Game Preview: Stockton Thunder Vs. Bakersfield Condors

Published on February 2, 2008 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


FACEOFF: 7:30 p.m. PT

RADIO: None

INTERNET: www.stocktonthunder.com (B2 Networks)

RECORDS:

Stockton Thunder (19-22-2, 40 points) - 3rd, Pacific

Bakersfield Condors (12-22-8, 32 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 6 at Stockton 4

12/29/07 Stockton 5 at Bakersfield 4

01/06/08 Bakersfield 2 at Stockton 5

02/01/08 Bakersfield 0 at Stockton 4

02/02/08 Bakersfield at Stockton

02/23/08 Stockton at Bakersfield

03/17/08 Stockton at Bakersfield

UPCOMING MILESTONES

o Spencer Carbery is 7 games away from 100 in his professional career

o Andy Contois is 16 points away from 100 in his ECHL career

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

The Thunder begins its longest stretch of games at home with a back-to-back set against the Bakersfield Condors, starting Friday from Stockton Arena. The Thunder is 9-7-6 in the all-time series against Bakersfield and is 3-3-0 against the Condors this season. All-stars Andy Contois and Ryan MacMurchy each have seven points to lead the Thunder in scoring for the season series. The Thunder is in a stretch where they will play at home for the next seven out of eight games.

LAST GAME RECAP

Goaltender Tim Boron stopped 25 shots for his third career shutout, a new Thunder single season record, to lift the Thunder to a 4-0 win over the Bakersfield Condors before 5,517 at Stockton Arena on Friday night. The Thunder snapped a four-game losing streak and picked up its first win in the post all-star break schedule, led by Brandon Schwartz's goal and assist for his second straight multi-point game, added by a third period scrap with Condor forward Evan Kotsopolous. Geoff Paukovich, Ryan MacMurchy and Tim Verbeek also scored for the Thunder.

FIRST THING'S FIRST

Of the 19 wins the Thunder has accumulated this season, 18 have come when the Thunder scores the first goal of the game. The Thunder is 18-8-1 when scoring the first goal of the game.

THROWING IT INTO CLUTCH

The Thunder has the ECHL's best winning percentage in sudden-death overtime and shootouts this season, combining for a record of 6-2 (.875) when the game moves past regulation. The Thunder has won three games in overtime at Alaska (Sullivan Arena) and swiped a 3-2 shootout win against the Las Vegas Wranglers at Stockton Arena on December 7.

BIG MAC'S BIG MONTH

Thunder all-star right wing Ryan MacMurchy has vaulted into the team's goal-scoring lead with 16 goals and paced the Thunder in scoring for the month of January with 14 points (8g-6a) and a team-leading +9 rating in 11 games. MacMurchy's month helped him out-pace his scoring totals from last season with the Alaska Aces.

ROHLFS EARNS FIRST CALLUP

David Rohlfs was the most recent Thunder to earn a call-up, the first of his career, to the AHL-affiliate Springfield Falcons. The rookie right wing was selected in the fifth round (154th overall) by the Oilers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and spent time in 2007 NHL training camp with the Oilers. Rohlfs has scored 10 goals in 40 games this season for the Thunder and joins an injury-plagued Springfield squad, missing six players due to injury in their last game including Rick Berry, T.J. Reynolds, Sebastien Bisaillon, Jean-Francois Jacques, Mathieu Roy and Jacob Micflikier.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"I think it's just a coincidence, but anyone in hockey will tell you that they love to play at home. What happened (last night) was that we played great team defense and got going offensively."

- Thunder goaltender Tim Boron, The Record, 2/2/08

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. 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. 34-year old defenseman Quinn Fair recently ended a three-year retirement and made his season debut for Bakersfield last night.

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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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