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Thunder ECHL Board Of Gov's Approves Sale To Brad Rowbotham

April 12, 2010 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The ECHL's Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of the Stockton Thunder today to SC Hockey Franchise Corporation, led by Brad Rowbotham.

The purchase agreement approval officially closes the deal from Stockton Hockey Franchise Group, Inc., led by Michael Reinsdorf, which was also approved by the City of Stockton. Rowbotham was formally introduced to the fans and media of Stockton at a news conference on Feb. 22 at Stockton Arena.

"We're thrilled the ECHL has offered us their unanimous affirmation with today's sale approval," said Brad Rowbotham, who will serve as Governor of the Thunder. "We will continue to make strides that have solidified the Thunder as one of the premier teams in professional hockey. With a hands-on approach of ownership supporting Dan Chapman, Matt Thomas and our NHL affiliation in the Edmonton Oilers, we're confident about it creating further opportunities to continuously evolve and closely monitor that our goals of success, on the ice and at the box office, are being met. Every fan, every player and every staff member will be in full consideration with our long-term mission as a hockey franchise in Stockton."

"The ECHL would like to welcome Mr. Brad Rowbotham as the owner of one of our flagship teams," ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna said. "At the same time, I would also like to thank Michael Reinsdorf for the professionalism and dedication he brought to our League over the past five years in building the Thunder membership."

Rowbotham, a native of Red Deer, Alberta, currently has shareholding interest and is general manager of Roll'n Oilfield Industries, Ltd, a corporation founded by his father 33 years ago that spans operations globally in the United States, Canada and in the past, Russia, Africa and South America.

In the last decade, Roll'n Oilfield has been named recipient of the Canadian Association of Oil Well Drilling Contractors (CAODC) "Safest Service Rig Company" Award four times and was named "Business of the Year" by the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce in 2005.

Brad and his wife, Dawn, currently reside in Red Deer and have four children (Kelsey, Cole, Ben and Austin). A noted hockey enthusiast with his family, his sons Cole and Austin has been involved in youth hockey for eight years.

Since the signed purchase agreement by Rowbotham, the Thunder have enjoyed continued success on the ice and at the box office. The Thunder closed the regular season record of 33-29-10 (76 points), finishing sixth in the National Conference and advancing to the second round (National Conference Semifinals) with a 3-1 series victory over #3 Alaska in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The Thunder drew over 200,000 fans for the fifth straight season and ranked third in ECHL attendance (average of 6,031 fans per game).

Kelly Cup Playoff tickets start as low as $9 per seat and range to $28 (Comcast Club). Current Thunder season ticket holders receive tickets to the first two rounds of the Kelly Cup Playoffs in their ticket package. Fans wishing to get priority seating on playoff tickets can do so by placing a deposit on new Thunder season tickets for the 2010-11 season.

The Thunder has advanced to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs (National Conference Semifinal round) for the second consecutive season. Times and dates of the upcoming second round will be announced Tuesday.

The proud ECHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League and Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League, the Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew 223,854 fans to Stockton Arena in 2008-09. Season tickets for 2010-11 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit http://www.stocktonthunder.com/.



ECHL Stories from April 12, 2010


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