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Game Preview: Stockton Thunder Vs. Ontario Reign

November 26, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


FACEOFF: 7:00 p.m. PT
SITE: Stockton Arena
RADIO: None
INTERNET: www.stocktonthunder.com (B2 Networks)

2008-09 HEAD TO HEAD SERIES
11/12/08 Stockton 2 at Ontario 3 (SO)
11/15/08 Stockton 3 at Ontario 2 (OT)
11/26/08 Ontario 7:00 p.m.
12/5/08 @ Ontario 7:00 p.m.
12/6/08 Ontario 7:30 p.m.
12/21/08 @ Ontario 5:00 p.m.
2/15/09 Ontario 4:00 p.m.
3/8/09 Ontario 4:00 p.m.

MILESTONE TRACKER
o Mike Lalonde is 8 points away from surpassing Nathan Martz as the Thunder career scoring leader
o Ryan MacMurchy is 3 games away from 100 in his professional career
o Cory Urquhart is 17 goals away from 100 in his ECHL career

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

The Thunder faces the Ontario Reign in the third matchup of the year between both the clubs, which starts a three-game homestand at Stockton Arena, currently the longest of the season. The teams face each other eight times in the regular season and the Thunder is 1-0-1 vs. Ontario this year. The Thunder is 1-3-0 at home this season. The teams last met on Nov. 15 when the Thunder defeated Ontario 3-2 in overtime.

LAST THREE THUNDER GAMES

11/22/08 - STK 1 at IDA 3: Rookie goaltender Matt Climie made a season-high 34 saves to snap a three-game winless skid and help the Idaho Steelheads send the Thunder to a 3-1 defeat, before an announced crowd of 4,064 at Qwest Arena on Saturday. Thunder goaltender Bryan Pitton made 34 saves and received his lone share of offensive support on a first period goal by Justin Chwedoruk. Idaho received a game-winning goal from Steve Gainey in the second period. The Thunder loss marked their first defeat in regulation on the road in seven games away from Stockton Arena.

11/21/08 - STK 7 at IDA 3: Ryan MacMurchy scored two goals and rookie goaltender Andrew Perugini stopped 42 shots to lead the Thunder to a 7-3 rout of the Idaho Steelheads, before a crowd of 4,095 at Qwest Arena on Friday. The win snapped the Thunder's six-game winless skid at Qwest Arena, dating back to Jan. 6, 2007. The Thunder led wire-to-wire and received a two-point (1g-1a) effort from Stephane Goulet, while rookie Ryan Huddy added a shorthanded goal to extend his scoring streak to six consecutive games. Perugini stayed unbeaten in regulation (4-0-2) with the win in net, surpassing Devan Dubnyk's 5-0-0 run in 2006-07 as the hottest goaltending start in Thunder history.

11/19/08 - STK 2 at IDA 3 (OT): Marty Flichel scored two goals to help rally the Idaho Steelheads out of a 2-0 hole after two periods, upending the Thunder in a 3-2 overtime decision before 2,830 at Qwest Arena on Wednesday. Idaho scored all three goals on the power-play and got the game-tying goal by Steve Gainey with less than four minutes left in regulation. Mike Lalonde and Ryan MacMurchy scored for the Thunder, who were guided to an overtime point in the standings with rookie Andrew Perugini's 32 saves. Perugini remained unbeaten in regulation with a 3-0-2 record.

ALUMNI UPDATE: SESTITO CALLED UP TO NHL

The Edmonton Oilers recalled center Tim Sestito on Sunday, slated to possibly play Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings at Rexall Place. Should Sestito skate a shift, he will become the third former member of the Thunder to play in the NHL, joining left wing Liam Reddox (vs. St. Louis on Dec. 7, 2007) and defenseman Bryan Young (at Anaheim on Mar. 9, 2007), who both made their respective debuts with the Oilers. The 6-foot, 195-pound forward played in 66 games for the Thunder in 2006-07, ranking second on the club with 132 penalty minutes while scoring 26 points (13g-13a).

CROWDING OUT THE ECHL

The Thunder leads the ECHL in attendance with an average of 8,216 through four games, has 13 sellouts in the team's franchise history and finished last year as the ECHL's attendance leader for the third consecutive season. It was the second straight year the Thunder has surpassed the mark of 230,000 fans for one season. The Thunder's yearly attendance total finished at 239,337, an average of 6,648 fans per game. The Thunder became the first team since 2004-05 to lead the ECHL in attendance for three straight seasons (Florida led the ECHL in attendance for five straight seasons). Stockton's crowd of 9,737 on Nov. 8 against Victoria was the team's first sellout of the year.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"It was exciting to see him play again, and nice to see him in a Oilers jersey during those rookie games," Charlie Huddy said. "I played in that jersey for a long time."

- Former NHL defenseman and Edmonton Oilers assistant coach Charlie Huddy on his son, Thunder forward Ryan Huddy, The Record, 11/16/08

"He plays hard, and he's a scrappy guy out there," Cichocki said.

- Head Coach Chris Cichocki on new defenseman Mike Salekin, The Record, 11/25/08

HARDCORE CORY

Forward Cory Urquhart is the Thunder scoring leader with 15 points (5g-10a) in 14 games. Urquhart was runner-up for In Glas Co ECHL Player of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 20 with eight points (3g-5a) in four games. Urquhart, who was originally selected in the second round (40th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, has five multi-point games this season.

HUDDY HEATING UP

Rookie forward Ryan Huddy is tied for 15th in ECHL rookie scoring with 13 points (5g-8a) in 16 games, adding a shorthanded goal in last Friday's 7-3 win at Idaho. Huddy's 5 goals are tied for the Thunder lead while ranking second with a +6 rating.

STEP UP TO THE MIKE

Returning to the lineup this season is left wing Mike Lalonde, who is the Thunder all-time leading goal scorer with 57 goals. Selected as the first player in Thunder history to the ECHL All-Star Game (2006), Lalonde led the ECHL with 308 shots and paced the Thunder with 29 goals as a rookie in 2005-06. Lalonde spent last season with Tilburg of the Netherlands League, guiding his team to the Dutch Cup and scoring 92 points (43g-49a) in just 34 games.



ECHL Stories from November 26, 2008


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