Texas’ Scott Sheppard Wins January’s Oakley Three Star Award

The Central Hockey League announced today that Scott Sheppard of the Texas Brahmas has won the Oakley Three Stars Award for the month of January/2009. Sheppard will receive a pair of Oakley THUMP sunglasses which feature blue tooth technology and a built in MP3 player. Learn more about the wide range of Oakley products at www.oakley.com.

Sheppard scored a league-high 13 goals during the month and also had four game winning goals. All four of his game winners came in either overtime or a shootout. The Brahmas leading scorer with 52 points finished with one First Star nod and five Second Star recognitions. On Tuesday, Sheppard was named the Sher-Wood/CHL Player of the Month for January.

The regular season Oakley Three Star standings show Odessa’s Sebastien Thinel and Colorado’s Andrew Penner tied for the lead with 44 points. Sheppard’s year-long total has him at 36 points.

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month
Scott Sheppard, Texas Brahmas
Position: Forward
(January Totals)
Games – 14
Points – 25
Goals – 13
Assists – 12
+/- – +9
First Star – 1 time (5 points)
Second Star – 5 times (15 points)
Third Star – 0 times (0 points)
Total Points – 20

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month Winners
October – Travis Clayton, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
November – Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings
December – Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
January – Scott Sheppard, Texas Brahmas

Jeff Bes’ Milestone Voted CHL Performance of the Week

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Laredo Bucks forward Jeff Bes has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for the period of January 12-18. The Tillsonburg, Ontario native wins the honor thanks to his four-point night (one goal, three assists) on January 16th in the Bucks 6-3 win over Corpus Christi. His four points also pushed the 6th year Buck veteran to a milestone reaching 900 career professional points.

Bes received 40% of the 924 total votes cast (371 votes for Bes) narrowly beating out Colorado’s Konrad Reeder who’s four goals and CHL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player effort received 35% of the vote (327 votes for Reeder).

In his career, Bes (the reigning CHL Most Valuable Player) has scored 315 goals with 591 assists for 906 points. This season, the 6-0, 190-pound forward ranks second in the CHL with 60 points (14-46=60).

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week 14 of the season (Jan. 19-25) are as follows:
-Bossier-Shreveport’s Travis Clayton scoring four points (2g, 2a) with a +4 in 4-1 win at Tulsa on January 22nd
-Corpus Christi’s Justin Quenneville scoring a pair of goals in 2-1 win at Rocky Mountain on January 23rd
-Texas’ three-goal third period in 4-3 win at Amarillo on January 24th
-Laredo scoring four unanswered goals in 5-4 SO win vs. Texas on January 21st
-Rocky Mountain’s three-goal third period in 5-4 comeback win vs. Rapid City on January 25th

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, February 2nd with the winner being announced on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Corpus Christi's Tebbs Earns Player of the Week Award

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending January 25th, 2009 are forward Bobby Chaumont of the Mississippi RiverKings and Kris Tebbs of the Corpus Christi IceRays.

Chaumont broke out of his mini-slump (scoreless in four straight games) in a big way scoring three points in each of the RiverKings games last week, both victories. In Friday’s 4-3 win versus Rio Grande Valley, the Sudbury, Ontario native scored the first goal for the RiverKings and assisted on two others including the game winner. He had a game-high 10 shots on net. In Saturday’s 5-3 win versus Laredo, the 6-0, 200-pound forward scored a first period goal and had two assists. For the season, the CHL All-Star leads the RiverKings with 22 goals and nine power play goals. His 38 points are second on the team.

Tebbs won all three starts for the IceRays last week, all on the road. During his hot stretch, the Calgary, Alberta native allowed five goals on 107 shots (.953 save percentage) and finished the week with a 1.67 goals against average. The 5-10, 170-pound goaltender’s wins came against Rapid City, Rocky Mountain and New Mexico. Tebbs is 13-10-3 on the season winning each of his last four starts vaulting the IceRays into the fifth and final playoff spot in the Southern Conference.

In recognition of their achievement, both Chaumont and Tebbs will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Goals: 2
Assists: 4
Points: 6
Plus/Minus: +1

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Kris Tebbs, Corpus Christi IceRays
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Record: 3-0-0
GAA: 1.67
Save %: 0.953
Saves: 102 of 107

Brahma's Jaeger Winner of Weekly CHL Award

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending January 18th, 2009 are forward David Morelli of the Rocky Mountain Rage and Brett Jaeger of the Texas Brahmas.

Morelli has been one of the hottest players in the league over the past two months scoring 22 points (10-12=22) over his past 23 games. Last week, the Burnaby, British Columbia native scored four goals with an assist and was a +5. In Friday’s 7-1 Rage win over Wichita, Morelli notched his first multi-goal game of the season scoring a hat trick (had game winning goal). In Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Thunder, he scored the game’s first goal and added an assist. The 5-10, 175-pound forward has already eclipsed last year’s season totals with his 15 goals and 29 points. He is just one goal shy of his career high set in the 2006-07 season.

Jaeger has been on quite a roll lately along with the Brahmas. The Peace River, Alberta native went 2-0 last week and has won nine of his last 10 games. Friday night, Jaeger stopped all 37 Arizona shots he faced earning his second shutout of the season. The 5-10, 190-pound goaltender followed that up with a 27 save performance in the Brahmas 6-2 win over Laredo on Saturday night. On the season, Jaeger is tied for second in the league with 18 wins, tied for first with a .924 save percentage and is third with a 2.36 goals against average.

In recognition of their achievement, both Morelli and Jaeger will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
David Morelli, Rocky Mountain Rage
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 4
Assists: 1
Points: 5
Plus/Minus: +5

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Brett Jaeger, Texas Brahmas
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 2-0-0
GAA: 1.00
Save %: 0.970
Saves: 64 of 66

Stars Prospect Matt Climie Honored as ECHL Rookie of the Month for December

Idaho Steelheads goaltender Matt Climie is the CCM Vector ECHL Rookie of the Month for December.

The 25 year old was 5-1-0 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 2.31 and a save percentage of .920 in six games as the Steelheads went 8-4-0. He played for the Dallas Stars in the NHL Prospects Tournament going 2-0-0 to help the Stars win the event.

He began the month stopping 29 shots and turning aside two of three shooters in the shootout for a 4-3 win against Utah. Climie won his final four games of the month beginning on Dec. 14 when he made 31 saves for his first professional shutout in a 1-0 win at Alaska. He posted back-to-back wins, stopping 27 shots in each game, against Bakersfield on Dec. 17 and 20 and ended the month turning aside 29 shots in a 5-1 win against Utah.

The Leduc, Alberta native is 11-6-0 with a shutout and a save percentage of .913. He is tied for third in the league with two shootout wins and is ninth with a goals-against average of 2.42.

Climie played four seasons at Bemidji State University where he was 45-30-11 with 12 shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.40 and a save percentage of .910 in 95 games from 2004-08. He holds the BSU career record with 12 shutouts while his goals-against average and save percentage rank second.

Photo courtesy of the ECHL web site.

Wichita’s Tessier Voted CHL Performance of the Week

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that for the second straight week, a Wichita Thunder player has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week. For week 10, the winner is Thunder defenseman Jason Tessier who notched a hat trick in Wichita’s 6-3 win versus Tulsa on December 26th. Last week’s winner was an outstanding effort by Wichita goaltender Tim Boron in a win versus Mississippi on December 19th.

Tessier’s three goals received 43% of the vote earning 861 of the 2013 votes cast. Finishing second in the weekly poll was the Texas Brahmas’ three-goal third period comeback versus Oklahoma City on December 27th. The Brahmas comeback received 643 votes for 32%.

Tessier has six goals with 11 assists in 31 games this season for Wichita who is 11-18-2 and sitting in fourth place in the Northwest Division. The veteran defenseman has played in 442 career CHL/WPHL games seeing action with El Paso, Austin, Rio Grande Valley, Memphis and the Thunder.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week 11 of the season (Dec. 22-28) are as follows:
-Colorado’s 4-3 OT win in OKC after trailing 3-1 in the third period on December 30th
-Wichita’s Troy Ofukany scoring five points (3-2=5) in 7-2 win over Colorado on January 3rd
-Texas’ Justin Kinnunen scoring a hat trick in 4-1 win at Laredo on January 3rd
-Mississippi’s special teams going 4 for 8 on PP and killing 11 of 12 opponent chances in 6-2 win over OKC on January 2nd
-Corpus Christi’s Kris Tebbs making 44 saves in 2-1 win over Odessa on January 3rd

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, January 12th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, January 13th

Texas’ Kinnunen and Arizona’s Emond Earn Weekly Award

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending January 4th, 2009 are defenseman Justin Kinnunen of the Texas Brahmas and for the second consecutive week, goaltender Marco Emond of the Arizona Sundogs.

Kinnunen returned to the Brahmas line-up on New Year’s Eve after missing five games with an injury. The recently named starter for the 2009 CHL All-Star Game finished the week with three goals and two assists in three games, all Texas wins. On Saturday, the Negaunee, Michigan native recorded just the second hat trick by a defenseman in Brahmas history in the team’s 4-1 victory over Laredo. The win moved Texas past the Bucks into first place in the Southeast Division. On the season, Kinnunen has eight goals (two shorthanded) and 11 assists ranking just outside the top 10 among defensemen in scoring. His +12 plus/minus rating is fourth among defensemen and sixth among all CHL players.

Emond wins the goaltending award for the consecutive week marking the first time the same goaltender has won in consecutive weeks since Shawn Degagne (Amarillo) during the 2003-04 season. Last week, the Valleyfield, Quebec native went 3-0 stopping 110 of 113 shots (.973 save percentage) allowing just one goal in each game he played. His victories came at home versus New Mexico and on the road versus Bossier-Shreveport and Oklahoma City. The 5-10, 195-pound goaltender has won five straight games allowing just four goals over that stretch and is 12-9-1 on the season with a 3.30 goals against average.

In recognition of their achievement, both Kinnunen and Emond will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Justin Kinnunen, Texas Brahmas
Position: D
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 3
Assists: 2
Points: 5
Plus/Minus: +2

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Record: 3-0-0
GAA: 1.00
Save %: 0.973
Saves: 110 of 113

Arizona’s Emond Wins December’s CHL Oakley Three-Star Award

The Central Hockey League announced today that Marco Emond of the Arizona Sundogs has won the Oakley Three Stars Award for the month of December/2008. Emond will receive a pair of Oakley THUMP sunglasses which feature blue tooth technology and a built in MP3 player. Learn more about the wide range of Oakley products at www.oakley.com.

Emond finished the month with a bang being named first star in each of the last three games of December. The Valleyfield, Quebec native allowed just two goals in his final three starts going 3-0 for the defending Ray Miron President’s Cup Champions. For the season, Emond is 12-9-1 with a 3.30 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

In the season Oakley Three Star standings, Laredo’s Darryl Smith leads with 38 points followed by Colorado’s Andrew Penner with 37 points. Emond has 32 points on the season.

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month
Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
Position: Goaltender
(December Totals)
Games – 10
Record – 5-5-0
Shutouts – 1
GAA – 3.68
Save % – .899
First Star – 3 times (15 points)
Second Star – 1 time (3 points)
Third Star – 0 times (0 points)
Total Points – 18

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month Winners
October – Travis Clayton, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
November – Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings
December – Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs

Colorado’s Penner Named Goaltender of the Month

The Central Hockey League announced today that Andrew Penner of the Colorado Eagles has been named the Sher-Wood/Central Hockey League Goaltender of the Month for the month of December/2008. Penner will receive a Sher-Wood/CHL logoed portable DVD player, courtesy of Sher-Wood, to recognize his accomplishment.

Penner went without a regulation loss in December posting a 7-0-1 record allowing 22 goals. He finished the month with a 2.57 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. The first-year Eagle helped push the Northwest Division leaders past Laredo and Oklahoma City in big games during the final month of 2008. The lone blemish on his record was a shootout loss to the Northeast Division leading Blazers. For the season, the Simcoe, Ontario native leads the CHL with 15 wins and ranks eighth in the league with a 2.55 goals against average and third with a .922 save percentage. The 6-2, 223-pound goaltender’s only regulation loss came all the way back on November 1st at Mississippi.

The Eagles have the highest winning percentage in the CHL at .810 reflecting a 23-5-1 record. They are currently 19 points clear of Rocky Mountain in the Northwest Division and are leading the Northern Conference by five points over the Blazers.

Other players receiving consideration for the Sher-Wood/CHL Goaltender of the Month for December include Arizona’s Marco Emond, Bossier-Shreveport’s Jon Horrell, Corpus Christi’s Kris Tebbs, Laredo’s Ryan Gibbs, Mississippi’s Tyler Sims, Odessa’s Alexandre Vincent, Oklahoma City’s Doug Groenestege, Rapid City’s Miguel Beaudry, Rio Grande Valley’s Christian Boucher, Rocky Mountain’s Scott Reid, Texas’ David Cacciola and Wichita’s Tim Boron.

Sher-Wood CHL Player of the Month
Andrew Penner, Colorado Eagles
Position: Goaltender
(December Totals)
Games – 9
Record – 7-0-1
GAA – 2.57
Save % – .919

Sher-Wood CHL Player of the Month Winners
October – Wylie Rogers, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
November – Doug Groenestege, Oklahoma City Blazers
December – Andrew Penner, Colorado Eagles

Texas’ Cameron Named Player of the Month

The Central Hockey League announced today that Jordan Cameron of the Texas Brahmas has been named the Sher-Wood/Central Hockey League Player of the Month for the month of December/2008. Cameron will receive a Sher-Wood/CHL logoed portable DVD player, courtesy of Sher-Wood, to recognize his accomplishment.

Cameron had points in 10 of the 13 games he played in the month and was a plus or even in every contest. He finished with nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points, while also registering a game winning goal and two shorthanded goals. The Drayton Valley, Alberta native was very strong in the second half of the month recording six multiple-point games in his last eight played. For the season, the 6-1, 227-pound forward has 28 points (12-16=28) in 21 games and is tied for the team lead with a +10 plus/minus rating.

The Brahmas are in second place in the Southeast Division trailing Laredo by two points and boasting an 18-9-3 record.

Other players receiving consideration for the Sher-Wood/CHL Player of the Month for December include Amarillo’s Joe Guenther, Arizona’s Joel Irving, Colorado’s Greg Pankewicz, Corpus Christi’s Chris Richards and Ryan Bennett, Laredo’s Jeff Bes and Darryl Smith, Mississippi’s Garrett Larson, Odessa’s Sebastien Thinel, Russ Moyer and Dominic Leveille, Oklahoma City’s Brian Passmore, Rio Grande Valley’s Jesse Bennefield and Tulsa’s Jeff Christian.

Sher-Wood CHL Player of the Month
Jordan Cameron, Texas Brahmas
Position: Forward
(December Totals)
Games – 13
Points – 19
Goals – 9
Assists – 10
Plus/Minus – +8

Sher-Wood CHL Player of the Month Winners
October – Rich Hansen, Rapid City Rush
November – Michel Beausoleil, Tulsa Oilers
December – Jordan Cameron, Texas Brahmas

CHL Player/Goaltender of the Week Announced

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 28th, 2008 are forward Chris Robertson of the New Mexico Scorpions and goaltender Marco Emond of the Arizona Sundogs.

Robertson is coming off a week that saw him score four goals with two assists. The Scorpions center helped put an end to a three-game losing streak and to another more dubious streak, never winning a regulation game in Colorado, by netting his second hat trick of the season in a 6-4 New Mexico win at Colorado on Saturday. The Owen Sound, Ontario native followed that up by scoring the game winning goal on Sunday in the Scorpions 3-1 win over the Southern Conference’s top team, the Odessa Jackalopes. For the season, the 6-0, 200-pound forward has 30 points (14-16=30) in 28 games.

Emond strung together back-to-back wins at Rapid City versus the expansion Rush last week. On Friday night, the Valleyfield, Quebec native made 29 saves earning his first shutout of the season. The next night, the 5-10, 195-pound goaltender made 33 saves as the Sundogs won 2-1. On the season, Emond is 9-9-1 with a 3.66 goals against average.

In recognition of their achievement, both Robertson and Emond will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Chris Robertson, New Mexico Scorpions
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 4
Assists: 2
Points: 6
Plus/Minus: +1

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 2-0-0
GAA: 0.50
Save %: 0.984
Saves: 62 of 63

Wichita’s Tim Boron Voted CHL Performance of the Week

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Tim Boron of the Wichita Thunder has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for Week 10. The netminder made 53 saves in a 2-1 Thunder victory over Mississippi on December 19th propelling him to the award.

Boron’s effort received 49% of the vote earning 289 of the 591 votes cast. Coming in second place was Laredo’s Darryl Smith who scored the game winning goal with 16 seconds left on the clock in the Bucks 4-3 win over Corpus Christi on December 20th.

Boron has been a lift to the Thunder as of late winning the Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week award earlier in December. He is a deceiving 3-8-1 on the season with a 2.50 goals against average and a .928 save percentage.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week 11 of the season (Dec. 22-28) are as follows:
-RGV’s Christian Boucher making 41 saves in the Bees 1-0 win vs. Laredo on December 22nd
-Wichita’s Jason Tessier scoring a hat trick in the Thunders 6-3 win vs. Tulsa on December 26th
-Odessa’s Russ Moyer netting five points in the Jacks 7-3 win over Amarillo on December 27th
-Texas’ three-goal third period erasing a 3-1 deficit in their 4-3 win over OKC on December 27th
-New Mexico’s Chris Robertson’s hat trick in the team’s 6-4 win at Colorado on December 27th

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, January 5th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, January 6th.

CHL Performance of the Week Awarded

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that the CHL record-tying 10 combined power play goals in the Arizona/Colorado game on December 13th has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for Week Nine. The Eagles won the Ray Miron President’s Cup rematch by a final score of 7-5.

The Sundogs/Eagles power play exhibition received 36% of the 624 votes cast. Coming in second place was Mike Gorman’s (AMA) 48 save performance in a Gorillas victory in Colorado on December 12th which received 37% of the votes.

Each team went 5 for 12 on the man advantage with Joel Irving (ARZ), Adam Perry (ARZ) and Ryan Tobler (COL) each scoring a pair of power play goals for their respective teams. The first nine goals of the game were scored on the power play.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week 10 of the season (Dec. 15-21) are as follows:
-Rapid City’s three-goal third period in 3-2 win versus Rocky Mountain on Dec. 16
-OKC’s 3-2 shootout win over Colorado in the Northern Conference battle on Dec. 17
-Corpus Christi’s Kris Tebbs making 31 saves in the IceRays 2-1 win over Odessa ending the Jacks 11-game win streak on Dec. 18
-Wichita’s Tim Boron making 53 saves in a 2-1 win over Mississippi on Dec. 19
-Laredo’s Darryl Smith scoring the game winning goal with 16 seconds remaining in the Bucks 5-4 win over Corpus Christi on Dec. 20

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, December 29th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, December 30th.

Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week Announced

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 21st, 2008 are defenseman Neil Smith of the Amarillo Gorillas and goaltender Tim Boron of the Wichita Thunder.

Smith becomes the first defenseman to win the award this season using his physical presence on the blueline to help the Gorillas to a 1-1 record. In Friday’s 7-5 victory over Rapid City, the Fonthill, Ontario native had an assist and was a team-high +4. Then on Saturday night, Smith set the tone for one of the most physical games of the weekend with an early first period fight and then later assisted on the Gorillas only goal in the 2-1 loss to the RiverKings. On the season, the 6-3, 215-pound defenseman has seven assists in 17 games and is a +1 tying him for the best plus/minus on the team.

Boron has been on quite a roll lately moving up to the top of the league with his 2.20 goals against average (third in the CHL) and .936 save percentage (second in the CHL). Last week, the Winnipeg, Manitoba native went 1-1 stopping a season-high 53 shots in the Thunder’s 2-1 win over Mississippi and then followed that up with 28 saves in Wichita’s 2-1 loss to Rapid City. In the month of December, Boron is only 1-4-1 despite allowing just 10 goals in his six starts. The 6-0, 177-pound goalie has received just five goals of support from his team in the month.

In recognition of their achievement, both Smith and Boron will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Neil Smith, Amarillo Gorillas
Position: D
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Goals: 0
Assists: 2
Points: 2
Plus/Minus: +4

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Tim Boron, Wichita Thunder
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 1-1-0
GAA: 1.50
Save %: 0.964
Saves: 81 of 84

Horrell's Shutout Voted Award-Winning

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Bossier-Shreveport’s Jon Horrell has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for Week Eight after making 31 saves in a 1-0 shutout win versus his old team, the Wichita Thunder, on December 4th. The Beckenham, England native made 12 saves in the third period and turned away six Thunder power plays in the game.

Horrell’s shutout earned more than half of the 1,244 votes cast finishing with 630 votes. Coming in second place for the second straight week was Texas’ David Cacciola whose 36-save shutout effort on December 5th earned 278 votes (22%).

Horrell was signed by the Mudbugs due to injuries to Ken Carroll and Ryan Mior. In four decisions, Horrell is 3-0-1 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week nine of the season (Dec. 8-14) are as follows:

-Corpus Christi’s Dustin Traylen making 33 saves in 2-1 shootout win versus Laredo on December 11th
-RGV’s Grant Goeckner-Zoeller’s hat trick in the Bees 6-2 win over New Mexico on December 12th
-Amarillo’s Mike Gorman making 48 saves in a 5-3 road win versus Colorado on December 12th
-Rocky Mountain’s Marty Magers making 31 saves and stopping all five shooters in the Rage’s 1-0 shootout win at Wichita on December 13th
-Arizona and Colorado combining for a CHL record-tying 10 power play goals in the Eagles 7-5 win on December 13th

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, December 22nd with the winner being announced on Tuesday, December 23rd.

Ulanski and Traylen Earn Oakley CHL Awards

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 14th, 2008 are forward Kevin Ulanski of the Colorado Eagles and goaltender Dustin Traylen of the Corpus Christi IceRays.

Ulanski had six points in three games for the Northwest Division and Northern Conference leading Eagles. Colorado went 2-1 on the week and the Madison, Wisconsin native had points in each game and scored the game winning goal in each victory. In his first CHL season, the former Denver University star ranks just outside the league’s top 10 with 31 points (11-20=31). Last week, he notched the game winning shootout goal and an assist in the Eagles 3-2 win in at Rapid City. After recording an assist in Colorado’s loss to Amarillo, Ulanski scored the game winner and had a pair of assists in the team’s 7-5 win versus Arizona.

Traylen is coming off a 2-0 week that saw him tested by 74 shots. His first start of the week came against Laredo where he turned away 33 shots and all three shooters he faced in the Rays 2-1 shootout win. The Kirkland, Quebec native followed that up with a 39 save performance in Corpus Christi’s 7-1 road win in Amarillo. On the season, Traylen is 4-4-0 with a sparkling 2.18 goals against average (third in the CHL). He is fourth in the CHL with a .928 save percentage.

In recognition of their achievement, both Ulanski and Traylen will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Kevin Ulanski, Colorado Eagles
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 2
Assists: 4
Points: 6
Plus/Minus: E
GWG’s: 2

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Dustin Traylen, Corpus Christi IceRays
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 2-0-0
GAA: 1.00
Save %: 0.973
Saves: 72 of 74

Rapid City Goaltender Wins CHL Performance of the Week

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Rapid City’s Miguel Beaudry has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for Week Seven after shutting out the Northwest Division leading Colorado Eagles, 4-0, in the Rush’s home opener on November 29th. Beaudry made 27 saves in the game.

Beaudry’s memorable first impression to Rapid City hockey fans earned 699 votes (41%). Coming in second place was Texas’ David Cacciola who made 41 saves in a shootout win over his old team, the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (619 votes). The total votes cast in the weekly poll were 1,704.

Beaudry was one of the key signings for the expansion team in the off-season and is 4-4-3 on the season with a 3.72 goals against average. In his CHL career, the Rush are his fourth team also seeing action with New Mexico, Memphis and Austin. He has a career 94-91-24 record with 11 shutouts.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week eight of the season (Dec. 1-7) are as follows:

-Bossier-Shreveport’s Jon Horrell making 31 saves in shutout win over Wichita on December 4th
-Texas’ David Cacciola making 36 saves in shootout win versus Bossier-Shreveport on December 5th
-Odessa holding Corpus Christi to 13 shots on goal in 2-1 win on December 6th
-Tulsa’s three-goal third period in 3-1 win versus Oklahoma City on December 6th
-RGV erasing two three-goal deficits in 5-4 OT win versus Corpus Christi on December 5th

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, December 15th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, December 16th.

Oakley CHL Player/Goaltender of the Week Announced

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 7th, 2008 are forward Darryl Smith of the Laredo Bucks and goaltender Alexandre Vincent of the Odessa Jackalopes.

Smith is one of the hottest forwards in the league right now sitting with a 10-game point streak and helping the Bucks to a 9-1 record over that stretch. Last week in three games, the rookie scored five goals with four assists and was a remarkable +9. The St. Catharines, Ontario native leads all rookies in scoring with 32 points (16-16=32) on the season. Overall he ranks second in points (32), second in goals (16) and tied for first in game winning goals (4). Six of his last eight games have seen the 5-11, 190-pound forward record multiple points.

Vincent wins the goaltending award for the second time this season (previously won on November 3rd). In fact, the Jackalopes have garnered four of the eight weekly goaltending awards given to date (Juha Toivonen has won twice as well). Last week, Vincent posted a 3-0 record allowing just one goal in each game. He finished with a .944 save percentage (51 saves on 54 shots). On the season, the Drummonville, Quebec native is 5-2-1 with a 2.63 goals against average. Due in large part to the strong goaltending, Odessa has won seven straight games and are in first place in the Southwest Division sitting 11 points in front of their closest competitor.

In recognition of their achievement, both Smith and Vincent will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Darryl Smith, Laredo Bucks
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 5
Assists: 4
Points: 9
Plus/Minus: +9

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Alexandre Vincent, Odessa Jackalopes
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Record: 3-0-0
GAA: 1.00
Save %: 0.944
Saves: 51 of 54

Bobby Chaumont of the CHL's Mississippi RiverKings Wins November's Oakley Three-Star Award

The Central Hockey League announced today that Bobby Chaumont of the Mississippi RiverKings has won the Oakley Three Stars Award for the month of November/2008. Chaumont will receive a pair of Oakley THUMP sunglasses which feature blue tooth technology and a built in MP3 player. Learn more about the wide range of Oakley products at www.oakley.com.

Chaumont, 24, had a great offensive month of November scoring 10 goals (six on the power play) with six assists. He helped lead the RiverKings to an impressive month that saw them post a 9-4-0 record and a league-leading 18 points. During the month, the Sudbury, Ontario native earned 20 points in the Oakley Three Star tabulating being named first star of the game four times.

In the season Oakley Three Star standings, Chaumont also leads with 25 points sitting two points in front of Amarillo’s Sam Ftorek and Colorado’s Andrew Penner.

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month
Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings
Position: Forward
(November Totals)
Games – 13
Points – 16
Goals – 10
Assists – 6
First Star – 4 times (20 points)
Second Star – 0 times (0 points)
Third Star – 0 times (0 points)
Total Points – 20

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month Winners
October – Travis Clayton, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
November – Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings