SCORPIONS HIT SECOND HALF ON A TEAR
The New Mexico Scorpions (20-12-4) have been one of the streakiest teams in the CHL this season and their recent play is no different. New Mexico has won a season-high eight straight games (their fourth streak of three straight wins or more this season). The Scorpions have climbed their way back into the Southwest Division race trailing the division-leading Arizona Sundogs by four points and the second place Odessa Jackalopes by just a point.
Goaltending has been the backbone for the Scorpions strong recent play as the tandem of Andrew Martin and Mike Minard have allowed two or fewer goals in each of the last six games. Martin, the winning netminder in the CHL All-Star Game, has won six straight starts and is 11-6-1 on the season with a .922 save percentage. The veteran Minard has gone 4-1-2 in his last seven decisions and is 9-6-3 on the season.
Second-year forward Konrad Reeder has been steady all season ranking fifth in the league with 53 points (15-38=53). Veteran defenseman Vladi Hartinger is sixth among defensemen with 32 points (10-22=32).
The Scorpions have a huge divisional showdown with Arizona on Tuesday night in Prescott Valley. The game can be seen LIVE on the CHL Network with face-off scheduled for 7:05 PM (MST).
MUDBUGS HAVE TO SETTLE FOR TYING THE CHL CONSECUTIVE WINS RECORDThe Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (25-7-4) had their CHL record-tying 15-game win streak snapped on Sunday afternoon in Youngstown where they fell 3-2 in a shootout to the SteelHounds. The Mudbugs hadn’t lost a game since December 8th at Colorado. Sunday’s game had a different feel from the start for Bossier-Shreveport as they did not score the first goal of the game for the first time in 13 games and trailed in a game for the first time in 13 games (Dec. 15 vs. Tulsa). The streak for the Mudbugs tied the CHL record held previously by last season’s Colorado Eagles. The Mudbugs are still holding a 15-game home winning streak and will be back in action at the CenturyTel Center on Saturday versus the Laredo Bucks.
Comparing the Streaks
Mudbugs (2007-08) Eagles (2006-07)
Record: 15-0-0 15-0-0
Goals For: 59 (3.9/game) 58 (3.9/game)
Goals Agst.: 21 (1.4/game) 27 (1.8/game)
Home Rec.: 8-0-0 9-0-0
Road Rec.: 7-0-0 6-0-0
ICE BATS ENJOYING 2008
The Austin Ice Bats (13-23-1) are playing their nest hockey of the season over the past couple weeks going 6-1-0 since the turn of the New Year. Austin has won four straight games and six of seven and have quietly crept back into the playoff race trailing the fifth place Corpus Christi Rayz by eight points for the final playoff spot. Austin has outscored their opponents 24-13 over their recent hot stretch. Brendan Cook has goals in four of the last five games and Ted Vandermeer has eight points (4-4) in his last four games. Goaltender Miguel Beaudry was named the Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week on Monday after he went 2-0 with a .955 save percentage last week.
HOT STARTS TURNING INTO COLD MID-SEASONS
The two hottest teams in the CHL at the start of the season were the Laredo Bucks and the Youngstown SteelHounds but as of late, those two teams have found points hard to come by. The Bucks won their first 10 games of the season and were 15-4-1 in their first 20 games. Since, Laredo has gone 11-8-1 and are just 2-5-0 in their last seven games (have lost four in a row). The Hounds started the season with 14 straight road games and went an impressive 12-1-1 over that stretch. In their first 20 games, the SteelHounds were also 15-4-1 but since have gone 6-9-1 including a six-game losing streak that ended on Sunday with a 3-2 shootout win over Bossier-Shreveport.
ONE-TIMERS
Jeff Christian (TUL) has nine goals and 20 assists on his current 18-game point streak…Rocky Mountain’s Daymen Rycroft has goals in six straight games (one shy of the season-high) and has 10 goals and nine assists in his last six games…OKC head coach Doug Sauter coached his 1200th career victory on Saturday in the Blazers 8-1 win over Tulsa…OKC’s Ryan Watson scored the team’s first hat trick of the season on Saturday and has been named the Oakley CHL Player of the Week…The Gorillas have outshot their opponents 285-179 in their last six games but have been outscored 29-18 (1-4-1 over that stretch)…RGV’s David Lemanowicz is facing an average of 41.5 shots per game...The Brahmas have gone 13-3-1 in one-goal games this season…After missing more than a month, Scott Sheppard returned to the Texas line-up on Sunday…NMX’s Chris Robertson has seven goals in his last eight games…Rocky Mountain hits the road for three straight games in Youngstown this weekend (the Rage were 0-4 last season versus the Hounds)…Mississippi’s Louis Dumont is 18 points from 1000 as a pro.
