Copyright © 2003 Team ZOG Enterprises
DATE: 3/17/03
ZOGS END REGULAR SEASON IN SECOND
PORTLAND, ME - For the third consecutive season, the ZOGS have finished the regular season in second place. This achievement follows a tumultuous off-season that saw the departure of 9 of the 12 players from last year's championship team, acquiring sponsorship from Chicago Dogs, a name change to the Chicago Dog ZOGS, and the merger with former C League Champion Play It Again. Needless to say, putting together a team, let alone one that could compete for the championship, was a challenge. However, currently, the Chicago Dog ZOGS find themselves four wins away from that goal. To recap, let's look at what the Chicago Dog ZOGS have accomplished during their 5th Anniversary Year.
This year's team finished with a 12-6-2 record (26 pts.), tying the number of wins by last year's championship team and second best in team history. While the last couple of ZOGS teams featured high powered offensives, the 2003 Chicago Dog ZOGS were built around a solid defense that were able to score enough to win some games. Leading the way offensively was rookie forward Anthony Reynolds with 24 goals and 10 assists. He was the son portion of the father/son tandem that set the league record for most points scored (41) by a father and son team. Fellow rookies Tyler Tyburski (19-G, 5-A) and Michael Mooney (6-G, 12-A), and league veteran John Mullins (12-G, 5-A) also made significant contributions to the offense. Setting personal bests this year included Ian Gould (6-G, 9 pts.) after making the switch to forward, Vinny Palermo (4-G, 5-A), Rick Magnuson (4-G), Josh Fournelle (2-G, 5-A), Joe Carlin (2-G, 3-A), Jim Brown (1-G, 3-A), Adam Morton (1-G, 3-A), Jeff Varricchone (1-G, 2-A), and Bob Collins (1-G, 1-A).
Defensively, major improvements were made, particularly on the penalty kill. Last year, the ZOGS gave up a league high 13 goals on the power play. This year, only three pucks found the back of the net when the Chicago Dog ZOGS were down a man. Additionally, team penalty minutes were down more than 80 minutes for the season. Not going without notice was the consistent play of goaltender Tim Dominick, who played a big part in giving the Chicago Dog ZOGS a chance to win almost every night. His stats this year mirrored his best seasons to date, as he went 11-5-2 with a 3.78 GAA.
The Chicago Dog ZOGS second season begins Tuesday night at 9:00 PM, in a first round playoff match against the Brewins. This year's playoff format is a little different. There are two three team brackets set up to play a round-robin tournament. After three rounds, the teams from each bracket with the best record are sent to play for the championship. Stay tuned to www.zogs.com for updates as the march to the finals proceeds.
GO CHICAGO DOG ZOGS!!!!
-----------------------Sponsor Message-----------------------
The 2002-2003 ZOGS are brought to you by Chicago Dogs.
Please visit their
website (www.chidog.com) or
stop in sometime for the authentic taste of the
Windy City right outside your back door!
NEWS OF NOTE: -none-
TRANSACTIONS: -none-