Coulee Region Sports Network

Coulee Region Chill

NA3HL Hockey

This weekend is a defining road trip for the NA3HL Coulee Region Chill as they take on the St. Louis Jr. Blues in a 3 game series on the road.

TAIL OF THE TAPE

St. Louis is currently 2nd in the Central Division with a (11-2-1-1) record. The Blues took 3 of 4 points in an early season series with Granite City, the 1st place team in the West. Series split with North Iowa, Peoria & Milwaukee.

The Coulee Region Chill are (7-2-0-1) with 5 games in hand and in 4th place in the Central. Lost the first two games of the season series with Milwaukee 3-1, 2-1 on the road, then pulled the plug on the Power in La Crosse winning 11-3. Last weekend the CRC took 5 of 6 points from Peoria, losing the first game in a shootout 4-3, then taking the next 2 games convincingly 3-1 & 4-0.

GRUDGE MATCH

In 2017’18 the magical run by the La Crosse Freeze ended at the hands of the St. Louis Jr. Blues in a 5-0 shutout in the Fraser Cup Semi-Final in Romeoville IL.

HISTORY

The St. Louis Jr. Blues played one season in the Central Division in 2014’15 with the La Crosse Freeze and lost 6 of 8 games to the Freeze and missed the playoffs that year. La Crosse finished in 3rd place and lost in the 1st Round of the Playoffs to the Wisconsin Whalers.

GOALTENDER DUEL

St. Louis boasts the NA3HL Vaughn Goaltender of the Month in Mikael Foucher. The Quebec Canadian born goalie has a record of (7-2-1-0) with a 2.38 GAA and .908 SVG and 2 SO this season. Devin Naidow has won his last 4 starts (5-2-0-1 1.71 GAA, .941 SVG) in net for the Chill and is seeing the puck really well.

ROSTER CHANGES

The Coulee Region Chill will be without forward Laudon Poellinger this weekend after his call up to the NAHL Kenai River Brown Bears. Laudon has been playing some great hockey for the Chill early in the season (7-7-14, 2 PPG, 1 SHG, 1 GWG, +13). This will be Laudon’s 3rd opportunity in the NAHL as he started last season in Aberdeen, this season with Chippewa and now the Brown Bears. The La Crescent MN native has all the talent to stay in Kenai River. Players must always step up and with changes come opportunities and 1st year forward Gadel Khismatullin (Kazan, Russia) will get a shot at 2nd line with Flavien Fondadouze & Donny Schultz, adding speed and playmaking ability to an already quick line.

COACH VAILLANCOURT ON THIS WEEKEND

“This weekend is not only important for our club because we are facing a program that is ahead of us in the standings, it is also an early look at how we stack up against a program with a history of being a playoff powerhouse in the NA3HL. This is a team we will have to face again if we want to make a run for the Fraser Cup.”

GAME TIMES

FRIDAY 7 p.m.

SATURDAY 4 p.m.

SUNDAY 1 p.m.

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