Sports stats



Game Preview: Stockton Thunder Vs. Victoria Salmon Kings

December 28, 2007 - 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 (12-14-2, 26 points) - 3rd, Pacific

Victoria Salmon Kings (18-7-2, 38 points) - 1st, West

2007-08 HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

11/14/07 Stockton 4 at Victoria 7

11/16/07 Stockton 3 at Victoria 4

11/17/07 Stockton 1 at Victoria 2 (OT)

12/28/07 Victoria at Stockton

02/07/08 Victoria at Stockton

03/26/08 Victoria at Stockton

03/29/08 Victoria at Stockton

UPCOMING MILESTONES

œ Chris Cichocki is 5 wins shy of 200 in his ECHL coaching career

œ Stephane Goulet is 10 games shy of 100 in his professional career

TONIGHTfS MATCHUP

The Thunder and Victoria Salmon Kings meet for the fourth time this season, with the final four games of the season series taking place at Stockton Arena. A win would help the Thunder tie a season-high three-game winning streak at home and give the Thunder its first three-game winning streak since a five-game stretch which ended November 6. The Thunder is 6-7-3 in the all-time series against Victoria.

LAST GAME RECAP

Goaltender Tim Boron made 40 saves, including 17 each in the first and third periods to post the first shutout of his professional career and outduel counterpart Jake Moreland, helping lift the Thunder to a 2-0 victory over the Fresno Falcons before a crowd of 5,253 at Stockton Arena on Thursday night. Ryan MacMurchy scored the eventual game-winning goal with 2:46 left in the first period while Brandon Schwartz added an insurance goal with 7:42 left in regulation.

PROSPECT WATCH

Seventh round pick left wing Stephane Goulet (2004, Edmonton Oilers) has 10 points (3g-7a) in his last seven games c fourth round pick and rookie center Jonas Almtorp (2002, Edmonton Oilers) had a career-high 3 points (1g-2a) in last Saturdayfs win against Phoenix.

TURNING THE POWER ON

The Thunder has scored at least one power-play goal in seven consecutive games and went 1-for-4 in last nightfs win against Fresno, connecting at a 12-for-34 clip (35.3 pct.) in that stretch. The Thunder currently ranks 8th in the ECHL with a 18.9 percentage rate on the man-advantage.

CROWDING OUT THE ECHL

The Thunder remains the leaguefs leader in attendance with a crowd of 5,253 taking in Thursday nightfs game against Fresno. The Thunder has drawn a league-high average of 6,669 fans in 13 dates (86,693 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 MAN BORON

Thunder goaltender Tim Boron posted the eighth shutout in Thunder all-time history in Thursday nightfs win versus Fresno, the first in his professional career after being acquired by the Thunder in a waiver claim from the Charlotte Checkers in November. Boron has three wins in his last four appearances (3-1-0), tallying a .934 save percentage in that stretch.

ABOUT THE SALMON KINGS

The Victoria Salmon Kings are in their fourth season of ECHL play and are in their second season under the NHL affiliate umbrella of the local Vancouver Canucks. In his first year as head coach last year, Mark Morrison guided the Salmon Kings to their first-ever Kelly Cup Playoff berth, garnering the seventh seed at a 36-32-4 clip (76 points) and pushed the defending Kelly Cup Champion Alaska Aces to a grueling, six-game series in the first round. 12 players who graced Victoriafs roster last year are back, including brothers Derek and (former Colorado Avalanche forward) Jordan Krestanovich. Re-united are brothers Wes and Ash Goldie, after Victoria signed Ash as a free-agent last summer.

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from December 28, 2007


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.

OurSports Central