Game Preview: Stockton Thunder Vs. Phoenix Roadrunners

Published on January 26, 2008 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


FACEOFF: 7:30 p.m. PT

RADIO: 1420-AM KSTN

INTERNET: www.stocktonthunder.com (B2 Networks)

RECORDS:

Stockton Thunder (18-18-2, 38 points) - 3rd, Pacific

Phoenix RoadRunners (14-21-6, 34 points) - 5th, West

2007-08 HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

10/24/07 Stockton 4 at Phoenix 0

11/06/07 Stockton 4 at Phoenix 3

11/07/07 Stockton 5 at Phoenix 6

11/08/07 Stockton 6 at Phoenix 4

12/22/07 Phoenix 2 at Stockton 6

01/26/08 Phoenix at Stockton

02/25/08 Phoenix at Stockton

UPCOMING MILESTONES

o Spencer Carbery is 9 games away from 100 in his professional career

o Andy Contois is 19 points away from 100 in his ECHL career

o Adam Huxley is 3 games away from 200 in his professional and ECHL career

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

The Thunder returns to play for the second half of the season on Saturday with a home game against the Phoenix RoadRunners at Stockton Arena. A win can push the Thunder over the .500 mark for the first time since November 12. The Thunder is 4-1-0 this season against Phoenix and carries a record of 9-1-1 in the last two seasons against the RoadRunners. All-star Ryan MacMurchy has seven points (2g-5a) in four games to lead the Thunder against the RoadRunners this year.

LAST GAME RECAP

Goaltender Tim Boron made a career-high 50 saves for his second career shutout and Andy Contois scored an eventual game-winning goal with 19 seconds remaining in the second period to lift the Thunder to a 1-0 victory over the Las Vegas Wranglers before 6,454 at Stockton Arena on Sunday. Boron made his first appearance in net since December 28 and posted the ninth shutout in Thunder all-time history, registering a game-high 19 stops in the third period.

CALLING ALL STARS ...

In the fifth-largest attended ECHL All-Star Game in league history (7,454), the Stockton Thunder hosted a show for the ages as the National Conference toppled the American Conference in a 10-7 win on Wednesday at Stockton Arena, capping the 2008 Chase Chevrolet ECHL All-Star Game and festivities. All-Star MVP Ash Goldie of Victoria broke two records with a new All-Star record six-point night (3g-3a) and scored his hat trick goal 22 seconds into the third period, breaking the fastest goal to start a period in All-Star history. Thunder left wing Andy Contois scored a goal and added an assist, while Ryan MacMurchy assisted on Contois' goal. Contois won the fastest skater event at Tuesday's Skills Competition (14.3 seconds).

CROWDING OUT THE ECHL

The Thunder remains the league's leader in attendance after a sellout crowd of 9,737 packed Stockton Arena last Saturday, the second sellout of the season. The Thunder has drawn a league-high average of 6,785 fans in 17 dates (122,129 total). The Thunder has led the ECHL in attendance for two consecutive seasons, drew 244,085 fans to Stockton Arena in 2006-07.

ANDY ADDS ANOTHER POINT

Thunder left wing Andy Contois scored a goal last Sunday in a 1-0 win vs. Phoenix to mark a streak of scoring a point in six of his last seven games, netting nine points (5g-4a) in that span to take over the team's lead in scoring with 34 points (13g-21a). Contois is tied for the team's lead with 13 goals and needs just six more goals to match his total of 19 set last year as a rookie with Gwinnett.

PLEASE, TAKE A NUMBER

In an unprecedented mid-season move in Thunder history, nine players have elected to change their jersey number which is effective beginning tonight. Below is a chart that illustrates the switch (alphabetically), with three Thunder players (David Rohlfs, Ryan MacMurchy and Tom Zanoski) switching back to numbers worn in their college career.

PLAYER OLD NEW

Boron, Tim 34 30

Carbery, Spencer 23 25

Geris, Ryan 24 27

Johansson, Fredrik 11 10

Lachance, L.P. 14 3

MacMurchy, Ryan 25 19

Paukovich, Geoff 29 11

Rohlfs, David 27 16

Zanoski, Tom 13 23

ABOUT THE ROADRUNNERS

The Phoenix RoadRunners are in their third ECHL season, led by head coach Brad Church (first full season as head coach) and began the season with their best start in ECHL history at a 3-0-0 pace. Phoenix was represented by rookie center Peder Skinner this week's 2008 Chase Chevrolet ECHL All-Star Game at Stockton Arena and scored a goal in the National Conference's 10-7 win. Last year, Phoenix clinched the eighth seed in the National Conference and its first-ever Kelly Cup Playoff berth with a 27-40-5 record (59 points). The RoadRunners home is U.S. Airways Center, which doubles-up as the host facility to the NBA's Phoenix Suns.

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