Cote Becomes 328th Player To Play In NHL After ECHL

March 25, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release

PRINCETON, N.J. - Former Dayton Bomber left wing Riley Cote made his National Hockey League debut with the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and had four penalty minutes and a plus-minus rating of +1 in a 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders.

The 25-year-old played for Dayton in his second professional season in 2003-04 and had 17 points (6g-11a) and 258 penalty minutes in 57 games with the Bombers while also playing in the American Hockey League with Syracuse where he had 19 penalty minutes in nine games.

The 6-foot-1 and 210-pound Cote, who signed as a free agent with Philadelphia on Aug. 23, 2005, is the sixth former ECHL player to play his first NHL game in March. He joins former Wheeling defenseman David Koci (Chicago on Mar. 10), former Stockton defenseman Bryan Young (Edmonton on Mar. 9), former Reading and South Carolina center Rich Peverley (Nashville on Mar. 4), former Wheeling left wing Daniel Carcillo (Phoenix on Mar. 3) and former Reading left wing Shay Stephenson (Los Angeles on Mar. 1).

There have been 25 former ECHL players who have played their first NHL game this season, including 15 since January, and all 30 teams in the NHL have had an ECHL player take the ice. There have been 328 players who have played in the NHL after the ECHL and 183 who have made their debut in the last five seasons. There were a record 47 former ECHL players who played their first NHL game in 2005-06 and 112 former ECHL players who played in the NHL a year ago, including five goaltenders who played in both the ECHL and the NHL.

ECHL Stories from March 25, 2007

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• Checkers Edge Stingrays 4-3 In Overtime - South Carolina Stingrays
• Cyclones drop 5-2 verdict at Trenton - Cincinnati Cyclones
• Bombers edge Chiefs 3-2 - Johnstown Chiefs
• ECHL Transactions - Mar. 25 - ECHL
• Cote Becomes 328th Player To Play In NHL After ECHL - ECHL
• ECHL Today - ECHL
• Stingrays vs. Checkers Today - South Carolina Stingrays
• Royals Fall In Overtime In Toledo, 3-2 - Reading Royals
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• Thunder wins team-record sixth consecutive game behind Radunske's four points - Stockton Thunder

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