February 2, 2003
Kingfish knock off IceGators, 5-4 in OT
Baton Rouge Kingfish Press Release
Marquis Mathieu tallied two goals and Niklas Sundberg made 42 saves as the
Kingfish knocked off the Louisiana IceGators in overtime, 5-4.
The Kingfish used a 5-on-3 power play and a five minute major penalty to jump
out to an early 1-0 lead on the IceGators. Marquis Mathieu beat Kyle Kettles
from the high slot at the 2:29 mark of the first period of play on the man
advantage. Trevor Demmans and Bryan Richardson added the assists on the goal.
Jerry Gernander gave the Kingfish a two goal lead on the remaining time on the
major penalty. Gernander found the loose puck along the goal line and stuffed it
past Kettles and a pile up in front of the IceGator net. Jason Norrie and Bryan
Richardson added the assists on the power play goal at the 3:28 mark of the
period.
Louisiana cut the lead back to one goal as Shawn Skeihar deflected a Cal Benazic
shot past Niklas Sundberg on the power play. Kenny Corupe also added an assist
on the goal at the 11:33 mark of the period.
Shawn McNeil tied the game up on a slap-shot from the top of the right face-off
circle on the power play. Nathan Rempel and Benazic added the assists on the
goal at the 6:31 mark of the second.
Rod Sarich gave the IceGators a 3-2 lead at the 9:48 mark of the second on
Louisiana’s third power play goal of the evening. Chris Taliercio and Kenny
Corupe added the assists on the goal.
Dwayne Blais tied the game at three with his first goal as a Kingfish as he
pushed a loose puck under Kettles at the 12:41 mark of the second period.
Mathieu and Tom Kaiman added the assists on the goal.
The IceGators regained the lead as Bobby Brown got credit for a goal that
bounced off the back dasher board and into the air, off of Sundberg’s back and
into the net for the score. Sarich and Taliercio added the assists on the goal.
Marquis Mathieu tied the game up at four with his second goal of the game on a
breakaway 34 seconds later. Sam Paquet picked up an assist as he fed Mathieu on
the breakaway.
Jason Norrie tallied the game winning goal at the 2:48 mark of the overtime
session as he deflected a centering pass from Mike Kiesman past Kettles for the
goal.
The Kingfish broke their drought on the power play as they went 2-5 on the man
advantage.
The Kingfish are back in action on Friday when they host the Louisiana IceGators
at the Centroplex at 7:05 p.m. Catch all the action on Baton Rouge’s Best R & B,
104.5 WZRB beginning with the Kingfish pregame show at 6:50 p.m.
Kingfish slip past 'Gators 5-4
Sunday Feb 02, 2003
Lafayette, LA – Jason Norrie scored with 2:12 left in overtime to lift the
slumping Baton Rouge Kingfish to a 5-4 victory over the Louisiana IceGators at
the Cajundome. Marquis Mathieu scored twice and added an assist, and Niklas
Sundberg made 42 saves for the Kingfish, who snapped an eight-game winless skid
(0-7-1).
Shawn McNeil, Rod Sarich, Shawn Skiehar and Chris Taliercio each scored for the
IceGators, who rallied from a two-goal deficit and still have just one
regulation loss in their last seven (4-1-2). Kyle Kettles made his 11th straight
start, tying the IceGators’ franchise record, and made 24 saves.
A wild second period saw five goals, but neither team could break the 4-4 tie in
the third period.
At the 2:48 mark of overtime, Mike Kiesman, from along the left boards, flipped
a shot towards Kettles. Norrie, in front and falling down, deflected the shot up
over Kettles for the game-winner. Norrie was hit hard on the play, but did walk
off the ice while holding his arm.
The IceGators, who surrendered 20 combined power plays Friday and Saturday, got
off on the wrong foot again tonight. Semir Ben-Amor took down Kiesman near the
boards just 20 seconds in and was called for a boarding major.
Baton Rouge didn’t immediately score, but J.P. Morin was whistled for
high-sticking at the 1:51 mark, resulting in a 5-on-3 for the full two minutes.
Mathieu took a touch pass from Trevor Demmans at the edge of the right circle
and got one past at the 2:29 mark.
With the Kingfish still on the power play, Jerry Gernander scored just 59
seconds later to make it a 2-0 lead. Norrie’s shot from the low slot went
underneath Kettles and came out just shy of the goal line. Gernander was there
to tap the puck into an empty net, his fifth tally – first on the power play.
After three Baton Rouge power plays, the IceGators finally went on the man
advantage at the 10:04 mark when Tom Kaiman was sent off for interference.
That’s when Louisiana got within one, with 8:27 left in the period. Cal Benazic
launched a shot from the point, and Skiehar was there between the circles for
his first power play tally in his IceGators career – his fourth goal this
season.
McNeil evened the score with his team-best 28th goal at the 6:31 mark of the
second, with Bryan Richardson in the box for tripping.
Benazic made a nice play to keep the puck in the zone, getting it to Nathan
Rempel in the high slot. Rempel touched a pass ahead to McNeil, whose one-timer
from the middle of the right circle beat Sundberg high glove side.
Louisiana used another power-play goal, this one by Sarich, to go on top with
9:48 expired in the second. The tally came with 2:22 left on a four-minute
high-sticking penalty to Curtis Menzul. Kenny Corupe, behind the net, got the
puck to Taliercio along the left boards. Taliercio slid a pass to a back-pedalling
Sarich at the point, and Sarich’s one-timer clanked off the left post and into
the back of the net. The tally was the rookie’s third of the season.
The Kingfish evened the score at 3-3 on the game’s first even-strength goal,
with 7:19 left in the second. Dwayne Blais capitalized on a mad scramble in
front and put the puck past Kettles for his first point in nine games with Baton
Rouge.
Taliercio put the IceGators back on top at the 14:04 mark with an unlikely
tally. The rookie’s shot from the point went high and off the dasher behind the
goal, banked up over the net and off Sundberg’s back into the net.
Baton Rouge wasted no time getting even, as Mathieu scored on a partial
breakaway 34 seconds later to make it 4-4. Sam Paquet sent a headman pass to
Mathieu, who slid one by Kettles’ blocker for his second of the game and 11th of
the season.
The IceGators went 25 full minutes without behing shorthanded until Derek
Boogaard was whistled for boarding at 8:21 of the third. McNeil nearly scored
with the man down with 10:40 left. Sundberg stopped his first attempt, and with
the puck bouncing in the crease, the whistle blew.
Louisiana got its chance for a man advantage with 9:18 left, when Paquet got
called for charging. Seconds after Corupe won the faceoff, he streaked in on
Sundberg, who sat on the puck.
Louisiana finished 3-for-8 on the power play, while Baton Rouge went 2-for-5.
Gator Bites:
The IceGators have held the lead after one period just twice in their last nine
games, and only three times in their last nine home games.
Kettles is 8-1-2 at home.
Twenty three of McNeil’s 28 goals have either given Louisiana the lead or tied
the game.
McNeil has 122 career goals off 48 netminders. Tonight was his first goal off
Sundberg that counted. McNeil beat the goalie in a shootout for the game-winner
on New Year’s Eve.
Kettles’ 11 straight games started ties Marc Delorme’s stretch from February
19-March 13, 1996.
McNeil has nine points (2g, 7a) in a four-game point streak.
DATE - 02/02/03 Baton Rouge ( 5) AT Louisiana ( 4) OT SCORE BY PERIODS Baton Rouge 2 2 0 1--5 Louisiana 1 3 0 0--4 FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Baton Rouge-Mathieu 10 (power play) (Demmans; Richardson) 2:29. 2, Baton Rouge-Gernander 5 (power play) (Norrie; Richardson) 3:28. 3, Louisiana-Skiehar 4 (power play) (Benazic; Corupe) 11:33. Penalties: Ben-Amor, LA (Board check, Major), 0:26. Morin, LA (High sticking), 1:51. Jacobson, BR (Roughing), 5:54. Skiehar, LA (Roughing), 5:54. Kaiman, BR (Interference), 10:04. Demmans, BR (Tripping), 18:49. SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 4, Louisiana-McNeil 28 (power play) (Rempel; Goneau) 6:31. 5, Louisiana-Sarich 3 (power play) (Taliercio; Corupe) 9:48. 6, Baton Rouge-Blais 1 (Mathieu; Tucker) 12:41. 7, Louisiana- Taliercio 8 (Brown; Goneau) 14:04. 8, Baton Rouge-Mathieu 11 (Paquet) 14:38. Penalties: McNeil, LA (Slashing), 3:01. Richardson, BR (Tripping), 5:57. Menzul, BR (High sticking, Double minor), 8:10. Kaiman, BR (Slashing), 16:22. BENCH, BR served by Gernander (Too many men), 18:10. THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: None. Penalties: Boogaard, LA (Board check), 8:21. Paquet, BR (Charging), 10:42. OVERTIME -- Scoring: 9, Baton Rouge-Norrie 18 (game winner) (Kiesman; Richardson) 2:48. Penalties: None. SHOTS ON GOAL Baton Rouge 10 13 3 3--29 Louisiana 15 16 14 1--46 Power Play Conversions: Baton Rouge - 2 of 5, Louisiana - 3 of 8. Goalies: Baton Rouge-Sundberg (46 shots, 42 saves; record: 4-3-2). Louisiana-Kettles (29 shots, 24 saves; record: 11-5-6). A: 4808. Referee: Smith. Linesmen: ; Sotak. Game Story LAFAYETTE, Louisiana (Ticker) -- Jason Norrie scored the game-winner in overtime to lead the Baton Rouge Kingfish past the Louisiana IceGators, 5-4. Norrie, who also registered an assist, tallied his first game-winning goal of the season 2:48 into the extra period. Marquis Mathieu netted two goals and added an assist and Bryan Richardson chipped in with three assists for Baton Rouge, which snapped its eight-game winless streak. Niklas Sundberg stopped 42 shots to earn his fourth win of the season. Chris Taliercio notched a goal and an assist and Daniel Goneau added two second-period assists for Louisiana, which lost in overtime for the second consecutive night. Kyle Kettles allowed five goals on 29 shots in the loss.