Game Preview: Stockton Thunder At Victoria Salmon Kings

Published on November 17, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


FACEOFF: 7:05 p.m. PT

RADIO: None

INTERNET: www.stocktonthunder.com (B2 Networks)

2007-08 HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

11/14/07 Stockton 4 at Victoria 7

11/16/07 Stockton 3 at Victoria 4

11/17/07 Stockton at Victoria

12/28/07 Victoria at Stockton

02/07/08 Victoria at Stockton

03/26/08 Victoria at Stockton

03/29/08 Victoria at Stockton

UPCOMING MILESTONES

¡ñ Chris Cichocki is 11 wins shy of 200 in his ECHL coaching career

¡ñ Brandon Schwartz is 4 games shy of 100 in his professional career

TONIGHT¡¯S MATCHUP

The Thunder wraps up a three-game series in Canada against the Victoria Salmon Kings at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, looking to snap a three-game losing streak and climb back to the .500 mark. It is the only trip into Canada for the Thunder in regular season play, carrying a 4-2-2 record last year against the Salmon Kings and a 2-6-2 lifetime record at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. The stretch wraps up a busy schedule for the Thunder, who is in the midst of playing four games in six nights.

LAST GAME RECAP

Victoria Salmon Kings forward Wes Goldie¡¯s game-winning goal at the 10:56 mark of the third period, along with a two-goal and three-point night from Milan Gajic helped send the Thunder to their third consecutive loss in a 4-3 defeat to Victoria, before 4,152 at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Friday. The Thunder raced out to a 2-1 lead after one period when Ryan MacMurchy tallied the Thunder¡¯s fifth shorthanded goal along with Jacob Micflikier¡¯s power-play goal. Ryan O¡¯Marra scored a third period goal to tie the game. Victoria¡¯s Billy Thompson stopped 33 shots in net.

MOVIN¡¯ ON UP

Tonight, former Thunder left wing Liam Reddox is expected to make his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers against the Calgary Flames, two days after being recalled from the AHL¡¯s Springfield Falcons. Should he make his debut, Reddox would become the second former Thunder player in team history to earn a spot in an NHL lineup, joining defenseman Bryan Young in 2006-07 ¨C Young appeared in 17 games with Edmonton. Of note, defenseman Sebastien Bisaillon appeared in two NHL games last year with Edmonton before playing in four games this season in a Thunder uniform.

FEATURE FLIK

Rookie forward Jacob Micflikier has emerged with 12 points (4g-8a) in his last eight games, jumping into the team¡¯s scoring lead and tying for second among all ECHL rookies in scoring with 15 points (4g-11a) ¨C pacing two points back of Dayton¡¯s Matt Beaudoin. Micflikier, out of the University of New Hampshire (NCAA), has posted four multi-point games this season.

MAN DOWN? NO PROBLEM

The Thunder is tied for first in the ECHL with five shorthanded goals and is just four shy of the modern-club record of nine (set in 2006-07). After recent penalty-kill troubles last week in a three-game series against the Phoenix RoadRunners that left the Thunder surrendering eight power-play goals, the Thunder stumped the league¡¯s top-ranked power-play in Victoria with a perfect 9-for-9 in penalty-kill efforts last night. Five different players have registered a shorthanded goal on Stockton¡¯s squad, with Ryan MacMurchy tallying the most recent shortie in last night¡¯s loss at Victoria.

ABOUT THE SALMON KINGS

The Victoria Salmon Kings are in their fourth season of ECHL play and are in their second season under the NHL affiliate umbrella of the local Vancouver Canucks. In his first year as head coach last year, Mark Morrison guided the Salmon Kings to their first-ever Kelly Cup Playoff berth, garnering the seventh seed at a 36-32-4 clip (76 points) and pushed the defending Kelly Cup Champion Alaska Aces to a grueling, six-game series in the first round. 11 players who graced Victoria¡¯s roster last year are back, including brothers Derek and (former Colorado Avalanche forward) Jordan Krestanovich. Re-united are brothers Wes and Ash Goldie, after Victoria signed Ash as a free-agent last summer. Ash Goldie¡¯s 10 goals currently are tied for second in the ECHL.

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