The halfway point of the season has arrived in the ECHL. On Friday, teams returned to action after the mini all-star break following last week’s all-star festivities in Savannah. For the Jacksonville Icemen, the second half of the season began with the team sitting in the third place spot in the South division with a 19-14-3 record.
Returning to regular season action on the road this weekend, the Icemen kicked off the last 36 game stretch going 2-1 in three games in three nights. On Friday, the Icemen took down the Atlanta Gladiators 4-1, picking up a 5-2 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Saturday. In Sunday’s matinee rematch, the Swamp Rabbits had the upper hand on Jacksonville, taking the win 3-1.
Home Woes, Road Rage:
It’s a small sample size of hockey that reflects the up-and-down season Jacksonville has had. On the road, the wins seemingly come easy. Jacksonville boasted an 11-6 away record through their first 36 games, though those wins came in spurts rather than streaks.
The team was able to pick up wins in pairs, often losing the last game of a road trip or losing their footing briefly before returning back to the win column on more extended treks. That theme matches exactly what happened this past weekend with the games against Atlanta and Greenville.
On home ice, things are more concerning. The Icemen played 19 games at home in the first half of the year, only winning eight games in front of the hometown crowd. The most success the Icemen had at home came at the end of November. From Nov. 24 to Dec. 2, Jacksonville went 4-1 at VyStar Memorial Arena. The only loss coming to the North Division’s Trois-Rivieres Lions during the final game of the homestand.
That four game win streak is the longest run of wins the team has been able to put together this season.
Equally worrisome, the team has yet to pick up an overtime win at home. 3-3 in games that require extra time, the Icemen have only been able to find the finishing touch in OT when in an opponent’s barn. Two home overtime losses were identical 3-2 losses to the South Carolina Stingrays.
Coincidentally, the Stingrays 4-0 win at VyStar Memorial on Nov. 22 is the only time the Icemen have been shutout this season.
As the road win trend now continues into the second half of the year, Jacksonville will need to find the missing piece of the puzzle on home ice. With 17 games remaining on home turf, the team will need to find that missing piece fast. If the Icemen wish to remain competitive in the postseason, the hometown ice tilt will need to be completely in their favor.
Stats Crunch:
After three games on the road this past weekend, the team is currently 15-4-1 when scoring first. Although the major success for the Icemen this season has come on the road, that stat is a great indicator of how the team performs when they get off to a hot start. When able to control the tempo, dominate puck possession, and generate chances, Jacksonville is a difficult team to slow down.
Overall, the team sees one of the best goal differentials in the league at +14. Even with the struggles at home, the Icemen have scored 120 goals while only allowing 106 goals against.
Those quick starts the team’s been able to generate in their own venue have led to resounding victories. Of the eight wins at home, only two of them ended with a +1 goal differential, one of those being an overtime win against the Florida Everblades on Nov. 24. With other home ice wins, the team sees an average differential of +3. Aggressive starts have proven to be the difference maker when it comes to the Icemen picking up wins in their own arena.
Special teams, an area the team’s seen inconsistent success, have improved since the beginning of the season, and will hopefully continue to improve in the back half of the year. Currently ranked second in the league on the powerplay at home with 27.1%, the team is leaving less opportunities on the table with the extra man on the ice. However, that number drops to 17.1% on the road. While the team may be outscoring opponents at even strength, there’s still a tendency to miss chances to get out ahead when they’re on the powerplay.
The penalty kill sees similar numbers. At home, the Icemen shut down 83% of their opponent’s man-advantage opportunities. On the road, they’re able to kill off 77.2%. Overall, special teams have improved, but an inability to shutdown opposing special teams units on the road leaves the team vulnerable to having to squeak out wins. Road wins have been the Icemen’s bread and butter this season, but the team could stand to tighten up their special teams play away from home.
In net, the Icemen’s goaltending group continues to shine. Goaltenders Matt Vernon and Michael Houser have gotten the bulk of the starts in net for Jacksonville. Vernon currently posts a 12-4 record with a 2.51 goals against average. His save percentage sits at .910, good enough for seventh in the league. Michael Houser has gotten the nod for 20 games, carrying an 8-10-2 record. Houser’s 2.68 goals against average and .904 save percentage also puts him amongst the top goalies in the league, currently ranked 18th.
Overall, there’s room for improvement in small areas of the Icemen’s game. The team’s special teams play on visiting ice has room to grow and add to the team’s current road dominance. At home, the team simply needs to find the ability to play a full 60 minutes of fast-paced, grind-it-out, relentless Jacksonville hockey. Those adjustments don’t need to be all-encompassing, and when looking at the stats, there’s no reason why they should be. A little finesse goes a long way.
Midseason grade: B+
