Weekly Arrowhead

Published on October 19, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Johnstown Chiefs News Release


Johnstown, Pa. - The Johnstown Chiefs opened their 22nd season of ECHL play last weekend with a loss to Cincinnati in their home opener. This week, they take to the road in search of their first win against Trenton, and play a home-and-home against the Jackals in Elmira on Friday and at home Saturday to wrap up what promises to be an exciting week.

Record: 0-1-0, 0 pts., 3rd place East Division, t-5th American Conference

Leaders:

Goals -

Assists -

Points -

+/- - multiple players: 0

PIMs - Sean Berkstresser: 4

PPG -

SHG -

Wins -

GAA - Kris Mayotte: 2.06

SVP - Kris Mayotte: .923

This Week:

10/21 at Trenton, 7:00 p.m. - Home (0-0-0), Away (0-0-0)

The Chiefs open this season's road schedule with a mid-week visit to the Sovereign Bank Arena to take on the Trenton Devils. Trenton will be playing the final game of a three-game homestand to open the season. The Devils have started the season 0-2-0 with losses to the Kalamazoo Wings by the score of 6-2 and 3-0. Kyle Kucharski leads the Devils with two points (1G, 1A) through two games. Last season the Chiefs won their opener in Trenton 2-1, but lost each of their remaining four games after that. Johnstown is 43-37-12 all time against Trenton.

10/23 at Elmira, 7:35 p.m. & 10/24 vs. Elmira, 7:05 p.m. - Home (0-0-0), Away (0-0-0)

Johnstown will look to slow down the Elmira Jackals this weekend in a home-and-home series that begins Friday in Elmira. The Jackals have come out of the gate strong with two straight wins and currently lead the new East Division. The Jackals knocked off Cincinnati 5-2 to open their season last Friday and then beat Reading 6-5 in a shootout on Saturday. Chanse Fitzpatrick (3G, 1A) and Tyler Donati (1G, 3A) lead the Jackals with four points each. The Chiefs went 8-5-1 against the Jackals last season (3-3-0 road, 5-2-1 home).

Day by Day:

Mon. 10/19: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Tues. 10/20: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Wed. 10/21: Chiefs at Trenton Devils, 7:00 p.m.

Thurs. 10/22: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Fri. 10/23: Chiefs at Elmira Jackals, 7:35 p.m.

Sat. 10/24: Chiefs vs. Elmira Jackals, 7:05 p.m.

Sun. 10/25: Off

Broadcast Schedule:

Wed. 10/21: Chiefs at Trenton Devils, 7:00 p.m. - radio and internet

Fri. 10/23: Chiefs at Elmira Jackals, 7:35 p.m. - internet only

Sat. 10/24: Chiefs vs. Elmira Jackals, 7:05 p.m. - internet only

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: (0-1-0)

10/17 vs. Cincinnati: L 0-2

The Chiefs opened their first home game of 2009-10 energized by the home crowd and out-shot Cincinnati 8-6 in the opening period. Strong goaltending by Kris Mayotte and Jeremy Smith, though, kept each team off of the scoreboard. Cincinnati finally broke through at 17:37 of the second period. Doug Krantz was the beneficiary of a shorthanded 3-on-2 break and beat Mayotte with a one-timer from the right wing. Former Chief Chris Mueller added a shorthanded breakaway goal in the third period that put Johnstown down two goals. The Chiefs would pull Mayotte for the extra attacker but there wouldn't be any late game heroics on the night.

CHIEFS CHOPS:

Scoring Streaks:

Goals:

Assists:

Points:

Quick Hits:

- Johnstown has played its first road game of the season in Trenton for the last four seasons, including 2009-10. The Chiefs are 2-1-0 when opening in Trenton.

- Johnstown's penalty kill went 6-for-6 on Saturday against Cincinnati.

- The Chiefs were 2-1-0 in games last season after getting shut out the previous contest.

- Johnstown allowed shorthanded goals in just seven games last season (6-1-0 record).

- Three other teams besides the Chiefs only played one game during opening weekend. They were; Utah (W), Las Vegas (L), and Charlotte (W).

Sing it Again Rookie: Johnstown Chiefs center Troy Schwab made his professional debut last Saturday against Cincinnati. He registered one shot on goal and was an even +/-. Last season Schwab posted 32 points (11G, 21A) to become the first Lake Superior State player to earn 100 career points in 11 years. He ended his career with 110. Alongside Schwab are four other rookies on the 2009-10 Chiefs. Forward Connor Shields (9G, 5A for Dartmouth in 08-09), and goalie Shane Connelly (19-14-4, .913 SVP, 2.51 GAA for U. of Wisconsin in 08-09) look to make their pro debuts in the near future. R.J. Anderson (five games between Johnstown and Springfield) and Marc Rechlicz (15 games with Odessa) still classify as rookies because they have played less than 25 professional games.

Welcome to the New Division: This offseason the ECHL went through a realignment thanks to the addition of the Kalamazoo Wings and Toledo Walleye. The old North Division was separated with the Wings and Walleye joining Cincinnati and Wheeling in the new North Division. That left Johnstown, Elmira, Reading, and Trenton to make up the newly formed East Division. The Chiefs will play 31 games against divisional foes this season with Reading (11 games) being the most common opponent. Johnstown went 22-10-2 against its East Division foes last season, and did not have a losing record against any of those three teams.

Back in the Fold: Second-year Chiefs winger Matt Robinson made his return to Johnstown's lineup against Cincinnati last Saturday. Robinson, who was originally acquired in a trade in the summer of 2008, skated in 14 games for Johnstown last season and posted nine points (3G, 6A) in that time. His season was cut short by a knee injury, and prior to Saturday Robinson's most recent regular season game was November 16, 2008 against Dayton. While he only had one assist last October, Robinson heated up in a big way in November with eight points in five games from November 2 through 14.

Mark Your Calendars! Don't forget about these upcoming home games:

- Saturday, October 24 vs. Elmira - 7:05 p.m.

o "Bic Welcome Back Bonanza Giveaway" and UPJ Doubleheader. Tons of great Bic products will be given away during the game to fans in attendance. Everything ranging from razors to markers, mechanical pencils, and pens will be given out. Also when the UPJ Icecats take on Gannon at 2:30 at the War Memorial, Chiefs season ticket holders can get in for $3 for adults and $1 for children.

- Wednesday, October 11 vs. Reading - 7:35 p.m.

o Post-Veterans' Day Parade Celebration and Jersey Auction. Military veterans and active members will be honored during a pregame ceremony, and can purchase tickets for the game for just $5! The Chiefs will also be wearing special camouflage jerseys that will be auctioned off live immediately following the game. Don't forget it's a special 7:35 start time.

- Friday, November 13 vs. Wheeling - 7:05 p.m.

o Dollar Dog Friday courtesy of SMG. Hot dogs are just $1 to everyone in attendance! Also don't forget about Em's Friday Meal Deal. For $10 you get and Em's Sub, a drink, a bag of chips and a voucher good for that Friday's Chiefs game. Available at all five Em's locations.

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



ECHL Stories from October 19, 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