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Gorillas Season Recap Amarillo Gorillas control their destiny By Jordan Duvall The Gorillas 2007-2008 season is more than two-thirds complete, and despite tumultuous beginnings, Amarillo has put themselves in control of their own destiny as they close in on their sixth straight trip to the playoffs. Since starting the year 3-13-3, Amarillo has gone 15-11-3 bringing their overall record to 18-24-6. With 42 points and 16 games left in the regular season, they are currently sitting in the fifth and final playoff spot in the Southern Conference, two points ahead of the Corpus Christi Rayz, and three ahead of the Austin Ice Bats. Of the 16 remaining games, only four are against clubs with winning percentages over .600. The average winning percentage of the remaining teams is .478 and 11 out of the 16 games are against opponents who are currently playoff-bound teams. Needless to say, the road will not be smooth for the Gorillas, but given their recent run of five wins in a row and seven wins out of the past nine games, Amarillo is ready for the challenge. Gorillas head coach Jim Wiley is cautiously optimistic, noting : "We are skating on thin ice. We are presently in the hunt for a playoff position but have a number of recent injuries that could put additional strain on making the playoffs. "The team has played well over the past 10 games but because of the tightness of the playoff race there is no room for error. There is certainly a sense of confidence within the team but they also recognize the sense of urgency." Up front, the Gorillas have been led so far by Bill Vandermeer, David Nimmo and Chris Lipsett. Last season Vandermeer led the Gorillas in scoring, and over the past 10 games has found his scoring touch, netting 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points to put him again at the top of the Gorillas scoring charts with 54 points on the year. Vandermeer received the CHL Player of the Week award in January, and also was recognized as the CHL Performance of the Week for his six-point effort against the New Mexico Scorpions on January 26. Rookie forward David Nimmo has been a catalyst for the offense all season, and his 53 points currently lead all rookies in the Central Hockey League, solidifying his case as a candidate for Rookie of the Year honors. Nimmo has been recognized by the league twice this year for his efforts, winning the CHL Player of the Week and Player of the Month honors in December. Chris Lipsett has tallied 50 points on the season, scoring 24 goals and adding 26 assists. Serving as the Player/Assistant Coach, Lipsett's off-ice leadership and veteran experience have been essential to the development of many of the younger players on the team. Defensively the Gorillas have seen a pair of rookies lead the charge, with Nate Fornataro and Shaun Arvai leading the team in points from the blue line. Arvai's 33 points lead all rookie defensemen, as both he and Fornataro were selected to the Southern Conference All-Star team this season, along with Nimmo. Between the pipes, the Gorillas have leaned on Dan McWhinney and Dan Bauer this season a pair of young goaltenders trying to make their mark in professional hockey. McWhinney has stepped up of late, starting in 10 consecutive games going 7-3-0 over that stretch. McWhinney has steadily dropped his Goals Against Average (GAA) to 3.55 while also improving his save percentage to .898 on the season. He is second in the entire Central Hockey League in minutes played and saves made during the 2007-2008 season, and will be relied on heavily as the Gorillas make their final push toward the playoffs. While the team was slow out of the gates this year, they have found their stride at the right time of the season, peaking just in time for the playoff grind. With the support of the fans and the community of Amarillo behind them, the Gorillas are ready to increase their streak of consecutive playoff appearances to six in a row. Click here to download a
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comments about this story Posted: February 21, 2008
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