Streaky Bennett leading charge

Todd Bennett describes himself as a streaky player.

• Photos

"I'll get 10 points in five games and I won't get a point for 10 games," the Augusta Lynx forward said. "That's just always how I've been."

Well, he's got 10 points in the Lynx's first five games since Christmas. He has five goals and five assists in those games, accounting for almost half of his season totals of nine goals and 13 assists.

Bennett insists he's not doing anything differently.

"The puck is just finding the net," said Bennett, who was injured Tuesday in practice but said afterward he thought he'd play this weekend.

Coach Stan Drulia has a similar explanation for Bennett's and the Lynx's current hot streak.

"I think he's played the same," Drulia said. "It's funny when you win, everybody thinks you're playing better.

"There's a very, very fine line between winning and losing at this level this year and I think our team has played better and lost."

The Lynx (10-16-3, 23 points) might not be playing better since the holiday break, but they are 3-1-1, including 2-0-0 at Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center, in their past five games.

POWERED UP: The Lynx's power play scored eight goals in 32 chances in December, which, at 25 percent, would lead the league by 4.3 percentage points.

After a 2-for-3 performance Saturday against Gwinnett, the Lynx moved into a tie with Texas for 11th in the league at 16.4 percent.

The Lynx have scored in four of their past five man-advantage chances and Bennett has scored three of those goals.

ROSTER MOVES: In a salary cap move, Drulia moved forward Jarrett Thompson to the 30-day injured reserve so he could put defenseman Steve Munn on the seven-day injured list. Thompson's move was retroactive, and he's eligible to come off whenever he's ready. Thompson is recovering from a concussion.

The Lynx also sent forward Chris Peterson to Bakersfield on Tuesday for cash.

ALL-STAR COACHES: The ECHL announced Tuesday that Pensacola's Dave Farrish and Gwinnett's Jeff Pyle will coach the American Conference team and Atlantic City's Matt Thomas and Trenton's Mike Haviland will coach the National Conference team in the Jan. 26 All-Star Game in Reading, Pa.

TIGHT RACE: In the ECHL's 12-team American Conference, the top nine teams are separated by only six points. If the playoffs had started Tuesday, Columbia and Mississippi, with 33 points apiece, would have been the cutoff for the American Conference.

Augusta's 23 points would've left the Lynx at home, but the playoffs don't start for more than three months.

"We're trying to make a drive to make the playoffs," Drulia said, "and we're going to get there."

Reach Kristy Shonka at (706) 823-3216 or kristy.shonka@augustachronicle.com.

MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFFAugusta forward Todd Bennett (top) has five goals and five assists in the team's first five games since Christmas.