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Published on March 29, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release



Pensacola Ice Pilots (19-42-6) at Charlotte Checkers (37-25-3) 7:00 p.m. ET
- Pensacola ranks 11th in the ECHL with 3.30 goals per game.
- Charlotte won 5-2 on Mar. 27 to improve to 5-3-0 this season and 12-11-1 all time against the Ice Pilots.

- Ice Pilots' David Wrigley has team-leading four points (2g-2a) in four games against Charlotte.

- Checkers' Mark Lee (4g-4a) and Blake Bellefeuille (1g-7a) each have eight points against Pensacola.



South Carolina Stingrays (34-24-9) at Gwinnett Gladiators (38-21-7) 7:05 p.m. ET
- South Carolina is tied for sixth in the ECHL on the penalty kill on the road with 85.0 percent (182-for-214).

- Gwinnett leads the ECHL on the power play at home with 26.0 percent (60-for-231).

- Stingrays' Matt W. Reid (3g-3a) and Donny Grover (2g-4a) each have six points against Gwinnett.

- Gladiators' Mike Vigilante has 12 points (5g-7a) in seven games against South Carolina.


Watch Games Live on B2 Networks, the "Official Broadband Broadcast Provider" of the ECHL



Kelly Cup Playoffs Update

Gwinnett can clinch a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs on Thursday if:

Gwinnett wins

Florida can clinch a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs on Thursday if:

Gwinnett wins

Premier 'AA' Hockey League Fast Facts
* Affiliations with 25 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League marking 10th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.
* 328 former ECHL players have played in NHL.
* 183 have played their first NHL game in the last five seasons.
* 105 former ECHL players have played in the NHL this season and all 30 teams have had a former ECHL player play for them.
* More than 100 players under contract to NHL teams have played in the ECHL this season.
* 25 ECHL players who have played their first NHL game this season: former Greenville and Richmond right wing Krys Barch (Dallas on Jan. 15), former Mississippi defenseman Sheldon Brookbank (Nashville on Feb. 6), former Reading goaltender Barry Brust (Los Angeles on Nov. 30), former Wheeling left wing Daniel Carcillo (Phoenix on Mar. 3), former Dayton left wing Riley Cote (Philadelphia on Mar. 24), former Toledo center Matt Ellis (Detroit on Dec. 18), former Wheeling defenseman Drew Fata (New York Islanders on Feb. 4), former Reading defenseman Jeff Finger (Colorado on Feb. 20), former Bakersfield and Reading goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji (Los Angeles on Jan. 13), former Charlotte defenseman Daniel Girardi (New York Rangers on Jan. 27), former Long Beach goaltender Jaroslav Halak (Montreal on Feb. 18), former Trenton goaltender Martin Houle (Philadelphia on Dec. 13), former Alaska left wing D.J. King (St. Louis on Oct. 5), former Wheeling defenseman David Koci (Chicago on Mar. 10), former Florida center Drew Larman (Florida on Nov. 13), former Florida defenseman Martin Lojek (Florida on Feb. 3), former Toledo goaltender Joey MacDonald (Detroit on Oct. 19), former Pensacola center Kris Newbury (Toronto on Dec. 23), former South Carolina and Reading center Rich Peverley (Nashville on Mar. 4), former Augusta right wing Pierre Parenteau (Chicago on Feb. 7), former Columbia right wing Jesse Schultz (Vancouver on Nov. 28), former ECHL All-Star goaltender Mike Smith (Dallas on Oct. 21), former Reading left wing Shay Stephenson (Los Angeles on Mar. 1), former Augusta goaltender Mike Wall (Anaheim on Nov. 26) and former Stockton defenseman Bryan Young (Edmonton on Mar. 9).
* Record 47 former ECHL players played their first NHL game in 2005-06.
* ECHL has been represented on last six Stanley Cup champions.
* Two NHL head coaches (Peter Laviolette & Jim Playfair) and 9 assistant coaches have ECHL experience.
* Affiliations with 24 of the 27 teams in the American Hockey League.
* ECHL has been represented on last 17 Calder Cup champions.
* ECHL has affiliations with 24 of the 27 teams in the American Hockey League and for the past 17 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup Champion.
* 86 players under contract to AHL teams have played in the ECHL this season.
* For each of the past four seasons, the ECHL has had more players called up to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with 1,646 call ups involving almost 1,000 players, including 2005-06 when there were 416 call ups involving 263 players.
* 2008 ECHL All-Star Game and Skills Competition will be hosted by Stockton Thunder, City of Stockton and Stockton Arena on Jan. 22-23, 2008.
* ECHL and its member teams contributed more than $2.3 million for charity and relief funds in 2005-06.
* Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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ECHL Stories from March 29, 2007


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