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Game Prview: Stockton Thunder At Victoria Salmon Kings

November 1, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL) - Stockton Thunder News Release


November 1, 2009 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre

FACEOFF: 1:05 p.m.

RADIO: 1420 AM KSTN

INTERNET: www.StocktonThunder.com (B2 Networks)

MILESTONE TRACKER

o Ryan Constant is 4 games away from 200 in his professional career

o Kelly Czuy is 24 points away from 100 in his professional career

o Oren Eizenman is 9 points away from 100 in his professional career

o Riley Emmerson is 1 game away from 100 in his ECHL career

o Craig Valette is 2 games away from 400 in his professional career

2009-10 HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

Fri. Oct. 30 Stockton 5 at Victoria 1

Sun. Nov. 1 @ Victoria 1:05 p.m.

Wed. Dec. 16 @ Victoria 7:05 p.m.

Fri. Dec. 18 @ Victoria 7:05 p.m.

Sat. Dec. 19 @ Victoria 7:05 p.m.

Wed. Jan. 27 Victoria 7:00 p.m.

Fri. Jan. 29 Victoria 7:30 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 30 Victoria 7:30 p.m.

Wed. Mar. 3 Victoria 7:00 p.m.

Fri. Mar. 5 Victoria 7:30 p.m.

Sat. Mar. 6 Victoria 7:30 p.m.

Wed. Mar. 17 Victoria 7:00 p.m.

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

The Thunder continues a three-game road trip with the finale of back-to-back road games against the Victoria Salmon Kings, a special 1:05 p.m. matinee on Sunday at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre which is the second of 12 meetings between the teams this year. The Thunder is 12-16-4 lifetime against Victoria and went 4-6-1 last year in the head-to-head series. Both teams advanced to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs last year. The Thunder will visit Victoria for five games this season.

LAST 3 THUNDER GAMES

STK 5 - VIC 1 (10/30/09): Rookie forward Colin Power snapped a 1-1 tie with the first goal of his pro career in the third period with 6:31 to play, igniting a four-goal rally to help the Thunder bury the Victoria Salmon Kings in a 5-1 victory, before 3,371 fans at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Friday night. The win was Stockton's second straight and gave goaltender Andrew Perugini his second consecutive win after he stopped 22 shots for the first star of the game honors. James Bates led Stockton's offense with two goals and an assist, while Oren Eizenman chipped in with a pair of helpers. Perugini's counterpart, Glenn Fisher took the loss with 31 saves.

STK 3 - ONT 0 (10/24/09): Goaltender Andrew Perugini made 34 saves for the third shutout of his professional career, helping the Thunder snap a four-game losing streak in a 3-0 victory over the Ontario Reign before 6,155 fans at Stockton Arena on Saturday night. The Thunder, who split the two-game series with Ontario and earned their first win of the young 2009-10 season, received offensive support from goal scorers Garet Hunt, Kenny MacAulay and rookie Chris D'Alvise. The Thunder yielded just one power-play opportunity for the game.

ONT 7 - STK 1 (10/23/09): Adam Henrich and Tony Voce scored a pair of goals each while goaltender Curtis Darling made 30 saves to help the Ontario Reign send the Stockton Thunder to a 7-1 setback before 5,805 fans at Stockton Arena on Friday night. The loss sent the Thunder to a 3-2-0 lifetime record in home openers and featured the only Thunder goal of the game from Craig Valette's power-play goal in the second period. Ontario, who parlayed a dominant 5-fot-5 effort on the power-play,. received an additional offensive lift on goals from Jon Rheault, Greg Hogeboom and Andrew Martens.

YELLOW HORN HOOKS SALMON KINGS

Left winger Colton Yellow Horn, acquired in a trade with the Elmira Jackals on Wednesday in exchange for the rights to defenseman Neil Petruic, made his Thunder debut on Friday and collected an assist. Yellow Horn, a participant in AHL training camp this year with the Binghamton Senators, scored 11 points (5g-6a) in 24 ECHL games last season. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound forward produced over a point-per-game average throughout his five-year (2003-08) junior career in the Western Hockey League with Lethbridge and Tri-City, scoring 349 points (153g-196a) in 330 games while compiling 248 penalty minutes. He led the WHL with 48 goals in 2007-08, skating for Tri-City.

ONE IN A MILLION

The Thunder has launched a special landmark "One Millionth Fan" contest which began last night. The contest begins the official countdown to search for one millionth fan to cross the turnstiles of Stockton Arena in the Thunder's five year history. As the reigning four-time ECHL attendance leader, the Thunder needs just 52,346 fans to reach the one million mark. The lucky fan will be selected as fans enter Stockton Arena, on the day the Thunder is scheduled to reach the one millionth fan mark. Upon selection, the lucky fan to cross the turnstiles will be awarded an array of prizes, including a vacation stay at Yosemite Lodge (Yosemite National Park), 2009-10 season tickets and an Amtrak train trip to Salt Lake City to see the Thunder face the Utah Grizzlies.

'GINI IN A BOTTLE

Last Saturday's 3-0 win gave Thunder goaltender Andrew Perugini the third shutout of his career and in a Thunder uniform, tying the all-time career shutout lead with Tim Boron. Perugini returns to Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, the place where he notched the first blanking of his career in January, 2009.

POWER SWITCH

After finishing last season 13th in the ECHL with a 15.8 percentage on the power-play, the Thunder has converted on power-play goals in five of the first six games and ranks 8th in the league with a 20.7 conversion rate (6-of-29). In Friday's win at Victoria, the Thunder was 2-for-3 on the power-play and both goals were potted by James Bates.

BACK FOR MORE

A total of 13 players have returned to this year's Thunder roster from the 2008-09 club, when they advanced to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs: James Bates, Judd Blackwater, Ryan Constant, Oren Eizenman, Igor Gongalsky, Garet Hunt, Kenny MacAulay, Daryl Marcoux, Matt O'Dette, Andrew Perugini, Bryan Pitton and Craig Valette.

OILING UP THE SHIP

For the fourth consecutive season, Stockton will serve as the AA minor-league affiliate for Oilers prospects. Since the Thunder and Oilers began their partnership in 2006-07, the Thunder has advanced to the Kelly Cup Playoffs three consecutive years and four former Thunder players - right wing Troy Bodie, center Tim Sestito, left wing Liam Reddox and defenseman Bryan Young - have gone on to play in the NHL.

Players with the Thunder that have been assigned through the Oilers AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons:

Andrew Perugini (G)

Bryan Pitton (G)

Jordan Bendfeld (D)

James Bates (RW)

Kelly Czuy (RW)

Riley Emmerson (RW)

Bryan Young (D)

LETTER JACKET

Center Craig Valette was named the fourth captain in Thunder history on Oct. 15 (Dean Stork, Brad Farynuk and Matt O'Dette). He served as acting captain during nine games of the Kelly Cup Playoffs last year after an injury to O'Dette, the captain for 08-09. Kenny MacAulay and Bryan Young will serve as alternate captains.

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