Mavericks lead ECHL’s Midwest charge

As teams head back from the Christmas break, the 10 Midwest-based ECHL Hockey teams are split evenly — five in a post season position and five looking at an early trip to the golf course if they can’t turn things around in the next few months.

They are also split evenly on each side — in the East Conference there are two Midwest-based teams — one in a solid position (Toledo Walleye) while the other (Kalamazoo Wings) is looking at an early summer so far.

In the Western Conference there are eight more entries including the league leading Missouri Mavericks and the Quad City Mallards who sit atop the Midwest Division. Fort Wayne Komets and Cincinnati Cyclones are also among those currently invited to the post season while the Indy Fuel is barely oustside along with the Rapid City Rush. The Evansville Icemen and Wichita Thunder both need to make some big waves if they hope to participate after the end of the regular season.

Following is a quick look at each of the 10 teams in descending order from the current standings.

EAST CONFERENCE 

Toledo Walleye: The Walleye enjoyed a thrilling 21-game playoff run and got to with in a goal (in triple overtime) of reaching the league championship series.

It appears the momentum from that campaign has carried into the 2015-16 season as the Walleye — ECHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins currently lead the North Division with a 17-8-1-3 record through 29 games and that’s good enough for the third seed in the conference, just one point behind Manchester from the Eastern Division and five away from Florida in the South.

The Walleye is 7-3 in its past 10 games but dropped its most recent at home to the Elmira Jackals last night (Dec. 30) bringing an end to a five-game winning streak. That was the first game on a busy New Years weekend as Toledo crew hits the road to play the Cyclones in Cincinnati on New Years Eve and then returns home to play host to the Fort Wayne Komets on Saturday.

Alden Hirschfeld, a 27-year-old native of nearby Sylvania, OH leads the team on offense this season collecting 26 points (14g, 12a) in 27 games. Marek Tvrdon, a 22-year-old winger from Czech Republic has put up 21 points (8g, 13a) in 23 games and Shane Berschbach, a 24-year-old forward has also hit the 20-point mark (6g, 14a).

In goal, veteran Jeff Lerg has appeared in 17 games with a record of 12-3 and a Save Percentage of .929. Rookie prospect, 21-year-old Jake Paterson has gone between the pipes in a dozen contests, posting a record of 5-5-1-1 and a .922 Save Percentage.

Kalamazoo Wings: The time is now for the Kalamazoo to start putting some wins together if the team hopes to be included in the post season.

The ECHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Lake Erie Monsters currently sits 12th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 11-16-2-1 and nine points away from the eighth place Reading Royals who currently hold the final playoff position.

The Wings are 4-5-1 in its past 10 games but coming off of a 7-4 win at Wheeling against the Nailers in its most recent test, Dec. 27, bringing an end to a three-game losing skid. The team will look to continue its latest winning trend with home games against Elmira tonight (Dec. 31) and Saturday.

Dane Fox, a 22-year-old center leads the way on offense with 24 points (9g, 15a) and another young prospect, Alex Mallet, a 23-year-old forward is next with 19 points (8g, 11a).

In goal, opponents have seen veteran Joel Martin more often than not, the 33-year-old keepeer appearing in 27 games so far and a record of 11-12-2-1. His Save Percentage is a solid .923. Clay Witt, 24 has appeared in five games and has yet to post a win for the Wings.

WEST CONFERENCE 

Missouri Mavericks: Statistically, closing in on the halfway mark of the season, the Mavs are the best team in the league. The 23-3-0-1 record of the Missouri crew has it sitting atop the Western Conference with a full 13-point margin on the Utah Grizzlies who sit second and have actually played one extra game.

Ironically, the margin is actually closer in its own division as the Allen Americans sit 10-points behind. But, with Division winners granted the top three seeds in the post season, Allen is officially ranked fourth in the Conference.

The ECHL affliate of the New York Islanders and Bridgeport Sound Tigers is 9-1 in its past 10 and winners of its past four heading into its final game of 2015 at home to Wichita on New Years Eve, kicking off a busy three-game weekend. The Mavs will also entertain the Allen Americans on New Years Day before traveling to Evansville to wrap up its three games in three days stretch.

The team has outscored its opponents by nearly a 2-1 edge (92-47). Leading the way is 25-year-old Tyler Barnes who has put up 30 points (13g, 17a) in 27 games while Jesse Root figured in on 28 (13g, 15a) before getting a call up to Bridgeport after 22 games. Rocco Carzo, a 25-year-old winger has contributed 20 points (2g, 18a).

In goal, the work has been split primarily between Josh Robinson and Parker Milner who have both put up some phenomenal numbers to date. Robinson, 26, has played 15 games and posted a record of 14-0-0-1 with a Save Percentage of .934. Milner, 25, has appeared in a dozen games with a record of 9-3-0-0 and a Save Percentage of .938. Both keepers have a Goals Against Average of well under 2.00. Chris Rawlings has also played in six games on loan.

Quad City Mallards: Officially ranked third in playoff seeds, the 15-13-1-2 Mallards lead the Midwest Division, but sit in a tenuous position thanks to some not so great play of late. Editor’s Note – As this was written on Dec. 31, the Mallards indeed did hold down third spot overall and first in the Midwest Division. The article was finished on Jan. 3 and at that time the Mallards fell to fifth overall and second in its conference.

The Mallards have played 31 games and sit with a three point edge on three  other teams in its division — Fort Wayne, with just 26 games played, Cincinnati with 27 games played and Indy who have also played 31 and currently sit on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.

The Mallards carried a five-game winning streak into the early days of December but have dropped seven of nine since then. After snapping a four-game skid with a 6-4 win at Evansville against the Icemen on New Years Eve, the Mallards found themselves back in the loss column on Saturday, falling 4-1 on home ice to the Allen Americans. That game was the first of four straight on home ice for the Mallards who will look to win a little more consistently through the first month of 2016.

Leading the way on offense for the  ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild is Olivier Archambault, a 22-year-old prospect for the Wild, originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the Fourth Round (108th Overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry draft. Archambault has collected 27 points (9g, 18a) in 26 games so far and has also played a half dozen contests with the Iowa Wild.

Matt Neal, a 24-year-old forward, is next with 22 points (10g, 12a) in 33 games, even with veteran defenseman Mike Monfredo (3g, 19a) who has appeared in 32 games.

In goal, the work has been split almost evenly between Stephen Michalek, 22  who played 19 games and sports a record of 9-7-1-2 with a .920 Save Percentage and Brody Hoffman who has played 14 games (7-7-0-0) with a .910 Save Percentage.

Fort Wayne Komets: The Komets played through a so-so, win one, lose one type of December, wrapping up a the month with a 6-4 record, but that includes a 7-0 win on home ice New Years Eve that send the team on to wins in its next two games –both by 2-1 scores– at Indianapolis and Toledo.

Not a bad start to the 2016 year which now has the team in the middle of a five-game road trip, having vaulted from sixth overall to top spot in the Midwest Division and third overall in the playoffs began today.

The Komets, ECHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche and San Antonio Rampage, look to build off of its currrent streak staying on the road for the next week, beginning with a Friday/Sunday pair against the Quad City Mallards, a team it just knocked out of top spot in its division.

Offensively, the Komets are led by 27-year-old forward Mike Embach who has reached 30 points (13g, 17a) in 29 games, followed by last season’s top scorer, Shawn Szydlowski, a 25-year-old winger who this season has picked up 24 points (10g, 14a) in 20 games. Garrett Thompson, a 25-year-old forward also has 24 points (7g, 17a) in 28 games.

The Komets have started five different goaltenders this season, but the most consistently used is Pat Nagle, a 28-year-old vet who has played 20 games so far, posting a record of 11-5-2-0 and a Save Percentage of .923. Rookie goaltender, Spencer Martin, 20 has played in 10 while also bouncing up to the Rampage for seven. With the Komets, Martin has a record of 6-4-0-0 and a Save Percentage of .887.

Cincinnati Cyclones:

The Cyclones entered the New Year on the right side of the playoff bubble and could move up or down with each game.

A 2-1 weekend that started out with an impressive 4-0 shutout against the Toledo Walleye on New Years Eve followed up with a split on the road in South Carolina against the Stingrays — dropping the opener 4-1 on Saturday but bouncing back the following day for a 4-2 win, boosting its overall record to 15-11-2-2, for 34 points. That’s good enough for third spot in the tight Midwest Division, just two points away from top seeded Fort Wayne Komets, but also, just four up on fourth place Indy Fuel who currently sits on the wrong side of that post season bubble.

The Cyclones, ECHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals are looking to bounce back from a 4-7 month of December but bein the New Year with some tough challenges on the road. The pair in South Carolina is the first of five straight on the road as the team moves on to a midweek game in Atlanta and then wraps up with two more in Norfolk against the Admirals.

The reprieve will be brief with one midweek game at home followed by another three game road trip in a month that sees the team play nine of 14 games away from the friendly confines of U.S. Bank Arena.

Offensively, the Cyclones this season so far are led by 24-year-old center Nick Huard who has compiled 26 points (10g, 16a) in 30 games. Another 24-year-old forward, Zach Budish has contributed 24 points (11g, 13a) in 27 games and also enjoyed a brief stint in Milwaukee. Forward Jack Downing has 23 points (14g, 9a) in 30 games.

Veteran goaltender Brad Thiessen, 29, and Brandon Whitney, 21, have split the work fairly evenly so far. Thiessen has appeared in 15 games with a record of 8-3-1-2 and a Save Percentage of .935 while Whitney has played in 11, with a record of 6-4-0-0 and a Save Percentage of .902.

Rapid City Rush: The Rush wrapped up a rough 4-7 month of December with three straight losses, but got the New Year off to a winning, albeit ugly, 4-3 win in the second game of a two-game weekend against the Tulsa Oilers Saturday night.

That particular game got some national notice with a game ending brawl that resulted in 226 penalty minutes doled out and likely some suspensions to come as well.

The  10th place overall Rush, ECHL affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes and Springfield Falcons will be hoping to grab some momentum from the emotional win as it travels to Utah to face the Grizzlies on Wednesday and then returns home for a pair against the league leading Missouri Mavericks on the weekend.

The Rush currently sit fourth in the West Division and 10th Overall in the Western Conference, just one point behind the Colorado Eagles who hold down the eighth and final playoff position to date. The Rush has also played four less games than the Eagles, but currently also sit tied with the ninth place Tulsa Oilers who have played one game less than the Rush.

Offensively, the Rush is led by Winston Day Chief, a 28-year-old winger who has put up 21 points (8g, 13a) in 28 games while Mikhail Stefanovich, a 26-year-old forward from Belarus (10g, 5a) and Taylor Doherty (6g, 9a), a 24-year-old defenseman drafted in the Second Round (57th Overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks, both have 15 points.

In goal, the Rush have sent four different netminders to the crease, a bulk of the work so far handled by Danny Battochio, 30, who has played in 17 games with a record of 9-6-2-0 and a Save Percentage of .910. Marek Langhamer, a 21-year-old Czech goaltender (5-2-0-1, .935) and Sam Marotta, 25 (3-3-0-0, .892) have both appeared in eight.

Indy Fuel: The Fuel, ECHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks and Rockford Ice Hogs currently sits on the outside looking in at the post season picture, but it wouldn’t take much to earn an invitation to the playoff party.

A rough 5-9 month of December that included a 1-6 record on home ice didn’t help much as the team currently sits at 14-18-2-0, fourth in the Midwest Division and 11th overall, but four points from the third place (seventh overall) Cincinnati Cyclones, but with four extra games played.

The Fuel appeared to roar back to life right after the Christmas Break, taking both ends of a home and a away set with Quad City Dec. 26 and 27 and then earning a big 5-1 win in Cincinnati,but the team followed that up with a rough 7-0 loss at Fort Wayne on New Years Eve and most recently, back to back 2-1 defeats on the weekend on home ice against both the Komets and the Wichita Thunder. The team will look to snap that home ice funk at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum with a pair of games against the Evansville Icemen Friday and Saturday, wrapping up a busy weekend on the road at Wheeling against the Nailers on Sunday.

Alex Lavoie, a 23-year-old center is the team’s offensive leader so far with 25 points (9g, 16a) in 34 games while veteran Garett Bembridge has collected 19 points (10g, 9a) in 32 games. Two players sit at 18 points — 29-year-old forward Dylan Clark (7g, 11a) and 23-year-old defenseman Ben Mashall (4g, 14a).

In goal, the work has been shared by Mac Carruth, 23, who has played in 17 games and posted a record of 9-6-2-0 with a Save Percentage of .920 and Shane Owen with 18 games under his belt, a record of 5-12-0-0 and  a .913 Save Percentage.

Evansville Icemen: The Icemen still have a shot at getting itself into the playoff hunt, but the ECHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators and Binghamton Senators need to start winning games right away.

The team wrapped up a 6-7-0-0 month of December, but rallied back from an 0-3 start to the month with a 6-4 run that included impressive wins against Cincinnati and Quad City following the Christmas Break. The Mallards rallied back in the second game of a home and away twinbill on New Years Eve and the Icemen opened the New Year with tough home losses to Missouri (4-3 on Saturday) and Wichita (3-2 on Sunday).

Things don’t get any easier in a tough January schedule at will see the team playing nine of its next 11 games on the road, including a six-game road trip to wrap up the month.

The team’s 12-15-3-1 record has it sitting fifth and last in the Midwest Division and 12th overall in the Western Conference. The good news is the team sits just four points away from a playoff spot as of today (Jan. 4), but the bad news is there are three other teams to hurdle on the way to that spot and at least a couple of them have played fewer than the 31 games played so far by the Icemen.

Three different players: 22-year-old center Tyson Fawcett (16g, 6a), 25-year-old center Daultan Leveille (15g, 7a) and 25-year-old Nathan Moon (6g, 16a), a Fourth Round (120th Overall) Selection of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, all share the team lead in scoring with 22 points. Justin MacDonald, a 25-year-old winger is right behind with 21 points (8g, 13a).

In goal, the team has already sent a half dozen goaltenders to the crease, led by Christoffer Bengtsberg, a 26-year-old Swedish netminder who has played 10 games for the Icemen with a record of 3-4-1-1 and a Save Percentage of .914. Scott Greenham, 28, has played in eight games, posting a record of 4-3-1-0 and a Save Percentage of .911.

Wichita Thunder: It’s still early, but time has all but run out on the Wichita Thunder, the Midwest’s only Independent entry who enter play this coming weekend with a league worst 9-20-1-3 record.

An abysmal run through the month of December that saw the team win just one of 12 games (1-8-1-2) sank the team to this depth, but if one is searching for positives, back to back wins at Indy Saturday (2-1) and Evansville Sunday  (3-2 shootout) have the team looking for its first three game winning of the season when it heads to Tulsa on Friday to play the Oilers.

There have been some good moments this season for the team. It actually carried a winning record (4-3-0-0) out of October only to drop its first four games in November and after a shootout win, it dropped four more, a swoon it really has never recovered from. The team has managed just 63 goals through its first 33 games and will need to generate more than two goals per game if it hopes to get back into the playoff race anytime soon.

Andrew Huff leads the offense for the Thunder, a 23-year-old winger has been a bright spot for the Thunder and he currently leads the team with 15 points (7g, 8a) in 28 games.

Kenton Miller, 24 , has collected 14 points (7g, 7a) in 28 games and also played a game with Ontario in the AHL. Mason Baptista, a 25-year-0ld center and Ian Lowe, a 29-year-old center both have 14 points with six goals and eight assists apiece. Both are also among the three players who have appeared in all 33 games for the Thunder this season.

While goals have been hard to come by for the Thunder, it has also surrendered 108 so far. David Shantz, 29,  has faced a bulk of the shots so far, playing in 22 games and compiling a record of 7-13-0-2 with a .895 Save Percentage. Grant Rollheiser, 26 has played in 14 games and holds a record of 2-7-1-1 and a Save Percentage of .894.