STRYKERS LOOK TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS ON ROAD TRIP

ONTARIO, CA - Having won six in a row, the Empire Strykers continue their four-game road trip this weekend with one of its biggest challenges of the season: A trip south of the border.

Empire will take on the Monterrey Flash at 6:05 p.m. Thursday at Arena Monterrey, then follow it up with a trip to Corner Sports Arena to face the Chihuahua Savage at 6 p.m. Saturday.

The Strykers’ six-game winning streak matches the club’s record for consecutive victories, a mark they have reached two other times. The first time was during the 2014-15 season en route to the club’s first playoff appearance. The most recent time was a stretch during February 2020, that was part of a run of eight wins in nine games that only ended due to the Covid-19 shutdown.

History will be working against Empire to reach seven in a row. The franchise has never won a game in mainland Mexico, and have only won once south of the border – a victory over Atletico Baja in a game that was halted due to weather. Empire is also 0-8 all-time against the various versions of the Monterrey Flash, with their best results being a 6-5 loss at Monterrey in 2019 and a 5-4 loss at Toyota Arena, also in 2019.

But the Strykers’ offense has picked up during the current winning streak. Franck Tayou has scored 11 goals in the last four games to take the team lead in goals and points, with 19 goals and five assists. Gabriel Costa continues his strong rookie season, landing second in goals with 12 and second in assists with 10. Mohamed Ndiaye has moved into the league lead in assists with 13 on the season.