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January 19, 2004

GREENSBORO GENERALS INTELLIGENCE REPORT

LIGHT WEEK: Greensboro will face a light week this week, facing off against only the Charlotte Checkers, on Friday, following the ECHL All-Star game in Peoria. Greensboro will enter the week with a three game winning streak that began with this past weekend’s games on the road in Gwinnett, Augusta, and Columbia. The three-game winning streak is the fourth such this season, and first on a road series. The streak also has helped to narrow the gap in the divisional standings with the Inferno, who lead Greensboro by just five points (54), with Florida (51 points) sandwiched between the Generals and Columbia.

LAST WEEK RECAPS

GENERALS 4, INFERNO 2
COLUMBIA, SC - For the fourth time all season, and first time in a road series, the Greensboro Generals have won three games in a road. Capping a three-game road trip that began in Gwinnett, continued in Augusta, and ended this afternoon in against the Columbia Inferno, the Generals won 4-2 against the first place Inferno.

Columbia struck first in the opening frame, when Tim Smith converted a power-play goal, at the 7:44 mark. Matt Turek, who has played more defensively alongside Kevin Grimes with the absence of Pete Gardiner due to a broken foot, would then answer for the Generals in offensive fashion netting his 14th goal of the season on a power-play opportunity. Continuing to work the balance of veteran and youth on the ice, the Generals (23-17-1) would turn to the youth. Matt Elich would give Greensboro a 2-1 lead heading into the second period, when at the 14:11 mark Elich caught a feed from Mike Bayrack and Kurt Drummond, giving the Generals a lead they would not relinquish

Starting from where they left off, the youth of the front line proved to be the difference, when on an assist from Kurt Drummond and Mark Turner at the 11:53 mark of the game, Eric Fortier netted what would prove to be the game winner converting the third of an eventual six Generals power-play opportunities for a goal. The Inferno (25-12-4) would answer with a goal of their own, cutting the lead to 3-2 when Alexandre Burrows scored his 19th of the season for the last goal of the second period.

Captain Mark Turner, who registered an empty net goal with Trevor Prior pulled to give the Inferno an extra attacker on the ice, helped give Greensboro an insurance goal while at the same time make the final score 4-2.

With netminder Jamie Hodson returning to the Generals, he came through for Greensboro with a 45-save performance, stopping a combined 36 shots on goal by the Inferno in the first and second periods.

"Sometimes getting on the road is good for a struggling team. On defense you are forced to buckle down. Facing three tough teams (Gwinnett, Augusta, Columbia) on this road trip, combined with outstanding goaltending and defensive play in all three games made the difference. Playing alongside Matt Turek on defense has also been a pleasure," defenseman Kevin Grimes said of his team’s recent performance on the roadtrip.


GENERALS 3, LYNX 2
AUGUSTA, Georgia - The Greensboro Generals continued their three game in three day road trip, earning a 3-2 win over the Augusta Lynx. Daniel Berthiaume made 37 saves to help the Greensboro Generals edge the Augusta Lynx, 3-2.

The Generals (22-17-1) Mike Bayrack continued his impressive play, kicking off scoring at the 1:17 mark of the opening frame. The Lynx would then answer with a power-play goal of their own when Greg Jacina tallied late in the first period to tie the game.

Augusta (17-18-4) would assume a brief 2-1 lead when, Paul Vincent added a power-play goal early in the second. Mark Turner scored with 9:03 remaining in the middle stanza to even the score at 2-2. Turner then found newcomer Derek Crimin, who sent home the Game winner with seven seconds remaining before intermission.

Berthiaume, who assisted on a goal, stopped 13 shots in the final period to preserve the one-goal victory. The Lynx’s netminder Will Hamele surrendered three goals on 13 shots as the Lynx lost for the second time in three games.


GENERALS 4, GLADIATORS 3
DULUTH, Georgia -- Mike Bayrack recorded a hat trick to lead the Greensboro Generals past the Gwinnett Gladiators, 4-3.

Bayrack, whose only other career hat trick came with Muskegon of the United Hockey League on November 24, 2001, supplied Greensboro with a 2-0 lead midway through the first and netted a power-play goal with 3:52 remaining in the period. Bayrack, who leads the team with 21 goals, collected the hat trick with another power-play goal 71 seconds into the final stanza.

Eric Fortier added the other goal for the Generals, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Greensboro's strong defensive effort was led by Daniel Berthiaume had 42 saves in the win, including 30 over the first two periods. Also stepping up for the Generals was Matt Turek, who played defense for the injured Tom Reimann and Pete Gardiner. As for the Gladiators, netminder Mike Buckley had 32 saves, who have lost four consecutive games.

"We played with determination throughout the game. As a team we adapted to the systematic changes that we put in place, resulting in everyone working together in the system. The fact that everyone had a stern commitment was a key factor in the win," Rick Adduono said of his team's performance.


PRIDE 6, GENERALS 3
GREENSBORO - The Greensboro Generals closed out their second five-game homestand with a 6-3 loss to the Florence Pride. With the loss, Greensboro will now face a three-game road trip, looking to improve on a .500 record away from the Greensboro Coliseum.

Greensboro opened scoring with a short-handed goal by Pete Gardiner, his third since joining the Generals (21-17-1) when on a 3-on-2 breakaway a feed from Kurt Drummond resulted in a 1-0 lead. Captain Mark Turner netted the second goal of the game, his 15th on the season, when in front of Pride netminder Matt Underhill he received a pass in double coverage from Gardiner to send Greensboro to a 2-0 advantage. The Pride then got into the scoring act when Kyle Kidney would score consecutive goals tying the game at 2-2. Kidney’s first goal came when taking the puck from the right circle to the five hole, followed by a behind-the-back pass that penetrated the defense and trickled between Berthiaume’s pads to knot the game. With under one minute remaining in the first period, Mark McRae scored on a wrap around from the left side of the net.

Following a first period which both teams got a combined 23 shots on goal, the second period would result in only one goal. In a one-on-one isolation in the left circle, the Pride’s (14-17-5) Luke Earl sent a shot to the top shelf past an outstretched Berthiaume. The Pride would record 18 shots on goal, while Greensboro managed 10.

The opening goal of the third period cut the deficit to 4-3, as Mike Bayrack scored on a rebound shot that bounced off the goalie’s glove falling in front of the net behind Joel Irwin who stood on the base of the circle to score his team-high 18th goal of the season. Florence would follow the Generals attempt at a comeback with a Wes Goldie feed in front of the net to Eric Naud, breaking the Generals defense, reassuming a two-goal advantage. The Pride would put the game out of reach when at the 13:09 mark Wes Goldie would tack on a goal off the pad of Daniel Berthiaume to go along with his two assists to make the final score 6-3.


INFERNO 7, GENERALS 3
GREENSBORO - In the fourth game of a five-game homestand, the Greensboro Generals fell 7-3 to the Columbia Inferno.

Columbia (23-11-4) was the first to get on the board, when at the 13:18 mark of the opening period, the Inferno’s Tim Smith when on an assist from Corey Hessler and Alexandre Burrows, Smith would send the puck past Daniel Berthiaume. Just over four minutes later, the Inferno would again get a quality shot on net as Paul Cabana scored on a wrap around with an assist from Robin Carruthers and Barrie Moore, sending the game to 2-0 at the close of the first. Without Greensboro scoring a goal, it marks a five period streak that dates back to 18:59 against Charlotte (01/08) when Matt Elich netted his 14th goal of the season.

The Inferno would continue to rage offensively in the second period, when Terry Harrison scored just 5:13 into the period, pushing the lead to 3-0. Columbia would not score again until the 12:48 mark, when on the only power-play conversion of the game, Robin Carruthers netted his 20th goal of the season, shooting from the left circle sending the puck past Berthiaume. Pete Gardiner would then kick start the Generals (21-16-1) offense when on a rebound shot by Eric Fortier, Gardiner’s stick work pushed the puck off the leg of Inferno goaltender Josh Blackburn to give Greensboro its first goal. Gardiner’s goal ended a 107:16 minute scoring drought, dating back the two contests. The Generals would then cut the deficit to 4-2, when on a breakaway Erik Wendell would net his fourth goal off an assist from Joel Irwin at the 15:45 mark. Columbia would retaliate with a Chris St. Croix shot that reached the back of the net from just inside the blue line, sending each team to the locker room with a 5-2 score.

Continuing their scoring blitz into the third, Columbia opened the period with an Alexandre Burrows shot from the right circle, pushing the lead to 6-2. Greensboro would again mount offense of its own, when on a rebound following a Geno Parrish shot, Joe Gerbe lite the lamp for his fourth goal of the season. The Inferno would close out scoring when in front of the net, Barrie Moore sent home his first goal of the game and the team’s seventh, for a final 7-3 victory.


IN THE BARRACKS

NAVIGATING THE NETS: The addition of Jamie Hodson will take a large amount of the workload off the Generals netminder Daniel Berthiaume. “Bert” ranks tied for first in the league in three of four major categories—wins (21); minutes (2,077); and overtime wins (1,081). Trailing only Brian Eklund (Pensacola) with 1,132 saves, Berthiaume is second in saves (1,081).

MOVING ON UP: The Generals Mark Turner has moved to being tied for fourth place among the ECHL leaders in scoring with a 52-point performance at the All-Star break. Scoring 17 goals, combined with 35 assists, the Generals Captain has been the model of consistency. Turner is currently trailing Brian McCullough (Florida); Jason Jaffray (Wheeling); and Brent Gauvreau (Mississippi) who are in a three-way tie for the points leader, where each has netted 54 points. Like fellow teammate Geno Parrish, Turner does not forget those around him, tying him for second in the ECHL with his 35 assists.

DEFENSIVE UPRISING: All season long the Greensboro Generals have been able to rely on the defense of Geno Parrish and Kurt Drummond. With the loss of Pete Gardiner recently to a broken foot, the Generals have turned to Kevin Grimes and Matt Turek to carry the load on defense without Parrish and Drummond on the shift. Parrish (5g; 37a—42 point) currently ranks third among his fellow defensemen in points and trails Mississippi’s Jim Baxter (45 points) at the position. More impressive, Parrish’s 37 assists leads the league in all categories. Drummond, with 38 points is currently fourth amongst defensemen, where he has seven goals and 31 assists.

RACKER SOMBRERO: Mike Bayrack registered a hat trick helped to pace the way for the Generals 4-3 victory over the Gwinnett Gladiators. Bayrack, whose only other career hat trick came with Muskegon of the United Hockey League on November 24, 2001, has now moved to just one slot shy of the top 10 among the ECHL leaders with 22 goals and 22 assists on the season.

POWER FORTIER: One of the quickest Generals on the ice has put himself into a tie for second place among the ECHL leaders with 10 power-play goals.

PEORIA BOUND: Tom Reimann, Greensboro’s lone representative in the All-Star game, will go into the break having appeared in 40 games, netting 11 goals and 22 assists (33 points) placing him sixth among defensemen and tied for eighth with the newcomers. Thirteen of Reimann’s assists came on the power-play, making him first in rookie scorers, and also helping him to amass 18 points on power-play situations.


"Coaches Corner": The Greensboro Generals have announced Head Coach/General Manager Rick Adduono will appear on the "Our Town" radio show (WGOS 1070-AM) each Monday afternoon. The half-hour "Coaches Corner" will air each Monday at 1:00 PM throughout the season.

The "Coaches Corner" segment is part of the WGOS’ “Our Town” program that is hosted by "Buffalo" Jack Umlaluf and Ogi Overman weekdays from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. The show will feature interviews with Adduono as well as segments with Generals players and their involvement in the community.



Jon Cole
Media Relations Director
Greensboro Generals
(336) 373-7402 (office)