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ECHL Bakersfield Condors

FACE OFF - Official Condors E-Newsletter - March 26, 2009

March 27, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Bakersfield Condors News Release


The Condors second half surge in the standings has been powered by an offense that currently ranks 5th in the ECHL, and 1st in the National Conference, at 3.33 goals per game. Meanwhile, a pair of Condors forwards have rocketed to the Top 5 in ECHL scoring, an impressive feat in a 21-team league that has seen over 500 players take the ice.

C Dave Bonk has smashed the Condors ECHL scoring record, and now sits 4th in the league with 77 points (29g-48a). It's the highest point total for a Condor since the 2002-03 West Coast Hockey League season, when Christian Skoryna had 80 points, and Paul Willett won the scoring title with 85 points. Bonk also missed 11 games while sitting out a shoulder injury on the 30-day Injured Reserve.

Meanwhile, LW Mark Derlago, a linemate of Bonk's, is tied for 5th in the ECHL with 69 points (29g-40a) in just 45 games on the year. Derlago missed several games at the beginning of the season while awaiting his immigration, and departed for a recall to the Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League in late November, and didn't return until the middle of January.

The duo has been red-hot over the last two months, as Bonk and Derlago are ranked 1st and 2nd, respectively, in ECHL scoring since the beginning of February. Earlier this month, they were joined by RW Chad Painchaud and F Matt Pope in the Top 8 in league scoring, but they have both lost ground since making the jump to the AHL several weeks ago.

The Playoff Picture The 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs are right around the corner, and the Condors are in the thick of a five-team battle for just four spots. Only one Pacific Division team has clinched a playoff spot - the Ontario Reign - and Las Vegas (2nd - 77pts/.515 win%), Bakersfield (3rd - 67pts/.493 win%) and Stockton (4th - 66pts/.493 win%) are in pursuit.

Meanwhile, the 5th place finisher in the West Division has the ability to cross divisions for the playoffs, should they finish with a better win percentage than the 4th place finisher in the Pacific. Utah is in 4th place in the West (70pts/.507 win%) followed by Phoenix (63pts/.470 win%).

If you're still following along with your calculator and flow chart, you'll be interested in checking out the below dates. Regardless of whether the Condors finish in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, these have already been penciled in as the Condors home playoff dates for the first round (Western Conference Quarterfinals):

Game 3 - Apr 15, Wed - 7:00pm Game 4 - Apr 17, Fri - 7:00pm Game 5 - Apr 18, Sat - 7:00pm (if nec) Game 7 - Apr 22, Wed - 7:00pm (if nec) - only pertinent if the Condors finish in 2nd place, and are therefore the higher seed

Full Season and Weekender Season Ticket Holders each received the first four home playoff dates in their season ticket package. Those games are labeled Games A, B, C and D, with Game 3 (the first HOME playoff game) labeled Game A, and so on.

Stay tuned - with just over a week left in the season there is much to be decided! Quick Change and Fans' Choice Night highlight remaining promotions With just four games left in the regular season, the Condors are wrapping the schedule up in style - with great hockey and great promotions to send the team into the playoffs in style!

On Friday, March 27, KERN 1180 AM & Digital Designs present Quick Change as the Condors host Victoria. See America's Got Talent season one finalist, the married magic act David and Dania, perform their amazing rapid clothes changing act. It is also a Bright House Networks, Bakersfield Californian, & Wells Fargo Kids Club Night - all club members receive free admission!

The last giveaway of the regular season is Street Hockey Stick & Puck Set Giveaway, Saturday, March 28 as the Condost host Las Vegas. The first 2,000 children, 12 & under, will receive a plastic replica street hockey stick & puck set, sponsored by KGET-TV 17, HOT 94.1, & Carl's Jr. Season ticket holders will also be able to meet the team following the game, as well as receive complimentary rinkside or executive tickets to be used to recruit additional season ticket holders as part of our Season Ticket Referral Night.

Do you ever wish that you could be the one calling the shots at the games? Now is your chance, as ABC23 & American Business Machines present Fans' Choice Night Friday on Apr. 3 against the Ontario Reign. Fill out the Fan's Choice Survey here, and choose what promotions we do, to what jerseys we'll wear, to even our starting lineup. Additionally, students who achieve outstanding attendance levels will receive a complimentary ticket to tonight's game as part of the ABC23, SC Architect and Kern County Firefighters Condors Classroom Champions Night.

Enjoy nautical non-sense with SpongeBob Squarepants when Bright House Networks & 101.5 KGFM present SpongeBob Squarepants on Apr. 4 against Ontario. This game is also a Bright House Networks Family Night - subscribers receive $7.00 admission per person by presenting their cable bill or envelope. Additionally, underprivileged children and military personnel will be given the opportunity to a Condors game for free, thanks to local organizations on this final Big Buddies Night. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the puck drops at a special 7:30 p.m. time.

Individual game tickets are on sale and may be purchased through the Rabobank Arena Box Office, which is open from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday with extended hours on game days. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at 322-2525, online at Bakersfieldcondors.com, or at any Ticketmaster location. STH Referral Night and Meet the Team Party coming up! Season Ticket Holders, don't forget that the Season Ticket Referral Night is coming up on Saturday, March 28, when the Condors take on the Las Vegas Wranglers at The Nest. All Season Ticket Holders can use the vouchers they received in their renewal packets to bring up to four referrals to the game to help spread the excitement of Condors hockey!

For every one of your referrals that signs up for a full season ticket, you receive $100 credit towards your season tickets or $100 merchandise credit at the Condors Team Store (pictured at left, in case you have never been there and didn't realize all the great stuff we have there!), so don't forget to have your referrals fill out the back of each referral voucher they use! If you haven't received your renewal packet via mail, contact the Condors office and we will make sure to get one to you right away.

Also, following the game is the final Season Ticket Holders Meet the Team Party of the season. All Season Ticket Holders, and their referrals, are invited to the Flashco Boardroom, located on the concourse behind section 116, to meet the team after the game!

For more information on the Season Ticket Referral Night and Meet the Team Party, click here or call (661) 324-PUCK (7825). CondorsTV asks the players to pick for Fans' Choice Night Next Friday is Fans' Choice Night in Condorstown - your chance to pick the promotions, specials, events, and even the Starting Lineup for your Condors as they host the Ontario Reign at 7 p.m.

Condors.TV picked out a few players, however, and asked their opinions on the various activities that fans enjoy each night. Check out this two-part video featuring players thoughts on Fans' Choice Night!

Part 1 - picking the starting lineup. Part 2 - random questions (featuring a cameo from Equipment Manager John "Dools" Doolan)

Don't miss out on your chance to sound off and pick your Condorstown favorites! Click here to go straight to the survey, or click on the link in the top right corner of the Condors website, at www.bakersfieldcondors.com. Condors staff working late for Early Bird Deadline! The Early Bird Special deadline for season ticket renewals is coming up on Mar. 31. To make sure that everybody has a chance to get their orders in, the Condors front office, including Account Executive Exraordinaire/Overall Good Guy Brad Urbani (pictured right), will be staying open an additional hour on Mar. 30 and 31, closing at 6:00 p.m. There will also be a ticket rep at the annual Kid's Club Party on Monday night (at Rollerama West) to help save parents the trip!

Early Bird Special purchasers have the benefit of getting first choice at seating locations for the 2009-2010 season, and a gift; either a blanket, a Condors cap, or a Condors bobblehead and a Colonel Claw'd soap dispenser. Everyone who qualifies for the Early Bird gifts will also be entered into a drawing for a $500 shopping spree at the Condors Team Store!

You can renew your Season Tickets by calling your ticket representative at (661) 324-PUCK (7825), coming by the Front Office, or at the Customer Service Table on the concourse at any Condors home game, and all you have to do to get your hands on a great Early Bird gift is renew by March 31!

In addition to the Early Bird gifts, you can also qualify for a special Season Ticket Holder Greenwise Tote Bag by paying in full or signing up for AutoPay by the standard renewal deadline of April 30. The Condors new Extended AutoPay option, which spreads payments over 11 months as opposed to six months, also qualifies fans for the Greenwise Tote Bag (actual design may vary) if signed up for by the deadline.

For more information on all the Condors renewal gifts and payment plans, click here or call (661) 324-PUCK (7825). Ice Sports Center giving away L.A. Kings tickets! As a special thank you to the fans of Condorstown, The Ice Sports Center is selling a special end of the season gift pack for the LA Kings vs. San Jose Sharks game on Apr. 11 for $28. The pack includes not only great seats in the 300 level, but also transportation to and from Staples Center. Tickets are limited to the first 50 people, so get your order in quickly. For more information please call Paul Willett at (661) 852-7400 or stop by The Ice Sports Center at 1325 Q St. #100.

Kids Club Party coming this Monday!

The Condors end-of-the-season Kids Club Party will be held on Monday, March 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Rollerama West, located at 7850 Brimhall Road. The party is open to all Kids Club members and their parents to meet and skate with the Condors!

Condors mascots, along with the inflatable bounce house and slapshot, will also be on hand for the Kids Club members' entertainment! Prizes will be given away throughout the night, and skate rentals along with pizza and soda will be free to all the members of the coolest club in town. Admission for parents is free, but food and skate rentals are extra. New staff member has "Sterling" resume! The Condors welcomed a new front office staff member to the roster. Tiffany Sterling joins the team as a ticket account executive, and she will handle season ticket and group outings.

Tiffany, 23, is a Bakersfield native who most recently was an AE with Univision, and has also worked with 29 Eyewitness News and Clear Channel Radio. A graduate of Stockdale High School, Tiffany and her husband Scott also have a 1 1/2 year old daughter named Lainey. Give her a call, or shoot her an email, and welcome her to the staff! Sponsor Spotlight - ABC 23 ABC23 and the Bakersfield Condors have forged an great partnership to bring fans great gifts and give back to our community. All the fans with a Matt Caruana Bobblehead doll shaking his head at them from the corner of their desks will notice the 23 logo on the base of the bobblehead.

ABC23 also partners with the Condors to motivate local students to reach academic goals through their sponsorship of the Classroom Champions program, which rewards students who meet their educational goals with tickets to Condors games. ABC23 is also a sponsor of the Condors toy drive, which provides holiday gifts for less fortunate children.

23News will be on the road saluting various towns in our county. Starting April 20th, ABC23 will have special reports on the city of Tehachapi, then they will move onto the growing community of Delano. Following that they will be in oil county, Taft, California. From there 23 will end up in Downtown Bakersfield saluting our special community and it's people. Each Friday 23 will be live in the various communities doing news, weather and sports. The public is welcome to join in for these special Friday events. We will have high school bands, food and more from each community!

"We love our sponsorship and the fact that we can brand ourselves in such a unique way with the Condors, said General Manager Steve McEvoy. "Win or Lose, Condors sponsorships are always a good bet."

KERO, ABC23, covers news from more than just Bakersfield, they COVER KERN COUNTY!

Click here to check out ABC 23's current contest to send you to an Anaheim Ducks game with a free hotel stay in Costa Mesa.

This Date in Condors History

March 24, 1999: Steve Dowhy (right) scores with just a tenth of a second remaining in regulation, leading the Condors to a 5-4 shootout win over Tacoma March 26, 2005: First-ever Hockey-Thon raises $23,000 for "Links for Life" March 29, 1999: Brad Guzda named WCHL Goaltender of the Week March 29, 2008: Condors raise $31,600 for Valley Acheivement Center with the Country Music Jersey Raffle and Auction March 30, 2003: Kevin St. Pierre named WCHL Goaltender of the Week for eighth time in 2002-03 March 30, 2007: Condors record 300th all-time win after beating Fresno, 3-2 March 31, 2002: Luciano Caravaggio named WCHL Goaltender of the Week March 31, 2003: Jonas Lennartsson and Jason Jackman named to WCHL All-Rookie Team April 1, 2003: Paul Willett named 1st Team All-WCHL; Kevin St. Pierre named 1st Team All-WCHL April 1, 2006: Bakersfield Fog Jersey Auction raises $32,200 for CASA; Kevin St. Jacques' sold for $4,000 April 4, 2001: Condors and fans raise $20,025 for Mikella McAuley April 5, 2001: Paul Willett named 2nd Team All-WCHL

Upcoming Birthdays

Andrew Buchbinder (Voice of the Hickory Crawdads) - March 24 Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts QB) - March 24 Leonard Nimoy (really cool Vulcan) - March 26 M.C. Hammer ("U can't touch this") - March 30 Scott Hay (Goaltending Coach) - April 3

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