MOUNTAIN DIVISION
Utah Grizzlies (6-4-0-0, 12 points)
The Grizzlies remain at the top of the Mountain Division, despite picking up just two points in four road games last weekend. Austen Brassard, Erik Higby and Brandon McNally all scored Wednesday, but that would not be enough as the Grizzlies would fall to the Oilers 5-3, despite out-shooting Tulsa 37-30 on the night. Tim Daly netted a goal and added an assist on Friday night, while Brassard chipped in his third of the season in a 6-2 loss at Wichita. Utah picked up their only win of the week at Wichita on Saturday. Five different players scored, with Kenton Helgesen leading the way with a goal and assist in a 5-3 win that snapped Utah’s two-game skid. The Grizzlies closed out the week with a 3-0 shutout loss at Tulsa.
Jon Puskar (4 G, 3 A), Shane Walsh (4 G, 3 A), Brassard (3 G, 4 A) and Daly (2 G, 5 A) are tied at the top of the team leader board with seven points apiece. Goaltender Ryan Faragher is now 5-2 on the season after suffering his first two losses of the year to Tulsa.
Next Up: Friday and Saturday – Home vs. Allen, Monday – Home vs. Adirondack.
Colorado Eagles (4-3-1-2, 11 points)
The Eagles managed to remain in second place, despite dropping all three games last week as their current losing streak extended to five games. Colorado held a 2-0 lead over Eastern Conference foe Reading on Wednesday until the mid-way point of the game. From there, the Royals scored four goals, including three in the final period, to hand the Eagles a 4-3 home loss. Luke Salazar’s first period power play goal on Friday gave the Eagles a lead that lasted nearly 40-minutes, before the visiting Idaho Steelheads struck to tie and went on to claim a 2-1 win in a shootout. Jesse Mychan scored twice, but it was too little, too late as Idaho jumped out to an early lead on Saturday night and went on to hand Colorado a 4-3 loss, despite the Eagles out-shooting the Steelheads 40-22.
Mychan (7 G, 7 A) and Casey Pierro-Zabotel (4 G, 10 A) pace the Eagles with 14 points each, while Salazar (6 G, 6 A) is a close second with 12 points.
Next Up: Wednesday – Home vs. Allen, Friday -Home vs. Rapid City, Saturday – at Rapid City.
Idaho Steelheads (5-4-1-0, 11 points)
The Steelheads claimed two wins out of three road games last week, pulling them into a second place tie with Colorado. Jefferson Dahl scored twice, while Rob Linsmayer added a pair of assists on Wednesday in a 5-3 loss at Rapid City. Dahl scored four-minutes into the third period and Joe Basaraba netted the only goal of a five-round shootout for a 2-1 win at Colorado on Friday night. The Steelheads posted three first period goals on Saturday night, as Basaraba (1 G, 1 A) and Will Merchant (1 G, 1 A) led Idaho to a 4-3 win over Colorado. Landon Bow was solid in net, stopping 37 shots in a game that saw Colorado out-shoot Idaho 40-22.
Dahl (4 G, 9 A) leads the Steelheads with 13 points, while Joe Faust (4 G, 5 A) and Linsmayer (3 G, 6 A) are second with nine points each.
Next Up: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday – Home vs. Adirondack.
Alaska Aces (5-2-0-0, 10 points)
The Alaska Aces jump ahead of the Allen Americans in the standings, following a pair of weekend road wins at Allen. Stephen Perfetto scored a power play goal and shorthanded goal 42-seconds apart as part of a three-goal first period for the Aces on Saturday night and Alaska held on to claim a 4-3 victory over the Americans. Nolan Descoteaux and Daniel Moynihan scored power play goals 36-sconds apart in the opening frame, and Tim Coffman added a power play goal in the second as the Aces jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Sunday. After surrendering a late second-period goal to the Americans, Peter Sivak regained the three-goal lead in the third period, before Coffman added his second power play tally of the game to secure a 5-1 win. The Aces finished the game 4-for-8 on the man advantage.
Perfetto and Sivak are tied for the team points lead with 12 each, both by way of six goals and six assists. Coffman rounds out with top three with seven goals and three assists for 10 points.
Next Up: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday – Home vs. Indy.
Allen Americans (4-6-0-0, 8 points)
The Americans struggled in a pair of weekend home games, losing both to extend their losing streak to three in-a-row. Allen spotted Alaska three first-period goals on Saturday night, before responding with third period goals from Matt Willows, Greger Hanson and Eric Roy, but could not find the equalizer as they would fall 4-3. The woes continued for Allen the following night, as they allowed themselves to fall into a 3-0 hole once again to open the game. Jake Machment’s late second period goal would be the only score of the game for the Americans as they would fall 5-1. Allen went 0-for-7 on the power play in the game, while allowing the Aces to score on 4-of-8 power play chances.
Chad Costello (2 G, 10 A) continues to hold the points lead with 12 points, while Hanson (5 G, 5 A) and Spencer Asuchak (4 G, 6 A) are tied for second place with 10 points each.
Next Up: Wednesday – at Colorado, Friday and Saturday – at Utah.
Missouri Mavericks (3-5-0-1, 7 points)
The Mavericks came away with two out of a possible four points, following a split during a weekend home-and-home series with former Central Division rival Tulsa. Sam Povorozniouk found the net 7:51 into Friday’s game at Tulsa to put the Mavs up 1-0. The lead would stick until the final period, where the Oilers would respond with three unanswered goals to give the Mavericks a 3-1 loss. The tables, however, turned for Missouri at home the following night. Lukas Lofquist netted a hat trick, while 15-of-16 skaters for the Mavericks registered a point in a 10-3 rout of Tulsa. The Mavericks were 3-for-5 on the power play, while they effectively killed off all five Oilers power play attempts.
Dane Fox (3 G, 5 A) and Jesse Graham (1 G, 7 A) are tied for the scoring lead with eight points each, while Bryce Aneloski is in second with seven points, all by way of assists.
Next Up: Friday and Saturday – Home vs. Fort Wayne.
Rapid City Rush (2-8-1-0, 5 points)
The Rush picked up two points out of a possible six during a three-game home stand last week. Rapid City opened the week with a 5-3 win over Idaho on Wednesday in a game that saw five different players find the net. Kent Patterson made 31 saves on the night as the Rush were out-shot 34-21. Nathan Moon and Hunter Fejes each contributed a goal and assist on Friday night, but the Rush went cold in the third period as they allowed a pair of goals to fall 6-3 to the Reading Royals. Josh MacDonald had a goal and assist on Saturday night and the Rush out-shot the Royals 27-14 over the final two periods, but it would not be enough as Rapid City would drop the game 5-3.
Lindsay Sparks (8 G, 9 A) and Ryan Walters (4 G, 13 A) are tied with 17 points to lead the Rush. MacDonald (5 G, 7 A) is in third with 12 points. Patterson (2-4) is the only Rush goaltender to post a win this season, despite holding a 4.22 GAA.
Next Up: Friday – at Colorado, Saturday – Home vs. Colorado.
CENTRAL DIVISION
Tulsa Oilers (9-2-0-0, 18 points)
The Oilers maintain the ECHL lead following three wins in four games last week. Jiri Fronk netted a hat trick, the first for an Oilers player this season, during a 5-3 win over Utah at home on Wednesday night. Down 1-0 entering the final period at home on Friday, Adam Pleskach scored twice, four and a half minutes apart, and Dan DeSalvo added an empty net goal as the Oilers battled back for a 3-1 win. Tulsa suffered its second loss of the season in a rematch with Missouri on the road Saturday. Garrett Ladd, Christophe Lalancette and Axel Blomqvist all scored for the Oilers, but it wouldn’t be enough as goalie Brody Hoffman allowed 10 goals on 37 shots as the Oilers fell to the Mavs 10-3. Hoffman was subsequently released by the Oilers on Monday. The Oilers closed out the week with a 3-0 home win over Utah on Sunday. Jamie Phillips improved to 9-0 on the season as he claimed his first professional shutout, while Tulsa got third period goals from Garrett Ladd, Danick Paquette and Kale Kessy to break open a previously tight, defensive battle.
DeSalvo (5 G, 6 A) leads the Oilers with 11 points on the season, while Pleskach (6 G, 3 A) and Emerson Clark (4 G, 5 A) are tied for second with nine points each. Phillips leads the ECHL in wins (9), minutes (549) and saves (266).
Next Up: Wednesday – Home vs. Fort Wayne, Friday – at Wichita, Saturday – Home vs. Wichita.
Toledo Walleye (7-2-0-0, 14 points)
The Walleye remain within four points of the division lead, following a split of a weekend home-and-home series with the Wheeling Nailers. Toledo scored five second-period goals, as Tylor Spink led the way with two goals Friday in a 6-1 road win at Wheeling. Cal Heeter posted 30 saves on the night, as he improved his record to 4-0. Scott Czarnowczan and A.J. Jenks each scored in the opening 4:35 at home on Saturday as the Walleye jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the first intermission. They then allowed five unanswered Wheeling goals as they would go on to suffer a 5-2 loss to the Nailers.
Tyson Spink (4 G, 8 A) leads Toledo with 12 points, while Kyle Bonis (5 G, 5 A), Jenks (5 G, 5 A) and Tylor Spink (4 G, 6 A) are tied for second with 10 points each.
Next Up: Wednesday – at Kalamazoo, Friday – at Quad City, Saturday – at Cincinnati.
Fort Wayne Komets (5-2-1-0, 11 points)
The Komets are in a three-way tie for third place in the Central Division, following a week that saw them pick up three points out of a possible six. Garrett Thompson and Bobby Shea scored just over a minute apart on Wednesday night, as the Komets took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission at Cincinnati, before allowing three goals from the Cyclones in the middle period to suffer a 4-3 loss. Fort Wayne fared better as they returned home on Friday night. Thompson paced the Komets with a goal and assist, as Eric Hartzell stopped 31-shots in a 4-0 shutout win over the visiting Indy Fuel. Kyle Thomas scored twice, including a third period goal in a 5-4 overtime loss at Brampton on Sunday.
Thomas (4 G, 5 A) leads the Komets in scoring with nine points, while Jamie Schaafsma (3 G, 4 A) and Shawn Szydlowski (3 G, 4 A) are tied for second with seven points.
Next Up: Wednesday – at Tulsa, Friday and Saturday – at Missouri.
Kalamazoo Wings (5-3-0-1, 11 points)
The Wings find themselves in a tie for third place following one win out of two road games last week. Anthony Camara scored two goals, while Tyler Shattock added a goal and an assist in a 5-3 road win at Brampton on Friday night. Kalamazoo was 2-for-5 on the power play, while they denied the Beast on two man advantages. Joel Martin posted 31-saves on the night for the Wings. Nick Riopel stopped 25-of-26 shots at Wheeling on Sunday, but that would be all the Nailers needed as they would hand the Wings a 3-0 loss. Riopel was pulled late in the game in favor of an extra attacker when the Nailers netted their final two goals. Despite being saddled with the loss, Riopel was awarded the third star of the game.
Justin Taylor (2 G, 6 A) and Dajon Mingo (1 G, 7 A) are tied for the team scoring lead with eight points each, while Shattock (3 G, 3 A) and Tyler Biggs (3 G, 3 A) have six points apiece.
Next Up: Wednesday – Home vs. Toledo, Friday – Home vs. Cincinnati, Saturday – Home vs. Quad City.
Quad City Mallards (5-3-0-1, 11 points)
The Mallards picked up three out of a possible six points last weekend to put them in a three-way tie for third in the division. Quad City out-shot Cincinnati 31-15 on Thursday, but still ended up on the bad end of a 4-1 road loss to the Cyclones. Chris Francis had the only score of the game, netting a power play goal in the second period. The Mallards picked up their only win of the week on Saturday, as they scored three third-period goals in a 4-1 at Indy. Alex Petan led the way for Quad City with two goals and an assist, while C.J. Motte posted 39-saves. Justin Kovacs and Petan each contributed power play markers at home on Sunday, but the Mallards would go on to lose 3-2 in a rematch with the Cyclones.
Kovacs (4 G, 8 A) leads the Mallards with 12 points, Sam Warning (4 G, 6 A) is second with 10 points and Petan (5 G, 4 A) rounds out the top three.
Next Up: Friday – Home vs. Toledo, Saturday – at Kalamazoo.
Wichita Thunder (4-2-0-0, 8 points)
The Thunder gained two points following a weekend split with the Utah Grizzlies at Intrust Bank Arena. Six different players found the back of the net on Friday in a 6-2 win over the Grizzlies. Louick Marcotte, Jack Rodewald and Alexis Loiseau led the offensive effort with a goal and assist each, while Drew Owsley stopped 32 Utah shots in the victory. Rodewald scored twice and Owsley stopped 38 shots on Saturday, but it would not be enough as the Thunder would go on to fall to the Grizzlies 5-3. Wichita was out-shot by Utah 43-24, while both teams scored on half of their power play chances.
Rodewald (5 G, 3 A) and Loiseau (3 G, 5 A) are tied for the team points lead with eight points, while Alex Krushelnyski (2 G, 5 A) and Marcotte (2 G, 5 A) sit tied for second with seven points apiece. Owsley and fellow netminder Scott Greenham have identical 2-1 records.
Next Up: Friday – Home vs. Tulsa, Saturday – at Tulsa, Sunday – Home vs. Fort Wayne.
Indy Fuel (2-5-1-0, 5 points)
The struggles continue for the Fuel. Indy dropped both games played last week as their losing streak reaches six games in-a-row. The Fuel, who have not won since October 15, managed to score just one goal over the weekend, while allowing four goals in each game. Indy dropped a 4-0 contest at Fort Wayne on Friday night as the Komets out-shot them 42-31. Kevin Lynch potted the only goal of the weekend for the Fuel, scoring in the second period of Saturday’s 4-1 home loss to the Quad City Mallards.
Alex Wideman (3 G, 3 A) and Lynch (2 G, 4 A) are tied for the scoring lead with six points each.
Next Up: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday – at Alaska.
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