Monday, November 16, 2009
CENTRAL HOCKEY LEAGUE HEADLINES
Jacks Win Streak to be Tested
The Odessa Jackalopes have won seven straight games and are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games. Odessa currently sits atop the entire CHL with 21 points (10-1-1) but their winning ways will be tested this week with a four-games-in-five-nights stretch that begins on Tuesday night when they hot Amarillo (6-7-0). The tough week continues on Thursday vs. Texas (5-6-2), Friday at Laredo (7-2-2) and Saturday at Rio Grande Valley (6-4-2). After scoring just four goals in their first two games (one win and one loss), the Jackalopes have scored no fewer than four goals in any game this season and lead the CHL averaging 4.92 goals per contest. Odessa has scored 30 power play goals this season (13 more than any other team) and are on pace to shatter the CHL record of 124 PP goals in a season set during the 1995/96 season by Oklahoma City. At this rate, the Jacks would score 160 power play goals. Kenny Bernard had his goal scoring streak halted at eight games last weekend but still leads the league with six PP goals.
Cardiac Bucks
The Laredo Bucks have rebounded nicely after their 9-0 loss at Arizona on November 4th by winning four straight games. The scary part of their current win streak, at least for their fans, is that all four wins have come by one goal including three shootout wins. Laredo has played in a league-high four shootouts winning three of them. The Bucks are currently in second place in the Southern Conference with 16 points (7-2-2) and will have a stiff test to their win streak this week when they host the Southern Conference finalists from a year ago; Odessa on Friday and Texas on Saturday.
Tulsa on Fire
The Oilers (7-3-0) are setting the city on fire with their great play that currently has them tied for second place in the Northern Conference with 14 points, just one fewer than the conference leading Colorado Eagles (7-1-1). Tulsa has won three straight games for the first time since March 15-18 of 2008 and is undefeated at home with a 5-0-0 record at the BOK Center. Earlier in the season, Rob Hisey won an Oakley CHL Player of the Month award and now he is joined by teammates T.J. Caig and Kevin Armstrong who on Monday were named the Oakley CHL Player/Goaltender of the Month, respectively. Tulsa is averaging a goal more a game than the opposition and Caig has been a big catalyst with eight goals in his last five games and multiple-goal games in three straight contests.
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BY THE NUMBERS
15-5- The goal difference in the four games this season between the Missouri Mavericks and the Wichita Thunder, all wins by the Mavs. Missouri played their first two home games this past weekend beating Wichita in a shootout on Friday and then 4-2 on Saturday. Newcomer Jeff MacDermid (signed earlier in the week) scored three goals and had an assist in the two wins for the Mavs.
22- The number of points that Colorado’s Ryan Tobler has scored versus the Rapid City Rush in 13 games. Last year he led the way for Colorado with 20 points (8-12=20) in 12 games and then this season he had a pair of helpers in the Eagles 7-4 win on October 30th. The teams will become quite familiar with each other this week playing games in Rapid City on Tuesday and Friday and in Colorado on Saturday.
600- The number of professional games that Bossier-Shreveport’s Chris St. Croix has played in after Saturday’s game. The veteran is in his 11th pro season playing in the AHL, ECHL and in Germany before joining the Mudbugs.
55%- The percentage of goals scored by the Amarillo Gorillas in the third period this season. Thus far, the Gorillas have scored 22 of their 40 goals in the final frame.
8 of 11- The frequency of games that Corpus Christi forward Jereme Tendler has scored goals in this season. The second-year IceRay istied for third in the league with 10 goals on the season and has found the back of the net in eight of the Rays 11 games this season. He is currently on a four-game goal scoring streak. Tendler had nine goals in 17 games last year with the Rays.
SLAP SHOTS
-Bossier-Shreveport head coach Scott Muscutt will pass former Colorado Eagles head coach Chris Stewart for the third spot on the league’s all-time games coached list on Thursday night when the ‘Bugs host the Mississippi RiverKings. Muscutt and Stewart are currently tied with 590 career games coached in the CHL.
-Rio Grande Valley’s Daymen Rycroft is currently on an eight-game point streak totaling 15 points (3-12=15) over that stretch.
-Allen’s Tobias Whelan has five goals in his last five games and he is a +4 over that stretch. On the season, he has six goals and three assists with a +5 plus/minus rating.
-The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs are the walking wounded lately with five players on the injured reserve and two more out of the line-up with various ailments. Five forwards are currently sitting on the I.R. including Justin Aikins, Jeff Kyrzakos, Joe Zappala, Tyrel Lucas and Joe Ori. Forward Shawn Limpright and defenseman Dale Lupul also missed time over this past weekend.
-Be sure to check out the new CHL-TV offering fans an interactive approach to watching their favorite CHL teams. Monthly passes are available to catch all the action in the CHL. Watch CHL-TV at http://chltv.insinc.com.
