Weekly Arrowhead

Published on February 16, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Johnstown Chiefs News Release


Johnstown, Pa. - The Johnstown Chiefs bolted to the top of the North Division standings with a perfect start to their six-game homestand. With three more games this weekend, Johnstown will wrap up the homestand and look to solidify its lead with one game against an unfamiliar opponent and two against a very familiar one.

Record: 27-18-2, 56 pts., 4th place North Division

Leaders:

Goals - Jarrett Konkle (total): 24 Petr Pohl (team): 22

Assists - Petr Pohl: 24

Points - Petr Pohl: 44

+/- - Ryan Del Monte: +18

PIMs - Alex Penner: 94

PPG - Jarrett Konkle (total): 9 Petr Pohl (team): 7

SHG - Jarrett Konkle: 3

Wins - Kris Mayotte: 18

GAA - Kris Mayotte: 2.70

SVP - Kris Mayotte: .912

This Week:

2/20 vs. South Carolina, 7:05 p.m. - Home (0-0-0), Away (0-0-0) South Carolina will be the last South Division team to visit the UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at the Cambria County War Memorial this season when they square off against the Chiefs on Friday. Johnstown went 1-3-0 against the Stingrays last season with a 4-3 overtime win on Oct. 24, 2007 being the lone victory. Johnstown is 3-9-0 against South Carolina all time. The Stingrays, led by coach Jared Bednar, enter the week in second place in the South Division with a record of 26-19-5. They are led in scoring by second year pro Travis Morin's 58 points (15G, 43A) while rookie Michael Dubuc paces the club with 30 goals. The Stingrays employ former Chiefs goalie Jonathan Boutin who is 4-2-0 for the club with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. Friday is also the Chiefs' second Going Green Night sponsored by Business Records Management. BRM will be set up in the lobby at the War Memorial prior to the start of the game, and if you bring them a box of documents to shred, and be recycled, you'll be entered in a raffle to win a Chiefs Prize Pack that includes: autographed memorabilia, a guided behind-the-scenes tour of the War Memorial, and free document shredding courtesy of BRM. Also, those who bring documents will be eligible to get a free children's ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket.

2/21 & 2/22 vs. Elmira, 7:05 p.m. & 2:35 p.m. - Home (3-1-0), Away (1-3-0) The Chiefs and Jackals will be unquestionably familiar with each other by the end of the season. Counting this weekend's games, the two clubs will meet six times over the final seven weeks of the season. That could be good news for the Chiefs because four of those games are in Johnstown where the Chiefs are 3-1-0 against the Jackals this season. Steve Martinson's club currently sits in third place in the North Division with 59 points (27-20-5), and is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games. Saturday could mark the return of former Chief Mike Sgroi who was traded to Utah and then Elmira after 12 games with the Chiefs this season. Saturday's game will feature the Chiefs' annual Toyota Paper Airplane Toss where Chiefs fans will have the chance to win a Toyota vehicle. The aim is to throw a paper airplane from the stands through the open sunroof of the Toyota vehicle parked at center ice. On Sunday, the Chiefs are partnering with Rotary International to "Face Off Against Hunger." Anyone who brings a non-perishable food item to be donated is eligible for $2 off of their ticket to that afternoon's game.

Day by Day:

Mon. 2/16: Off

Tues. 2/17: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM - 11:00 a.m.

Wed. 2/18: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM - 11:00 a.m.

Thurs. 2/19: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM - 11:00 a.m.

Fri. 2/20: Chiefs vs. South Carolina Stingrays, 7:05 p.m.

Sat. 2/21: Chiefs vs. Elmira Jackals, 7:05 p.m.

Sun. 2/22: Chiefs vs. Elmira Jackals, 2:35 p.m.

Broadcast Schedule:

Fri. 2/20: Chiefs vs. South Carolina Stingrays, 7:05 p.m. - radio and internet

Sat. 2/21: Chiefs vs. Elmira Jackals, 7:05 p.m. - radio and internet

Sun. 2/22: Chiefs vs. Elmira Jackals, 2:35 p.m. - radio and internet

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 or www.echl.com. The Chiefs radio network is presented by Dodge.

Last Week: (3-0-0)

2/13 vs. Reading: W 5-2 Johnstown extended its winning streak over Reading to 12 games dating back to Feb. 1, 2008, and moved to 8-0-0 against the Royals this season. 13 turned out to be the Chiefs' lucky number on Friday the 13th with Todd Griffith cashing in for two goals, including the game winner on the power play in the second period. Mike Bartlett had a season-high three points with a goal and two assists while Blair Yaworski (2A) and Petr Pohl (1G, 1A) added two points each. Trevor Hendrikx made his return to the Chiefs lineup and contributed with a power play goal as insurance with 12:05 gone by in the third period. Ian Keserich earned the win in net, his fourth of the season against the Royals, by making 36 saves in his fourth consecutive start.

2/14 vs. Trenton: W 3-2 While the Chiefs were able to extend a streak on Friday, they turned into streak-stoppers on Saturday against the Devils. The 3-2 triumph put the brakes on a four-game losing streak at Trenton's hands. The win closed out the season series between Johnstown and Trenton, and the Chiefs went 4-0-1 against the Devils on home ice. Trenton took the 1-0 lead on rookie Jeff Prough's 20th goal of the season at 14:49 of the second. Jarrett Konkle came back with a power play goal 1:21 later to tie it for Johnstown, and Todd Griffith's third goal of the weekend gave the Chiefs the lead with 33 seconds left in the middle frame. Pesky as ever, the Devils drew even with a David Leaderer's goal 11:15 into the third, but the Chiefs didn't buckle. Working on a late power play, Konkle hit a wide open Toby LaFrance in the high slot for the game winner with 1:50 left to play. Ian Keserich earned his first three-game win streak by making 30 saves in the contest.

2/15 vs. Wheeling: W 5-2 With a chance to move back into sole possession of first place in the North Division, and emotions riding high after a pregame ceremony to retire Johnstown Jet great Reg Kent's number seven, it was surprising the Chiefs got off to a slow start on Sunday afternoon. Wheeling's Bryan Ewing scored his 33rd goal of the season 40 seconds into the game, and the 1-0 lead lasted into the second period. Andrew Sarauer finally put the Chiefs on the board at 15:44 of the second period by working a 2-on-1 with Todd Griffith. The score stayed tied heading to the third where Johnstown's offense erupted for four goals. Sean Berkstresser set up Sarauer's second of the game just under two minutes in and then Petr Pohl added a pair before Blair Yaworski sent home an empty-netter. Jon Grecu had tied the game after Sarauer's goal with Wheeling on the power play, but Pohl put the Chiefs back in the lead 11 seconds after that. Making his sixth straight start, Keserich won his fourth in a row with 23 saves.

CHIEFS CHOPS:

Scoring Streaks:

Goals:

- None Assists:

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

- Andrew Sarauer; 2/8-2/15: 4 gms (2G, 3A)

- Ray Macias; 10/30-11/2: 4 gms (1G, 4A)

- Todd Griffith; 2/13-2/15: 3 gms (3G, 2A)

Quick Hits:

- Brett Beauchamp's two assists on Feb. 15 accounted for his first pro multi-point game.

- Ian Keserich's four-game winning streak is his longest of the season, as are his six consecutive starts.

- Andrew Sarauer's two goals on Feb. 15 were his first for Johnstown since Nov. 28. He has four multi-goal games this season.

- Jarrett Konkle's PPG on Feb. 14 was his first for the Chiefs since his first game with the team on Dec. 30 at Reading.

- Johnstown's special teams had a great weekend with the power play clicking at 28.5 percent (4-for-14) and the penalty kill being 91 percent successful (11-for-12).

And the Nominees Are...: Two Johnstown Chiefs players find themselves up for weekly ECHL awards after great performances this weekend. Ian Keserich went 3-0-0 with a .936 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average in picking up the nomination for Goalie of the Week. Along with his 44-save effort in Feb. 8th's 2-1 win over Dayton, Keserich has a four-game winning streak. It is the first nomination of the season for Keserich, and also for forward Todd Griffith who is up for Player of the Week honors. Griffith had five points (3G, 2A) in three games this weekend. He had two goals, including the game winner, on Friday against Reading and followed that with a goal Saturday against Trenton and two assists Sunday against Wheeling. Griffith has 12 points (5G, 7A) in 13 games this season for Johnstown.

Home Sweet Home: The Chiefs have reached the midway point of their season-long six game homestand after Sunday afternoon's 5-2 win over Wheeling. Johnstown opened the stand with a 5-2 win over Reading last Friday, and followed that with a dramatic 3-2 win over Trenton Saturday night. The Chiefs' scorers have continued the trend of producing well at home, while the defense was much stingier than it had previously been on home ice. Johnstown's offense has produced 37 more goals on home ice than on the road while the defense has allowed 21 more. Factoring in that Johnstown has played four more road games the home goals-per-game average is 3.67 against 2.69 on the road, and the goals-against average at home is 3.03 against 2.65 on the road. With 61 goals allowed in 21 games, the Chiefs' road defense is second best in the league behind Victoria (2.52 GAA). With goals for and against combined, the War Memorial is the second most offensive building in the division with 6.7 goals scored per game. Wheeling's WesBanco arena is far and away the highest at 8.04. The Chiefs' 17 wins and .667 win percentage are tops in the North.

Save the Date: This is a reminder regarding some of the Chiefs' big promotions/events coming up in the near future.

- Feb. 20 - Going Green Night #2 Presented by Business Records Management: To help in the going green effort the Chiefs, and Business Records Management, want you to bring your unwanted documents to the game to be securely disposed of and recycled. Anyone who brings documents to the game to be shredded will be entered in a raffle for great prizes, and folks buying walk up tickets can get one free kid's ticket with an adult ticket.

- Feb. 22 - Face Off Against Hunger: The Chiefs and Rotary International are teaming up to fight hunger in our area with a food drive at the game on Sunday, Feb. 22. Fans who donate non-perishable food items will receive $2 off their walk up ticket.

- March 4 - Pups and Pucks Night: For the second year in a row the War Memorial will be going to the dogs. Dog owners throughout the area are invited to bring their "best friend" to enjoy an exciting night.

- March 8 - AmeriServ Sellout Challenge #3: It's your last chance to sell out the arena and get free tickets to a future Chiefs game!

- March 13 - "Lucky 13" Ticket Night: On the superstitiously bad luck Friday the 13th the Chiefs play on, Chiefs fans can get lucky with cheap tickets! Any seat in section 13 or any seat numbered 13 in the arena can be purchased for just $13 on that night. This offer is available through advance ticket purchase by calling the Chiefs' office at 814-539-1799.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from February 16, 2009


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.

OurSports Central