LAFAYETTE, La. � Konstantin Kalmikov tallied two power-play goals including his second after Mississippi had too many men on the ice, giving the IceGators their ninth consecutive win in their home opener, taking the game 2-1, in front of 6,025 fans at the Cajundome.
�It was a mental mistake,� said Sea Wolves coach Bob Woods. �It was a good game and special teams were the difference between two evenly matched teams. We�re going to go home and regroup. We�ll be ready for Pensacola tomorrow.�
The teams played a scoreless first period, with Sea Wolves goaltender Greg Gardner making 16 saves and IceGators netminder Frederic Cloutier, the ECHL�s 2001-02 MVP and Rookie of the Year, stopped seven.
During a penalty-filled second period, Louisiana (2-0-0) took advantage on a 5-on-3 power play. Konstantin Kalmikov opened the score at 10:39, by beating Gardner from the top of the left circle.
Mississippi�s (0-1-1) best chance in the middle stanza, was off the stick off John Evangelista, moving in one-on-one against Josh Mizerek, Cloutier denied Evangelista on the backhand shot.
In the third, the Sea Wolves knotted the score on the man advantage. Some crisp passes from Jim Baxter to Louis Dumont and finished by Steffon Walby at 3:41, which was his second goal in as many games.
With 3:33 remaining in regulation, the Sea Wolves were assessed a two-minute minor penalty for too many men on the ice. Kalmikov snapped a shot past Gardner from the low left circle to complete the scoring.
Additional Notes: In a special first intermission ceremony, the IceGators retired the No. 24 jersey of former defenseman Chris Valicevic. The four-time ECHL Defenseman of the Year became the first member of the IceGators to have his uniform retired. He played in every Louisiana game prior to retiring after the 2000-01 season, for a total of 494. Valicevic was also named to the ECHL�s 15th Anniversary First Team. He is the ECHL�s all-time assist leader with 460, and his seven All-Star Game appearances remain a league record.
Mississippi tallied on 1-of-7 power play chances, while Louisiana converted on 2-of-7 opportunities with the man advantage. IceGators outshot the Sea Wolves, 38-27.
The Sea Wolves return home tomorrow for a 4:05 p.m puck drop against Pensacola at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. The promotions include the �Party Four-Pack�, consisting of four tickets, four hotdogs and four soft drinks for $44. The �March to the Mansion� is also part of tomorrow�s game. Ronnie Musgrove is unable to attend, but Haley Barbour will be at the game.
Individual game tickets, start at $9 for children and $11 for adults. Tickets are available at all TicketMaster locations, the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office and by calling 228-594-3707.
Season seat packages, flex plans and discounted group tickets are still on sale by calling 228-275-WOLF.
--- Box Score ---
DATE - 10/18/03 Mississippi (1) at Louisiana (2)
SCORE BY PERIODS
Mississippi 0 0 1--1
Louisiana 0 1 1--2
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: None. Penalties: Walby, MIS (Elbowing), 8:51. Mastad, LA (Slashing), 12:10. Shiryaev, LA (Slashing), 14:47. Berzins, LA (Slashing), 18:03.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Louisiana-Kalmikov 1 (power play) (Mizerek; Storey) 10:39. Penalties: Gardner, MIS served by Lisabeth (Tripping), 1:03. BENCH, LA served by Goetz (Too many men), 1:03. Gauvreau, MIS (Tripping), 9:27. Lisabeth, MIS (Cross checking), 10:13. Shiryaev, LA (Slashing, Cross checking, Double minor), 12:00. Maxwell, MIS (Interference), 16:01. Mizerek, LA (Delay of game), 17:14. Lisabeth, MIS (Charging), 18:05.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, Mississippi-Walby 2 (power play) (Dumont; Baxter) 3:41. 3, Louisiana-Kalmikov 2 (game winner) (power play) (Johnson; Mizerek) 17:53. Penalties: Matieroukine, LA (High sticking), 2:45. Blais, MIS (Tripping), 13:54. BENCH, MIS served by Hutchins (Too many men), 17:27.
SHOTS ON GOAL
Mississippi 7 8 12--27
Louisiana 16 10 12--38
Power Play Conversions: Mississippi - 1-of-7, Louisiana - 2-of-7.
Goalies: Mississippi-Gardner (38 shots, 36 saves; record: 0-1-1). Louisiana-Cloutier (27 shots, 26 saves; record: 1-0-0).
A: 6025. Referee: David Banfield. Linesmen: Nate Stanton; Brad Sotak.
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