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Tight race shaping up for Brabham Cup

March 16, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


With less than a month remaining in the ECHL regular season, the race for the Brabham Cup and home-ice advantage throughout the Kelly Cup Playoffs is heating up as the top eight teams in the league standings are separated by just six points.

Thanks to an 11-1-1 run in their last 13 games, the Idaho Steelheads sit atop the ECHL standings with 87 points. Idaho, which won the Brabham Cup in 2010 on its way to the Kelly Cup Finals, is the only team in the league to have won at least 20 games at home and on the road so far this season. The Steelheads play six of their final nine games at home.

Florida has won seven straight games to move to within one point of the overall league lead. The Everblades are a two-time Brabham Cup champion (2000 and 2009) and their seven regulation losses on the road are the fewest in the league this season.

Allen sits just two points off the pace with 85 points, and the Americans have four games in hand on the Steelheads. The Americans have five regulation losses at home, which is tied for the fewest in the league, and play eight of their final 13 games on home ice.

The North Division leading Fort Wayne Komets are three points out of the lead, and also have four games in hand on Idaho while Reading, the second place club in the East Division, is four points out of the lead.

The Toledo Walleye have enjoyed the biggest turnaround in the ECHL this season. After finishing with just 49 points last season, the Walleye have already posted a 33-point improvement with 82 points, and have played 57 games, the fewest games played of any team in the league.

Thanks to their ECHL-record 19-game winning streak, the South Carolina Stingrays have charged up the standings over the last six weeks, and are within earshot of the top spot in the league with 81 points, which is tied with Colorado for seventh in the ECHL standings.

Historic week for Stingrays, Jakaitis

It was a week to remember for the South Carolina Stingrays and goaltender Jeff Jakaitis .

On Friday, the Stingrays defeated Gwinnett 4-0 to set a new ECHL record with their 11th consecutive road win, and one night later, they returned home to the North Charleston Coliseum where they defeated the Gladiators for their league record 18th straight win. South Carolina extended the streak to 19 games with a 4-3 victory over Gwinnett on Sunday.

The Stingrays have outscored their opponents 82-27 during the streak, and have moved from sixth place and 10 points out of a playoff spot into third place in the East Division, just five points behind first-place Florida.

Saturday was also a historic night for Jakaitis as he established a new ECHL record for longest shutout streak at 259:32, breaking the previous ECHL record of 236:03, set by Darryl Paquette of Hampton Roads in 1996-97.

It was also Jakaitis' third consecutive shutout, which ties the ECHL record for most consecutive shutouts. It is the seventh time in ECHL history - and second time in Jakaitis' career - that a goaltender has posted three straight shutouts.

Jakaitis last allowed a goal 3:01 into the first period of a 5-1 win against Gwinnett on March 6. He stopped all 23 shots in a 3-0 win at Gwinnett on March 7, did not allow a goal in 23:12 of playing time in a 3-1 win at Greenville on March 8 and turned aside all 19 shots in a 5-0 win at Gwinnett on March 13.

The 31-year-old leads the ECHL this season with five shutouts, and his 21 career shutouts are second all-time in League history, four behind all-time leader Marc Magliarditi.

South Carolina hosts Indy on Friday and Cincinnati on Saturday as the Stingrays and Jakaitis both look to extend their streaks.

A look ahead

Games to watch in the ECHL during the week ahead. Watch ECHL games live on ECHL.TV.

Eastern Conference

Indy at Kalamazoo (Tuesday)

The K-Wings sit in third place in the East Division with 63 points, leading Cincinnati by three points and Wheeling and Indy by

Western Conference

Colorado at Idaho (Friday and Saturday)

The Steelheads are on top of the Pacific Division with 87 points, and enter the week with a six-point lead on Colorado.

Divisions

North Division

- Jack Downing recorded Cincinnati's first hat trick of the season on Saturday against Fort Wayne.

- The Cyclones are 19-0-0 in games in which they take a 2-0 lead.

- Cincinnati is at Greenville on Thursday and Friday and South Carolina on Saturday.

- Chris Driedger is fourth with 1,098 saves.

- Evansville is 10-2-2 when leading after two periods.

- The IceMen host Florida on Friday and Saturday.

- Roman Will is 6-0-2 in his last eight decisions.

- The Komets have outshot their opponents in 11 straight games.

- Fort Wayne visits Indy on Wednesday and Kalamazoo on Friday before hosting Missouri on Saturday and Sunday.

- Mac Carruth is ninth in the league with a 2.49 goals-against average.

- Indy has had a league-high 18 games decided in overtime or a shootout.

- The Fuel are at Kalamazoo on Tuesday, host Fort Wayne on Wednesday and visit South Carolina on Friday and Greenville on Saturday.

- Dane Fox is tied for third among rookies with 24 goals.

- The K-Wings are the league's fourth-least penalized team with 14.18 penalty minutes per game.

- Kalamazoo hosts Indy on Tuesday and Fort Wayne on Friday before visiting Toledo on Saturday.

- Neil Conway is 2-1-1 with a 1.56 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage in March.

- Toledo is second with 3.95 goals per game.

- The Walleye are at Elmira on Monday and Wheeling on Tuesday and host Missouri on Friday, Kalamazoo on Saturday and Florida on Sunday.

- Head coach Clark Donatelli became Wheeling's all-time leader in wins with his 125th victory on Friday against Kalamazoo.

- The Nailers' five games decided beyond regulation are the second fewest in the league.

- Wheeling hosts Toledo on Tuesday and is at Elmira on Friday and Saturday.

East Division

- Steven Shamanski leads rookies with 15 power-play points (6g-9a).

- Elmira is 27-2-2 when scoring three or more goals.

- The Jackals host Toledo on Monday and Wheeling on Friday and Saturday.

- Matt Ginn had a 34-save shutout in his pro debut on Friday against Greenville.

- The Everblades are 31-4-3 when scoring first.

- Florida is at Orlando on Wednesday, Evansville on Friday and Saturday and Toledo on Sunday.

- Dallas Jackson is two points shy of 100 in his professional career.

- Greenville leads the league with 10 wins in games decided beyond regulation (10-0-4).

- The Road Warriors host Cincinnati on Thursday and Friday and Indy on Saturday.

- Will MacDonald scored two goals on Sunday at South Carolina.

- The Gladiators are 14-3-1 when leading after two periods.

- Gwinnett visits Orlando on Thursday and Saturday.

- Garret Sparks set a team record with 53 saves on Saturday at Evansville.

- Orlando set a club record with 10 goals in Saturday's 10-3 win at Evansville.

- The Solar Bears host Florida on Wednesday and Gwinnett on Thursday and Saturday.

- Ryan Cruthers had his ninth multi-point game of the season on Sunday against Kalamazoo.

- The Royals have reached the 20-win plateau at home for the fifth time in the last six seasons.

- Reading is at Brampton on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

- Caleb Herbert is fourth among rookies with a 21.5 percent shooting percentage (17-for-79).

- South Carolina leads the league in goals-against per game (2.32) and shots-against per game (26.02).

- The Stingrays host Indy on Friday and Cincinnati on Saturday.

Central Division

- Gary Steffes leads the league with 41 goals and 17 power-play goals.

- The Americans lead the league with 4.02 goals per game.

- Allen hosts Wichita on Tuesday and Wednesday, visits the Thunder on Friday and hosts Tulsa on Sunday.

- Mathew Maione leads rookie defensemen with 154 shots on goal.

- Brampton has scored 65 of its 153 goals in the second period.

- The Beast host Reading on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

- Andrew Courtney is tied for second in the league with nine power-play goals.

- The Mavericks are 15-0-2 when leading after two periods.

- Missouri is at Toledo on Friday and Fort Wayne on Saturday and Sunday.

- Parker Milner is 5-1-0 in his last six starts, allowing nine goals over that span.

- Quad City is tied for fifth with four shorthanded goals against.

- The Mallards host Tulsa on Wednesday and are at Rapid City on Friday and Saturday.

- Jesse Schultz is tied for second with 23 power-play points (6g-17a).

- The Rush are 14-4-2 in their last 20 games.

- Rapid City hosts Quad City on Friday and Saturday.

- Kevin Carr has allowed three goals in his last four starts.

- Tulsa has won four straight and nine of its last 11 games.

- The Oilers are at Quad City on Wednesday, Wichita on Saturday and Allen on Sunday.

- Nikita Kashirsky has 13 points (7g-6a) in his last 10 games.

- The Thunder are 17-1-2 when leading after two periods.

- Wichita is at Allen on Tuesday and Wednesday and hosts the Americans on Friday and Tulsa on Saturday.

Pacific Division

- Brendan Connolly is tied for sixth with 64 points (24g-40a).

- Alaska is 5-1-2 in its last eight games.

- The Aces are at Ontario on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

- Nick Pageau has nine points (1g-8a) in his last six games.

- The Condors are seventh with 28.39 shots-against per game.

- Bakersfield is at Stockton on Tuesday and Utah on Friday and Saturday.

- Brock Nixon is fifth with 208 shots on goal.

- Colorado is 30-12-3 when outshooting its opponent.

- The Eagles are at Idaho on Friday and Saturday.

- Wade MacLeod has 14 goals in his last 18 games.

- The Steelheads are 11-1-1 in their last 13 games.

- Idaho hosts Colorado on Friday and Saturday.

- Jussi Olkinuora made 25 saves on Sunday against Utah to post his second career shutout.

- Ontario is 27-2-4 when leading after two periods.

- The Reign host Alaska on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

- Tyler Shattock has at least one point in 15 of his last 19 games.

- The Thunder are sixth on the power play at 19.8 percent (51-for-258).

- Stockton hosts Bakersfield on Tuesday.

- Ryan Hayes has scored the game-winning goal in five of the Grizzlies' last seven wins.

- Utah has held a lead in 29 of its last 33 games.

- The Grizzlies host Bakersfield on Friday and Saturday.

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