For more information:
Chris Bilder, Public Relations/Marketing, Eugene Generals
541-359-4154 (office)
541-680-6222 (cell)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2007
The Battle Begins Tonight
Eugene, OR – The NORPAC Pacific Division second place Eugene Generals (10-3) will face, arguably, their toughest opponent of the season this weekend when they travel to Mountlake Terrace, WA to face the first place Seattle Jr. Totems (12-1). The Generals are riding a league-leading ten game winning streak, but the Totems aren’t far behind having won nine in a row. The emotions will be high tonight when the Generals and the Totems meet for the first time since the Generals eliminated the Totems in the first round of the 2007 NORPAC Pacific Division playoffs. The Totems have returned most of the players from their 2006-07 roster, but the Generals will have 21 skaters who will face Seattle for the first time tonight.
“We’ve played well enough to win ten straight games, but I think we’ll have our toughest match-up of the season tonight,” Generals Head Coach Chris Hartly stated. “The Totems are a very experienced team, and they excel at every aspect of the game. I think we’ll have to play our best hockey of the season if we want to come away with two wins this weekend.”
The Totems have scored 18 more goals (89) than anybody in the Pacific Division, and are tied with the Generals for fewest goals given up in the division (34). The Totems are also 4-1 against teams with winning records, where as the Generals are 2-3. The Totems also have the two leading scorers in NORPAC in Tanner Schulze (36 points) and Kyle Stoumbaugh (34 points), and lead the league in shots (684) and powerplay percentage (26.17%).
The Generals do have a few things going for them, however. The Generals lead the league in save percentage (93%), lead the league in short handed goals for (7), are second behind Seattle in shots (592) and are second behind Helena in penalty killing percentage (89.39%). The Generals have Dylan Woodring, who is second in the league in goals against average (2.10), and leads the league in save percentage (94.3%). The Generals have Justin Adams, who is fourth in the league in points (27), and is tied for the league lead in assists with Kyle Stoumbaugh (20). The Generals also have Kyle Mills, who leads the league in scoring among defensemen.
All signs point to the biggest battle NORPAC has seen this year. Plenty of emotions are still hanging in the air after the first round playoff series last year, and there appears to be no end in sight for the rivalry. The first battle will come tonight, but it is only the first of eight this season. Wins will have to be earned in this rivalry, and it will come down to who can play with the most discipline and who can capitalize on the mistakes of their opponents.
The games against the Seattle Jr. Totems tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 PM will be broadcast on GiTV. For more information on upcoming games and GiTV please visit eugenegenerals.com.