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Florence Pride Weekly

March 22, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz News Release


LAST WEEK: The Pride went 1-1-0 in two road games last week, winning at Gwinnett on Friday and losing in Columbus on Saturday. Florence is 27-31-8 on the season for 62 points, and remains in seventh place in the Southern Division.

Friday, March 19 @ Gwinnett PRIDE 4 Gladiators 3

Florence picked up its first-ever win over Gwinnett on Friday night. The Pride opened up a 2-0 lead through one period on goals by Matt Reid and Wes Goldie. The Gladiators cut the deficit in half just 1:12 into the second period on a Kris Goodjohn tally. But, Florence came right back getting a goal from Luke Earl just 24 seconds later. The Pride went up 4-1 at 15:03 of the second on a Vladimir Gusev goal. Gwinnett swarmed back scoring two goals in the final 2:14 of the second to pull within one. But, Sebastien Laplante shut the door in the third period, allowing the Pride to improve their unbeaten streak to four games. Laplante made 43 saves to pick up his 12th win of the season.

Saturday, March 20 @ Columbus Cottonmouths 6 PRIDE 3

Columbus scored three goals over the final 7:36 of the first period to take control of a scoreless game, and go on for a 6-3 win. Special teams was the key to the Cottonmouths' victory, as they scored two power-play goals and added a pair of shorthanded tallies. Allan Sirois, Wes Goldie and Brian Reaney found the back of the net for the Pride. Sebastien Laplante was once again busy between the pipes, facing 49 shots, and making 43 saves.

THIS WEEKS' GAMES

Tuesday, March 23 @ South Carolina 7:00 p.m. Coverage on WDAR Sunny 105.5 at 6:40

The Pride and Stingrays meet for the seventh and final time this season. Florence is 3-2-1 against South Carolina, 2-1-0 at North Charleston. The Pride have won the last three head-to-head meetings against the Stingrays. South Carolina enters the week in third place in the Southern Division with a record of 36-25-3 for 75 points.

Friday, March 26 @ Charlotte 7:30 p.m. Coverage on WDAR Sunny 105.5 at 7:10

Florence travels to Charlotte to wrap-up its four-game road trip, and to take on the Checkers for the final time this season. The Pride are 2-1-1 against the Checkers this season, 1-0-1 at Charlotte. Both of the games at Cricket Arena have been decided in overtime. Charlotte is 31-27-8 for 70 points, and is in sixth place in the Southern Division, three points behind Greensboro for the final playoff spot in the division.

Saturday, March 27 v. Augusta 7:30 p.m. Lion's Den

The Pride and Lynx meet for the final time this season. Florence is 3-1-1 against Augusta this season, 2-0-0 at home. Florence has won nine straight home games over Augusta, dating back to the 2001-02 season. The Lynx are in sixth place in the Central Division with a record of 29-29-7 for 65 points.

PROMOTIONS: Homeland Security Night at the Lion's Den. The Pride will be honoring all city employees, law enforcement agencies, EMS, and military personnel. Guests of honorees will receive discounted tickets. During the first intermission, the Florence County Sherrif's Department will take on the Florence City Police Department in a broom hockey game. In addition, the FCSD and FCPD will be selling Buck-a-Cup Buttons to benefit the Easter Seals. For more information, call the Pride at (843) 669-7825.

PRIDE IN THE COMMUNITY

Thursday, March 25

Several players will be visiting HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Florence to meet with patients and sign 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

- Wes Goldie enters this week on a three-game goal streak. Goldie now has 36 goals on the season, just three shy of Dany Bousquet's team record of 39 set in 2000-01. Goldie ranks third in the league in goals, is tied for third in power-play goals (14) and is tied for second in shorthanded goals (5).

- Florence has gone scoreless on the power play over the last four games, going 0-for-16 on the man advantage. With that slump, the Pride's power play has dropped to fifth in the league at 20.1%.

- Mark McRae is tied for 10th among ECHL defensemen with 39 points.

- Florence is the second-least penalized team in the league, averaging just 17.7 penalty minutes per game.

PRIDE LEADERS

Goals Goldie 36
Assists Sirois 37
Points Goldie 57
+/- Elzinga +1
Penalty Minutes Brunel 152
Shots Goldie 238
Power Play Goals Goldie 14
Shorthanded Goals Goldie 5
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.



ECHL Stories from March 22, 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.

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