 |
| POWER
PLAY |
13TH
- 17.3 |
| PENALTY
KILL |
16TH
- 81.3 |
| FORWARDS |
| YANNOCK
TIFU |
15-42-57
(+1) |
| MIKE
BERRY |
8-36-44
(-1) |
| BRAD
BONELLO |
19-23-42
(-8) |
| DEFENSEMEN |
| GREG
LABENSKI |
6-33-39
(-16) |
| COREY
LeCLAIR |
6-18-24
(-22) |
| CHRIS
EADE |
6-13-19
(-16) |
| GOALTENDERS |
| REJEAN
BEAUCHEMIN |
16-17-4
(2 SO)
2.88 GA
.912 PCT |
|
| JEREMY
DUCHESNE |
13-13-2
(1 SO)
2.97 GA
.903 PCT |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Dayton
vs Johnstown |
|
|
SCHEDULE |
| 1 |
APR.
6 |
JOHNSTOWN
3 - DAYTON 1 |
SEED
5 |
2 |
APR.
8 |
DAYTON
0 - JOHNSTOWN 5 |
SEED
4 |
29-31-6
(70) |
3 |
APR.
9 |
DAYTON
at JOHNSTOWN |
36-30-3
(78) |
| Johnstown
Wins Series 2-0 |
|
SERIES
PREVIEW |
|
|
After
72 games and all kinds of mileage on team buses, the time
has finally arrived. The ECHL playoff season is officially
here. The Dayton Bombers and Johnstown Chiefs will officially
kick off hockey’s second season with a best-of-three series
that will begins in Dayton on Sunday.
Series Overview:
The Chiefs are in the postseason for the third straight
season. It is the second time in team history the team
has done so since the 2000-2002 seasons. This is the 13th
time the Chiefs have made the playoffs in their 20-year
history. The Bombers are making back-to-back Kelly Cup
Playoffs appearances for the first time since 2001 and
2002 and for the 13th time in their 17-year history. Last
season the Bombers lost to the Idaho Steelheads in the
2007 Kelly Cup Finals.
This season the Bombers will enter the playoffs as the
fifth seed in the division. Despite being the fifth seed.
Game one of the best-of-three series will begin in Dayton
due to the fact that the Bombers and Johnstown will meet
each other in the last game of the regular season in Dayton.
Both teams agreed to the arrangement. Before tonight’s
game, Dayton won six games over Johnstown, while the Chiefs
won three over the Bombers.
The winner will take on the North Division regular season
champion, the Cincinnati Cyclones, in the North Division
semifinals. That series will be a best-of-seven.
Dayton - The Bombers are the only team in the North
Division to have made the playoffs without scoring more
goals than they have allowed. Dayton scored 35 less goals
than the Chiefs. Still the Bombers outscored the Chiefs
29-22. Dayton won twice via shootout, while the Chiefs
won once via shootout.
If there is a negative for Dayton their leading scorer
Matt Beaudoin is currently not on the active roster. Beaudoin
scored 38 goals and 31 assists, while Yannick Tifu, who
is second on the team in points, had 15 goals and 42 assists.
Flyers prospects Rejean Beauchemin and Jeremey Dushesne
are both solid, but not spectacular. Both have goals against
averages just under 3.00 and save percentages just above
90 percent.
Beauchemin has played in 41 games while Dushesne has played
in 30 games, so look for Beauchemin to get the start in
goal for Dayton.
Johnstown - Their will be no such goaltending issues
for Johnstown, as Ryan Nie will get the call for the Chiefs.
Nie has a 2.80 goals against average and a .897 save percentage.
The Chiefs leading scorer, Randy Rowe, was 15th in the
league in scoring with 24 goals and 43 assists. The team
has five players with over 20 goals, but only the teams
second best scorer, Ryan Garlock, is not on the active
roster.
Intangibles - The Chiefs were 11th on the power play,
while Dayton was 13th. The Chiefs were 16th on the power
play, while Dayton was 17th. Needless to say neither team
will have an edge on special teams. The Chiefs are going
into the playoffs on a roll. Before tonight’s game Johnstown
was 7-3 in there last ten games while Dayton is going
in the other direction going 2-6-1-1.
Neither team draws in the top half of the league in attendance.
In fact the Chiefs are second from the bottom drawing
2,346 fans, while Dayton is drawing 3,551 prior to tonight’s
game.
Prediction: Johnstown in three.
Johnstown has a slight edge in scoring and plays a solid
two way game. If Dayton can get any kind of goaltending
things might swing in such a short series.
Despite the Bombers winning the season series, we give
the edge to the Chiefs. If the Bombers lose the series,
the American Conference will have a new champion to crown.
Contact the author at brian.jennings@prohockeynews.com
|
|
| Game
1 |
Johnstown
3 - Dayton 1 |
| by
Brian Jennings - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Johnstown
Leads Series 1-0 |
Dayton,
OH - One thing you can say about Randy Rowe is, it doesnt take long for him to make an impact on a game. The Johnstown Chiefs will go as far as he can carry them in his back. The Chiefs captain scored only 39 seconds in Game One of the ECHLs North Divisions best-of-three series. Rowe had a three point night including 2 goals in the Chiefs 3-1 victory over the Dayton Bombers.
The win was Johnstowns first in Ohio this year having lost all nine games in Dayton and Cincinnati. Chiefs goaltender Ryan Nie had 25 saves on the night for the victory as Johnstown outshot Dayton 41-26 on the night. Dayton goaltender Rejean Beauchemin took the loss for the Bombers.
The Chiefs went 2 for 5 on the power play while the Bombers went 1 for 8. Dayton was outshot 32-16 after two periods, but outshot Johnstown 10-9 in the third period in which neither team scored.
Games 2 and 3 will be in Johnstown Tuesday and if necessary Wednesday night. The winner of the series will take on the Brabham Cup champion (given to the team with the best regular season record) the Cincinnati Cyclones.
Contact
the author at brian.jennings@prohockeynews.com
|
|
| Game
2 |
Dayton
0 - Johnstown 5 |
| by
Brian Jennings - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM |
Johnstown
Wins Series 2-0 |
Johnstown,
PA - Ryan Garlock had a four point night, and game one hero Randy Rowe had two assists as the Johnstown Chiefs defeated the Dayton Bombers 5-0. The win officially ended Dayton’s brief reign as American Conference champions as Johnstown won both games of the best-of-three series.
The Chiefs went 2 of 9 on the power play while Dayton was 0 for 6. Johnstown goaltender Ryan Nie had 23 saves for the shutout win. Dayton goaltender Rejean Beauchemin once again took the loss for the Bombers.
In game one it was Rowe who scored 39 seconds into the game. This time it was Garlock who scored 11 seconds into the game and the Chiefs never looked back in front of the home crowd of 1,498 screaming fans. The Chiefs Alexandre Imbeault also had a good night with a goal and 2 assists.
Johnstown will now take on the Brabham Cup champions (given to the team with the best regular season record) the Cincinnati Cyclones in the North Division quarterfinals. The series will be a best-of-seven and will open in Cincinnati.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| POWER
PLAY |
11TH
- 17.9 |
| PENALTY
KILL |
17TH
- 81.2 |
| FORWARDS |
| RANDY
ROWE |
24-44-68
(+21) |
| ALEXANDRE
IMBEAULT |
26-36-62
(+3) |
| RYAN
GARLOCK |
36-35-61
(+7) |
| DEFENSEMEN |
| ANDREW
MARTENS |
9-29-38
(+1) |
| MIKE
KNIGHT |
9-25-34
(+14) |
| BRIAN
DEETH |
6-23-28
(-5) |
| GOALTENDERS |
| RYAN
NIE |
29-12-2
(3 SO)
2.80 GA
.897 PCT |
|
| ANDREW
PENNER |
6-13-0
(0 SO)
3.52 GA
.886 PCT |
|
|
|
