This week in the WHA2

February 6, 2004 - SPHL (SPHL) News Release

CELEBRATION, Fla. – The World Hockey Association 2 (WHA2) today announced the WHA2 Player of the Week is Macon Trax forward David Deeves. In games last week, Deeves had five goals and two assists. Deeves also set a WHA2 record with four goals and six points in a single game. The WHA2 Goaltender of the Week is Macon Trax Andy Kollar. In games last week Kollar had two wins, and one shoot out loss and made 84 saves on 92 shots. Kollar has a 3.34 goals against average and a .896 save percentage.

The next WHA2 appearance at the ESPN Club for "SportsTalk Live!" will be Tuesday, February 17 at 7pm. Miami Manatees Head Coach Zac Boyer will be the featured guest. The ESPN Club is located on Disney's BoardWalk.

The WHA2 played its 100th game Tuesday night when the Macon Trax defeated the Lakeland Loggerheads 5-4 in Macon. The 100th game took place on 02/03/04. These were the exact same teams to play the Inaugural game when the WHA2 opened its season on November 6. On opening night in Lakeland, the Trax defeated the Loggerheads 5-2.

All Miami Manatees Sunday home games will begin at 5:00pm. The time change will affect the Miami home game this weekend: Sunday, February 8.

The Alabama Slammers wrapped up last week snapping a two-game losing streak beating the Macon Trax on Saturday 2 - 1 at the Macon Centreplex. Alabama started the scoring early when Chad Peck netted his seventh goal of the season. Macon peppered Alabama goalie Fred Beaubien with 12 shots in the first 20 minutes, but could not score. Ryan Prentice's goal for the Slammers at 12:03 of the final period gave Alabama the 2-1 victory. This weekend, the Slammers return home for the first time in three weeks to take on the Macon Trax in a pair of games at the Pelham Civic Complex. Friday, February 6th is "JOX Night!" See the Slammers battle the Macon Trax at 7:05pm. The first 1,000 fans will receive a FREE puck courtesy of Cingular Wireless. On Saturday, February 7th, join the Slammers for 107.7 The X "Family Night" as the Slammers once gain battle the Macon Trax at 7:05pm. Purchase a Slammers Family Pack for only $39 and receive 4 Slammers Game Tickets, 4 Hotdogs, and 4 Cokes. Slammer Tickets start as low as $12 and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling 205-715-6000 or online at ticketmaster.com. Groups of ten or more can order their tickets through the Slammers office by calling 205-328-PUCK (7825).

The first place Jacksonville Barracudas have been on a roll enjoying a league-high 13-game home winning streak and an overall five-game winning streak. The ‘Cudas knocked off Macon 3-2, Orlando twice 4-1 and 5-2, Alabama 7-2, and Miami 5-4. During this five game stretch, Jamie Miller, Jay McCabe, Derek Toninato, Chris Hackett, and Randy Hevey have been "red-hot!" In the last five games, Miller (3g-9a) has 12 points, Hackett (2g-7a) has nine points, Toninato (4g-3a) has seven points, while Jay McCabe (4g-1a) has five points. Hevey has been spectacular with a 2.00 GAA and a .935 save percentage. Miller is now eighth in the league in scoring (18g-21a, 39 pts.) and is tied for fourth in plus/minus with a +16. Andrew Oke leads all defensemen in goals (9) and is third in the league in plus/minus with a +17, while Hevey leads all goaltenders with a 2.73 GAA and is second in the league in save percentage (.914) and second only to Orlando's David Goverde in games won (11) while playing nearly 600 minutes less. The injury bug is hitting the ‘Cudas again as Brandon Snee has been placed on the 7-day IR, and Nate Ziemski remains on the 14-day IR. The ‘Cudas were also victims of a couple of high-sticking incidents this past weekend. Greg Capson took a high-stick to the face Saturday against Miami causing some serious facial injuries requiring stitches and dental work. A two-minute minor was called on Oak Hewer for the hit. Andrew Oke also took a stick to the face on Sunday against Orlando causing a bad gash that required stitches. Oke will play this weekend. The Barracudas look to keep the five-game winning streak and 13-game home winning streak in tact when they host the Lakeland Loggerheads this Friday and Saturday night. The Barracudas then head south to Miami to take on the Manatees. The ‘Cudas won the last trip to Miami beating the Manatees 5-3. It was the first and only time that the Manatees had lost at home.

The Lakeland Loggerheads began last weekend with a 4-3 win over the Alabama Slammers. Next, the Loggerheads played a home-and-home series with the Orlando Seals chalking up a 5-4 loss in Orlando and a 4-3 shoot out loss in front of the hometown crowd. On Tuesday, the Loggerheads traveled to Macon and dropped a 5-4 decision. This weekend Lakeland travels to Jacksonville to take on the first place Barracudas for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday.

The Macon Trax ended a four game road trip on a sour note when they visited Orlando on Jan. 28. For the third time in four games the Trax earned a point, but could not seal the victory in the extra frame. Trax goaltender Andy Kollar kept his team in the game as he made 34 saves to help preserve the point. The Trax and Seals ended regulation knotted at two. As usual overtime was fast paced as the team combined for 10 shots in five minutes. The shootout was equally as exciting as it took an extra round to find a winner. Orlando's Sanderson scored his second goal of the game which proved to be the game winner in the sudden death round. Miami came to town the next day well rested and ready to go. With the Trax playing the night before on the road, Miami actually arrived in Macon ahead of the home team. Things looked good at the start as David Deeves put the Trax ahead 1-0 at the 12:04 mark of the first period. The lead was short lived as Miami's Tom Perry tied the game three minutes later. Perry's goal was the first of four unanswered tallies for Miami. Miami found the net two more times in the third period and sealed their 4-1 victory. It was the first time all season the Trax lost in regulation when scoring the game's first goal. The Trax winless streak stopped at six on Jan. 30 when the Trax totally dominated Miami. In just twenty four hours the Trax went from looking sluggish to clicking on all cylinders. David Deeves stole the show for the "Boys In Black" as he set a WHA2 record with six points in one game. Deeves lit the lamp four times against his old college teammate, Miami goalie Sean Weaver. Along with the four goals Deeves assisted on two Ryan Rivard goals in the first period. The big game came at a perfect time as Deeves had his mother and step-father in the crowd. In net, Andy Kollar was solid as he turned away 25 Miami shots en route to his fifth victory. Saturday's "Guaranteed Win Night" was not backed up as two rivals hit the ice. Alabama defeated the Trax 2-1 in Macon in one of the best defensive battles of the year. The loss meant everybody at the game received free tickets to the Tuesday, Feb. 3 game versus Lakeland. The Trax are holding a special screening of the movie "MIRACLE." Join the Trax players and staff Tuesday, February 10 at the AmStar 16 on Zebulon Road in Macon. Trax players will arrive at 6pm for an autograph session with the movie beginning at 7pm.

The Miami Manatees will face the only two teams ahead of them in the standings this weekend. With the best home-record in the WHA2 at 14-1-1, the visiting teams will have their work cut out for them as they try to hold off the vicious offensive attack of the Manatees. The Orlando Seals will fall victim this Friday night at 7:05pm, and the Barracudas will be de-scaled on Sunday at 5:05pm. The Manatees invite all fans to the post-game party at Seven Restaurant and Lounge after the game on Friday. A Manatees ticket stub is good for a free beverage, as well as a free appetizer for every table with a food order. The entire team will be there and available to sign autographs and take photos. Seven Lounge is located at 7910 NW 25th St in Doral. Their phone number is 305-406-3555. For those heading to Seven after the game, take 836 west to 826 North. Take the next exit, NW 25th St, and head west for a half of a mile. Seven is located on the south side of the street. Bring your skates for another round of skating with the Manatees after the game on Sunday. Post-game skate will last approximately half-an-hour. Head on over the www.miamimanatees.com for some recent exciting updates to the website. Check out the all-new wallpapers, pictures in the photo gallery, and player profiles! More new content will be added shortly, so make sure to check back often! Seems like this week in February is a busy month for player birthdays, as the Czech Comet Zdnek Vanc celebrates his birthday on the 7th, the "Rat Line" pivot Darren Cain 29th birthday arrives the next day on the 8th, and Captain Steady Tom Perry turns 31 on the 13th. Tune into Channel 10 Sunday night at 11:30pm for "Sports Jam Sunday" featuring the Miami Manatees. Sports Anchor Frank Forte spent a recent game working as a penalty box attendant, getting some quality time to sit down with Greg LeColst and Darcy Johnson (17 minutes combined!) during the game. Tune into the show to see what Johnson and LeColst had to say about their penalty box experience with Frank Forte. Tickets are still available for the games this weekend. Head to Ticketmaster.com, Miami Arena Box Office, or call the Miami Manatees at 305-536-7825 for more information.

The Orlando Seals, who just completed a stretch of seven games in nine days, have only one game this week and only two games in nine days. The Seals will visit the Miami Manatees on Friday at 7:05 p.m. The game will be available on www.IRN.FM. The Seals next home game is Tuesday February 10th against the Miami Manatees at 7:05 p.m. The Seals used a three-game winning streak to move back into second place. After a 3-2 shootout win on Jan. 28 against the Macon Trax, the Seals defeated the Lakeland Loggerheads, 5-4 in regulation time on Jan. 30, then won in Lakeland 4-3 in a shootout on Jan. 31. The winning streak came to an end when the Seals dropped a 5-2 decision to Jacksonville on Feb. 1. Saturday's win at Lakeland was eerily similar to the game there exactly one month earlier. The Seals had a 3-0 lead, only to have to win the game in the shootout. In both games, B.J. Stephens had the only shootout goal for either team. Stephens now leads the Seals in goals (22) assists (23) and points (45). Seals tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket information is available by calling the Seals at (407) 447-PUCK (7825).

The WHA2 has six member teams for the 2003 – 2004 season: the Alabama Slammers, Jacksonville Barracudas, Lakeland Loggerheads, Macon Trax, Miami Manatees, and Orlando Seals. Every game will be broadcast on www.irn.fm with video broadcast of select games available throughout the season.

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SPHL Stories from February 6, 2004

• Manatees prevail in shoot-out session, 4-3 - Miami Manatees
• This week in the WHA2 - SPHL
• Trax change roster, schedule heading into weekend - Macon Trax

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