We have a three-way tie for first place in the Mountain Division this week, with two more teams within three points of first. Tulsa continues to lead the Central Division, and the entire ECHL, while second place through sixth are separated by just six points. Let’s dive into what happened around the Western Conference last week.
MOUNTAIN DIVISION
Colorado Eagles (6-4-1-2, 15 points)
The Eagles claimed four out of a possible six points last week to climb into a first place tie in the division. Jesse Mychan scored twice, and Matt Register added the game-winning goal on the power play Wednesday night as Colorado claimed a 4-3 hom win over the visiting Allen Americans. Friday night the Eagles scored four third period goals, with Shawn St-Amant and Matt Garbowsky contributing a goal and two assists each, in a 4-2 win over the visiting Rapid City Rush. The following night, Luke Salazar netted a late thid period goal to cut their deficit in half, but Rapid City would hold on to hand Colorado a 2-1 road loss to close out the week.
Casey Pierro-Zabotel (4 G, 13 A) holds the team points lead with 17 points, while Mychan is in second with nine goals and seven assists for 16 points. Salazar rounds out the top three with seven goals and six assists for 13 points.
Next Up: Thursday, Saturday and Sunday – at South Carolina.
Utah Grizzlies (7-5-0-1, 15 points)
The Grizzlies find themselves in a tie for the division lead, despite dropping two of three home games last week. Utah opened the week on Friday against the Allen Americans. Carlos Amestoy scored his first goal of the season to put the Grizzlies on the board first, but Allen came back, scoring five unanswered goals to hand the Grizzlies a 5-1 defeat. Jon Puskar and Taylor Richart each contributed a goal on Saturday night before the Americans tied the game with four-seconds remaining and snatched a 3-2 decision in a shootout. The Grizzlies got back into the win column on Monday as they scored the first four goals, two coming from Ralph Cuddemi, en route to a 5-2 win over Adirondack.
Puskar (5 G, 4 A) leads the scoring with nine points, while Shane Walsh (5 G, 3 A), Kenton Helgesen (2 G, 6 A) and Tim Daly (2 G, 6 A) sit in a second-place tie with eight points each.
Next Up: Friday and Saturday – Home vs. Adirondack.
Idaho Steelheads (7-5-1-0, 15 points)
The Steelheads round out the three-way tie for the division lead after picking up two wins during a three game set with the visiting Adirondack Thunder. Wednesday night saw Idaho score three second-period goals, but Adirondack would prove to be too much, scoring two goals in each period en route to a 6-3 loss. Battling back from a 2-0 deficit on Friday, the Steelheads scored three third-period goals, including the game-tying goal by David Glen with 3:09 left in regulation to force overtime. After a scoreless overtime, Kyle Jean would find the net as Branden Komm successfully stopped all four Thunder shooters to claim a 4-3 win. Tied 2-2 on Saturday, Idaho scored twice in the third period, including a shorthanded, unassisted mark from Joe Basaraba to seal up a 4-2 win over Adirondack.
Jefferson Dahl (4 G, 11 A) leads the team with 15 points. Rob Linsmayer (4 G, 7 A) is in second with 11 points and Anthony Luciani (4 G, 6 A) sits in third with 10 points.
Next Up: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday – at Norfolk.
Alaska Aces (6-3-0-1, 13 points)
Alaska struggled last weekend, but managed to pick up one win out of a three-game home set with the Indy Fuel to keep them within reach of the division lead. Nolan Descoteaux and Peter Sivak contributed a goal and assist each on Wednesday night, while Stephen Perfetto added four helpers and Michael Garteig stopped 28 shots in a 5-1 win over the Fuel. Tyler Ruegsegger and Tim Wallace added second-period goals for the Aces on Friday night and Kevin Carr posted 29 saves, but the Fuel was a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout to give Alaska a 3-2 loss. Garteig posted 29 saves and the Aces out-shot the Fuel 37-31 on Saturday, but they could not find the net and fell 2-0 to Indy.
Perfetto (6 G, 10 A) hold the team points lead with 16 points, while Sivak (7 G, 7 A) is second with 14 points and Tim Coffman (8 G, 3 A) rounds out the top three with 11 points.
Next Up: Friday, Saturday and Sunday – at Wichita.
Allen Americans (6-8-0-0, 12 points)
The Americans seem to be gaining momentum, after claiming a pair of road wins last weekend at Utah. Chad Costello netted two goals and added an assist, while Greger Hanson contributed a goal and two assists and Riley Gill posted 40 saves in a 5-1 win over the Grizzlies on Friday night. Down 2-1 late in the third on Saturday night, Aaron Gens scored his first of the season with four-seconds remaining to tie the game and send it into an eventual shootout. Hanson and Matt Willows each found the back of the net, while Gill stopped both shots to give the Americans a 3-2 victory. Down 4-0 in the third period at Missouri on Tuesday, Allen pulled within one on goals from Travis Brown (2), Spencer Asuchak (6) and Tanner Eberle (3), giving the Americans hope. However, they would not be able to find the equalizer before Missouri added the final dagger with 12-seconds left to hand Allen a 5-3 loss.
Costello continues to hold the team points lead, with four goals and 15 assists for 19 points. Hanson is in second with seven goals and eight assists for 15 points, while Asuchak (6 G, 6 A) sits in third with 12 points.
Next Up: Saturday – Home vs. Rapid City, Sunday – at Tulsa.
Missouri Mavericks (4-7-0-1, 9 points)
The Mavericks are still struggling to find their identity, after dropping a pair of home games to the Fort Wayne Komets and picking up a kids day game win against the Allen Americans. The Mavs got first period goals from Dane Fox and Rocco Carzo to give them a 2-1 lead at the first intermission on Friday night. From there, however, the Komets reeled off four-straight goals to give Missouri a 6-4 loss. Saturday night wasn’t any better for the home team. Shawn Pauly’s third period marker would be the only goal for the Mavericks as the Komets scored the first six and went on to hand the Mavericks a 6-1 defeat. Things got better for Missouri on Tuesday, as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead going into the second intermission and held off a fierce third-period comeback attempt from the Allen Americans to claim a 5-3 win. Eamon McAdam posted 35-saves in his second win of the year.
Fox (4 G, 7 A) is tied with Jesse Graham (2 G, 9 A) atop the leader board with 11 points each, while Carzo is in third place with two goals and six assists for eight points.
Next Up: Saturday – at Florida, Monday and Tuesday – at Orlando.
Rapid City Rush (3-9-1-0, 7 points)
The Rush picked up two points out of a possible four during a weekend hame-and-home series with the Colorado Eagles. Goals from Anthony Collins and Brett Perlini gave Rapid City a 2-0 lead three-minutes into the final period at Colorado on Friday night before the Rush allowed four unanswered third period goals to fall 4-2 to the Eagles. Ryan Misiak potted his third of the season and Josh MacDonald’s sixth of the year proved to be the game winner in a 2-1 home win over the Eagles on Saturday. Netminder Adam Morrison turned in 39 saves in the victory for Rapid City.
Lindsay Sparks (8 G, 10 A) and Ryan Walters (4 G, 14 A) are tied on the leader board with 18 points apiece. MacDonald rounds out the top three with six goals and seven assists for 13 points.
Next Up: Wednesday and Friday – at Tulsa, Saturday – at Allen.
CENTRAL DIVISION
Tulsa Oilers (11-3-0-0, 22 points)
The ECHL-leading Tulsa Oilers reeled off two wins in three games to remain at the top of the division and stay unbeaten at home. Dan DeSalvo and Emerson Clark each contributed a goal and assist and Jamie Phillips stopped 31-shots as the Oilers held off the visiting Fort Wayne Komets in a 4-3 overtime win to open the week on Wednesday. Down 4-1 entering the final 11-minutes of play at Wichita on Friday, Tulsa got shorthanded goals from Adam Pleskach and Shawn Bates 25-seconds apart in the third period, but it would not be enough as Wichita held on to hand Phillips his first professional loss, 5-3. Tulsa got off to a slow start at home on Saturday as they carried a 1-1 tie into the second intermission. The team sprang to life in the third period, following Clark’s bout with Wichita heavyweight Martin Nemcik. Tyson Wilson netted his first of the season to go ahead, and Clark added his sixth of the year to seal Tulsa’s 3-1 win.
DeSalvo, currently on call-up to Manitoba, leads the team in scoring with six goals and seven assists for 13 points. Pleskach (8 G, 4 A) and Clark (6 G, 6 A), who has been called up by the Chicago Wolves, are tied for second with 12 points each.
Next Up: Wednesday and Friday – Home vs. Rapid City, Sunday – Home vs. Allen.
Toledo Walleye (9-3-0-0, 18 points)
Toledo contiues to hold the second position, following two wins in three road games last week. Shane Berschbach, Dane Walters and Mathew Santos all scored while Cal Heeter stopped 23 shots in a 3-0 shutout win at Kalamazoo on Wednesday. Tylor Spink netted a goal and added an assist, while Jacob MacDonald contributed a goal in a 4-2 loss at Quad City on Friday. The loss came despite the Walleye out-shooting the Mallards 44-27 in the game. The Walleye battled back from a 3-0 first period deficit on Saturday to claim a 4-3 overtime win at Cincinnati. Evan Rankin scored twice, including the overtime game-winner, to lead the Walleye to victory.
Tyson Spink (4 G, 9 A) leads the team in scoring with 13 points, while A.J. Jenks (5 G, 7 A) and Tylor Spink ( 5 G, 7 A) are tied for second with 12 points apiece.
Next Up: Wednesday – Home vs. Atlanta, Friday and Saturday – Home vs. Kalamazoo.
Fort Wayne Komets (7-3-2-0, 16 points)
The Komets find themselves in third place this week following a four-game road trip that saw them pick up five out of eight possible standings points. The power play unit was playing well for Fort Wayne at Tulsa on Wednesday night, scoring on 3-of-7 attempts, including a Kyle Thomas goal with 25-seconds left to send the game to overtime. Once there, though, the Komets allowed an Oilers goal and they fell 4-3. The Komets battled right back, picking up a pair of road wins at Missouri over the weekend. Gabriel Desjardins netted two goals and Mike Embach added a goal and two assists Friday in a 6-4 win over the Mavericks. Five different Komets posted double-digit scoring efforts on Saturday, as Fort Wayne jumped out to a 6-0 lead and held on to post a 6-1 win over the Mavericks. Eric Hartzell posted 30 saves in the win. Shawn Szydlowski netted a goal and assist Sunday, but it would not be enough, as the Wichita Thunder scored four times in the middle frame to hand the Komets a 5-3 loss to close out their week.
Szydlowski (6 G, 8 A) leads the team with 14 points, while Jamie Schaafsma (5 G, 7 A) and Thomas (5 G, 7 A) are tied for second with 12 points each.
Next Up: Friday – Home vs. Quad City.
Quad City Mallards (7-3-0-1, 15 points)
The Mallards came out of the weekend with four points after picking up wins in both games played. Four different Mallards found the back of the net at home on Friday, including Nolan LaPorte who also added two assists to his totals and Chris Francis who cashed in the game-winner in a 4-2 victory over the Toledo Walleye. C.J. Motte stopped 42-shots en route to his fourth win. A pair of third period goals from Brady Brassart would be enough offense on Saturday for the Mallards, as Motte posted 22-saves in a 2-1 win at Kalamazoo.
Justin Kovacs (4 G, 8 A) leads the team with 12 points, while Sam Warning (4 G, 6 A) is in second place with 10 points.
Next Up: Friday – at Fort Wayne, Saturday and Sunday – Home vs. Wheeling.
Kalamazoo Wings (6-6-0-1, 13 points)
It was a rough week for the Wings, dropping three of four games played. Kalamazoo couldn’t manage any offense on Wednesday night in a 3-0 home loss to the Toldeo Walleye. The offense struggled once again for the Wings on Friday night as they fell 3-0 at home to the Cincinnati Cyclones. That loss marked three-straight shutout losses for Kalamazoo. Anthony Camara’s second period goal on Saturday night broke the Wings’ 202:53-long scoreless drought. However, the Wings would allow a pair of third period Mallard goals as they went on to lose to Quad City, 2-1. Tuesday night saw Kalamazoo break the offensive curse, as they scored three unanswered goals after being down early in the second period at Cincinnati to claim a 3-1 win. Tanner Sorenson led the charge for the Wings with a goal and assist.
Justin Taylor (3 G, 6 A) is tied with Dajon Mingo (1 G, 8 A) at top of the leader board with nine points each.
Next Up: Friday and Saturday – at Toledo.
Wichita Thunder (6-3-0-0, 12 points)
The Thunder continue to quietly creep up on the division competition following two wins in three games played last weekend. Wichita opened its week with a 5-3 home win over Tulsa on Friday. Mitch Holmberg and Alexis Loiseau each scored twice and added an assist for the Thunder, while Scott Greenham posted 38-saves in the win. Nick Trecapelli’s first period goal put the Thunder on the board first at Tulsa on Saturday night, but they would not be able to hold on as they managed just 20 shots on goal in a 3-1 loss. Wichita rebounded nicely on Sunday, jumping out to a 5-1 lead after the first two periods in a home contest with Fort Wayne. Loiseau scored twice and added an assist, while Logan Nelson added a pair of goals as the Thunder held on for a 5-3 win.
Loiseau (7 G, 7 A) leads the team scoring race with 14 points, while Jack Rodewald (5 G, 3 A) and Louick Marcotte (2 G, 6 A) are tied for second with eight points.
Next Up: Friday, Saturday and Sunday – Home vs. Alaska.
Indy Fuel (4-6-1-0, 9 points)
The Fuel have to be feeling better following their three game trip to Anchorage. Indy entered its longest road trip of the season riding a six-game losing streak. They would leave after claiming two wins out of three games with the Aces. Kevin Lynch’s third period marker was the only goal scored for the Fuel on Wednesday, as they fell 5-1 to extend their losing streak to seven games. Matt Stanisz netted the game-tying goal five-minutes into the third period on Friday night, before the Fuel got shootout goals from Alex Wideman, Lynch and Anthony Beauregard to seal a 3-2 streak-busting victory. Beauregard and Matt Rupert each scored the following night and Jake Hildebrand stopped all 37-shots he faced as the Fuel picked up a 2-0 shutout win to end the weekend.
Tyler Currier (3 G, 4 A) and Lynch (3 G, 4 A) are tied atop the team leader board with seven points each. Wideman (3 G, 3 A) is third with six points, and Marek Tvrdon (3 G, 2 A) is fourth with five points.
Next Up: Friday – Home vs. Wheeling, Saturday and Sunday – Home vs. Atlanta.
VIDEO BONUS: Colorado Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar reflects on his time as a player and coach in the ECHL. Bednar won three Kelly Cups, two as a player and one as Head Coach of the South Carolina Stingrays.
Contact the writer: John.Hall@prohockeynews.com
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