News and notes of interest around the ECHL.
Time flies when you're having fun. Three weeks of the ECHL season have already flown by. If you're a fan of any of the 29 teams, your level of fun may depend on how your club is faring at the moment.
We do our best to accentuate the positive in this weekly roundup, which features a trade, a player signing (no, not that kind of signing) and a player who reached a couple of milestones over the weekend.
Solar Bears Defenseman Traded To Reading
The Orlando Solar Bears announced on Sunday they had traded defenseman Robbie Stucker to the Reading Royals in exchange for future considerations.
The 26-year-old blueliner appeared in four games for the Solar Bears this season, recording one assist. The St. Paul, Minn. native began his professional career with the South Carolina Stingrays, scoring seven points (1-6-7) in 10 games during the 2022-23 season.
Last season, Stucker played in 49 games with the Iowa Heartlanders and Utah Grizzlies, totaling 20 assists.
Dickman Hits Two Milestones
It was a nice weekend for both the Wichita Thunder and forward Jay Dickman.
On Friday, Dickman scored the 100th goal of his professional career in Wichita’s 2-1 overtime win at home against the Rapid City Rush.
After a scoreless first period, Dickman put the Thunder on the board early in the second. Peter Bates made a nice play at the top of the left circle to find some room, sending a pass to Dickman for the redirection in front of the blue paint past Christian Propp for his third goal of the season.
Dickman wasn’t done. Sunday marked his 300th game as a pro, and he celebrated the occasion by scoring twice in a 3-0 shutout over the Rush.
In the first period, Bates fed a pass to the slot during a Wichita power play that was double deflected on the way to the net. Dickman tipped it on the way in and then slid a rebound through Matt Radomsky at the 3:51 mark for a 1-0 lead.
Dickman then tallied an empty-netter at 19:04 of the third period for a 3-0 final score. It was Dickman’s first two-goal outing of the young season.
Carriere Named Goalie Of The Week
Speaking of Wichita, Gabriel Carriere was named Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Oct. 28-Nov. 3.
The Thunder netminder went 2-0-0 with one shutout, a 0.49 goals-against average and a save percentage of .987 in two appearances against Rapid City last week.
The 23-year-old Carriere made 39 saves in a 2-1 overtime win on Friday and stopped all 38 shots in a 3-0 victory on Sunday to record his first professional shutout.
Under contract to San Jose of the American Hockey League, Carriere has seen action in five games with the Thunder this season going 4-1-0 with one shutout, a 2.16 goals-against average and a save percentage of .937.
Mariners’ Friday Game Moved To December
The Maine Mariners’ road game at Worcester, originally scheduled for Nov. 8, has been postponed to Dec. 7, the Railers announced Monday.
The schedule change was made due to a repair timeline for a recent system issue impacting the ice surface at the DCU Center. The game on Saturday, Nov. 9 in Worcester is unaffected by the repair timeline and will be played as scheduled.
Americans Get In The Win Column
The 2024-25 season hasn’t started out well for the Americans, who went to the Mountain Division Semifinals before falling to Idaho in five games last season.
Allen started off the 2024-25 campaign 0-4-1 before picking up its first win Saturday against the Utah Grizzlies.
The numbers bear out the club’s early struggles. The 35 goals allowed are most in the ECHL, with 13 coming in the second period alone. The Americans’ power-play ranks 21st overall at 15.8%, and the 5.83 goals allowed per game leads the league.
Perhaps the team turned a corner in Saturday’s 6-4 win in Utah over the Grizzlies. Easton Brodzinski, who leads the squad with five goals, tallied a hat trick in the game. Riley Ginnell scored what turned out to be the deciding goal in the third period for his first of the season and first in an Americans sweater.
The next action for Allen is a Nov. 8 road game against the Wichita Thunder, who are riding a five-game winning streak and sit at 6-2-0 on the season.
Heartlanders Player Signing
No, this isn’t the type of signing you might be thinking of. On Wednesday, the Iowa Heartlanders will give fans an opportunity to meet their favorite players and have two items autographed.
The event will be held at Scheels Iowa City from 6:30 to 8:00 Pm. Those wishing to attend must RSVP here.