Fifth Anniversary Season Opens This Friday

Published on October 14, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT: (all times PT)

at IDAHO STEELHEADS (Fri., Sat., Sun. - 6:10 p.m.) - 1420 KSTN, B2 Networks

The Thunder visits the Idaho Steelheads beginning Friday for three games in three days to open the regular season, the Fifth Anniversary year for the club which began play in 2005-06 after moving from Atlantic City. Through 33 games in the lifetime series, the Thunder is 16-15-2 against Idaho and went 1-1-1 at Qwest Arena last year. The Thunder will visit Idaho for the first time in nearly a calendar year - their last visit was a three-game series that ended Nov. 22, 2008. Both teams will face each other 12 times in the first 32 games.

1420 KSTN is the Thunder's flagship radio station and all Thunder games can be heard live on the Internet (free-of-charge) and are available for viewing at a $7 "pay-per-view" charge at www.stocktonthunder.com, courtesy of B2 Networks. Radio broadcaster Mike Benton provides play-by-play commentary with the "Thunder Forecast" pre-game show starting 15 minutes before each broadcast.

PROMOTIONAL NEWS

Friday, Oct. 23 vs. Ontario Reign, 7:30 p.m.

OPENING NIGHT/ PLAYER POSTER GIVEAWAY (presented by DBI, Chase Chevorlet, Jackson Rancheria, Food 4 Less and KAT Country)

- All fans in attendance receive a commemorative Thunder poster!

THIRD JERSEY DEBUT

Saturday, Oct. 24 vs. Ontario Reign, 7:30 p.m.

PLAYER POSTER GIVEAWAY (presented by KAT Country 103)

- All fans in attendance receive a commemorative Thunder poster!

COMMUNITY UDPATE

Brentwood's "Downtown Thursdays" Street Fair (October 1st and 8th)

Members of the Stockton Thunder organization were on hand at Brentwood's weekly "Downtown Thursday" festival to give away prizes and distribute information about the team's upcoming hockey season.

Stockton's Inaugural "Octoberfest on the Miracle Mile" (October 8th)

Thunder mascot Thor, along with Thunder staff and "ThunderVision", dropped in to spread some season cheer at the inaugural Octoberfest celebration on the Miracle Mile this past Thursday.

StocktoberFest Celebration - The Waterfront Warehouse (October 10th)

Thor was up to his old tricks again at the inaugural "StocktoberFest" celebration at the Waterfront Warehouse on Saturday, October 10th. The event, presented by the Downtown Stockton Alliance, celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Stockton Marina.

Annual "Walk to Cure Diabetes" @ University of the Pacific (October 11th)

No rest for the weary, Thor was out and about again on Sunday, October 11th, cheering on walkers at the Annual "Stockton Walk to Cure Diabetes" at the University of the Pacific. The walk, coordinated by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, went from 9:00 am until 10:30 am, with every registered walker finishing successfully!

NEW THUNDER MERCHADISE UNVEILED AT THE FAN ATTIC

For the Fifth Anniversary Season, the Thunder has unveiled new merchandise available at the Stockton Arena "Fan Attic," the official merchandise store of the Stockton Thunder, and online at www.stocktonfanattic.com. The new gold third jersey, to be debuted on Oct. 23 against the Ontario Reign, is now available along with brand new hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, novelties and more! The Stockton Arena "Fan Attic" is open on all game days at home (excluding Sundays), from 12-5 p.m. and during all home games.

2008-09 TEAM LEADERS:

Points - Ryan Huddy (73)*

Goals - Ryan Huddy (35)*

Assists - Ryan Huddy (38)

Plus/Minus - Daryl Marcoux (+11)

Penalty Minutes - Garet Hunt (248)*

*Denotes Thunder single-season record

UPCOMING MILESTONES:

o Ryan Constant is 8 games away from 200 in his professional career

o Kelly Czuy is 26 points away from 100 in his professional career

o Oren Eizenman is 12 points away from 100 in his professional career

o Riley Emmerson is 6 games away from 100 in his ECHL career

o Luis Tremblay is 2 games away from 200 in his ECHL career

o Craig Valette is 8 games away from 400 in his professional career

TEAM NOTES:

Stockton needs 64,360 fans to reach 1,000,000 in club history attendance through four seasons-plus

Stockton led the ECHL in attendance for the fourth consecutive season last year, with an average of 6,218 fans

Stockton finished the regular season 22-16-3 after naming Matt Thomas new Head Coach on Dec. 29, 2008

The team's upcoming schedule for the coming week is as follows: (subject to change, all times PT)

WED, OCT. 14:

10:00 a.m. - Practice at Stockton Arena

Travel to Boise, Idaho during evening

THURS, OCT. 15:

12:30 p.m. - Practice at Qwest Arena

FRI, OCT. 16:

10:15 a.m. - Morning skate at Qwest Arena (Boise, Idaho)

6:10 p.m. - GAME AT IDAHO

1420 KSTN / StocktonThunder.com

SAT, OCT. 17:

10:15 a.m. - Morning skate at Qwest Arena (Boise, Idaho)

6:10 p.m. - GAME AT IDAHO

1420 KSTN / StocktonThunder.com

SUN. OCT. 18:

10:15 a.m. - Morning skate at Qwest Arena (Boise, Idaho)

6:10 p.m. - GAME AT IDAHO

1420 KSTN / StocktonThunder.com

MON. OCT. 19:

Travel to Stockton

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

(courtesy of The Record)

"That was really nice," Gongalsky said. "These fans are great, and I'm glad I'm here."

- Left wing Igor Gongalsky on his "FanFest" appearance to announce his contract signing, The Record, 10/12/09

The proud ECHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League and Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League, the Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew 223,854 fans to Stockton Arena in 2008-09. Season tickets for 2009-10 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit http://www.stocktonthunder.com/.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from October 14, 2009


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.

OurSports Central