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Game Preview: Stockton Thunder Vs. Bakersfield Condors

December 29, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


FACEOFF: 8:00 p.m. PT

RADIO: 1420-AM KSTN

INTERNET: www.stocktonthunder.com (B2 Networks)

RECORDS:

Stockton Thunder (12-15-2, 26 points) - 3rd, Pacific

Bakersfield Condors (7-16-5, 19 points) - 4th, Pacific

2007-08 HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

10/19/07 Stockton 2 at Bakersfield 3

12/14/07 Bakersfield 5 at Stockton 3

12/21/07 Bakersfield at Stockton

12/29/07 Stockton at Bakersfield

01/06/08 Bakersfield at Stockton

02/01/08 Bakersfield at Stockton

02/02/08 Bakersfield at Stockton

02/23/08 Stockton at Bakersfield

03/17/08 Stockton at Bakersfield

UPCOMING MILESTONES

¡ñ Chris Cichocki is 5 wins shy of 200 in his ECHL coaching career

¡ñ Stephane Goulet is 9 games shy of 100 in his professional career

TONIGHT¡¯S MATCHUP

The Thunder finishes a stretch of three games in three days with a late 8:00 start against the Bakersfield Condors ¨C the Thunder¡¯s final game of the 2007 calendar. The Thunder is 0-3-0 in the season series against Bakersfield and carries a 6-7-6 record in the all-time series. Tonight is the first game back at Rabobank Arena for Thunder defenseman L.P. Lachance and right wing Spencer Carbery, since being acquired in a November trade from the Condors for right wing Jesse Bennefield.

LAST GAME RECAP

Kevin Estrada scored two goals and Ryan Wade had three assists to help the Victoria Salmon Kings send the Thunder to a 5-3 loss before a crowd of 6,886 at Stockton Arena on Friday night. Left wing Andy Contois led the Thunder with two assists while David Rohlfs, Ryan MacMurchy and Brian Lee scored for the Thunder.

PROSPECT WATCH

Seventh round pick left wing Stephane Goulet (2004, Edmonton Oilers) has 11 points (3g-8a) in his last eight games ¡- fourth round pick and rookie center Jonas Almtorp (2002, Edmonton Oilers) had a career-high 3 points (1g-2a) in last Saturday¡¯s win against Phoenix.

TURNING THE POWER ON

The Thunder has scored at least one power-play goal in eight consecutive games and went 1-for-9 in last night¡¯s game against Victoria, connecting at a 13-for-43 clip (30.2 pct.) in that stretch. The Thunder currently ranks 12th in the ECHL with a 18.5 percentage rate on the man-advantage.

CROWDING OUT THE ECHL

The Thunder remains the league¡¯s leader in attendance with a crowd of 6,886 taking in last night¡¯s game against Victoria. The Thunder has drawn a league-high average of 6,684 fans in 14 dates (93,579 total). The Thunder has led the ECHL in attendance for two consecutive seasons, drew 244,085 fans to Stockton Arena in 2006-07 and is the host of the 2008 Chase Chevrolet ECHL All-Star Game and festivities on Jan. 22-23.

BIG MAC

Ryan MacMurchy scored a goal in last night¡¯s loss to Victoria to extend his goal-scoring streak to three consecutive games, scoring four points (3g-1a) in that span. MacMurchy, acquired in an October trade with the Elmira Jackals, has surpassed last year¡¯s point total of 10 points (4g-6a), achieved in 18 games with the Alaska Aces.

ABOUT THE CONDORS

Bakersfield is entering its fifth season in the ECHL and is celebrating its 10th season in professional hockey. The Condors are independent of an NHL affiliate and set team records last year with a 94-point season, posting a 41-19-12 record which placed second in the Pacific Division. Captain Sean Venedam set a Condors ECHL record last year with 74 points (27g-47a) while left wing Brett Lutes led the team with 34 goals. Returning for his second stint between the Bakersfield pipes is goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji, who made history last year as the first Japanese-born player to make his NHL debut, suiting up for four games with the Los Angeles Kings.

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