BEAUMONT, Texas � Mississippi�s Louis Dumont registered two assists to become the ECHL�s all-time assist leader, while Greg Gardner set the Sea Wolves all-time wins record for a goaltender in the 3-2 triumph over the Texas Wildcatters at Ford Arena.
Mississippi wins its fifth straight and brings the team to 87 points, which is seven back of Louisiana for the top spot in the Central Division and six points up on Pensacola for third. Sea Wolves lead the battle for the Nextel Cup against the Wildcatters, 24 points to 5.
�Two great guys for the ECHL had a special game,� said Mississippi director of player development Chuck Thuss, after having his team record broken by Gardner. �Dumont earned the ECHL assist record with two key helpers and Gardner played fantastic and there�s no other goaltender that I would want to break my Sea Wolves record. It was a big week for us and we�ll try to keep it going at home on Friday and Sunday.�
The teams skated to a scoreless opening period. Sea Wolves goaltender Gardner turned aside 14 shots, while Wildcatters netminder Davis Parley made 12 saves.
Texas (19-41-5) started the scoring at 1:38 of the second period. John Campbell deflected a centering feed past Gardner for his sixth tally of the season. Ryan Fultz and John Snowden picked up assists.
Mississippi (40-19-7) knotted the score on a controversial tally. Brent Gauvreau unleashed a shot from the slot. Referee Matt Biolata signaled a goal, but the red goal light didn�t go on and the Wildcatters argued that the puck didn�t cross the goal line. However, Gauvreau was credited with his 23rd marker of the year and third in as many games. Helpers went to Steve O�Rourke and Dumont, who collected his 459th career ECHL assist to tie the all-time league record set by Chris Valicevic.
In the third, Kerry Ellis-Toddington wired home a right circle shot on the power-play to give the Sea Wolves their first lead of the game at the 1:52 mark. Steffon Walby and Andrew Proskurnicki garnered assists.
Mississippi went up by a pair at 9:31. Anthony Battaglia took a lead pass from Dumont and rifled a shot off the cross bar. The rebound came to Sergei Kuznetsov, who deposited his 19th of the season and the eventual game-winner. Dumont�s helper set an ECHL regular season record for assists with 461, surpassing Valicevic.
Texas closed the gap to one, on the power play. Rookie John Snowden ripped a left circle blast over the left shoulder of Gardner for his 20th of the campaign.
Down the stretch, Gardner made 13 third period saves and 37 overall to give him the all-time team record with his 59th career win for Mississippi.
Mississippi converted on 1-of-5 power play opportunities, while Texas went 1-for-6. Wildcatters outshot the Sea Wolves 39-33.
Additional Note: The Sea Wolves Wolf Pack Booster Club had a bus load of fans on hand.
The Sea Wolves return home for their next game at 7:35 p.m. on Friday against the Louisiana IceGators at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. The game promotion consists of 2-for-1 military night, sponsored by Keesler Federal Credit Union. The game broadcast begins at 7:20 p.m. with the Nextel Pregame Show on WTNI-AM 1640 and online at msseawolves.com.
Tickets for the IceGators game can be purchased at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling (228) 594-3707 and online at ticketmaster.com.
Season tickets for 2004-05 are on sale now! Discounted group tickets and fundraiser opportunities are also available for this season by calling (228) 275-WOLF.
--- Box Score ---
DATE - 03/21/04 Mississippi (3) at Texas (2)
SCORE BY PERIODS
Mississippi 0 1 2--3
Texas 0 1 1--2
FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: None. Penalties: Guinn, TEX (Roughing), 0:58. O'Rourke, MIS (Roughing, Double minor), 9:50. Stefishen, TEX (Roughing, Double minor), 9:50. Metz, TEX (Board check), 16:20. Drake, MIS (Slashing), 19:35.
SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Texas-Campbell 6 (Snowden; Fultz) 1:38. 2, Mississippi-Gauvreau 23 (O'Rourke; Dumont) 6:46. Penalties: Langdone, TEX (Roughing), 4:21. Dumont, MIS (Roughing), 4:21. Blais, MIS (High sticking), 8:24. Gardner, MIS served by Proskurnicki (Unsportsmanlike Cond), 14:22. Cabana, TEX (Unsportsmanlike Cond), 14:22. Miller, MIS (Roughing), 14:22. Proskurnicki, MIS (Roughing), 19:21. Stefishen, TEX (Roughing), 20:00.
THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 3, Mississippi-Ellis-Toddington 8 (power play) (Walby; Proskurnicki) 1:52. 4, Mississippi-Kuznetsov 19 (game winner) (Battaglia; Dumont) 9:31. 5, Texas-Snowden 20 (power play) (Smital; Morgan) 15:43. Penalties: Cabana, TEX (High sticking, Double minor), 4:13. Cabana, TEX (Fighting, Major), 10:25. Proskurnicki, MIS (Fighting, Major), 10:25. Drake, MIS (Holding), 15:03. Proskurnicki, MIS (Fighting, Major), 17:07. Cabana, TEX (Fighting, Major), 17:07. Rochon, MIS (Tripping), 17:31.
SHOTS ON GOAL
Mississippi 12 11 10--33
Texas 14 11 14--39
Power Play Conversions: Mississippi - 1-of-5, Texas - 1-of-6.
Goalies: Mississippi-Gardner (39 shots, 37 saves; record: 27-13-3). Texas-Parley (33 shots, 30 saves; record: 16-27-2).
A: 2131. Referee: Bialota. Linesmen: Jones; Stanton.
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