FORT WAYNE KOMETS (17-10-2-0, 36 Points)
The Komets climbed back into the division lead thanks to three wins and seven points in four games played last week. Shawn Szydlowski, Garrett Meurs and Nikita Kashirsky all netted power play goals at home Tuesday against the Brampton Beast. Fort Wayne blasted 42 shots on goal, but fell 4-3 in overtime while salvaging a point. The Fort Wayne offense took off on New Year’s Eve, blasting the Indy Fuel in a 7-0 home win. Meurs (2 G, 1 A) and Mike Embach (1 G, 4 A) led the way for the Komets as five players posted multiple points and Pat Nagle made 37 saves in the shutout. Embach scored a power play goal and Domenic Alberga scored the game winner mid-way through the third period in a 2-1 win at Indy the following night. Meurs and Alberga each scored second period goals and Nagle posted 31 saves in a 2-1 win at Toledo on Saturday to close out the week.
The week ahead: Friday & Sunday at Quad City
QUAD CITY MALLARDS (16-14-1-2, 35 Points)
The Mallards secured one win out of three games last week to fall into second place in the division race. Miles Koules and Kyle Folmer scored to give Quad City a 2-1 lead over Evansville early in the second period at home on Wednesday, but it would not be enough as the IceMen would score twice within one minute to hand the Mallards a 3-2 loss. Matt Carey scored twice, while Steve Michalek posted 32 saves as the Mallards outlasted a three-goal second period from the IceMen in a 6-4 road win at Evansville on New Year’s Eve. Sam Warning netted Quad City’s only goal and Michalek posted 30 saves at home on Saturday, but the Allen Americans pulled off a 4-1 win while out-shooting the Mallards 34-19.
The week ahead: Friday & Sunday home vs. Fort Wayne
CINCINNATI CYCLONES (15-11-2-2, 34 Points)
The Cyclones claimed wins in two of four contests last week, keeping them within two points of the division lead. Jack Downing provided the only bright spot at home on Tuesday, scoring Cincinnati’s lone goal in a 5-1 home loss to the Indy Fuel. Nick Huard netted a power play goal and Downing added his 14th of the year, while Brad Thiessen stopped 18 shots in a 4-0 shutout win over the Toledo Walleye at home on New Year’s Eve. Christiaan Minella tied Saturday’s game at South Carolina 1:39 into the third period and Neil Conway posted 32 saves, but the Stingrays countered with three third period goals to hand the Cyclones a 4-1 loss. Zach Budish contributed his 11th of the season while Huard added his 10th of the year to give Cincinnati a 2-1 lead entering the third period of Sunday’s game at South Carolina. Andrew Yogan’s shorthanded marker late in the game proved to be the game winner, as Brandon Whitney posted 43 saves in a 4-2 win for Cincinnati to close the week.
The week ahead: Wednesday at Atlanta, Friday & Saturday at Norfolk.
INDY FUEL (14-18-2-0, 30 Points)
The Fuel slipped in the standing, dropping three out of four contests last week. Cody Sharib (1 G, 1 A) and Garett Bembridge (1 G, 1 A) led the way at Cincinnati Tuesday, as five players netted goals and four posted multiple points in a 5-1 win over the Cyclones. Shane Owen was pulled after surrendering four goals in the first 30-minutes at Fort Wayne on Thursday as the Fuel fell 7-0 to the Komets. Michael Colantone put Indy on the board first in a New Year’s day rematch with the Komets, but Fort Wayne went on to score twice to hand Indy a 2-1 loss. Anders Franzon scored four minutes into Saturday’s home game against Wichita, giving the Fuel a 1-0 lead. The lead, however, would only last eight minutes before Wichita found the equalizer and eventually the game winner in the middle frame to close out Indy’s weekend with a 2-1 loss.
The week ahead: Friday & Saturday home vs. Evansville, Sunday at Wheeling.
EVANSVILLE ICEMEN (12-15-3-1, 28 Points)
The IceMen struggled last week, claiming only one win in four games, but they did manage to pick up four points out of a possible eight. Jordan Sims put the Icemen on the board first on Wednesday at Quad City, then Mike Duco and Nathan Moon each scored a minute apart in the second period to secure a 3-2 win over the Mallards. Down 2-0 entering the second period of Thursday’s home contest with Quad City, Evansville reeled off goals from Alex Wideman, Alex Guptill and Vincent Dunn within a five and a half minute span to take the lead. However, Quad City found the equalizer three minutes later and added three more goals in the next 23 minutes to give Evansville a 5-4 loss. Goals from Justin MacDonald, Tyson Fawcett and Guptil gave the IeceMen a 3-1 lead heading into the third period of Saturday’s home game with Missouri. The Mavericks, however, scored twice in the third and again in the extra frame to hand Evansville a 4-3 overtime loss. Moon scored twice on Sunday, but the IceMen could not keep pace with Wichita in the shootout and fell 3-2.
The week ahead: Friday & Saturday at Indy.
MISSOURI MAVERICKS (26-3-0-1, 53 Points)
The Mavericks continue to roll, as they claimed wins in all three games last week to extend their most recent win streak to seven in a row. Andrew Courtney (2 G, 1 A) led the way on New Year’s Eve, as five players posted multiple points and the Mavs cruised to a 7-1 win over visiting Wichita. The offense was back at it the following night during a 4-1 home win over Allen. Four different players scored goals and Josh Robinson posted 32 saves in a game that saw the Americans out-shoot the Mavericks 33-31. Down 3-1 entering the third period in Evansville on Saturday, the Mavericks fought back, tying the game on goals from Wes Cunningham and Rocco Carzo a minute and a half apart to force overtime. David de Kastrozza then netted the game winner 3:30 into the extra frame to claim a 4-3 win.
The week ahead: Tuesday at Tulsa, Friday & Saturday at Rapid City.
ALLEN AMERICANS (19-13-1-0, 39 Points)
The Americans picked up four points on the week while claiming two wins out of three games played. Gary Steffes was the star at Wichita on Wednesday, as he scored two third period goals, one on the power play, to propel Allen to a 4-3 win over the Thunder. Riley Gill made 36 saves as Wichita out-shot Allen 39-32. David Makowski potted a second period goal at Missouri on Friday, but it was too little, too late as the Mavericks handed the Americans a 4-1 loss. Makowski, Eric Roy, Dyson Stevenson and J.P. LaFontaine all scored goals and Gill posted 18 saves on Saturday as the Americans pulled off a 4-1 win at Quad City.
The week ahead: Friday & Sunday home vs. Colorado.
TULSA OILERS (14-11-2-1, 31 Points)
The Oilers find themselves eight points behind Allen for second place in the division following a weekend split at Rapid City. Tulsa picked up a 2-1 win on New Year’s Eve to extend their season-long winning streak to four games. Adam Pleskach and Brady Ramsay scored the goals for Tulsa as Kevin Carr stopped 25 shots to pick up his 12th win of the season. Pleskach added two more goals on Saturday and Phil Brewer chipped in his sixth of the year, but it would not be enough as the Oilers would fall 4-3. The real story, however, was all of the extra-curricular activity. A rough final period spilled over past the final buzzer and both squads were assessed a combined 216 penalty minutes. Three Oilers received fines and suspensions for the incident. Mathieu Gagnon will sit for eight games, Carr for three and Emerson Clark will be out for one game. You can see video of the brawl in our story here.
The week ahead: Tuesday home vs. Missouri, Friday at Wichita, Saturday home vs. Wichita.
WICHITA THUNDER (9-20-1-3, 22 Points)
Joey Sides had a goal and assist on Wednesday, and Wichita out-shot Allen 39-32 at home, but the Thunder surrendered the game winning goal late in the third and fell 4-3. Mason Baptista put Wichita on the board first at Missouri on New Year’s Eve, but the Mavericks roared back, out-shooting the Thunder 35-15 en route to a 7-1 loss. Martin Nemcik tied Saturday’s road contest at Indy on Saturday with his first goal of the year mid-way through the opening period. Logan Nelson then scored early in the second and David Shantz posted 22 saves as the Thunder went on to claim a 2-1 win over the Fuel. Goals from Kenton Miller and Ian Lowe gave Wichita a 2-1 lead at Evansville Sunday heading into the third period. The IceMen managed to find the tying goal, but Lowe and Andrew Huff scored in the shootout and Shantz stopped two out of three shooters to give the Thunder a 3-2 win.
The week ahead: Friday home vs. Tulsa, Saturday at Tulsa.
UTAH GRIZZLIES (18-11-2-0, 38 Points)
The Grizzlies remain at the top of the division, following two wins in three games at Alaska last weekend. Matt Berry scored twice and added an assist, while Erik Higby and Ryan Walters each contributed a goal and assist in a 6-3 win at Alaska on Thursday. Ryan Faragher posted 37 saves in the game as Alaska out-shot Utah 40-27. Alex Krushelnyski netted a goal and assist and Walters added the game winner in the middle of the third period on Friday as the Grizzlies pulled off a 2-1 win. Charles Sarault put Utah on the board first on Saturday, before the Grizzlies allowed three Alaska goals to fall behind by two. Barry Almeida cut the lead in half mid-way through the final period, but Utah would not find the equalizer and fell 3-2.
The week ahead: Wednesday home vs. Rapid City, Friday & Saturday home vs. Idaho.
IDAHO STEELHEADS (15-15-4-1, 35 Points)
The Steelheads find themselves three points out of the division lead, following two wins picked up during a three game home set with the Colorado Eagles. Kyle Jean scored twice and added an assist, while Emil Molin added a goal and two assists in a 6-3 win on Wednesday. Carson McMillan’s second period goal would be the only marker for the Steelheads on Friday as Idaho fell to Colorado 3-1, despite out-shooting the Eagles 29-15. Molin’s goal at 8:01 of the first period on Saturday proved to be the game winner, as Jack Campbell stopped all 28 Colorado shots to post a 1-0 win for Idaho.
The week ahead: Friday & Saturday at Utah.
COLORADO EAGLES (15-16-2-0, 32 Points)
The Eagles now sit just three points out of second place, following one win in three games last week at Idaho. Teigan Zahn, Darryl Bootland and Giffen Nyren’s goals gave the Eagles a one-goal lead early in the second Wednesday before Idaho reeled off four unanswered goals to hand them a 6-3 loss. Adrian Veideman and Trent Daavettila each scored a goal and added two assists on Friday as the Eagles scored a 3-1 win while firing just 15 shots on net. Eric Levine stopped 23-of-24 shots on Saturday, but the one he allowed proved to be costly in a 1-0 loss.
The week ahead: Friday & Sunday at Allen.
RAPID CITY RUSH (14-12-2-1, 31 Points)
The Rush pulled off a split during a two-game home set with the Tulsa Oilers last week and finds themselves seven points off the division lead. Mikhail Stefanovich’s third period goal on Thursday would break up Tulsa’s shutout attempt, but would not be enough for the Rush who fell 2-1. Taylor Doherty and Kale Kerbashian each contributed a goal and assist on Saturday as the Rush claimed a 4-3 win over Tulsa. Things got interesting late in the game, with the two sides combining to take 216 penalty minutes as the result of several brawls within the final minute. Garrett Clarke and Jonathan Narbonne were each suspended for five games for their roles in the fights. You can see video of the brawl in our story here.
The week ahead: Wednesday at Utah, Friday & Saturday home vs. Missouri.
ALASKA ACES (11-18-1-2, 25 Points)
The Aces added two points to their total, following one win during a three-game home set with the Utah Grizzlies last week. Collin Valcourt scored two goals and Peter Sivak added three assists as the Aces out-shot the Grizzlies 40-27, but fell 6-3 on Thursday night. Tim Coffman’s power play goal late in the second period Friday tied the game, but Alaska went on to allow the third period game winner and dropped the game 2-1 to the Grizzlies. The Aces picked up a 3-2 win Saturday, thanks in part to a perfect power play unit that went two-for-two on the night. Mitch Jones tied the game on the man advantage in the opening period, and then Sivak scored to take the lead before Valcourt’s power play marker at 16:29 of the second period proved to be the game winner. Troy Redmann stopped 30 shots while claiming his 7th win of the year.
The week ahead: Friday & Sunday at Atlanta.
GOALS: Tyson Fawcett (EVN) 16; Daultan Leveille (EVN) 15; Matt Berry (UTH), Jack Downing (CIN), Alex Krushelnyski (UTH), Trent Daavettila (COL), Jefferson Dahl (IDH) 14.
ASSISTS: Chad Costello (ALN) 33; Rob Linsmayer (IDH) 23; Trent Daavettila (COL) 21; Charles Sarault (UTH) 20; Tyler Barnes (MO), Mike Monfredo (QC) 19.
POINTS: Chad Costello (ALN) 45; Trent Daavettila (COL) 35; Tyler Barnes (MO), Rob Linsmayer (IDH) 32; Matt Berry (UTH), Mike Embach (FTW) 30.
*From players on active ECHL rosters as of January 5, 2016
WINS: Josh Robinson (MO) 16; Ryan Faragher (UTH) 13; Kevin Carr (TUL) 12; Joel Rumpel (ALN), Pat Nagle (FTW) 11.
GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE: Josh Robinson (MO) 1.58; Parker Milner (MO) 1.67; Brad Thiessen (CIN) 1.86; Kevin Carr (TUL) 1.95; Kris Lazaruk (COL) 1.97.
SAVE PERCENTAGE: Parker Milner (MO) 0.938; Josh Robinson (MO) 0.937; Brad Thiessen (CIN) 0.935; Ryan Faragher (UTH) 0.924; Kris Lazaruk (COL), Pat Nagle (FTW) 0.923.
*From players on active ECHL rosters as of January 5, 2016
Follow us on Twitter: @ProHockeyNews and @jhall218
Contact the writer: john.hall@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.