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Florence Pride Weekly

March 29, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz News Release


LAST WEEK: The Pride went 1-1-1 in their three games last week, picking up a road win against Charlotte, while dropping a road contest to South Carolina and falling in a shootout to Augusta in the lone home game of the week. Florence enters the final week of the season with a record of 28-32-9 for 65 points, and is in seventh place in the Southern Division.

Tuesday, March 23 @ South Carolina Stingrays 3 PRIDE 0

South Carolina scored two goals in the opening 10:36 of the first period, and added a goal late in the third period, to shutout the Pride for the second time this season. Shawn Conschafter made his Pride debut between the pipes, and played a solid game, turning aside 19 of 22 Stingray shots. The Pride finish the season series against the Stingrays with a 3-3-1 record.

Friday, March 26 @ Charlotte PRIDE 3 Checkers 2

Sebastien Laplante made a season-high 48 saves in net as the Pride edged the Checkers at Cricket Arena. Charlotte had a 1-0 lead through one period, as Doug Christiansen tallied with just 11.6 second remaining in the opening period. Florence came back, scoring two goals just 41 seconds apart midway through the second, as Luke Earl scored at 9:17, and Shaun Sutter added a shorthanded goal at 9:58. Charlotte tied the game 2:03 into the final period, as Dusty Jamieson converted on a power play. The Pride would get the game-winner at 9:13 when Kyle Kidney put home a rebound of a Jeff Szwez shot for his 18th goal of the season.

Saturday, March 27 v. Augusta Lynx 4 PRIDE 3 (SO)

The Pride got out to an early lead as Jeff Szwez scored just 3:52 into the contest. Augusta came back to take the lead, getting two goals 2:31 apart midway through the frame. Florence would rally to take the lead after one, getting goals by Vladimir Gusev and Allan Sirois before the final 20 minutes ended. The Lynx finished out the scoring in regulation, getting a tally from Greg Jacina at 6:35 of the second. In the shootout, the Lynx scored on three of six shots, and the Pride managed two goals on their six shots.

THIS WEEKS' GAMES

Thursday, April 1 v. Gwinnett 7:00 p.m. Lion's Den

Florence takes on Gwinnett for the fifth time this season. The Pride are 1-2-1 against the Gladiators, 0-2-0 at home. All four meetings between the teams this season have been decided by just one goal. The Gladiators are tied for third place in the Central Division with a record of 39-22-7 for 85 points.

Friday, April 2 v. Greensboro 7:30 p.m. Lion's Den

The Pride and Generals meet for the fifth and final time this season. Florence is 2-2-0 against Greensboro this season, and 1-1-0 at home. The Generals are part of a four-team group battling for three playoff spots in the Southern Division. Entering the week, Greensboro is 39-28-1 for 79 points, and is in third place in the division, one point behind Roanoke and one point ahead of South Carolina and Florida.

PROMOTIONS: It's Fan Appreciation Night at the Lion's Den. There will be prizes given away throughout the night, and merchandise will be available at discounted prices. It's also Season-Ticket Holder Redemption Night. Season-ticket holders can bring unused tickets to the Pride office and receive free 400-level tickets.

Saturday, April 3 @ Gwinnett 8:00 p.m. Coverage on WDAR Sunny 105.5 at 7:40

Florence wraps up the 2003-2004 season at Gwinnett. The Pride are 1-0-1 at the Arena at Gwinnett Center this season.

PRIDE NOTES

- Wes Goldie enters the final week of the season three goals shy of the Pride single-season team record for goals of 39, set by Dany Bousquet in 2000-01. Goldie is expected to return to the team today after receiving a call-up to the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers over the weekend. Goldie scored a goal in the Sound Tigers' 2-0 win at Norfolk yesterday.

- Allan Sirois' first-period power-play goal Saturday against Augusta ended an 0-for-22 slump on the mad advantage. Entering the final week of the season, the Pride are tied for sixth in the league on the power play, converting at 19.7%.

- Over their last five games, the Pride have allowed 208 shots, an average of 41.6 shots against per game. In four of those games, Florence has allowed at least 40 shots. Over those same five games, the Pride are averaging 30.2 shots.

- Entering the final weekend of the season, Kyle Kidney is the only Pride player to play in all 69 games.

- Florence is the least-penalized team in the ECHL, averaging 17.4 penalty minutes per game.

PRIDE LEADERS
Goals Goldie 36
Assists Sirois 37
Points Goldie 57
+/- Elzinga +2
Penalty Minutes Brunel 159
Shots Goldie 243
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 games are Thursday, April 1 against the Gwinnett Gladiators and Friday, April 2 against the Greensboro Generals.

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.

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