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Igor Gongalsky, Thunder Agree to Terms

October 12, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder, the proud ECHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League and Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League, has agreed to contract terms with right wing Igor Gongalsky (Gawn-GALL-skee), Thunder head coach Matt Thomas announced today. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Bringing back a power forward in Igor, who is very strong on both sides of the puck makes us very excited how our lineup is shaping for this season," said Thomas. "There's very few players who match his grit, skill and determination level."

Gongalsky, 23, is the 11th returning player from last year's team that finished the final 41 games at 22-16-3 in the regular season and advanced to the seventh game in the second round (Pacific Division Finals) of the Kelly Cup Playoffs, the deepest run to date in club history.

The native of Kiev, Ukraine was signed by the Thunder as a free agent on Dec. 30, 2008 and scored 18 points (4g-14a) in 24 games after joining the team.

Gongalsky participated in the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game at Stockton Arena, helping guide the National Conference to a 10-7 victory and has skated in 115 career ECHL games with Stockton and Fresno, scoring 73 points (28g-45a) and amassing 287 penalty minutes.

In 17 career Kelly Cup Playoff games, Gongalsky has scored 11 points (2g-9a).

Gongalsky earned the first AHL callup of his career last season on Feb. 3 with the San Antonio Rampage and suited up in six games, posting nine penalty minutes.

The 6-foot, 225-pound forward spent three years (2004-07) of his major junior career in the Ontario Hockey League with the Owen Sound Attack and Oshawa Generals, skating in 192 career games while scoring 71 points (31g-40a) and notching 270 penalty minutes. Gongalsky added 11 points (6g-5a) in 27 career junior playoff games.

The 2009-10 season, the Fifth Year Anniversary for the team, launches on Friday, Oct. 16 at Qwest Arena against the Idaho Steelheads at 6:10 p.m. and the Thunder home opener is Friday, Oct. 23 against the Ontario Reign at 7:30 p.m. at Stockton Arena.

The Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew 223,854 fans to Stockton Arena in 2008-09. Season Tickets for 2009-10 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit http://www.stocktonthunder.com/.



ECHL Stories from October 12, 2009


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