BILOXI, Miss. � Heading into the All-Star Break, the Mississippi Sea Wolves were victorious in the two home games last week, leaping into a first place tie in the Southwest Division standings with Louisiana.
Mississippi extended its win streak to three games by slipping past Baton Rouge, 3-2 on Friday at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. On Sunday, the Sea Wolves beat the Jackson Bandits, 4-1.
After 43 games, the Sea Wolves are 26-13-4. Mississippi has 56 points, tied with Louisiana in the points race in the Southwest Division. At home, Mississippi has posted a record of 16-7-3. The Sea Wolves are 10-6-1 on the road.
The Week Ahead at a Glance:
Monday, Jan. 20 � Sea Wolves off (All-Star Break)
Tuesday, Jan. 21 � Sea Wolves off - All-Star Game at Estero, Florida � 6:30 p.m. CT
*Local radio coverage only on WVMI-AM 570 � Pregame show, 6:15 p.m. CT*
Wednesday, Jan. 22 � Optional practice open to the public from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Thursday, Jan. 23 � Practice open to the public from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Friday, Jan. 24 at Louisiana IceGators - 7:05 p.m. � Cajundome, Lafayette
Saturday, Jan. 25 � Day off
Sunday, Jan. 26 � Day off
Game Preview:
Friday, Jan. 24 at Louisiana IceGators - 7:05 p.m. � Cajundome, Lafayette
Game 10-of-12 in the head-to-head meetings. Louisiana leads the season series 6-3. At the Cajundome, the IceGators have taken two of three contests.
Louisiana won the last meeting between the teams, 6-2 on December 20 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. IceGators� captain Bruce Richardson scored the game-winner. Louisiana goaltender Frederic Cloutier made 26 saves for the victory. Mississippi goalie Sean Matile stopped 30 of 36, suffering the setback.
The last game at Lafayette went to the Sea Wolves, 3-2 on December 13. Sea Wolves forward Darryl Campbell tallied the game-winning goal. Matile turned away 24 of 26 to preserve the win for Mississippi. Cloutier surrendered three goals on 35 shots, to take the loss.
Mississippi veteran Dave Paradise leads the way with six goals and 10 points against the IceGators this season. All-star right wing Steffon Walby is tops with six assists.
The Sea Wolves are 6-for-59 against Louisiana on the power play, for a 10.2% success rate over nine games.
Louisiana forward Shawn McNeil has notched seven goals and six assists for 13 points versus Mississippi this season.
The IceGators are 14-for-54 with the man advantage, connecting for a 25.9% efficiency against the Sea Wolves.
Mississippi�s all-time record versus Louisiana is 25-22-4. The Sea Wolves all-time road record against the IceGators at the Cajundome is 9-12-3.
Player of the Week:
Veteran Cody Bowtell scored the game-winner in both victories. On Friday in the win against Baton Rouge, the 28-year-old scored one goal and picked up an assist. The 5-foot-11 and 190-pound native of Wainwright, Alberta scored twice on Sunday in the victory over Jackson, including a shorthanded tally, which was also the game-winner.
Goaltender of the Week:
Sean Matile backstopped Mississippi to a 4-1 win over Jackson on Sunday, making 29 saves on 30 shots. It was the first start for the 28-year-old since December 20. The 6-foot-4 and 215-pound native of Vernon, British Columbia is in his fourth year of pro hockey and first season with Mississippi.
Injured Reserve:
* Forward John Evangelista and left wing Josh Bennett are on the 7-day injured reserve.
* Goaltender Mike Buckley and defenseman David Cornacchia continue to be on the 30-day IR.
Call Up:
* Forward Kent Davyduke remains on loan to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.
Streaking Sea Wolves:
* Veteran forward Cody Bowtell has points over his last four games (4g-3a).
* Rookie forward Mike Scott has a three-game point streak (1g-3a).
* Veteran forward Dave Paradise has points in three straight games (1g-2a).
* All-Star forward Steffon Walby has a three-game point streak (2g-3a).
Sea Wolves �On the Air�:
Listen to live play-by-play action on the Sea Wolves flagship radio station Q 92.5 FM. Bring your radio and headphones to the home games! The hard-hitting, fast paced hockey excitement is also available across the internet at MsSeaWolves.com by clicking on �Listen Live�, which links to SportsJuice.com.
Sea Wolves in the Community:
Monday, January 20
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Hooters, Biloxi � Q 92.5 FM � �Your Home Team� weekly radio show
Saturday, January 25
11:00 a.m.�1:00 p.m.
Walmart in Biloxi, D�Iberville, Gulfport and Ocean Springs
Sea Wolves players will be at locations selling commemorative t-shirts for the �Face Off Against Kid�s Cancer� benefiting two pediatric cancer charities; Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer and Caps for Kids. The Sea Wolves home game will be played on February 23 against Pensacola.
Groups, organizations and companies interested in having members of the Sea Wolves appear at an event, are invited to call 228-275-WOLF (9653).
Individual game tickets are available at all TicketMaster locations, the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office and by calling 228-594-3707.
