Game Preview: Stockton Thunder Vs. Alaska Aces

Published on October 27, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


RADIO: 1420-AM KSTN

INTERNET: www.stocktonthunder.com (B2 Networks)

2007-08 HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

10/27/07 Alaska at Stockton

11/21/07 Alaska at Stockton

11/23/07 Alaska at Stockton

12/11/07 Stockton at Alaska

01/09/07 Stockton at Alaska

01/11/08 Stockton at Alaska

01/12/08 Stockton at Alaska

02/16/08 Alaska at Stockton

02/17/08 Alaska at Stockton

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

The curtain rises on the 2007-08 hockey season at Stockton Arena with tonight's tilt against the Alaska Aces, who return 11 players from last season's roster but usher in new head coach Keith McCambridge, who took over for AHL-bound Davis Payne. A crowd bordering a sellout at Stockton Arena is expected for tonight. The Thunder posted a 1-2-3 record against the Aces last year and won its first game in the all-time matchup at Stockton Arena on January 21. Both teams face each other nine times this season and the first three meetings are scheduled at Stockton Arena.

LAST GAME RECAP

Rookie goaltender Glenn Fisher stopped 38 shots for his first career shutout, aided by two power-play goals from Ryan O'Marra in his ECHL debut as the Thunder cruised to a 4-0 victory over the Phoenix RoadRunners at U.S. Airways Center on Wednesday night. The Thunder special teams shined by scoring three power-play goals and a shorthanded marker (Andy Contois). Stockton scored two goals in the first and third periods each, while Fisher stopped 15 shots in the first period alone.

ALL-STAR-STUDDED FRONTLINE

Facing a re-tooling process along the frontline, Head Coach Chris Cichocki added three forwards during the off-season with ECHL All-Star Game experience. Right wing Jesse Bennefield, a 2006 All-Star selection, won the fastest skater event at the skills competition at Fresno's Save Mart Center. Right wing Luke Fulghum had a hat trick and added an assist for the American Conference in the game and signed with the Thunder as a free agent late in the offseason. Brandon Schwartz was Long Beach's lone representative at the 2007 ECHL All-Star Game in Idaho.

FAST STARTS

Known for their speed and two of the bigger free-agent signings for the Thunder in the offseason, wingers Jesse Bennefield and Andy Contois have combined for eight points (4g-4a) in the first four games this season and are tied for the team's lead in scoring. Bennefield leads the Thunder with three goals, all coming on the power-play while Contois, who spent his rookie season with the Gwinnett Gladiators, is tied for the Thunder lead with three assists.

POWER UP

The Thunder has scored seven power-play goals through the first four games of the season, ranking 5th in ECHL power-play efficiency with a 22.6 percent rate. The seven goals on the man-advantage are tied for second overall in the ECHL, one shy of Phoenix's eight power-play goals.

ABOUT THE ACES

The Alaska Aces are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's St. Louis Blues and the AHL's Peoria Rivermen and are in their fifth season of ECHL play. The Aces' Kelly Cup championship in 2005-06 helped them become the second team to win a professional sports championship in the state, and the first since 1980. Entering his first behind the bench is head coach Keith McCambridge, a former 11-year defenseman who wrapped up his career with the Aces in 2005-06 and now takes over for the departed Davis Payne, who accepted a coaching position with the Rivermen. Alaska has eight players remaining on its Kelly Cup championship squad, including goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu, who has a 24-2-2 all-time record in an Aces uniform.

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