ICE CHIPS: The KOOTENAY ICE enter this week’s action with a 2-0-0 record (2-0-0 at home, 0-0-0 on the road and 0-0 in overtime) after the first two games of the EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINAL against the MEDICINE HAT TIGERS…KOOTENAY finished the 2009-2010 regular season with a 43-24-3-2 record (21-12-2-1 at home, 22-12-1-1 on the road, 4-3 in overtime, 5-2 in shootouts) and in fourth place in the EASTERN CONFERENCE and tied for eighth place overall in the WHL…It is the seventh time in franchise history and fifth in the last six years that the ICE have recorded at least 40 wins in a season…KOOTENAY finished the 2009-2010 regular season with an above .500 record for the 11th consecutive season, which is the longest active streak in the WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE…The ICE clinched a playoff spot for the 12th consecutive year and will be facing the MEDICINE HAT TIGERS for the second time in franchise history…In 2008, KOOTENAY defeated MEDICINE HAT in five games in the first round.
PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE: The ICE have a career playoff record of 69-52 (38-23 at home, 31-29 on the road, 18-10 in overtime)…KOOTENAY has 184 games of playoff experience which is the ninth most of the teams who qualified for the post season…RYAN MOLLE (27), DUSTIN SYLVESTER (25), KEVIN KING (23) and BRAYDEN MCNABB (16) lead the ICE in games played in the playoffs…HAYDEN RINTOUL recorded his first career WHL playoff goal on March 19th against MEDICINE HAT…BROCK MONTGOMERY recorded his first goal in WHL playoffs against the TIGERS in Game One…JOEY LEACH recorded his first career WHL playoff goal on March 19th against MEDICINE HAT…DREW CZERWONKA recorded his first WHL playoff point with an assist against the TIGERS in Game One…ELGIN PEARCE, who recorded his first career WHL playoff point with an assist on March 19th against MEDICINE HAT, recorded his first goal in WHL playoffs against the TIGERS in Game Two…JESSE ISMOND recorded his first career WHL playoff point with an assist against MEDICINE HAT on March 20th…TODD MATHEWS recorded his first career WHL playoff shutout in Game Two against the TIGERS (20 saves).
EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINAL: If there is a Game Five of the EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINAL vs. MEDICINE HAT presented by KAL-TIRE and HUSKY / MOHAWK, it will be played at home on Friday, March 26th…For ticket information please call the KOOTENAY ICE Office at 250-417-0322.
DID YOU KNOW: KOOTENAY was 3-3-0-0 against MEDICINE HAT in the regular season…DUSTIN SYLVESTER (4-5-9), MATT FRASER (3-4-7) and BRAYDEN MCNABB (1-6-7) led the ICE in scoring against MEDICINE HAT in the season series while TRISTAN KING (3-6-9), LINDEN VEY (3-4-7) and MARK ISHERWOOD (1-5-6) led the TIGERS…The ICE played in their 1000th regular season game on February 23 against RED DEER…KOOTENAY finished the regular season with a .500 or better road record for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons…DUSTIN SYLVESTER finished the regular season eighth in League scoring (35-58-93)…SYLVESTER scored his franchise record 15th career shorthanded goal on March 3 in EDMONTON (previous record was 11 held by DUNCAN MILROY)…BRAYDEN MCNABB finished the regular season sixth in the WHL for points by a defenseman (17-40-57)…MATT FRASER, who recorded his 50th career WHL goal on March 3 against the OIL KINGS, recorded his 100th WHL career point on March 12th against RED DEER…KEVIN KING recorded his 150th WHL career point on March 13th against EDMONTON.
ONE YEAR AGO: After Game Two of the 2008-2009 Eastern Conference Quarter Final vs the BRANDON WHEAT KINGS the ICE were 0-2, after Game Three were 0-3 and after Game Four were 0-4.
UPCOMING WEEK:
Tuesday March 23 ICE @ Medicine Hat 7:00 pm (102.9 FM – The Drive)
Wednesday March 24 ICE @ Medicine Hat 7:00 pm (102.9 FM – The Drive)
Thursday March 25 Practice 3:45 – 5:45 pm Cranbrook Rec Plex
*Friday March 26 ICE vs Medicine Hat 7:00 pm (102.9 FM – The Drive)
Saturday March 27 Practice 12:00 – 1:30 pm 7:00 pm (102.9 FM – The Drive)
*Sunday March 28 ICE @ Medicine Hat 6:00 pm (102.9 FM – The Drive)
*If necessary
WEEK IN REVIEW:
Friday, March 19 – Kootenay 6 vs Medicine Hat 2 – Record 1-0 – Attendance: 2,335
Goals:
1 – King (1) from McNabb and Sylvester
2 – Fraser (1) from Reinhart
3 – Rintoul (1) from McNabb and King
4 – Montgomery (1) from Czerwonka and Pearce
5 – Sylvester (1) from Pearce and Rintoul
6 – Leach (1)
Goalie: Todd Mathews (25 Saves, 2 GA)
Saturday, March 20 – Kootenay 4 vs Medicine Hat 0 – Record 2-0 – Attendance: 2,452
Goals:
1 – King (2) from Boomer and McNabb
2 – Reinhart (1) from Fraser and Ismond
3 – King (3) from Boomer and Pacovsky
4 – Pearce (1) from Czerwonka
Goalie: Todd Mathews (20 Saves, 0 GA)