Sports stats

Weekly Arrowhead

March 9, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Johnstown Chiefs News Release


Johnstown, Pa. - A .500 week last week left Johnstown in second place in the North Division and two points behind Cincinnati for the division lead. The Chiefs face another busy week with three games in three days against the top competition the North can offer.

Record: 33-24-3, 69 pts., 2nd place North Division

Leaders:

Goals - Jarrett Konkle (total): 28

Petr Pohl (team): 26

Assists - Petr Pohl: 35

Points - Petr Pohl: 61

+/- - Ryan Del Monte: +18

PIMs - Alex Penner: 125

PPG - Jarrett Konkle (total): 12

Petr Pohl (team): 7

SHG - Jarrett Konkle: 3

Wins - Kris Mayotte: 19

GAA - Kris Mayotte: 2.71

SVP - Kris Mayotte: .912

This Week:

3/13 vs. Cincinnati, 7:05 p.m. - Home (1-3-0), Away (2-1-0)

The Chiefs host the defending Kelly Cup champions this Friday for the first time since a pair of games on Jan. 2-3. Cincinnati will have a new look since the Chiefs saw it last, although the new faces for the Cyclones won't be unfamiliar to Chiefs fans. Goalie Ryan Nie, who set the Chiefs' record for wins in a season last season, will return to the War Memorial for the first time since last year's Kelly Cup playoffs. Nie is 13-3-0 for Cincinnati since being acquired in a trade with Bakersfield. Cincinnati also completed a trade with Reading this week that brought Mac Faulkner and Gerard Miller to the Cyclones in exchange for Ben Gordon, Ben McLeod, and Tom Sawatske. Cincinnati is the only team in the North Division that the Chiefs have a losing record against this season (3-4-0), and their last win at home against the Cyclones was on Nov. 12 (7-4). Also on Friday, Mazzei and Associates is sponsoring a Chiefs flag giveaway to the first 500 fans through the door, and the Chiefs will be running their "Lucky 13" ticket promotion for the second time this season. All seats in section 13, or any seat numbered 13, can be bought for just $13! The "Lucky 13" promotion is available through advance purchase only.

3/14 vs. Wheeling, 7:05 p.m. & 3/15 at Wheeling, 4:05 p.m. - Home (2-3-0), Away (3-2-0)

Johnstown has won two in a row on home ice against Wheeling by a combined score of 10-5. That came after Wheeling won the first three meetings of this season at the UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at the Cambria County War Memorial. WesBanco Arena wasn't as kind to the Chiefs as it had been earlier this season, either. The Chiefs opened the season 3-0-0 in Wheeling, but have lost two in a row there. The Chiefs' shooters were firing at will against Wheeling last week, and in three games averaged 42 shots per game. That included a season-high 50 shots on Saturday, March 7. Wheeling's Curtis Darling proved to be very durable and turned aside 87 of the Chiefs' 90 shots on Friday and Saturday. At the War Memorial on Saturday, UniFirst is sponsoring a Chiefs t-shirt giveaway to the first 500 fans at the game! The t-shirts are gold so the Chiefs are encouraging everyone to wear gold to the game and create a gold rush against the Nailers. Also on Saturday the Chiefs will be wearing St. Patrick's Day-themed jerseys that will be auctioned live immediately following the game.

Day by Day:

Mon. 3/9: Off

Tues. 3/10: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 11:00 a.m.

Wed. 3/11: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 11:00 a.m.

Thurs. 3/12: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 11:00 a.m.

Fri. 3/13: Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Cyclones, 7:05 p.m. - Mazzei and Ass. flag giveaway

Sat. 3/14: Chiefs vs. Wheeling Nailers, 7:05 p.m. - UniFirst T-shirt giveaway/St. Patty's jersey auction

Sun. 3/15: Chiefs at Wheeling Nailers, 4:05 p.m.

Broadcast Schedule:

Fri. 3/13: Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Cyclones, 7:05 p.m. - radio and internet

Sat. 3/14: Chiefs vs. Wheeling Nailers, 7:05 p.m. - radio and internet

Sun. 3/15: Chiefs at Wheeling Nailers, 4:05 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: (2-2-0)

3/4 vs. Wheeling: W 5-3

The Chiefs shook off a 2-0 Wheeling lead, and scored four straight goals en route to the win. Five different players scored for Johnstown while Ryan Del Monte and Andrew Sarauer had two assists. Kris Mayotte made his first start for Johnstown since Jan. 31 and picked up his 19th win with 27 saves. Todd Griffith's game-winning goal was his third of the season, and Mike Knight and Andy Contois scored in their first games back from stints on the IR.

3/6 at Wheeling: L 6-1

Wheeling took a 3-0 lead after the first period, and 39 saves by Curtis Darling stymied the Chiefs' attack. Ian Keserich posted 32 saves in relief of Sebastian Dahm who allowed three goals on seven shots. Blair Yaworski scored Johnstown's goal to give him nine on the season against Wheeling in six games.

3/7 at Wheeling: L 5-2

The Chiefs fell behind 2-0 for the third game in a row against Wheeling. Blair Yaworski and Andy Contois scored their second goals of the week, and Jon Landry had his first assist since returning from Syracuse. Johnstown launched a season-high 50 shots on Curtis Darling, and Todd Griffith tied Petr Pohl for the individual high with eight shots in the game. Ian Keserich sustained the loss, but turned in a solid 37-save effort.

3/8 vs. Elmira: W 5-4

Johnstown scored the first goal of the game for the first time last week with Blair Yaworski finding the net 7:27 into the game. Elmira scored three straight to take a 4-2 lead after Toby LaFrance gave Johnstown a 2-1 lead with a power play goal 1:24 into the second. Then it was Johnstown's turn to reel off three in a row from Yaworski, Mike Knight, and Andy Contois to recover for the win. It was only the second time this season the Chiefs won when trailing after two periods.

CHIEFS CHOPS:

Scoring Streaks:

Goals:

- Blair Yaworski; 3/6-3/8: 3 gms (4G)

- Andy Contois; 3/7-3/8: 2 gms (2G)

Assists:

- Petr Pohl; 3/4-3/8: 4 gms (4A)

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

Points:

- Petr Pohl; 3/4-3/8: 4 gms (1G, 4A)

- Jarrett Konkle; 3/4-3/8: 2 gms (1G, 2A)

- Blair Yaworski; 3/4-3/8: 4 gms (4G, 1A)

- Andy Contois; 3/7-3/8: 2 gms (2G)

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

Quick Hits:

- Russ Sinkewich picked up his first pro point, an assist, in the 5-4 win over Elmira on March 8.

- Johnstown has won at least 20 home games for the second season in a row. The last time that happened was 2000-01 (20) and 2001-02 (23). The record for home wins in a season was set in 2003-04 (26).

- Blair Yaworski's three-game goal streak is tied for the longest this season by a Chief. Ryan Garlock (Nov. 12-15) and Petr Pohl (Nov. 14-16 and Jan. 24-30) have also put together three-game streaks.

- The Chiefs are averaging 3.8 goals per game at home this season, and their 123 home goals are the second most in the ECHL.

- Kris Mayotte has won four games in a row (.927 save percentage, 2.25 goals-against average) dating back to Jan. 28.

Pohl Position: Czech winger Petr Pohl had a breakout season in 2007-08 between the Youngstown Steelhounds (CHL) and the Dayton Bombers. The Columbus prospect had 74 points (25G, 49A) in 56 games at the AA level. This season, Pohl (22) has been one of the most dangerous scorers in the ECHL, and is poised to set new career highs. He leads the team in points (61) and assists (35), while his 26 goals are three behind Jarrett Konkle. 15 of Konkle's 29 goals came while he was with Fresno, though. Pohl's steady scoring earned him a six-game stay with the Syracuse Crunch where he notched a goal and two assists - the first AHL points of his career. It has been 22 games since Pohl returned from the AHL, and he's been scoring at a torrid pace. He has 14 goals and 17 assists in that time, and has vaulted to 10th on the ECHL scoring list. Barring a call up, Pohl has 12 games to put together 13 points to set a new career high for points.

Mr. Consistency: With all of the movement and changes that the Chiefs' roster has seen this season, it could be easy to overlook someone who has yet to miss a game for Johnstown. It's hard to believe that overlooked player could be rookie all-star center Ryan Del Monte. The Mississauga, Ontario native is the only Chiefs skater to have appeared in all 60 of the team's games. Not only has Del Monte been a reliable scorer for the Chiefs (13G, 29A) he has been the Chiefs' best defensive forward this season, and has a plus-18 rating which is tied for the fourth best rating in the league. Among rookies, Del Monte is tied for the second-best plus/minus rating. Del Monte has three assists in four games this month.

Save the Date:

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

- March 13 - "Lucky 13" Ticket Night/Mazzei and Ass. Flag Giveaway: 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. Also, Mazzei and Associates is sponsoring a Chiefs flag giveaway to the first 500 fans through the door!

- March 14 - UniFirst T-Shirt Giveaway/St. Patty's Jersey Auction: Be one of the first 500 fans at the arena this Saturday to get a free Chiefs t-shirt courtesy of UniFirst Corporation. The t-shirts are gold so the Chiefs are encouraging everyone to wear gold to the game for a "gold rush" against Wheeling. Also, the Chiefs will don special St. Patrick's Day-themed jerseys for the game. These collector's items will be auctioned off immediately following the game so you can win the jersey right off your favorite player's back!



ECHL Stories from March 9, 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.

Other Recent Johnstown Chiefs Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central