JACKSONVILLE (Florida Sports Wire) – The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and the AHL’s Rochester Americans announced today that Michael Houser of the Jacksonville Icemen is the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Dec. 4-10. It is the fifth time in his career that he has received the weekly honor, which is tied for the fifth most in ECHL history.
Houser went 2-0-0 with one shutout, a 0.50 goals-against average and a save percentage of .980 in two appearances last week.
The 31-year-old stopped all 25 shots he faced in a 4-0 win at Savannah on Tuesday and made 25 saves in a 4-1 victory at Norfolk on Friday.
Under contract to Rochester of the American Hockey League, Houser is 5-4-1 in 10 appearances with the Icemen this season and ranks sixth in the ECHL with a 2.38 goals-against average. He is 2-1-0 in in four appearances this season with the Americans.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Houser has seen action in 238 career ECHL games and ranks 12th in league history with 138 wins and he is tied for 22nd with 12 shutouts. He also has 113 career AHL appearances and six outings in the National Hockey League with Buffalo.
Prior to turning pro, Houser played three seasons with London of the Ontario Hockey League where he went 93-38-7 with seven shutouts, a 2.90 goals-against average and a save percentage of .912 while leading the Knights to the 2010 OHL title.
The Icemen continue their road swing on Thursday at Savannah. The Icemen’s next home game is slated for this Saturday, December 16 against the South Carolina Stingrays. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
ECHL Mourns Loss of Fort Wayne Komets President Franke
The ECHL and its member teams mourn the loss and express their condolences to the family and friends of Fort Wayne Komets President Michael Franke, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 63 following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Franke was President and co-owner of the Komets for the last 33 seasons, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the hockey team while also representing the Komets in the ECHL as Fort Wayne’s Governor.
During his stint as President, the Komets collected seven league championships, five regular-season titles and 10 trips to the finals. The Komets have been awarded League Member Club of the Year five times and have been a leader in attendance for the past 18 seasons attracting over 7,200 fans per game each year.
While a member of the United Hockey League, Franke was personally honored as Governor of the Year twice (2001-02, 2002-03). He was also named Executive of the Year on two consecutive occasions (2007-08, 2008-09) while a member of the International Hockey League.
Savannah Hands Greenville Just Fourth Loss of Season, 4-1
Savannah Ghost Pirates goaltender Michael Bullion made 27 save as his team handed the Greenville Swamp Rabbits just their fourth loss of the season on Sunday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
The game began similarly to Saturday’s meeting between the Swamp Rabbits and the Ghost Pirates in Savannah, as Vincent Marleau scored his eight of the season at 3:17, giving Savannah the opening lead for the second night in a row.
Greenville responded at 4:41, as Ryan Francis deflected the puck off his skate and into the net for his fourth of the season. At 7:19, Simon Pinard pushed the puck across the line to regain Savannah’s lead, the lead they would carry into the intermission.
After a scoreless second period, the Ghost Pirates added to their lead as Ross Armour netted his second of the season from a 2-on-1 zone entry.
Later in the period, with the Greenville net empty, Pinard scored a power-play goal to solidify the 4-1 scoreline and the first Savannah win over the Swamp Rabbits this season, having lost the first five meetings.
