Weekly Arrowhead

Published on November 10, 2008 under ECHL (ECHL)
Johnstown Chiefs News Release


Johnstown, Pa. - The Johnstown Chiefs opened up a four-game home stand last week with a pair of games against the Reading Royals. After beating their in-state rivals twice to extend their winning streak to four games, the Chiefs now shift their focus to a busy week this week. The home stand concludes with games against Cincinnati and Trenton before the team heads west to Dayton for a weekend pair.

Record: 7-3-0, 14 pts., 2nd place North Division

Leaders:

Goals - Randy Rowe: 6

Assists - Petr Pohl: 9

Points - Petr Pohl/Randy Rowe: 11

+/- - Ryan Del Monte/Kyle Bushee: +4

PIMs - Alex Penner: 36

PPG -Randy Rowe: 4

Wins - Ian Keserich/Kris Mayotte: 3

GAA - Kris Mayotte: 1.96

SVP - Kris Mayotte: .926

This Week:

11/12 vs. Cincinnati, 10:35 a.m. - Home (0-0-0), Away (0-0-0)

Johnstown will get its first crack at the Kelly Cup Champion Cyclones this Wednesday when they host their second-annual Kid's Day Game/Businessman's Special. Last season, the Chiefs were 2-8-0 against Cincinnati with both wins coming at the UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at the Cambria County War Memorial late in the season. Last year, the Chiefs beat the South Carolina Stingrays in overtime 4-3 in their first Kid's Day Game on 10/24/07, but lost at Cincinnati 4-3 in their Kid's Day Game on 3/19/08. Johnstown and Cincinnati last matched up during the North Division Quarterfinals in the 2008 playoffs where the Cyclones swept the Chiefs in four games on their way to the Kelly Cup. Cincinnati enters the week in fifth place in the North Division with a 4-3-3 record and 11 points.

11/14 vs. Trenton, 7:05 p.m. - Home (0-0-0), Away (1-1-0)

The Trenton Devils make their first trip to Johnstown after the teams split the first two games of the season series in Trenton. The Chiefs will be going for their 40th win all-time against Trenton which would be third most for Johnstown behind Wheeling (73) and Dayton (65). Trenton struggled for wins in Johnstown last year where the Chiefs were 4-1-0 against their eastern-most rivals. Ryan Garlock leads the Chiefs against the Devils with two goals including the game-winning power play goal in the season opener on 10/17.

11/15 & 11/16 at Dayton, 7:30 p.m. & 5:00 p.m. - Home (0-1-0), Away (1-0-0)

The Chiefs beat the Bombers away from the War Memorial for the first time since the 2006-07 season the last time they visited the Nutter Center on 11/2. They'll get a chance to continue their winning ways in the Buckeye State with a weekend pair that gives Johnstown its first stretch of three games in three days this season. Saturday's game will be played at Hobart Arena in Troy, Ohio where the Bombers play a few regular season games each year. Johnstown was 0-2-0 at Hobart Arena last season.

Day by Day:

Mon. 11/10: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Tues. 11/11: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Wed. 11/12: Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Cyclones, 10:35 a.m. - Kid's Day Game/Businessman's Special

Thurs. 11/13: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Fri. 11/14: Chiefs vs. Trenton Devils, 7:05 p.m. - AmeriServ Sellout Challenge Night #1

Sat. 11/15: Chiefs at Dayton Bombers, 7:35 p.m.

Sun. 11/16: Chiefs at Dayton Bombers, 5:00 p.m.

Broadcast Schedule:

Wed. 11/12: Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Cyclones, 10:35 a.m. - radio and internet

Fri. 11/14: Chiefs vs. Trenton Devils, 7:05 p.m. - internet; tape delay (approx. 9:30) radio

Sat. 11/15: Chiefs at Dayton Bombers, 7:35 p.m. - radio and internet

Sun. 11/16: Chiefs at Dayton Bombers, 5:00 p.m. - internet; tape delay (approx. 8:00) radio

All Chiefs radio broadcasts can be heard on 1490 AM WNTJ and AM 990 WNTW, and live streaming audio of every Chiefs game is available courtesy of B2 Networks at www.johnstownchiefs.com. The Chiefs radio network is presented by Dodge.

Last Week: (2-0-0)

11/7 vs. Reading: W 4-2

Johnstown began play last week with a modest two game winning streak, and was looking for more against their in-state rivals. The Chiefs started quickly on the right foot when Matt Robinson scored his first goal of the year at 1:37 of the first period. It was the fastest goal to start a game for the Chiefs this season, so far. Reading tied the game at :57 of the second period, but consecutive goals in the second by David Schulz (1st, 8:04), Ryan Garlock (3rd, 10:21), and one in the third by Petr Pohl (2nd, 12:54) gave Johnstown a comfortable lead. Mac Faulkner's fifth of the year made things a bit closer down the stretch, but Kris Mayotte made 18 saves to earn his, and the team's, third straight game. Ryan Del Monte's two assists in the win gave him two straight, and three overall, multiple-point games on the year.

11/8 vs. Reading: W 5-4

It is rare for Johnstown and Reading to play back-to-back games at the same venue, but that was the situation this past Saturday. Friday's game featured a couple of fights and some intense play that carried over into the next game. Mac Faulkner netted his second goal of the weekend, sixth of the season, with the Royals shorthanded at 2:39 of the first. It was the first shorthanded goal the Chiefs had given up this season. Ryan Del Monte countered for Johnstown just 27 seconds into the second period to tie the game at one. Reading didn't back down, though, as Shawn Snider scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 8:23 of the second. Much like Friday night, Johnstown answered the challenge resoundingly. Andrew Sarauer scored twice 3:30 apart in the second period to give Johnstown its first lead of the night. Del Monte then set up Randy Rowe at 2:27 of the third, and then Rowe teamed up with Petr Pohl to assist Kyle Bushee on his first pro goal at 7:31. Johnstown seemed to have the game well under control with the 5-2 lead, but Reading's Dan Rudisuela and Kevin Harvey cashed in to make things close again. Danny Taylor was pulled for the extra attacker with 30 seconds left, but Ian Keserich and the defense held strong to preserve the win.

CHIEFS CHOPS:

Scoring Streaks:

Goals:

Assists:

- Ray Macias; 10/30-11/2: 3 gms (4A)

- Ryan Del Monte; 11/2-11/8: 3 gms (5A)

- Mike Bartlett; 11/7-11/8: 2 gms (3A)

Points:

- Ray Macias; 10/25-11/2: 4 gms (1G, 4A)

- R. Del Monte; 11/2-11/7: 3 gms (1G, 5A)

- A. Sarauer; 11/2-11/8: 3 gms (3G, 1A)

- M. Robinson; 11/2-11/8: 3 gms (1G, 3A)

- R. Garlock; 11/7-11/8: 2 gms (1G, 1A)

- P. Pohl; 11/7-11/8: 2 gms (1G, 1A)

And the Nominees Are: One Johnstown Chiefs player is in the running for a weekly ECHL award. Ryan Del Monte has been nominated for the ECHL Player of the Week award. The rookie center from Mississauga, Ontario racked up four points (1G, 3A) this weekend against the Royals. Del Monte's goal at 27 seconds of the second period on 11/8 was the fastest goal to start a period for Johnstown this season. He has eight points (2G, 6A) on the year so far and leads the team with four multi-point games.

10 Games In: Johnstown is 10 games into the season, and sits second in the North Division with a 7-3-0 record and 14 points, just two behind division leader Wheeling. That is a marked improvement over the first 10 from the 2007-08 season when Johnstown began 5-5-0. The Chiefs have shown a better offense and defense in the early portion of this season as well. The Chiefs have scored 33 goals so far, as opposed to 30 at this juncture last year, and have top-five defense in the American Conference that is giving up 2.8 goals per game. Last season, Johnstown was giving up 3.6 goals per game over its first 10.

We're Going Streaking: After a 3-3-0 start, the Chiefs have reeled off four consecutive wins, and taken sole possession of second in the North Division. Johnstown has outscored its opponents 16-10 over the streak which included wins over division-leading Wheeling, a rare road win against Dayton, and a weekend two-game sweep of Reading. Kris Mayotte earned wins in three of the four games and has a sparkling 1.96 goals against average and a .926 save percentage. The current win streak is one less than last year's best five-game streak which the team did twice (2/27-3/7 & 3/28-4/4). Overall, the Chiefs had six winning streaks of three games or more in 2007-08.

Kill 'Em All: In today's ECHL, you can't have a strong defense without being able to kill penalties well, and Johnstown's PK has certainly played a huge role in the current winning streak. To start the week, the Chiefs' penalty kill checks in at 86.7 percent which places them fifth in the ECHL. After giving up at least one power play goal in five of the team's first six games, the Chiefs' PK has been in lockdown mode since. Tobias Holm of Wheeling scored a PP goal at 4:46 of the first period in Johnstown's 3-2 shootout win at Wheeling on 11/1, but no player has replicated the feat since. The Chiefs have killed 19 penalties in a row in four games since Holm's goal, a span that covers 145 minutes and 14 seconds.

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