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December 7, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Johnstown Chiefs News Release


Johnstown, Pa. - The Johnstown Chiefs clawed their way out of fourth place in the East Division standings by picking up three points last week. After a bruising stretch of 10 games in 16 days (5-4-1 record), the Chiefs will get a lighter workload with a pair of games this weekend as they try to close in on the East Division leaders.

Record: 8-10-4, 20 pts., 3rd place East Division

Leaders:

Goals - Connor Shields: 11

Assists - Ryan Menei: 15

Points - Connor Shields: 21

+/- - R.J. Anderson: +2

PIMs - David Schulz: 64

PPG - Connor Shields: 5

Wins - Kris Mayotte: 5

GAA - Shane Connelly: 3.72

SVP - Kris Mayotte:.891

This Week:

12/11 vs. Elmira, 7:05 p.m. - Home (0-0-1), Away (0-1-0)

The Chiefs will host the Elmira Jackals for the second time this season this Friday at 7:05. The last time the teams met, Johnstown held a 1-0 lead in the third period, but Elmira battled back to tie it with 27 seconds left in regulation and eventually won in overtime. Elmira is in the middle of a seven-game road trip that got off to an 0-3-0 start at the hands of Charlotte and South Carolina last week. After winning their first seven games and racing out to the East Division lead, the Jackals have come back to Earth and are 3-6-1 over their last 10. A win by the Chiefs would pull them within one point of second place in the division. Mike Bartlett leads the Chiefs against Elmira this season with three points (1G, 2A) in two games. The Jackals feature two of the league's top five scorers in Justin (11G, 22A) and Tyler (9G, 22A) Donati. The pair has combined for 10 points (3G, 7A) against Johnstown this season. Also on Friday, the Chiefs will be giving away team poster schedules to all fans in attendance.

12/12 vs. Gwinnett, 7:05 p.m. - Home (0-0-0), Away (0-0-0)

The Chiefs will play host to the Gladiators for only the second time in their 22-year history this Saturday. Johnstown ran its all-time record against Gwinnett to 1-0-1 on Feb. 13, 2008 with a 6-3 win in the clubs' most recent meeting. Greg Gallagher and Mike Knight are the only current Chiefs who took the ice against Gwinnett that night while Brad Schell, currently on the 21-day IR was the only Gladiator to play in that game. Gwinnett's one win against Johnstown was back on January 5, 2007 by a score of 4-3 via a 2-1 win in an eight round shootout. The Gladiators are led by Tom Zanoski, who is also sixth in league scoring, with 26 points (12G, 14A) in 20 games. Saturday night the Chiefs will feature their first Ladies' Night of the season. Lady Bic razors will be given away to the women in attendance and all women can buy tickets to that night's game for $8!

Day by Day:

Mon. 12/7: Off

Tues. 12/8: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Wed. 12/9: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Thurs. 12/10: Practice at UPMC Health Plan Ice Rink at CCWM, 10:00 a.m.

Fri. 12/11: Chiefs vs. Elmira Jackals, 7:05 p.m. - Team Poster Schedule Giveaway

Sat. 12/12: Chiefs vs. Gwinnett Gladiators, 7:05 p.m. - Ladies' Night

Sun. 12/13: Off

Broadcast Schedule:

Fri. 12/11: Chiefs vs. Elmira Jackals, 7:05 p.m. - radio and internet

Sat. 12/12: Chiefs vs. Gwinnett Gladiators, 7:05 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' Pregame Show presented by UPMC kicks off coverage of each game 15 minutes prior to faceoff.

Last Week: (1-1-1)

12/2 vs. Wheeling: SOL 4-5

Johnstown held two-goal leads at 2-0 and 3-1, but Wheeling kept chipping away and eventually forced overtime with three seconds left in regulation with Alex Grant slipping a rebound past Kris Mayotte. It was the fourth straight game between the Chiefs and Nailers that went to overtime, but neither team could score in the five extra minutes. In their first shootout of the season, the Chiefs got a goal from Ryan Menei as he blasted a wrist shot over the glove of Brad Theissen. It wouldn't be enough, though, because Andrew Lord and Mitch Ganzak cashed in for the Nailers to help them earn the second point. The Chiefs got goals from four different skaters in the game, including Chase Watson's first of the season, and Mike Bartlett led the way with two points on two assists.

12/4 vs. Wheeling: W 4-2

The Chiefs were finally able to end the overtime streak against the Nailers as they won their first home game against Wheeling since March 4, 2009. A two-goal first period would give the Chiefs a lead that they would not relinquish. Sean Berkstresser and Connor Shields found the net 31 seconds apart with Berkstresser's coming on the power play and Shields finishing off a 2-on-1 with Ryan Menei. Menei upped the lead to 3-0 with his fourth of the season at 14:46 of the second, and that would prove to be the game winner. Wheeling closed within one on goals in the third period by Blair Yaworski and Alex Grant, but Mike Bartlett prevented overtime by hitting the empty net with 19 seconds left to play. The win was the third of the season for rookie goalie Shane Connelly.

12/5 at Wheeling: L 0-7

After holding the pesky Thomas Beauregard without a point the night before, the Nailers' leading scorer busted out with a four-point night en route to Wheeling's first regulation win in the season series. Beauregard had a goal and an assist in the first period before completing the hat trick with a pair of markers in the second. Trailing only 2-0 after one, Johnstown could not contain the Wheeling attack in the second period as Blair Yaworski added a pair of goals to Beauregard's to give the Nailers a 6-0 lead. With 2:02 left to play in the game, Jordan Fox padded the score a bit further for Wheeling with his seventh of the season. Shane Connelly took the loss while facing a barrage of 45 shots.

CHIEFS CHOPS:

Scoring Streaks:

Goals:

None

Assists:

M. Knight; 2 gms (2A); 11/7-11/11

Points:

M. Knight; 2 gms (1G, 2A), 11/7-11/11

Quick Hits:

Johnstown has the best penalty kill on home ice in the ECHL at 97.7 percent (43-for-44). Mike Bartlett's goal on Dec. 4 vs. Wheeling was his 50th ECHL point. Counting his rookie season in the CHL (19G, 30A) he needs one more point to reach 100 as a pro. Ryan Menei scored the game winning goal in each of the Chiefs' last two wins. Half of Menei's four goals this season have been game winners. Kris Mayotte is five wins away from 50 in his ECHL career. He has a record of 4-0-1 in his last five starts with a save percentage of.921. Chiefs rookie Connor Shields was the second player in Chiefs' history, and the first since David Currie in 2003, to win Rookie of the Month honors for his play this past November.

Mark Your Calendar:

12/11: Chiefs vs. Elmira Jackals at 7:05 p.m. ET - Team Poster Schedule Giveaway

All fans in attendance will get a free team poster schedule to take home.

12/12: Chiefs vs. Gwinnett Gladiators at 7:05 p.m. ET - Ladies Night

$8.00 tickets are available for all the women in attendance and the Chiefs will be giving away free Bic Ladies' razors.

12/16: Chiefs vs. Reading Royals at 7:05 p.m. ET - Wendy's Wednesday Family Four Pack & Cuddles for Kids Benefit Night

$44 gets you four tickets, four hot dogs, four drinks, and four boxes of popcorn! The Chiefs will also be taking donations prior to the game of stuffed animals to benefit Cuddles for Kids.

12/18: Chiefs vs. Toledo Walleye at 7:05 p.m. ET - Brent's Band-Aids benefit night and Sellout Challenge

Bring a box of cartoon band-aids and get a free children's ticket to that night's game! Also, if attendance reaches or passes 3,880 everyone gets a coupon for a free ticket to a future Chiefs home game.



ECHL Stories from December 7, 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.

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