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February 14, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Pensacola Ice Pilots (12-31-5) at Columbia Inferno (19-19-10) 7:05 p.m. ET
- Columbia is 2-1-0 this season against Pensacola and is 14-9-4 all-time against the Ice Pilots.
- Pensacola is 90.9 percent (20-for-22) on the penalty kill in their last five games.
- Jeff Miles leads the Inferno against Pensacola with four assists and five points.
- Jean-Claude Sawyer leads Ice Pilots defensemen with four goals, 20 assists and 24 points in 44 games.



Texas Wildcatters (38-4-7) at Elmira Jackals (30-12-4) 7:05 p.m. ET
- Elmira has won the last two meetings and is 2-1-0 against the Wildcatters with all three games played in Texas.
- Texas is on a team record 10-game winning streak.
- Jackals' Benoit Doucet has 12 assists and 15 points in his last 10 games.
- Wildcatters' Scott Champagne has 17 points (5g-12a) and two game-winning goals in his last 10 games.



Bakersfield Condors (14-24-9) at Utah Grizzlies (26-20-4) 7:05 p.m. MT
- Utah is 2-0-0 this season against Bakersfield and 5-8-2 all-time against the Condors.
- Bakersfield's Sean Venedam has a five-game point streak (3g-9a).
- Grizzlies' Ryan Kinasewich has 13 points (4g-9a) and two game-winning goals in his last 10 games.
- Condors' defenseman Kevin Truelson has a four-game point streak (2g-4a).

Most Career Coaching Wins
480 - John Brophy, Hampton Roads (1989-2000) and Wheeling (2001-03)
478 - John Marks, Pensacola, Charlotte (1993-98) and Greenville (1998-2006)
338 - Jeff Pyle, Gwinnett (2003 to present) and Mobile (1998-2002)
332 - Frank Anzalone, Nashville (1991-92), Roanoke (1993-98), Pee Dee (1999-2001) and Johnstown (2005-07)

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Premier 'AA' Hockey League Fast Facts

- Celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08, the ECHL is the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

- ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league with 25 teams playing 900 games in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08.

- The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

- Affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League, marking the 11th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

- 348 former ECHL players have played in NHL.

- 19 former ECHL players have made their NHL debut this season: former Florida Everblades center David Brine (Florida on Feb. 2), former Idaho Steelheads right wing B.J. Crombeen (Dallas on Jan. 19), former Gwinnett Gladiators left wing Kevin Doell (Atlanta on Jan. 4), former Alaska defenseman Zack FitzGerald (Vancouver on Feb. 5), former Fresno goaltender Thomas Greiss (San Jose on Jan. 14), former Roanoke Express and Wheeling Nailers left wing Jason Jaffray (Vancouver on Dec. 12), former Toledo Storm goaltender Drew MacIntyre (Vancouver on Dec. 13), former San Diego Gulls left wing Cody McLeod (Colorado on Dec. 19), former Alaska Aces and Pensacola Ice Pilots center Chris Minard (Pittsburgh on Jan. 21), former Columbia Inferno center Brandon Nolan (Carolina on Dec. 22), former Johnstown Chiefs and Fresno Falcons goaltender Dmitri Patzold (San Jose on Oct. 7), former Gwinnett Gladiators and Louisiana IceGators left wing Pascal Pelletier (Boston on Jan. 17), former Reading Royals goaltender Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles on Dec. 6), former Stockton Thunder left wing Liam Reddox (Edmonton on Dec. 7), former Gwinnett Gladiators left wing Colin Stuart (Atlanta on Dec. 29), former Columbus Chill, Richmond Renegades and Trenton Titans left wing Pete Vandermeer (Phoenix on Feb. 10), former San Diego goaltender Tyler Weiman (Colorado on Oct. 4), former Charlotte Checkers right wing Craig Weller (Phoenix on Oct. 4) and former Phoenix RoadRunners center Daniel Winnik (Phoenix Coyotes on Oct. 4).

- 203 former ECHL players have played their first game in the NHL in the past seven seasons .

- Twenty-six former ECHL players made their NHL debut in 2006-07, including two who played in both the ECHL and the NHL as goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji played for Reading and Los Angeles while defenseman Bryan Young skated for Stockton and Edmonton. Dave McKee played for Augusta and dressed for five games as the backup goaltender for Stanley Cup champion Anaheim.

- Record 51 former ECHL players played their first NHL game in 2005-06.

- ECHL has been represented on last seven Stanley Cup champions.

- There are 15 coaches in the NHL who have ECHL experience including former Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette, who is head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, and former Mississippi coach Bruce Boudreau, who is head coach of the Washington Capitals.
- ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League, marking the seventh consecutive season that it has had affiliations with 20 or more teams in the AHL.

- ECHL has been represented on last 18 Calder Cup champions.

- In the last five seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,000 call-ups involving more than 1,000 players since 2002-03.
ECHL and its member teams contributed nearly $3 million for charity and relief funds in 2006-07.

- Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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ECHL Stories from February 14, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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