Florence Pride Weekly

Published on March 15, 2004 under ECHL (ECHL)
Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz News Release


LAST WEEK: Florence went 2-1-1 last week, losing to Greenville in regulation and to Augusta in shootout, and picking up wins over South Carolina and Louisiana. The Pride are now 4-1-1 in their last six games, and enter this week with an overall record of 26-30-8 for 60 points.

Tuesday, March 9 @ Greenville Grrrowl 4 PRIDE 1

The Pride could not get anything going at the BI-LO Center, as they fell to the Grrrowl 4-1. Kyle Kidney scored the only goal for the Pride in the loss.

Friday, March 12 v. South Carolina PRIDE 7 Stingrays 4

Florence took a 2-1 lead into the second period only to see South Carolina take a 3-2 lead, scoring a pair of goals in the first 3:59 of the middle period. But, the Pride stormed back, scoring four times over the final 8:34 of the period to take a 6-3 lead to the third. Kevin Spiewak scored a power-play goal at 10:11 of the third to bring the Stingrays within two, but Wes Goldie iced the game, scoring his second goal of the night into an empty net with 1:14 to go. Allan Sirois also scored two goals in the win, while Mark McRae contributed three assists.

Saturday, March 13 @ Augusta Lynx 1 PRIDE 0 (SO)

Florence and Augusta slugged it out for 65 scoreless minutes, with the Lynx outshooting the Pride 41-30. In the shootout, the Lynx scored twice on four shots, while the Pride managed just one goal in five chances. Sebastien Laplante earned his first shutout of the season with the 41 saves.

Sunday, March 14 v. Louisiana PRIDE 4 IceGators 1

Wes Goldie scored two goals, and Luke Earl and Shaun Sutter both added a goal and an assist as the Pride defeated the IceGators 4-1. After a scoreless first period, Louisiana's Alex Materukhin opened the scoring with a breakaway goal at 9:06 of the second. Earl tied the game 3:09 later, tipping home a shot from the point. Goldie gave the Pride the lead with a rebound goal at 14:53, and made it a two-goal advantage with a shorthanded tally 3:09 into the third. Sutter finished the scoring, tallying into an empty net with 11 seconds to go.

THIS WEEKS' GAMES

Friday, March 19 @ Gwinnett 7:30 p.m. Coverage on WDAR Sunny 105.5 at 7:10

The Pride and Gladiators meet for the fourth time this season. Florence is 0-2-1 against Gwinnett this season, with all three games being decided by just one goal. The Gladiators are part of a three-team race fighting for the final two playoff spots in the Central Division. Gwinnett is 34-19-7 for 75 points and is in fourth place, one point behind third-place Pensacola and two points ahead of fifth-place Columbus.

Saturday, March 20 @ Columbus 7:30 p.m. Coverage on WDAR Sunny 105.5 at 7:10

This is the final meeting of the season between the Pride and the Cottonmouths. Florence is 1-5-0 against Columbus this season, and 1-2-0 at Columbus. The Cottonmouths are 34-23-5 for 73 points, and trail Gwinnett for the final playoff spot in the Central Division by two points.

PRIDE IN THE COMMUNITY

Monday, March 15

Players and staff members will be attending the Florence Chamber of Commerce's Business After Hours event at Victor's, located at 1247 S. Irby Street.

Wednesday, March 17

Players will be attending Wallace Gregg Elementary School, giving an equipment demonstration and signing autographs.

Saturday, March 27

The Pride will be participating in the 2nd annual Juvenile Diabetes Walk for a Cure, being held at Francis Marion University.

PRIDE NOTES

- Florence has won a season-high four straight games at home, outscoring its opposition 21-8 over that span.

- The Pride's scoring success at home has not translated to the road. The Pride are 1-2-2 in their last five games away from home, and have scored just six goals in those five games.

- The Pride's penalty kill continues to heat up as the season winds down. Against Louisiana, who entered Sunday's game as the league's number-one power-play team, Florence was a perfect 8-for-8 on the penalty kill. That followed Saturday's game against Augusta when the Pride killed off all seven of the Lynx' power-play chances. Over their last seven games, Florence is 32-for-35 (91.4%) on the penalty kill.

- Wes Goldie scored four goals over the weekend, giving him 34 on the season, and moving him into third place in the league in goals. His two goals on Sunday against Louisiana set a new career high, breaking his previous high of 33 set in his rookie season of 2000-01. Goldie is just five goals shy of the Pride single-season record for goals of 39, set by Dany Bousquet, also in 2000-01.

- Sebastien Laplante has started 18 consecutive games in net for the Pride, posting a record of 9-7-2 over that span.

- The Pride have struggled in shootouts this season, posting a record of 1-0-5. In 30 shootout attempts this season, the Pride have scored just eight goals. Wes Goldie and Shaun Sutter have combined to score six of the Pride's eight shootout goals.

PRIDE LEADERS

Goals Goldie 34
Assists Sirois 36
Points Goldie 55
+/- Piro/Elzinga Even
Penalty Minutes Brunel 152
Shots Goldie 231
Power Play Goals Goldie 14
Shorthanded Goals Goldie 4
Game-Winning Goals Goldie 6

PRIDE ON THE AIR

All Pride away games can be heard on WDAR Sunny 105.5 FM and on-line at www.florencepride.com with the Voice of the Pride, Joe Babik. Each broadcast begins 20 minutes prior to faceoff with the Palmetto Chiropractic Pre-Game Show.

PRIDE TICKETS

Tickets for all Pride home games can be purchased at the Florence Civic Center Box Office (10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday; through the second period on game nights), all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at (843) 679-9333 or on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. The Pride also have group tickets available for all remaining home games. For more information, call the Pride office at (843) 669-7825.

YARD SIGNS

The Pride would like to thank all of their fans who have been placing their yard signs on game days. If you do not have a yard sign, they are available at the Pride office from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Pride's next home game is Saturday, March 27 against the Augusta Lynx.

SEASON-TICKET RENEWALS

The Pride are now accepting season-ticket renewals for the 2004-2005 season. Season-ticket holders can return their completed applications to the Pride office from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, or mail the applications to the Pride office at 3300 West Radio Drive; Florence, SC 29501. The Pride will also have a table set up on the concourse during all remaining home games for season-ticket holders to return their applications, or to ask any questions.

COLORTYME MVP VOTING

Fans can now vote for the Pride's Most Valuable Player, sponsored by Colortyme Rent-to-Own. At each Pride home game, fans can visit the MVP display at the Customer Service Table, and vote for the player that they believe is most deserving of the MVP Award. At the end of the season, the player with the most votes, as well as one lucky fan, will both win a 52-inch RCA color television, courtesy of Colortyme, located at 938 South Irby Street, right beside Pizza Chef. The televisions will be presented at the final home game of the regular season, Friday, April 2 against the Greensboro Generals. You must be present at that game to be eligible to win the TV. All fans will be eligible to win the TV, regardless of what player you vote for.

JERSEY AUCTION

The Pride's annual jersey auction is now underway. Bid sheets are available at the Customer Service Table during home games and at the Pride office from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Bids can also be e-mailed to jbabik@florencepride.com. The minimum bid is $125 per jersey. Bidding will close at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 29.

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



ECHL Stories from March 15, 2004


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