[truebluefan]

Jackals GM Returns To The Bench

Elmira, NY - The Elmira Jackals announced today that General Manager Robbie Nichols will be taking a more active role in the Jackals on ice activities. Effective immediately, Nichols will become the team's Head Coach, in addition to his duties as Jackals and First Arena General Manager, while Kris Waltze will be retained by the Jackals as a coach.

The past off-season provided a rather large challenge for the Jackals Front Office and new General Manager Robbie Nichols. He was hired with the task of turning around a franchise that had not seen playoff action in two years, spanning back to the 2003-04 Colonial Cup Finals. Nichols completely overhauled the lineup, bringing back just one player from the 2005-06 roster and heavily recruited players from a variety of leagues and championship experience to bring a winning team back to Elmira. The Jackals rushed out of the gates to an 11-5-0 record and the 2nd best record in the UHL by late November. Since that point the Jackals have hit a speed bump, going a dismal 2-7-0 in their last 9 games, including a current losing streak of 5 games, limping to a .500 record of 13-13-0.

Two weeks ago Nichols joined Coach Kris Waltze in practice and on the bench for the two-game home series with the Fort Wayne Komets; an intense, physical and exciting weekend of hockey that saw Elmira split with the Western Conference's 1st place team.

Since the early summers months, Nichols has spent a great deal of his time building the Jackals from scratch, recruiting players and setting up all of the team's accommodations, travel, etc. Now that a majority of the recruiting is behind him, he will turn his focus towards the Jackals on-ice performance to ensure that the team lives up to his ultimate goals, bringing a winning team back to Elmira.

"Dr. Afr has made a commitment to winning and has stressed that since the moment I was hired," said Jackals General Manager Robbie S. Nichols. "With our recent record and form on the ice, we felt that a change was necessary. I am directly responsible for the players we recruited this off-season and now I am directly responsible for their performance on the ice. Kris will work closely with me to get this team back on track."

Nichols becomes the 5th Head Coach in the Jackals seven-year franchise history. In 570 games as a Head Coach he has amassed a record of (309-205-56) totaling a .551 winning percentage while at the helm of the Flint Generals, the Adirondack IceHawks and the Richmond Riverdogs. His best year coaching came in his first year behind the bench, as he led the 1995-96 Flint Generals to a 51-18-5 record and the Colonial Cup Championship that year. Nichols is one of only four coaches in the UHL's 300 Club, along with Mark Reeds (323), Paul Gillis (358) and Greg Puhalski (367) for having 300 or more wins in the league.

"I am behind Robbie 100%," said Jackals owner Dr. Mostafa Afr. "I am in full support of his decisions and goals for the season. We are on the same page with our desire for the success of the Jackals and I have total confidence in Robbie's abilities to make that happen."

Nichols will take over today and run his first practice as Head Coach of the Jackals Wednesday morning. Kris Waltze will continue to play a very active role with the Jackals as Nichols' Assistant Coach and both are very eager to halt the teams' currently losing streak before the Christmas holiday.

The Jackals are on the road this week as they begin with a heavily anticipated rematch with the Fort Wayne Komets Friday December 22nd at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Indiana. Saturday December 23rd the Jackals will be in Chicago to face off with the Chicago Hounds before returning home for the Christmas break. Elmira's next home game is on Friday December 29th as they host the Port Huron Flags for a 7:35 pm face off.

FIRST ARENA UPCOMING EVENTS

First Arena Section 4 vs. Section 5/PA High School Basketball Shootout 2006. Coming up this Friday and Saturday the First Arena is hosting seven (7) high school basketball games featuring some of the area's best boys and girls teams. Friday December 22nd features two games beginning at 6 pm. Saturday has five games on the schedule, starting at 1 pm. For more information, contact the First Arena office at 607-734-PUCK.

FIRST ARENA REC RINK

The ice is HOT at First Arena - Visit our website for a complete list of Public Skating times and Arena Programs at Home Page - Come in to the COOL place to be!

The First Arena Rec Rink offers public skating, skating lessons, hockey programs, figure skating, birthday parties, and much more....

 

[truebluefan]

PrairieThunder falls at Quad City

MOLINE, Ill. - Veteran Don Parsons, who recently surpassed the 600-mark in goals scored in his career, added four more to his total Wednesday night to lead the Quad City Mallards to a 7-1 Western Conference victory over the Bloomington PrairieThunder before 2,332 people at The MARK of the Quad Cities.

Bloomington's lone goal came from forward Jarad Bourassa 1:04 into the second period to snap a season-high159:57 scoring drought. He was assisted by Mike Clarke. By that time, the PrairieThunder trailed, 4-0, as the Mallards scored all four of their goals in the first period when they had a 17-7 advantage in shots on goal.

Parsons had two of the goals on assists by Chad Woollard twice, Sergei Durdin and Brett Pilkington. The first goal was on a powerplay. The Mallards were successful on 3 of 8 powerplays, while the PrairieThunder was unsuccessful on six powerplays.

Bloomington coach Derek Booth pulled starting goalie Steffan Braunlich with 30 seconds remaining in the first period after he gave up the four goals on 17 shots in favor of Jeff Reynaert..

"We didn't come out ready to play from our goaltenders to our veteran players," said Booth, whose team has lost three straight and has an 8-18 record ahead of Friday's 6:30 p.m. game at Port Huron.

"Not all the blame falls on the goalies, but they didn't get the job done and I have to address that situation. Our team looked lost out there. We didn't look like we knew what we were doing."

Quad City, which improved its record to 9-12-3, answered Bourassa's goal in the second period on a powerplay goal by Parsons. He was assisted by Pilkington and Durdin. The Mallards, who finished with a 50-28 advantage in shots on goal, outshot the PrairieThunder, 16-11, in the second period.

The Mallards added two goals in the third period by Durdin (assisted by Nick Harloff and Justin Chwedoruk) and Parsons (assisted by Sean Starke and Woollard).

"We had one good line shift and we scored a goal," said Booth. "Then we went back to our same old ways. It showed when we had our third line against their first line. Our guys have to understand nobody's job is safe. We have to compete at a higher level."

 

[truebluefan]

PrairieThunder looking to snap three-game losing streak vs. Port Huron

The Bloomington PrairieThunder (8-18-0, 16 points) looks to snap a three-game losing streak when it faces the Port Huron

- Flags (10-14-4) at 6:30 p.m. tonight. The PrairieThunder completes its three-game road swing at league-leading Muskegon (24-3) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in United Hockey League action. All games can be heard on WTRX (93.7 FM).

- The PrairieThunder is 1-1 vs. Port Huron; and 0-3 vs. Muskegon.

- The PrairieThunder snapped a season-high scoring drought of 159:59 when Jarad Bourassa scored 1:04 into the second period Wednesday in a 7-1 Western Conference loss at Quad City. The PrairieThunder has been outscored, 18-1, during its three-game losing streak.

Bloomington has been outshot 124-79 in the last three games and hasn't had a goal on its last 18 power plays attempts.

- The PrairieThunder has a 5-7 record at U.S. Cellular Coliseum and a 3-11 record on the road.

- Bloomington is 2-0 in shootout decisions. Forward Alex Goupil is 2-2 in shootouts. Jon Jankus is 1-1, including the game winner vs. Quad City last week, while B.J. Gaustad is 1-1, Mathieu Brunelle 1-1, Jarad Bourassa 0-1, and Tyler Rennette 0-1.

- Goalies Steffan Braunlich and Jeff Reynaert each have a shootout victory.

- The PrairieThunder has a 6-9 record against Western Conference teams and a 2-9 record against Eastern Conference teams. The PrairieThunder competes in the Western Conference of the UHL with the Fort Wayne Komets, the Quad City Mallards, the Chicago Hounds and Rockford Icehogs. Competing in the Eastern Conference are the Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals, the Flint (Mich.) Generals, the Port Huron (Mich.) Flags, the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Wings and the Muskegon (Mich.) Fury .

- The PrairieThunder posted a 1-5 record in October; 5-6 in November and 2-7 in December.

- Each time the PrairieThunder scores four or more goals, their fans are treated to free Big Mac's the day following the game at the seven Twin Cities McDonalds. Thus far the PrairieThunder has scored four or more goals four times and 2,911 free Big Macs have been handed out.

- PrairieThunder franchise firsts: First goal - Tyler Rennette (Oct. 13 at Muskegon), First goal at U.S. Cellular Coliseum - Andre Niec (Oct. 14 vs. Fort Wayne), Largest home crowd - 5,102 (Oct. 14 vs. Fort Wayne).

PrairieThunder acquires services of Payant, Niec, Spoltore

- The Bloomington PrairieThunder obtained center John Spoltore from the Chicago Hounds on Sunday and have resigned Andre Niec. Spoltore, who won't join the team until after Christmas, played 13 games for the Hounds, scoring two goals with six assists for eight points. He is in his 12th year in professional hockey.

- Niec played five games for the PrairieThunder earlier in the year, scoring two goals for two points. He has been playing in the Southern Professional Hockey League with Fayetteville and Jackaonsville. He has scored two goals with five assists for seven points.

Payant, a natve on Antoich, was signed late Tuesday after he was was put on waivers by the Chicago Hounds. He played in 12 games for the Hounds in his first year as a pro, scoring one goal.

- In other news, right wing Dmitri Tarabrin has been granted an indefinite leave of absence by Coach Derek Booth to take care of family issues, while forward Jon Jankus has been placed on the non-active roster and Mathieu Brunelle is no longer on the active roster because of personal reasons.

- The PrairieThunder hope to regain the services of center Trevor Baker and defenseman Mark Phoenow before the first of the year. Both have been out since early in the season because of sports hernia surgery.
Last time out

MOLINE, Ill. - Veteran Don Parsons, who recently surpassed the 600-mark in goals scored in his career, added four more to his total Wednesday night to lead the Quad City Mallards to a 7-1 Western Conference victory over the Bloomington PrairieThunder before 2,332 people at The MARK of the Quad Cities.

Bloomington's lone goal came from forward Jarad Bourassa 1:04 into the second period to snap a season-high 159:59 scoring drought. He was assisted by Mike Clarke. By that time, the PrairieThunder trailed, 4-0, as the Mallards scored all four of their goals in the first period when they had a 17-7 advantage in shots on goal.

Parsons had two of the goals on assists by Chad Woollard twice, Sergei Durdin and Brett Pilkington. The first goal was on a power play. The Mallards were successful on 3 of 8 power plays, while the PrairieThunder was unsuccessful on six power plays.

Bloomington coach Derek Booth pulled starting goalie Steffan Braunlich with 30 seconds remaining in the first period after he gave up the four goals on 17 shots in favor of Jeff Reynaert.

"We didn't come out ready to play from our goaltenders to our veteran players," said Booth. "Not all the blame falls on the goalies, but they didn't get the job done and I have to address that situation. Our team looked lost out there. We didn't look like we knew what we were doing."
.
Against Port Huron

- Nov. 18 - Port Huron 1, Bloomington 0 (at Potr Huron)
- Nov. 25 - Bloomington 3, Port Huron 1 (at Bloomington)

Against Muskegon

- Oct. 13 - Muskegon 7, Bloomington 3 (at Muskegon)
- Oct. 20 - Muskegon 7, Bloomington 1 (at Bloomington)
- Dec. 15 - Muskegon 4, Bloomington 0 (at Bloomington)

The coaches

- The PrairieThunder is coached by Derek Booth, the Southern Professional Hockey League Coach of the Year last season at Fayetteville (NC). The FireAntz compiled a 31-19 record last season and advanced to the league playoffs. This is Booth's third year as a head coach and he has a 71-61 career record including this season.

PrairieThunder leaders
- Goals scored - Alex Goupil - 6
- Assists - Shawn Snider - 15
- Points - Shawn Snider - 19
- Shots - B.J. Gaustad - 82
- Penalty minutes - Mike Adamek - 41
- Wins - Jeff Reynaert - 5
- Saves - Jeff Reynaert - 533
- Save percentage - Steffan Braunlich - .903

PrairiePrairie records:
Playing at home: 5-7 Scoring by periods by Bloomington:
Playing on the road: 3-11
Playing at night: 8-16 Bloomington 18 14 15 2 - 48
Playing during the day: 0-2 Opponents 26 31 34 0 - 91
PrairieThunder scores first: 6-5
Opponent scores first: 1-12
PrairieThunder leads after 1st period: 4-2
Opponent leads after 1st period: 0-8
PrairieThunder leads after 2nd period: 4-1
Opponent leads after 2nd period: 1-13
Game goes into shootout: 2-0
One-goal games: 4-3
PrairieThunder has more shots on goal: 4-4
Opponent has more shots on goal: 3-13
PrairieThunder has less penalty minutes: 2-2
Opponent has less penalty minutes: 3-10
PrairieThunder has more power plays: 3-2
Opponent has more power plays: 2-12
Power play opportunities: Bloomington 15-137; Opponents - 26-155
Shorthanded goals: Bloomington 2; Opponents 3
Goals per game average: 1.84
Last 10 games: 2-8
Last 5 games: 2-3


Recent PrairieThunder transactions

- Dec. 19 - Signed forward Brian Payant
- Dec. 17 - Resigned right wing Andre Niec
- Dec. 17 - Granted right wing Dmitri Tarabrin indefinite leave of absence
- Dec. 17 - Removed left wing Mathieu Brunelle from active roster for personal reasons
- Dec. 16 - Acquired center John Spoltore from Chicago
- Dec. 16 - Placed forward Jon Jankus in 7-day injured list
- Dec. 11 - Acquired center Shawn Snider from Kalamazoo for defenseman Jason Lawmaster
- Dec. 11 - Waived goalie Jorge Alves
- Dec. 11 - Goalie Steffan Braunlich reassigned from Peoria (AHL)
- Dec. 7 - Goalie Steffan Braunlich reassigned to Peoria (AHL)
- Dec. 2 - Forward B.J. Gaustad reassigned from Iowa (AHL)
- Dec. 1 - Forward B.J. Gaustad reassigned to Iowa (AHL)

PrairieThunder on injured reserve

- Center Tyler Rennette - 7 day (medical)
- Center Trevor Baker - 21 day (sports hernia)
- Defenseman Mark Phenow - 21-day (sports hernia)

Coming up next for the PrairieThunder

- Dec. 22 - PrairieThunder at Port Huron, 6:30 p.m.
- Dec. 23 - PrairieThunder at Muskegon, 6:30 p.m.
- Dec. 26 - Flint at PrairieThunder, 7:05 p.m.
- Dec. 29 - Fort Wayne at PrairieThunder, 7:05 p.m.
- Dec. 30 - PrairieThunder at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
- Dec. 31 - Rockford at PrairieThunder, 6:05 p.m.

 

[truebluefan]

Ringing in the new year

Kalamazoo, MI- The Kalamazoo Wings, proud member of the United Hockey League and 2005-06 Central Division, Tarry Cup and Colonial Cup Champions, announce the 5th Annual New Years Eve Bash will occur Sunday, December 31st, when the K-Wings host the Flint Generals at Wings Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

For the fifth straight season, the Kalamazoo Wings have teamed up with COOL 101 FM, and WWMT to present the New Year's Eve Bash. Your ticket to the game will give you FREE admission to the party after the game, which includes the COOL 101 FM Rock and Roll Oldies Dance in The Cube, as well as a public skate in Wings Stadium with music provided by Soundscape DJ Services.

Being a premium night game, New Year's Eve Bash tickets range from $9-14 for adults and $7 for children under the age of 12. Game tickets purchased on game day will increase by $1.

Tickets for just the dance are $15. Individuals needing skate rentals will have to pay $2. With limited skate rentals available, the Wings Stadium Complex encourages all patrons who have there own skates to bring them to the game.

Tickets for the 5th Annual New Year's Eve Bash, as well as all K-Wings home games are available by contacting the Wings Stadium Ticket Office at (269) 345-5101.Ticket office hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased online at Official Ticketmaster site. Tickets for Concerts, Sports, Arts, Theater, Family, Events, more.

 

[truebluefan]

Countdown to Face-Off

The two top teams in both the Eastern Conference and the United Hockey League will face-off tonight, as the Kalamazoo Wings host the Muskegon Fury. Kalamazoo trails the season series with Muskegon with a record of 1-3-0. However, the K-Wings did defeat the Fury 3-2 in their last encounter on December 2nd at the L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon.

Winners of their last two, Kalamazoo returns to the ice looking to match a season high three-game winning streak. The K-Wings are hitting a groove, winning eight of their last 11 games. Nick Bootland leads the K-Wings offensive attack with 28 points, tying him 7th in the league. Tonight also starts a hectic stretch for Kalamazoo, in which they will play seven games over the next 10 days.

In 27 games this season, Muskegon has scored three or more goals in 23 of them. The most prolific scoring attack in the league carries a five-game winning streak into Wings Stadium. Besides scoring, goaltending has played a key role in the Fury's success, as goaltender Clayton Pool is a perfect 11-0-0 on road with a goals against average of 1.62.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings Muskegon Fury

Goals: Nick Bootland (18 Goals) Todd Robinson (23 Goals)

Assists: Glenn Detulleo (21 Assists) Todd Robinson (34 Assists)

Points: Nick Bootland (28 Points) Todd Robinson (57 Points)

+/-: Jeff Brown, Joe Markusen (+8) David Van Drunen (+29)

Penalty Minutes: Tyler Willis (73 Minutes) Adam Smyth (99 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Justin Cross (7 Goals) Todd Robinson, Mike Watt (8 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Scott Dobben (2 Goals) Todd Robinson (5 Goals)

Game Winning Goals: Nick Bootland (4 GW) Todd Robinson (6 GW)

Shots: Nick Bootland (121 Shots) Todd Robinson (123 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Lucas Drake (31.3%) Kelly Thompson (28.6%)

Shootout Goals: Alexander Valentin, Glenn Detulleo Todd Robinson, Rustyn Dolyny

Kory Karlander (1 Goal) Adam Smyth (1 Goal)

Shootout Percentage: Alexander Valentin, Glenn Detulleo Todd Robinson, Rustyn Dolyny

Kory Karlander (100%) Adam Smyth (100%)

Goals Against Average: Ryan Nie (2.00) Clayton Pool (1.74)

Save Percentage: Ryan Nie (0.935) Clayton Pool (0.942)

All-Time/ Season Series

All-Time Series: K-Wings Trail All-Time Series: 22-42-7

Season Series: K-Wings Trail Season Series: 1-3-0

Last Meeting: K-Wings Won 3-2 December 2nd @ L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon, Michigan

Next Meeting: Tuesday, December 26th @ L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon, Michigan

Nearing a Milestone

Kory Karlander is closing in on a personal milestone. With his next assist, Karlander with eclipse the 300-assist plateau in his illustrious career.

On a Roll

Nick Bootland has continued his dominant ways recording a total of 15 points in nine of his last eleven games. The K-Wings captain also has a three game goal streak and four game point streak to add to his already impressive numbers this season.

Making an Impact

If you ask Lucas Drake, he may say there's no place like home. The left-winger had no trouble getting back in the swing of things, scoring five goals in his last two games including a hat trick in his first game back at Wings Stadium last Saturday vs. Fort Wayne.

A lot of Hockey

Tonight starts a strenuous stretch of games for the Kalamazoo Wings. Including this evening's game against Muskegon, Kalamazoo will play seven games over the next 10 days.

Tickets, Get Your Tickets!!

Tickets for all K-Wings home games are now on sale. Catch all the action as your K-Wings play the very best the UHL has to offer. Tickets are on sale now by calling the Wings Stadium Ticket Office at (269) 345-5101.

Get On-Line

This season, the best way to keep track of the K-Wings is to log onto :: Wings Stadium - Home of Kalamazoo Wings Hockey ::. The site has player profiles, photos, information about Wings Stadium events, and much much more. Fans of myspace can befriend the official site of Wings Stadium and the Kalamazoo Wings at www.myspace.com/wingsstadium.

Drake and Cross on the Radio

Join special guests Lucas Drake and Justin Cross, as they join Head Coach Mark Reeds and the Voice of the K-Wings, Mike Modugno on "K-Wings Live" on January 8th. The show is on Sports Radio AM 1660 Mondays from 6-7 PM at The Cabana Bar and Grille inside the Holiday Inn Kalamazoo on South 11th Street. Come join us for the last "K-Wings Live" of 2006. Remember "K-Wings Live" will be on a two-week hiatus due to the holidays.

K-Wings on Radio

Catch all the K-Wings games home and away on the K-Wings Radio Network (WLKM 95.9 FM and Sports Radio AM 1660). Join the Voice of the K-Wings, Mike Modugno for all 76 regular season games plus the playoffs. Pre-game coverage begins with the Digital Highway Pre-Game Show 15 minutes prior to face-off. For the most complete coverage of the K-Wings from the Opening Face-Off to the Final Buzzer, keep your radio tuned this season to the K-Wings Radio Network.

Upcoming Games

Saturday, December 23rd Vs. Port Huron 7:30 PM (Santa Claus comes to Wings Stadium)

Tuesday, December 26th @ Muskegon 7:30 PM

Wednesday, December 27th @ Port Huron 7:00 PM

Friday, December 29th @ Flint 7:30 PM

 

[truebluefan]

Flags Silence PrairieThunder in Shootout, 4-3

(PORT HURON, MICH.) - Despite falling behind early to the Bloomington PrairieThunder, the Port Huron Flags rallied to their first shootout victory of the season, keeping their winning streak alive in a 4-3 win at home.

Bloomington didn't wait long to get things started, with a pair of goals inside of four minutes. The first occurred just 51 seconds into the first, off the stick of Brad Thompson, assisted by former Flag Ryan Gillis. At 3:35, Shawn Snider put the PrairieThunder up by two, with assists from Shawn Roed and Thompson. Bloomington nudged out Port Huron in shots on goal in the first period, 11 to 10.

The Flags started the second with a bang when Bobby Kukulka scored just 10 seconds into the period, taking advantage of an interference call on Alex Goupil in the last second of the first. Kukulka was assisted by Colt King and Greg Bullock. Later, a 5-on-3 advantage for Port Huron yielded the equalizing goal, from King, with assists credited to Kukulka and Steve Hildenbrand. While Port Huron outshot Bloomington 16-9 in the second, the more interesting statistic was the 19 penalties called in the first 40 minutes.

Things got interesting in the third, when Andre Niec was ejected from the game for a butt ending major that nearly sparked a line brawl. After King's corresponding minor was served, the Flags were left with a 3 minute power play on which they were unable to capitalize. Late in the period, Mike Adamek was also tossed from the game for a kneeing major and a game misconduct. Chris Bogas was on the bad end of that penalty and had to leave the game due to injury. The incident left Port Huron with a considerable power play, but it was Bloomington who took advantage first, when Goupil scored shorthanded and unassisted at 16:01. However, the Flags answered right back, at 16:50, when Garett Cameron tied the game again, off assists from Rob Snowball and King. Although the Flags' 10 shots on goal beat Bloomington's nine, the Flags entered their fifth shootout of the season, looking to keep their four game winning streak alive.

Goupil opened up the shooting for the PrairieThunder, but was stuffed by Dustin Traylen. Kukulka took the ice for Port Huron, but was unable to fake out Jeff Reynaert. Shawn Snider and Mike Olynyk were both denied in their tries. Gaustad finally scored for Bloomington, while Ryan Markham was unsuccessful. Jarad Bourassa missed, while T.J. Sakaluk evened things for the Flags. Jon Booras was also stopped short, and the home crowd of 2,078 exploded when Captain Greg Bullock scored the electrifying game-winner.

AT&T's First, Second and Third Stars of the Game were awarded to King, Traylen and Cameron, respectively. The Flags next home game is Wednesday, Dec. 27 against the Kalamazoo Wings, at 7 p.m.

WILD WINTER WEDNESDAY - While everyone recovers from the holidays, the Port Huron Flags are offering a special break for next Wednesday's ticket prices. All seats are being sold for $8! Call McMorran Arena or the Flags office to cash in on this special deal.

BUY 2 GAME TICKETS, GET THE 3rd FREE! Now through January, the Flags are offering a special deal to ensure that fans don't miss a minute of the action. With the purchase of 2 game tickets, the 3rd is free, when purchased in advance through the Flags office. Call (810) 982-FLAG to reserve yours today!

The Port Huron Flags are a community owned, nonprofit member club of the United Hockey League. For more information on the 2006-07 season, contact the front office at (810) 982-3524 or visit the website at porthuronflags.net: Home

 

[truebluefan]

Rockford inks puckstopper Moreland

Rockford, Ill.- Looking to spark his inconsistent hockey club, Rockford IceHogs Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Steve Martinson announced on Saturday that the United Hockey League club has signed goaltender Jake Moreland. Per club policy, terms of Moreland's agreement were not disclosed.

Playing in his fourth professional season, Moreland enters his first campaign in the UHL. Last season, the Grand Forks, ND native blocked pucks for the Stockton Thunder (ECHL) and played two postseason games with the IceHogs American Hockey League affiliate Milwaukee Admirals. In 43 games with the Thunder, Moreland had a save percentage of .919, goals against average of 3.14 and record of 14-19-8 in Stockton's inaugural season.

"Jake's had outstanding numbers in the ECHL and won a big playoff game for Milwaukee last year," said Martinson. "At this point we are looking at every angle to get this team going in the right direction."

Moreland had an outstanding season with the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (ECHL) in 2004-05, compiling a record of 20-8-5 and ranking fifth in the coast with a save percentage of .932 and seventh with a 2.18 goals against average. In his first four seasons, Moreland has played in four AHL games, including two postseason contests last spring with Milwaukee. Overall, Moreland has a career record of 46-32-14 with seven shutouts, a goals against average of 2.65 and a save percentage of .922.

Prior to signing in Rockford, Moreland played in the Danish League this fall. The goalie was also a teammate of IceHogs skaters Matt Gens and Mike Doyle at St. Cloud State University in 2001-02 and 2002-03. Moreland played four seasons with the Huskies before turning pro.

Next Home Game: Saturday, Dec. 23 vs. Flint Generals. Game time is 7:05 p.m. The Hogs and Generals meet for the first time this season at the MetroCentre. The first 1,000 fans to the game will receive an IceHogs Santa Hat from the Rockford Park District.

Also, immediately following the game the IceHogs and Bud Light are hosting another Bud Light Postgame Party at the Krytpo Lounge located across from the IceHogs office in downtown Rockford. Come out and enjoy Bud Light specials and meet members of the 2006-07 Rockford IceHogs.

 

[truebluefan]

Komets Freeze Jackals 4-2

Komets Freeze Jackals 4-2
12/22/06 - United Hockey League (UHL) Elmira Jackals

Elmira Jackals
Fort Wayne, IN - The Elmira Jackals dropped their 6th straight game as they fell 4-2 to the Fort Wayne Komets Friday night at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

In a very tightly contested, defensive first period, the Komets grabbed the lead when Guy Dupuis rifled in a power play goal at 11:09, assisted by Bruce Richardson and Martin Gascon.

In the second period the Komets doubled their lead right after the media timeout. Bruce Richardson scored a back-door goal on a precise pass from Jonathan Goodwin at 14:15 and a 2-0 lead. Fort Wayne added their third goal of the night off a bizarre ricochet. Guy Dupuis sent the puck along the glass into the offensive zone, but the frozen rubber bounced off a particition and redirected right into the slot, catching the Jackals and goaltender Dave Lemanowicz completely off guard. J.C. Ruid collected the loose puck and found himself in front of an open goal, giving the Komets a 3-0 lead at 18:31.

Fort Wayne's Jonathan Goodwin scored a power play goal at 4:57 of the third period, giving the home side a 4-0 lead. But the Jackals would get on the scoreboard courtesy of an Erik Anderson power play goal at 8:28, assisted by Brent Cullaton and Scott Wray. Defenseman Dale Lupul cut the lead to 4-2 when he scored at 13:51, assisted by Cullaton and Anderson, but the Jackals ran out of time on their comeback bid.

Kevin St. Pierre earned the win in goal for the Komets, stopping 23-of-25 in goal, while Jackals starter Dave Lemanowicz made 25 saves on 29 shots in the loss. Elmira was 1-for-9 on the power play, while Fort Wayne finished 3-for-7.

The Jackals will finish off their two-game road trip Saturday night against the Chicago Hounds at 8:30 pm EST. The Jackals return to First Arena on Friday, December 29th as they host the Port Huron Flags at 7:35 pm.

 

[truebluefan]

Magers earns shutout as Hounds top Rockford 2-0

Hoffman Estates, Ill.- So much for momentum. After scoring a season-high seven goals in its last game, the Rockford IceHogs were shutout by Marty Magers and the Chicago Hounds 2-0 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. Magers stopped all 32 Rockford shots in the contest.

It was Chicago opening the scoring the first period while short-handed. Center Maris Ziedins picked up a deflection from a blocked shot off of winger Adam Kostichka and beat IceHogs goalie Frederic Cloutier short-side for the 1-0 lead. At the end of the frame, recently activated winger Bryce Cockburn was whistled for a major elbowing penalty and a game-misconduct putting Chicago on a five-minute power play to begin the second period.

The IceHogs killed off the lengthy power play, but found themselves down a man once again after a penalty on Mike Doyle. The Hounds finally capitalized at 7:43 of the second frame when winger Matt Amado flipped a rebound past Cloutier on the advantage for the 2-0 lead.

Rockford tried to climb to back into the game in the final period but Magers was stout turning away two of the Hogs top offensive players. Both Preston Mizzi and Nicoals Corbeil were turned away on one-on-one opportunities with Magers.

The IceHogs were outshot 34-32 and Cloutier was the tough luck loser making 32 saves. The Hogs went scoreless on the power play, going 0-for-5 while the Hounds went 1-for-5.

Next Home Game: Saturday, Dec. 23 vs. Flint Generals. Game time is 7:05 p.m. The Hogs and Generals meet for the first time this season at the MetroCentre. The first 1,000 fans to the game will receive an IceHogs Santa Hat from the Rockford Park District.

 

[truebluefan]

Countdown to Face-Off

Lacing up their skates for the sixth time this season against each other will be the Kalamazoo Wings and Port Huron Flags. Kalamazoo has won the last two meetings between the teams, including a 4-0 victory in their last encounter on December 10th in Port Huron.

Tonight will conclude Kalamazoo's four-game home stand. The K-Wings, who have gone 2-0-1 during the current home stretch, will hit the road for four straight games beginning Tuesday in Muskegon. After tonight, Kalamazoo will return home on December 31st to host Flint during the 5th Annual New Year's Eve Bash.

For only the second time in their franchise's history, Port Huron has won five consecutive games. During the streak, the Flags have received timely offensive contributions from both Bobby Kukulka and Greg Bullock. Port Huron enters tonight tied with Flint and Elmira for third place in the Eastern Conference.

Team Leaders: Kalamazoo Wings Port Huron Flags

Goals: Nick Bootland (18 Goals) Garett Cameron (9 Goals)

Assists: Glenn Detulleo (22 Assists) Mark Cadotte (14 Assists)

Points: Nick Bootland (28 Points) Greg Bullock (19 Points)

+/-: Jeff Brown, Joe Markusen (+8) Ryan Markham, Pat Sutton,

Steve Hildenbrand (+6)

Penalty Minutes: Tyler Willis (73 Minutes) Robert Snowball (111 Minutes)

Power Play Goals: Justin Cross (7 Goals) Bobby Kukulka (4 Goals)

Short Handed Goals: Scott Dobben (2 Goals) Ryan Markham (4 Goals)

Game Winning Goals: Nick Bootland (4 GW) Mark Cadotte, Bobby Kukulka,

Garett Cameron (2 GW)

Shots: Nick Bootland (129 Shots) Greg Bullock (84 Shots)

Shooting Percentage: Lucas Drake (31.6%) Ryan Marham (17.8%)

Shootout Goals: Alexander Valentin, Glenn Detulleo Ryan Markham, Bobby Kukulka

Kory Karlander, Nick Bootland (1 Goal) Greg Bullock, T.J. Sakaluk (1 Goal)

Shootout Percentage: Nick Bootland, Kory Karlander Bobby Kukulka, T.J. Sakaluk (50%)

Glenn Detulleo (100%)

Goals Against Average: Ryan Nie (2.00) Dustin Traylen (2.68)

Save Percentage: Ryan Nie (0.935) Dustin Traylen, Noah Ruden (0.913)

All-Time/ Season Series

All-Time Series: K-Wings Lead All-Time Series: 13-1-1

Season Series: K-Wings Lead Season Series: 4-1-0

Last Meeting: K-Wings Won 4-0 December 10th @ McMorran Place Arena in Port Huron, Michigan Next Meeting: Wednesday, December 27th @ McMorran Place Arena in Port Huron, Michigan

Karlander Nearing 300

Tonight could be a special one for forward Kory Karlander. With his next assist, Karlander with reach the 300-assist plateau in his career.

Career High

Lighting the lamp for the fifth time this season, defenseman Adam Elzinga set a new personal career high for goals in a season. The five goals eclipse Elzinga's previous best of four set during the 2003-04 season when he was a member of the ECHL's Pee Dee Pride.

Home Cooking

Lifetime, Kalamazoo is 7-0-0 versus Port Huron at Wings Stadium; outscoring the Flags 50-9 in those contests. In the last five encounters in Kalamazoo, the K-Wings have blasted the Flags 33-4.

Three With Three

Lucas Drake, Justin Cross and Scott Dobben all enter tonight's game looking to extend three-game point streaks. Besides the three game point streak, Drake also has a three-game goal streak coming into this evening's game, which is one-game shy of tying Nick Bootland for the K-Wings' season high.

Tickets, Get Your Tickets!!

Tickets for all K-Wings home games are now on sale. Catch all the action as your K-Wings play the very best the UHL has to offer. Tickets are on sale now by calling the Wings Stadium Ticket Office at (269) 345-5101.

Get On-Line

This season, the best way to keep track of the K-Wings is to log onto :: Wings Stadium - Home of Kalamazoo Wings Hockey ::. The site has player profiles, photos, information about Wings Stadium events, and much much more. Fans of myspace can befriend the official site of Wings Stadium and the Kalamazoo Wings at www.myspace.com/wingsstadium.

Drake and Cross on the Radio

Join special guests Lucas Drake and Justin Cross, as they join Head Coach Mark Reeds and the Voice of the K-Wings, Mike Modugno on "K-Wings Live" on January 8th. The show is on Sports Radio AM 1660 Mondays from 6-7 PM at The Cabana Bar and Grille inside the Holiday Inn Kalamazoo on South 11th Street. Come join us for the last "K-Wings Live" of 2006. Remember "K-Wings Live" will be on a two-week hiatus due to the holidays.

K-Wings on Radio

Catch all the K-Wings games home and away on the K-Wings Radio Network (WLKM 95.9 FM and Sports Radio AM 1660). Join the Voice of the K-Wings, Mike Modugno for all 76 regular season games plus the playoffs. Pre-game coverage begins with the Digital Highway Pre-Game Show 15 minutes prior to face-off. For the most complete coverage of the K-Wings from the Opening Face-Off to the Final Buzzer, keep your radio tuned this season to the K-Wings Radio Network.

Upcoming Games

Tuesday, December 26th @ Muskegon 7:30 PM

Wednesday, December 27th @ Port Huron 7:00 PM

Friday, December 29th @ Flint 7:30 PM

Saturday, December 30th @ Fort Wayne 7:30 PM

Sunday, December 31st Vs Flint 7:30 PM (5th Annual New Year's Eve Bash presented by WWMT and COOL 101 FM)