Final Wolves wrapup: A look a top player and key stats
Here's a final look at key statistics for top players during the Chicago Wolves' 2008-09 season:
Joe Motzko: Ranked first on the team and shared 16th in the AHL with 29 goals in 73 games. He paced the Wolves with 56 points and ranked second with 12 power-play markers.
Spencer Machacek: Ranked second on the Wolves and shared seventh among league rookies with 23 markers in a team-high 77 matchups during his first professional season. He was second in Chicago and 14th among league rookies with 48 points. He led the team and shared first among AHL first year pros with 13 power-play markers.
Clay Wilson: Paced team defensemen and shared third among AHL blueliners with 14 goals, which tied a career-high. He ranked third on Chicago and shared eighth among league blueliners with 44 points in 70 outings this season. He was second on the Wolves with 30 assists, 18 of which came while on the power play.
Ondrej Pavelec: Posted an 18-20-2 record in 40 appearances this season, with an AHL career-best 2.58 goals-against average and .914 save percentage and three shutouts. He surrendered two or fewer goals 23 times, which includes holding opponents to one or fewer goals on 11 occasions.
Brett Sterling: Ranked fourth on Chicago with 16 goals and 39 points despite appearing in just 52 of the team's 80 outings this year. He tied for second on the team with three game-winning tallies and fourth with six power-play strikes.
Matt Anderson: Shared second among team rookies and seventh on the club with 13 tallies and tied for eighth on the team with 31 points in 66 outings during his first full AHL season this year. He paced the Wolves and shared 19th in the league with a plus-20 plus/minus rating.
Jordan LaVallee: Ranks third on the team with 19 goals and shared eighth with 31 points in 64 outings during his third pro campaign. He paced the Wolves with a career-most 94 penalty minutes, and shared first on Chicago with three short-handed tallies.
Joey Crabb: Ranked fifth on the team with a career-high 15 goals despite appearing in only 42 matchups with the Wolves this season. He placed 10th on the team with 29 points and held third on the team with a plus-13 rating.
Brett Skinner: Paced Chicago with 31 assists and ranked fifth on the team and shared 17th among league blueliners with 35 points in 61 outings this season. He led the Wolves and shared 12th in the AHL with 24 power-play assists.
Wolves notes
The Wolves allowed 222 goals this season, third fewest in franchise history. Chicago ranked 12th in the AHL with an average of 2.78 goals-against per game this season, which includes holding opponents to two or fewer goals in 40 of its 80 contests (30-7-2-1).
The Wolves played past regulation 16 times this season (3-10-3) and ranked second in the league with an .844 winning percentage in extra time; Chicago notched eight shootout wins this year after collecting only seven shootout wins in the previous three seasons.
Thirty of the Wolves 58 outings against West Division opponents this season were decided by a one-goal margin (14-13-2-1).
Center Steve Martins' 33 points (13G, 20A) this season moved him into sixth place on the Wolves all-time scoring list with 193 points (64G, 129A) in 262 games. Chicago shared seventh in the AHL with 12 short-handed goals this season.
Forty-two different players suited up for at least one game for the Wolves this season, the most players to appear in a Wolves sweater in one year since the 2001-02 season (42 players).
The Wolves' 5-2 win over the Rockford IceHogs in the club's regular-season finale on April 11 helped the team post its 15th straight winning season (38-37-3-2); the club has never finished below .500.
Chicago was whistled for 1,288 penalty minutes this year, the fourth fewest in the AHL and lowest total in franchise history, breaking the previous record of 1,508 penalty minutes tallied by the 1996-97 Wolves squad.