[truebluefan]

Rayz lend helping hand to the community

The Corpus Christi Rayz Professional Hockey Team will be appearing at the HEB Feast of Sharing Festival at the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall on Sunday afternoon from Noon until 1:00pm. Several Rayz players, team mascot Stinger Ray, members from the Ice Girls Dance Team and former Rayz forward and Community Relations Coordinator, Dave Gilmore will be among the many Rayz representatives lending a helping hand to the community. The Rayz will help serve food to the approximate 10,000 needy people that will be treated to a complimentary meal this holiday season. The Corpus Christi Rayz would like to wish all of their fans and all of South Texas a very Happy Holidays and a safe New Year.

 

[truebluefan]

Sundogs Drop to .500 in 4-1 Loss vs. New Mexico

PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ - In front of a near-capacity crowd of 4,804 fans and donning Christmas-themed uniforms, the Arizona Sundogs squared off against the New Mexico Scorpions for the fifth time in the month of December. The two clubs are slated to meet three more times before year's end. The Sundogs were unable to capitalize on the power play, going just 1-for-11 in the 4-1 loss. The Sundogs drop to .500 on the season.

The Sundogs pressured early controlling the puck in the New Mexico zone collecting several shots before the Scorpions would even clear the zone. The Scorpions would score the first period's lone goal at the 14:15 mark. Jamie Herrington would score for New Mexico, assisted by Mike Prpich and Lance Herauf. The first period would come to a close with both clubs collecting penalties at the 20:00 mark. Martin Doyle and Vladimir Hartinger would be the guilty parties, both grabbing two-minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The second period would start with both teams skating four-on-four as a result of the period-ending misconducts. Neither club would be able to take advantage of the open ice and would continue to give each other power play advantages. At 10:15 of the middle frame, Vladimir Hartinger would tally New Mexico's second goal slapping the puck past Arizona netminder Kris Mayotte's glove. Peter Kennedy and Mike Falk were credited with assists on the play.

Penalties would increase in the third period as Arizona fought to get back in the game. Arizona would cut the Scorpions' lead to one on a power play goal from Chris Bartolone. Dan DaSilva and Brent Kelly assisted on the man advantage tally. Arizona's cut into New Mexico's lead wouldn't last long as the Scorpions would score just 36 seconds later to push the score to 3-1. Lance Herauf would grab his second point of the night on a pass from Ryan McLeod. Arizona would pull Mayotte in favor of an extra attacker but would give up an empty net goal at 18:07. Mike Falk would notch the unassisted goal to secure the 4-1 victory.

Arizona outshot New Mexico 29-23 in the contest with Mayotte stopping 20 in the loss while Scott Reid stopped 28, rebounding from a 4-3 overtime loss against the Sundogs last Saturday. The Sundogs finished 1-for-11 on the power play while the Scorpions finished 0-for-5. Next up for the Sundogs is the Rocky Mountain Rage on Wednesday, December 27. Game time is set for 7:00pm at the Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley.

 

[truebluefan]

Hounds Go On Holiday on High Note

The Youngstown SteelHounds will go into the holidays smiling after a convincing 4-2 win over the Austin Ice Bats on Saturday night. The Hounds got the scoring going early as Chris Richards would score his 15th of the season at the 5:15 mark to make it 1-0. That was not the only goal of the period as eight minutes later it would be the most unlikely of scorers in Kelly Sickavish putting in his first of the season to make it 2-0 after one period.

In the second period Jeff Alcombrack would score his third goal, this on the power play to make it 3-0 Hounds. The Alcombrack goal saw history made as Chris Richards recorded his 100th assist as a SteelHound (30 for year). Richards would have two goals on the night as in the third period he would score shorthanded from Jeff Christian as that would put the game on ice, literally.

Christian extended his league leading point streak with helpers on all four Youngstown goals. The captain leads the league in assists with 33 and points with 49. Austin would have it's bright spots as Mike Tucciarone and John Ronan would score and make the game end 4-2.

Brad Patterson would have two assists on the night giving him 12 for the season (18 points). The goaltending of Brad Roberts was brilliant all night as he stopped 30 of 32 Ice Bat shots. The Hounds finish the three games with a 2-1 record improving 14-7-5 on the season with 33 points. The SteelHounds return to action on Friday, December 29th when they host the first place Memphis Riverkings at 7:05pm in the Chevy Centre.

 

[truebluefan]

RiverKings rebound with win at Victoria

WICHITA, KS --- Rick Kozak and Travis Banga each scored two goals to lead the Memphis RiverKings to a 4-2 over the Wichita Thunder Saturday night at the Kansas Coliseum. The win keeps the RiverKings four points ahead of the Youngstown Steelhounds for first place in the Northeast Division with the Steelhounds having defeated Austin earlier. The RiverKings will next play back at Bossier-Shreveport Tuesday at 7:05.

Kozak gave the RiverKings the early lead 3:04 into the game as he scored on his own rebound, only to have the Thunder's Ryan Lauzon tie the score with the first of his two goals at 4:42. Banga converted on a shorthanded chance as he went all alone on Thunder goalie Sebastien LaPlante for a 2-1 a RiverKings lead. Kozak pushed that lead to 3-1 at 17:27 of the first. It was his second of the game, his eighth of the season and his seventh in the last six games.

Lauzon scored the only goal of the second with Banga's shorthanded empty net goal with two seconds left being the only goal of the third period. The RiverKings were able to kill off a Wichita power play in the final minute and half before Banga's goal, his team high 14th, sealed it.

Larry Sterling stopped 26 of 28 shots to pick up the win, his CHL leading 16th.

 

[truebluefan]

Bugs Outlast Oilers 3-2

BOSSIER CITY, LA -- The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs hit the road for their second contest against Tulsa of the season and their last game before Christmas. The Mudbugs took to the scoreboard first when Cam Abbott scored his second goal in two nights, this time on the powerplay. David Masse answered for Tulsa on the man advantage to tie it going in to the intermission.

The Mudbugs reclaimed the lead half way through the second period when Forbes MacPherson jammed in a rebound. Shortly afterwards Tulsa's Mike Wiggins let a slapshot go from the right points that snuck by John DeCaro to tie the game at two. The Bugs forecheck was relentless, as Chris Brassard would fire a wrister from the top of the circle, beating Tulsa goaltender Jason Montgomery.

The Mudbugs played outstanding defensive hockey in the third period. The Bugs were forced to kill off a 5-3 in the final two minutes to claim the lead. Tulsa pulled the goaltender for an extra attacker, but John DeCaro and the Mudbugs defense held strong. The Bugs held on for the one goal lead, improving their record to 12-9-4. The Mudbugs return to Bossier-Shreveport for a 7:05 PM game against Memphis at CenturyTel Center on December 26th.

 

[truebluefan]

Bucks Beat Bees 3-1, Laredo Sports Best Record In Southern Conference

LAREDO, Texas - The defending CHL President's Cup Champion Laredo Bucks used a solid 60 minute effort to beat the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 3-1 at the LEC on Saturday night in front of 5,107 fans. Goalie Eric Marvin made 30 saves as the Bucks won their second straight and for the seventh time in the last nine games. Laredo is now 16-8-2 with a Southern Conference best 34 points. Fans can get the Laredo Morning Times Family Four Pack, which includes four tickets, four hot dogs, and four sodas (a $100 value) for $48. The Bucks travel to Rio Grande Valley and play on Friday and Saturday. Laredo returns home on Sunday against the Killer Bees in the Westwind Homes Tuxes and Pucks New Years Eve Celebration. The first 2,500 fans will get a hockey puck keychain courtesy of Westwind Homes plus there will be fireworks after the game presented by Lack's Furniture. Fans can get the Laredo Morning Times Family Four Pack, which includes four tickets, four hot dogs, and four sodas (a $100 value) for $48. The Bucks are offering a family four pack of season tickets for the 2006-07 CHL regular season, which works out to just over $7 a seat per game and is a 48 % savings off walkup prices. For more info on 2006-07 Bucks season tickets log onto Laredo Bucks or call (956) 718-BUCK (2825).

The Bucks scored first for the fifth time in the last seven games. Defenseman Oriel McHugh snapped home a wrist shot from the high slot 4:26 in for his second of the season. Then at 9:25 forward Bobby Chaumont followed up his own shot from the bottom of the left circle and stuffed in the rebound to make it 2-0. It was the 12th of the season for Chaumont. Laredo dominated the first period out shooting the Killer Bees 14-5.

Early in the second period the Killer Bees made a bid to get back in the game, but Marvin made two spectacular glove saves on defenseman Kurtis Dulle and Rob Carrigan to deny Rio Grande Valley. Marvin ended up stopping 16 Rio Grande Valley shots in the frame. At 12:50 Laredo made it 3-0 when defenseman Steve Weidlich blasted a shot from the point that was redirected by forward Leo Thomas. It was the 10th of the year for Thomas.

In the third period Rio Grande Valley forward Doug Orr picked up a Bucks turnover behind the net on a power play chance and scored on a wraparound at 1:55 to complete the scoring. FINAL SCORE Laredo 3, Rio Grande Valley 1.

Marvin stopped 30 of 31 shots and improved to 9-4-2. Jeremy Symington allowed three goals on 29 shots and fell to 9-5-0. The Bucks were 0-4 on the power play, while Rio Grande Valley went 1-5. The Killer Bees out shot the Bucks 31-29.

 

[truebluefan]

Jacks ride big first to 4-2 win over Rayz

The Corpus Christi Rayz were holding a Holiday Celebration at the American Bank Center on Saturday Night. The Odessa Jackalopes attended, playing the role of the Grinch. Despite the fact that the Rayz controlled the majority of shots and scoring chances throughout the evening, the Jackalopes jumped out to an early lead and battled through a late Corpus Christi rush as they went on to beat the Rayz 4-2. The Rayz will now have off until Friday night when they travel to face the Lubbock Cotton Kings.

The Jackalopes exploded for three goals in a 3:52 span to take a lead in the opening period. Don Margettie got the scoring started with a shorthanded goal at 5:55. The Jacks upped their lead just 70 seconds later when Mike Ramsey scored from the top of the left circle. Odessa capped the three-goal first when Jay Latulippe scored with one second left on a power play to make the score 3-0 Odessa. The Rayz garnered quality scoring chances in the period, but were unable to solve Derek Dolson and were held off the board. The Rayz outshot the Jacks 16-8 in the period.

The Jackalopes added one to their lead in the second period when Adam Loncan scored on the power play at 8:20. It was the only goal of the frame and made the score 4-0 Jacks. Just like the first period, the Rayz collected numerous chances, but were unable to find the scoreboard. The Rayz outshot the Jackalopes by a lopsided margin again with a 15-6 advantage in the frame.

In the third period Corpus Christi finally solved Dolson and put together a comeback effort with two quick goals. Tony Johnson scored first at 3:55 of the third when he guided a shot from the point through traffic and into the back of the net to get the Rayz on the board. Less than two minutes later, Nick Lindberg tallied shorthanded at 5:40 to pull the Rayz within two goals. Corpus Christi kept the pressure on, but the Rayz would get no closer as Odessa held on for the victory.

The Rayz fell to 12-11-5 on the year with the loss, but remained in second place in the Southeast Division. Odessa improved to 11-10-3 with the win. Zelenewich made 12 saves on 16 shots. His record dropped to 4-5-2. Dolson was tremendous earning the win as he made 40 saves on 42 shots, and improving to 8-6-2. The Rayz went 0-6 on the power play. Odessa went 2-5. The Rayz outhsot the Jacks 42-16.

 

[truebluefan]

Eagles Blank Rage 5-0, Win 12th Straight at Home

LOVELAND, CO - Marco Emond saved all 36 shots he faced as the Colorado Eagles beat the Rocky Mountain Rage 5-0 Saturday night at the Budweiser Events Center. Ryan Tobler and Brad Williamson each contributed three assists in the Eagles' record-tying 12th straight win at home. Colorado has now won eight straight games overall and they remain in first place in the Northwest Division with a record of 19-4-0 for 38 points. Colorado is now 7-2-0 over Rocky Mountain and the teams will meet three more times this season. The Eagles wish everyone Happy Holidays and they will return to the ice on December 27th against the New Mexico Scorpions at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.

The teams skated to a scoreless first period. Colorado out shot Rocky Mountain 12-10.

Midway through the second period, Aaron Schneekloth unlocked the tie with his first goal in fifteen games. He took a feed from Ryan Tobler and beat Rage goaltender David Guerrera from the doorstep for a power play goal. Ed McGrane struck again for the Eagles on another feed from Ryan Tobler to give Colorado a 2-0 lead. Shots were even in the period at 12, but the Eagles converted on a power play and an even-strength goal and entered the third period with the two-goal lead.

Riley Nelson took a backdoor feed from Brad Williamson and scored his 15th goal of the season just 1:04 into the third period giving the Eagels a 3-0 lead. Colorado continued their pressure and Sean Robertson scored his first goal since December 8th on another power play. The Eagles earned a five-on-three late in the final period and Garrett Larson scored his first goal since November 10th (16 games) to give the Eagles a 5-0 final score over the Rage. Colorado finished the game being out shot by the Rage 36-33, but Marco Emond stopped all 36 shots for his second shutout of the season.

The Eagles wish everyone Happy Holidays and they will be back on the ice on December 27th in New Mexico to take on the Scorpions.

 

[truebluefan]

Rage Shutout, 5-0

Loveland, Colo. - Goaltender Marco Emond made 36 saves and his teammates scored four power play goals as the Colorado Eagles shutout the Rocky Mountain Rage, 5-0, at the Budweiser Events Center.

Emond's stellar play began on the game's first shift when he robbed Rocky Mountain's Bret DeCecco with a glove save from right on the doorstep that set the tone for the evening. The teams were scoreless past the mid-way point of the game before the Eagles finally broke through with their first power play marker at 10:13 of the second off the stick of Aaron Schneekloth. They then tallied their only even strength goal of the night at 15:11 when Ed McGrane was the beneficiary of a great individual effort by Ryan Tobler, giving Colorado a 2-0 edge though 40 minutes.

The game was put out of reach early in the third as the Eagles began the frame on another power play. Brad Williamson found Riley Nelson back-door for the club's second goal with the man advantage, and Colorado led 3-0 just 1:04 into the final period. The game turned sloppy over the final half of the third with the Eagles' Sean Robertson and Garrett Larson each notching power play goals for the final 5-0 margin.

The Rage are now winless over their last seven (0-6-1) and drop to 6-15-3 overall with 15 points. They will seek their first win since Dec. 2 when they travel to face the Arizona Sundogs on Dec. 27 in Prescott Valley, Ariz. With three-quarters of the 12-game Rocky Mountain Rivalry season series in the books, the Rage are 2-6-1 against their in-state rivals this season.

Following their battle against the Sundogs, the Rage will then return home to Broomfield Event Center for their first look at the Austin Ice Bats on Fri., Dec. 29, at 7:05 p.m.

Single game tickets for Rage home games are on sale with prices ranging from $15-$40 per seat. Tickets may be purchased online at broomfieldeventcenter.com: Home, by calling 303-410-TIXS, or at the Broomfield Event Center box office (11450 Broomfield Ln., Broomfield, 80021). Season tickets, mini-packs, and group plans are also available for the 2006-07 season by calling 303-439-RAGE. For more information, visit Rocky Mountain Rage.