by Mike Ries, Staff Writer, AHL Report
BRAMPTON, ON. — The Brampton Beast extended their road trip and continued to pile up the wins. The Beast have won 10 of their last 12 games and are continuing their climb up the North standings of the ECHL.
In this winning streak, the Beast have outscored their opposition by a 17-6 margin. They will have three more road games to have the opportunity add to their winning streak. The Beast also have the opportunity to match or surpass their team record five-game winning streak to close out 2016.
Forward David Pacan is currently sitting at fourth in the league with 19 goals and is on pace to have his best offensive season of his five year professional career. He is only one goal away from his season best 20. The five-year veteran of the ECHL is also second on the Beast with 34 points in 28 games this season.
Forward David Vallorani is currently fourth in ECHL with 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) in 28 games this season. The five-year pro is on pace to have his best professional season in North America.
There are 12 Brampton Beast players this season that have reached double digits in points. This is a testament to the balanced scoring attack from the Beast. Tim Billingsley and Jordan Henry lead the Beast defencemen in points at this juncture of the year.
The stellar goaltending of Zach Fucale has earned him a spot on Team Canada at the Spengler Cup. Coupled with the emergency call up of Bryan Pitton to St. John’s of the AHL, the starting goaltending job is left to Andrew D’Agostini.
D’Agostini has been the third goaltender for the Beast this season. The five-year veteran of the OHL has appeared in five games with the Beast this season, with a 3-1 record and a respectable 3.21 goals against average (GAA). In recent action without Fucale between the pipes for the Beast, they have definitely tightened up their defensive play.
Along with Pitton, Brandon MacLean and Mathieu Gagnon have also been recalled by the St John’s Icecaps. It was the second time in a week that Gagnon was recalled to the AHL. This leaves the Beast without four solid regulars out of their lineup for the short term, including their top two goalies. However, the Beast have found a way to win in the face of adversity, just as they have all season.
The Beast are currently sitting second in the North division, just three points behind division leader Manchester Monarchs with a game in hand. They are also tied with several teams for fourth overall in the league. The Beast are enjoying their best season to date and look to finish strong in 2017.
