ORLANDO, FLA – Week 8 in the ECHL’s Eastern conference saw very little change as the standings in each division pretty much stayed the same. The top three teams all maintained their leads but things are certainly getting closer as the holiday season gets into full swing.
Adirondack Thunder (14-2-0-1, 29 points)
The Thunder stayed atop the division thanks to two wins over Brampton last week.
Thursday’s contest was the Ken Appleby show. Adirondack’s goalie spun a 29-save shutout against the Beast. Jeff Silengo was the offensive star with a pair of goals. Michael Kirkpatrick chipped in with a goal and an assist while Rob Bordson added a goal and two assists of his own. On Friday, Kirkpatrick and Bordson lit the goal light again while Ryan Lomberg, Mitchell Heard and Gunnar Hughes each scored once. Goalie Scott Wedgewood was solid in net, stopping 39 of the 41 shots he faced.
Next up: Friday – Norfolk, Saturday – Manchester, Sunday – at Manchester
Manchester Monarchs (14-8-0-0, 28 points)
The Monarchs pulled within a point of the Thunder thanks to taking two out of three at home against Reading.
Derek Arnold, Zac Larraza and Troy Power each had a goal and goalie Colin Stevens made 20 saves on Friday as the Monarchs won 3-2. Saturday was not a good night for the home team as Reading came away with a 3-0 shutout victory. On Sunday, Yann Sauve, Maxim Kitsyn, Arnold and Larraza all scored once in support of netminder Steve Mastalerz who made 30 saves to earn his first professional win.
Next up: Wednesday 0 at Brampton, Friday – at Elmira, Saturday – at Adirondack, Sunday – Adirondack
Elmira Jackals (13-9-0-0, 26 points)
The Jackals continued their steady climb up the standings, picking up three wins in four outings.
Allan McPherson, Cason Hohmann, Tyler Currier and Jacob MacDonald did the damage on offense while goalie C.J. Motte made 25 saves in a 4-1 win over Kalamazoo on Wednesday. The Jackals were not so lucky on Friday as Mark Bennett and MacDonald each scored but it was not enough as the K-Wings won. The rubber game of the set on Saturday belonged to Elmira as McPherson, Zach Tolkinen and Mike Seidel had a goal each and Motte stopped 22 shots to earn the win. Sunday brought a road trip to Wheeling where Currier and MacDonald scored in regulation before Jacobs and Justin Bernhardt lit the lamp in the shootout to knock off the Nailers. Goalie Niklas Lundstrom was outstanding between the pipes, making 42 saves through overtime and two more in the shootout.
Next up: Wednesday – Norfolk, Friday – Manchester, Saturday – Norfolk
Reading Royals (10-10-0-1, 21 points)
The Royals spent the weekend in Manchester, New Hampshire facing off with the Monarchs, winning just once in three contests.
Mike Pereira and Justin Crandall were the goal scorers on Friday while goalie Connor Knapp made 25 saves but the Royals ended up on the short end as Manchester won 3-2. Saturday night was the Adam Morrison show as the netminder stopped all 30 shots he faced to record a shutout victory. Robbie Czarnik, Adam Comrie and Matt Hatch had the goals in the 3-0 win. On Sunday, Pavel Padakin and Pereira were the only Royals to score as the Monarchs took the rubber game of the set.
Next up: Wednesday – at Florida, Friday – at Florida, Saturday – at Florida
Norfolk Admirals (7-14-0-1, 15 points)
After struggling for several weeks, the Admirals were a perfect 2-0 last week, taking a pair of games against South division opponents.
On Wednesday, Norfolk hosted the South Carolina Stingrays at the Scope. Gabriel Verpaelst, Radoslav Illo and Nick MacNeil all scored in support of goalie Ty Rimmer who made 27 saves to get the win. Saturday night the Admirals headed to Greenville, South Carolina to take on the Swamp Rabbits. Scott Allen, Tommy Mele and MacNeil each chipped in with a goal to push Norfolk past Greenville. Rimmer was perfect in net, stopping 30 shots to record the shutout.
Next up: Wednesday – at Elmira, Friday – at Adirondack, Saturday – at Elmira, Sunday – at Brampton
Toledo Walleye (11-5-1-3, 26 points)
Once again the Walleye find themselves atop the North division, keeping the top spot thanks to a pair of victories on the road.
Toledo steamed into Indianapolis for a two-game set against the Indy Fuel. Thursday night’s affair saw Austin Wuthrich lead the way with two goals and an assist while Josh Shalla and Joel Chouinard contributed a goal each in a 4-2 win. Goalie Jake Paterson picked up the victory with a 17-save effort. The results were similar on Friday as the Walleye came away with a 5-2 win. Tyler Sikura and A.J. Jenks each picked up two goals while Beau Schmitz added one of his own. Paterson made 29 saves to backstop the effort.
Next up: Wednesday – Evansville, Friday – Wheeling, Saturday – at Wheeling
Wheeling Nailers (11-9-1-1, 24 points)
The Nailers played three home games last week, winning just once and losing a game in a shootout.
On Friday, the South Carolina Stingrays came calling and the Nailers were not very hospitable. Brett Stern, Adam Krause and Zack Torquato each scored as Wheeling won 3-2. Goalie Brian Foster was outstanding, making 38 saves on 40 shots. Torquato was the lone goal scorer on Saturday for the Nailers as the Stingrays got revenge with a 6-1 win. On Sunday, Derek Army and Ty Loney each scored in regulation but the game with Elmira went to a shootout where the visitors won.
Next up: Thursday – at Indy, Friday – at Toledo, Saturday – at Toledo.
Kalamazoo Wings (8-13-1-1, 18 points)
The K-Wings spent the week on the road with four games scheduled. Unfortunately for Wings fans, Kalamazoo won just once on the swing.
Ludwig Blomstrand was the lone goal scorer for the K-Wings on Wednesday as Kalamazoo fell at Elmira. The rematch with the Jackals on Friday went a lot better as Justin Taylor and Dane Fox scored before Davis Gilbert won the game with a goal at the 19:50 mark of the third period. Netminder Joel Martin was the main reason the K-Wings won as he stopped 47 shots in the 3-2 win. On Saturday, Tanner Sorenson lit the goal light but he was the only one as Kalmazoo lost again to Elmira. Things got worse on Sunday as Brampton shut out the K-Wings 3-0.
Next up: Friday – Brampton, Saturday – Brampton
Brampton Beast (8-11-1-0, 17 points)
The Beast played three games last week, losing the first two before blanking Kalamazoo on Sunday.
Nothing went right for the Beast on Thursday as they were shut out 4-0 by Adirondack. Reggie Traccitto and Scott Howes did get Brampton on the board in the rematch on Friday but the Thunder won the contest 5-2. Kalamazoo visited Brampton on Sunday and the Beast made sure to not allow the K-Wings to feel at home. Luke Pither scored twice and Chris Auger added one in support of Trevor Cann who tossed a 24-save shutout at the K-Wings.
Next up: Wednesday – at Manchester, Friday – at Kalamazoo, Saturday – at Kalamazoo, Sunday – Norfolk
Florida Everblades (16-8-0-0, 32 points)
The Everblades continued their trip west with three games in Idaho against the Steelheads. Once again, Florida came away with two wins as the team ended the six-game roadie with a 4-2 record.
Ethan Werek was the man of the hour on Wednesday as he scored two goals and added an assist in a 4-1 win. Matt Willows and Maxime St. Cyr chipped in with a goal apiece and goalie Daniel Altshuller stopped 32 shots to pick up the victory. Friday night was not so good for the visitors as Gabriel Desjardins had the lone score in a 5-1 loss. The rubber game of the set came on Saturday and Willows was the star, pickup up a pair of goals while Mark Nemec scored once in a 3-1 victory. Anthony Peters was solid in net, making 33 saves.
Next up: Wednesday – Reading, Friday – Reading, Saturday – Reading
South Carolina Stingrays (13-8-1-1, 28 points)
The Stingrays continued on a long road trip with five contests. They did well, winning three of them.
The week started with a game in Orlando on Monday. Goalie Mark Dekanich stole the show with a 22-save performance while David Pacan scored twice and Brett Cameron once in a 3-0 win. Nick Jones scored the lone Stingrays goal on Wednesday in a 3-1 loss at Norfolk. On Friday at Wheeling, Colin Mulvey and Stephan Vigier each scored once but it was not enough as the Nailers took a 3-2 win. Saturday’s rematch was a goal fest for the visitors. Joe Devin, Jared Staal, Wade Epp, Jordan Kwas, Mulvey and Vigier all lit the lamp in support of Vitek Vanecek who made 23 saves. Sunday in Indianapolis, Vigier, Cameron and Paul Rodrigues all scored while Dekanich stopped 24 of 25 shots to post a 3-1 win over the Indy Fuel.
Next up: Friday – at Atlanta, Saturday – Greenville, Sunday -Atlanta
Atlanta Gladiators (11-8-1-0, 23 points)
The Gladiators had a quiet week, playing a pair of games in Orlando over the weekend and splitting them down the middle.
On Saturday, the Gladiators came out on the short end of a 4-0 whitewashing handed out to them by the Solar Bears. Atlanta got revenge on Sunday afternoon as Thomas Frazee scored twice in a 4-3 win. Daniel Bahntge and Max Everson had the other goals for the Gladiators.
Next up: Friday – South Carolina, Saturday – Orlando, Sunday – at South Carolina
Orlando Solar Bears (9-7-1-3, 22 points)
The Solar Bears played three games at the Amway Center before heading out for a six-game road trip before the Christmas break. Orlando won just one of the three contests.
On Monday, the Solar Bears came up flat in a 3-0 loss to South Carolina. After a good week of practice, they hosted Atlanta on Saturday and looked ready to go. Ryan Rupert scored twice including one on a penalty shot while Christopher Clapperton and Eric Faille netted one each in support of goalie Ryan Massa who made 28 saves for his first professional shutout. Then on Sunday, Brady Vail scored a short-handed goal and the Rupert brothers, Ryan and Matt, each had a power play tally but it was not enough as the Gladiators won 4-3.
Next up: Thursday – at Greenville, Friday – at Greenville, Saturday – at Atlanta
Greenville Swamp Rabbits (10-11-2-0, 22 points)
The Swamp Rabbits had three games on the schedule and started will with a win. Unfortunately for them, it was the only win as games on Friday and Saturday turned into losses.
On Thursday, Scott Fleming, Ryan Rashid, Henri Ikonen and Rob Kwiet each lit the goal light once ina 4-3 win over Cincinnati. The next night, Jordan Knackstedt notched two scores while Josh Nicholls, Kodie Curran, Kwiet and Fleming added one each. Problem was that the Cyclones have just as much firepower and came away with a 7-6 win in overtime. Goalie P.J. Musico was the star on Saturday, making 29 saves but the offense was silent in a 3-0 loss to Norfolk.
Next up: Thursday – Orlando, Friday – Orlando, Saturday – at South Carolina
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