Jersey Reaches The Hockey News "Sweet 16" Stage

Published on September 17, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder dark-colored jersey is one of four ECHL jerseys that have advanced to the third round "Sweet 16" stage of The Hockey News Jersey Tournament which began Sept. 10, a collection of 40 finalist teams across six professional leagues, six college conferences and three major junior leagues from the Canadian Hockey League.

The jersey, which features the Thunder primary crest on the front of a black-colored body, white bolts and a gold trim at the left and right sides of the base, is worn by the team on the road for the first half of the regular season and Kelly Cup Playoffs and at home for the second half of the regular season.

"We started in the hundreds, shaved the dead wood off to get down to 40 and now we're dealing with the cream of the crop; the best sweaters in North American hockey," wrote the special features staff of The Hockey News.

The Thunder is facing their league counterpart Florida Everblades in a single-elimination bracket.

The winner will advance meet either the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) or Ottawa 67's (Ontario Hockey League) in the "Elite Eight" round. Each week voting will determine who moves on until an ultimate champion has been determined.

The Thunder is representing the ECHL in the "Sweet 16" poll (eight teams of which represent the NHL) along with the Florida Everblades, the Kalamazoo Wings and the Toledo Walleye.

Fan voting originally selected the Thunder dark jersey to advance in a preliminary stage online poll via the website of The Hockey News, which began in August. For the preliminary stage, each jersey was placed in their respective league category. The advancing 40 jerseys were then divided geographically into four groups of 10 for the "Group Stage." The top four jerseys in each bracket that collected the highest percentage of fan votes advanced to the "Sweet 16. "

The Thunder dark jersey was originally one of ten ECHL nominated jerseys selected for voting by the staff of The Hockey News and ranked fifth overall in the league. The publication ranked jerseys from all 20 teams of the ECHL and for each league in North America based on the logo, shoulder patches, striping and piping.

The Thunder returns to the ice for preseason play on Thursday, Oct. 8 against the Bakersfield Condors, starting at 7:00 p.m. at Stockton Arena. 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 proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers and American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons, 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/.

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ECHL Stories from September 17, 2009


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