83 .755 204 128
xTexas 56 34-16-6 74 .661 188 153
xSanta Fe 54 34-16-4 72 .667 178 131
xFairbanks 57 33-21-3 69 .605 213 186
Wichita Falls 57 22-30-5 49 .430 160 199
Alaska 54 14-34-6 34 .315 127 204
Central Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
xFargo-Moorhead 56 35-17-4 74 .661 202 176
xSo. Minnesota 58 32-22-4 68 .586 187 165
Bismarck 58 24-28-6 54 .466 181 207
Springfield 56 24-28-4 52 .464 163 177
North Iowa 55 23-27-5 51 .464 152 182
Alexandria 55 23-29-3 49 .445 145 177
x - clinched playoff berth
y - clinched division title
LEADING SCORERS
PLAYER TEAM P GP G A PTS
Maroon, Pat STL F 51 32 52 84
Rudasill, Todd ALP F 53 28 49 77
Shean, Joe FBX F 57 20 57 77
Schmidt, Kyle FBX F 57 45 31 76
Echternach, Jesse FMH F 55 34 42 76
Connolly, Chris FMH F 56 19 53 72
Cloutier, Dustin MVY F 45 37 33 70
Pierson, Drew ALP F 56 29 36 65
Kutalek, Tibor SFE F 52 37 24 61
Craner, Nolan ALP F 53 23 36 59
LEADING GOALTENDERS
PLAYER TEAM GPI MINS W-L-OTL GAA SPCT
Nagle, Pat STL 32 1911:13 23-6-3 2.10 .925
Hopper, Nick SFE 43 2499:15 26-12-3 2.18 .911
Zapolski, Ryan MVY 46 2697:02 37-8-1 2.36 .927
Clark, Jay NIO 24 1331:40 10-11-2 2.48 .919
Tragust, Thomas TXS 43 2441:22 25-11-5 2.51 .905
GOALS
PLAYER TEAM P GP G
Schmidt, Kyle FBX F 57 45
Cloutier, Dustin MVY F 45 37
Kutalek, Tibor SFE F 52 37
ASSISTS
PLAYER TEAM POS GP A
Shean, Joe FBX F 57 57
Connolly, Chris FMH F 56 53
Maroon, Pat STL F 51 52
Pierson, Ritter, Carlson named Sherwood Players of the Week
NORTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alpena forward Drew Pierson rang up four goals and three assists last weekend as the IceDiggers split a pair of games with Mahoning Valley. On Friday, the 20-year-old Army recruit recorded a hat trick in a 4-3 loss. The next night, the Pleasant Prairie, Wis., native scored the game-winning goal and three assists as Alpena doubled up the North Division-champion Phantoms, 6-3.
SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Texas goaltender Stephen Ritter stopped 58 of 60 shots faced in his two starts last weekend, helping the Tornado to two of its three wins over Wichita Falls. On Friday, the 20-year-old made 26 saves in Texas' 5-2 win over the Wildcats. On Sunday, the Tenafly, N.J., native who started the season in Marquette turned aside all 32 shots as Texas skated to a 3-0 shutout.
CENTRAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alexandria goaltender Dustin Carlson backstopped the Blizzard to three wins in Alaska last week, turning aside 74 of 75 shots. On Thursday, the 20-year-old made 27 saves in a 6-1 victory. The next night, the Forest Lake, Minn., native stopped all 21 shots as Alexandria blanked the Avalanche, 1-0. Carlson recorded his second shutout in as many nights on Saturday, making 26 saves in the Blizzard's 2-0 triumph.
HONORABLE MENTION: Fargo-Moorhead forward Matt Moreland; Mahoning Valley forward Mike Fillinger; North Iowa forward Mario Mjelleli and goaltender Jay Clark; Southern Minnesota forward Jamie Ruff; Springfield forward Ryan Kretzer; Texas forward Stephane Da Costa
LAST WEEK'S SCORES/HIGHLIGHTS...
Thursday, March 8
Bismarck 4 @ Fargo-Moorhead 2 (BIS: Skelly, 2G, A)
Alexandria 6 @ Alaska 1 (ALX: Jensen, 3G)
Friday, March 9
Fairbanks 2 @ Fargo-Moorhead 0 (FBX: Reiter, 48 saves)
Alexandria 1 @ Alaska 0 (ALX: Carlson, 21 saves)
So. Minnesota 2 @ Springfield 4 (SPR: Patterson-Gaffney, G, A)
Santa Fe 2 @ St. Louis 5 (STL: Sisson, G, A)
Wichita Falls 2 @ Texas 5 (TEX: Mikola, G, GWG)
North Iowa 3 @ Bismarck 1 (NI: McLeod, G, GWG)
Mahoning Valley 4 @ Alpena 3 (MV: Fillinger-Satterley, G, A)
Traverse City 1 @ USNTDP 2 (USA: Wilson, 2A)
Saturday, March 10
Alexandria 2 @ Alaska 0 (ALX: Carlson, 26 saves)
Santa Fe 1 @ St. Louis 4 (STL: Maroon, GWG, A)
North Iowa 6 @ Bismarck 3 (NI: Mobley, G, 2A)
Fairbanks 1 @ Fargo-Moorhead 4 (FM: Brodeen-Moreland, G, A)
Texas 6 @ Wichita Falls 3 (TEX: Da Costa, G, GWG)
Mahoning Valley 3 @ Alpena 6 (ALP: Pierson, GWG, 3A)
Southern Minnesota 8 @ Springfield 9 (OT) (SPR: Kretzer, 4G, A)
Traverse City 2 @ USNTDP 5 (USA: Schroeder, 3G)
Sunday, March 11
Wichita Falls 0 @ Texas 3 (TEX: Ritter, 32 saves)
AROUND THE NAHL...
CARLSON COMMITS TO DENVER: Dusty Jackson, 20, has committed to the University of Denver (WCHA) for next season. Jackson, an Omaha, Neb., native who played for the NAHL's defunct Billings Bulls from 2004-06, leads the Express in scoring with 14 goals for 54 points after 57 games.
NAHL EXTENDS OT PARTNERSHIP: The NAHL has extended its agreement with OT Sports, the Official Jersey Supplier of the NAHL. As part of the new three-year agreement, all NAHL teams' home, road, replica, warm-up, practice and special-event jerseys will be outfitted by OT Sports.
ADAMS HEADED TO WAYNE STATE: Second-year Fargo-Moorhead defenseman Ryan Adams, 20, has committed to Wayne State University (CHA) for next season. The Deloraine, Manitoba, native ranks second in league scoring among defensemen with 41 points (10 goals) after 54 games.
WYLER NAMED INTERIM COACH IN SPRINGFIELD: Springfield has named assistant coach Chris Wyler as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. He replaces Nick Pollos, who was serving as the Jr. Blues' head coach and general manager.
USA SECURES PLAYOFF BERTH: With two wins over Traverse City last weekend, the U.S. Under-17 Team secured the third postseason berth in the North Division. The North Stars (six games remaining) are seven points behind fourth-place Marquette (eight games) for the division's final playoff position.
STARS ADDED TO PRO/PROSPECTS GAME: Former NHL great Brett Hull will participate in the Pros vs. Prospects III Tornado Charity Classic on Saturday, March 17 at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco, Texas. Jeff Carlson, Steve Carlson and Dave Hanson, "Slap Shot's" Hanson Brothers, will also participate in the game.
THE WEEK AHEAD...
Texas @ St. Louis, 7:30 pm
Fairbanks @ North Iowa, 7:05 pm
Wichita Falls @ Santa Fe, 7:05 pm
Alpena @ Marquette, 7:00 pm
Friday, March 16
Alaska @ Alexandria, 7:30 pm
Texas @ St. Louis, 7:30 pm
Fairbanks @ North Iowa, 7:05 pm
Wichita Falls @ Santa Fe, 7:05 pm
Bismarck @ Southern Minnesota, 7:05 pm
USNTDP @ Mahoning Valley, 7:00 pm
Fargo-Moorhead @ Marquette, 7:00 pm
Alpena @ Traverse City, 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 17
Fairbanks @ North Iowa, 7:05 pm
Wichita Falls @ Santa Fe, 7:05 pm
Bismarck @ Southern Minnesota, 7:05 pm
Alaska @ Alexandria, 7:00 pm
Traverse City @ Alpena, 7:00 pm
USNTDP @ Mahoning Valley, 7:00 pm
Fargo-Moorhead @ Marquette, 7:00 pm
St. Louis @ Springfield, 7:00 pm
Sunday, March 18
Alaska @ Alexandria, 5:00 pm
(all times local)
North American Hockey League Stories from March 13, 2007
- IceDiggers team up with Verizon - Alpena IceDiggers
- Storm brewing in Texas - NAHL
- Pierson named Player of the Week - Alpena IceDiggers
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.
