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Marks Coaches 1,200th Game on Thursday

November 3, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


John Marks of Greenville will coach his 1,200th regular season game on Thursday when the Grrrowl plays at Greensboro. In 17 years as a professional coach, Marks is 615-468-116 in the regular season and 57-50 in the postseason. In his sixth year as Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations, Marks is the only coach in Grrrowl history. Prior to Greenville, Marks coached five seasons in the ECHL with Charlotte and six seasons in the International Hockey League with Kalamazoo and Indianapolis.

He is the dean of ECHL coaches and ranks second in career wins (369), career games (707) and years coached (11), trailing only the legendary John Brophy, who was 480-323-75 in 878 games over 13 seasons. Marks and Brophy are the only coaches to win both the Jack C. Riley Cup, awarded to the ECHL postseason champion from 1988-96, and the Patrick J. Kelly Cup, awarded to the ECHL playoff champion from 1997-present. Marks is the only coach in history to lead two different teams to the ECHL title, leading Charlotte to the Riley Cup in 1996 and Greenville to the Kelly Cup in 2002. Brophy won three ECHL titles while Marks and Chris McSorley, who led Toledo to back-to-back titles in 1993 and 1994, have each won two titles.

Marks is 178-147-36 with Greenville marking the third time that he has won 150 regular season games in a city. He was 191-120-35 in five seasons with Charlotte and 181-121-26 in four seasons with Kalamazoo. When Charlotte hosted the 1997 ECHL All-Star Game, Marks coached the Checkers to a 7-6 win over the ECHL All-Stars. He began his coaching career in 1982 as an assistant at the University of North Dakota, his alma mater, and helped guide the Fighting Sioux to the 1987 NCAA Championship.

A two-time All-American at North Dakota, Marks was a first-round selection (ninth overall) of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1968 National Hockey League Amateur Draft. He played 12 seasons in the Blackhawks organization, including 10 in the NHL, and in 1976 was named to the NHL's Campbell Conference All-Star team. Following a broken leg, Marks concluded his playing career with Indianapolis in the Central Hockey League, helping the Checkers win the 1982 CHL title.

ECHL Rosters Have Players From 21 Countries
Of the 559 players on ECHL active rosters as of October 27, almost 94 percent were born in North America with 370 players born in Canada (66 percent) and 155 born in the United States (just under 28 percent).

The breakdown of ECHL players from Canada by province is: Ontario (162), Alberta (51), British Columbia (45), Saskatchewan (42), Quebec (41), Manitoba (18), Nova Scotia (6), New Brunswick (3), Newfoundland (1) and Prince Edward Island (1).

The breakdown of ECHL players from the United States by state is: Massachusetts (26), Minnesota (26), Michigan (21), New York (17), Pennsylvania (8), California (7), Illinois (7), Wisconsin (7), Alaska (6), New Jersey (5), New Hampshire (4), Ohio (4), Connecticut (3), Colorado (2), North Dakota (2), Oregon (2), Washington (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (1), Nebraska (1), Rhode Island (1), South Dakota (1) and Texas (1).

The remaining 34 players come from 19 different countries led by the Czech Republic with six players. Finland has five players and the Ukraine has four players while Latvia, Russia, and Slovakia each have three players. Sweden has two players while Denmark, England, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia.

Average ECHL Player Is Less Than 25 Years Old
The average age of the 559 players on ECHL active rosters as of October 27 was just over 24 1/2 years old. There are 306 players (54 percent) who are 24 years old or less, including 76 who are 21 years old or younger (13 percent).

There are 382 players (68 percent) that are 25 years old or younger while only 43 players (7 1/2 percent) are 30 years or older. The youngest player in the ECHL is Louisiana's Armands Berzins, who will celebrate his 20th birthday on December 27, while the oldest player is Greensboro's Daniel Berthiaume, who will turn 38 on January 26.

The youngest team in the ECHL with an average age of just less than 23 years old is Dayton, whose roster only had two players older than 26 years old while also including 20-year-old Andrew Penner and five 21-year-olds (Riley Cote, Janne Jokila, Nate Kiser, Oliver Proulx and Jade Galbraith).

The eldest team in the league with an average age of just over 26 1/2 years old is Charlotte, whose roster includes three players over 30 years old (Allan Egeland, Scott Meyer and Dan Preston) as well as two 21-year-olds (Mike Wirll and Ryan Cuthbert) and 22-year-old Brandon Cullen.


Nailers Off To Best Start In Team History
Wheeling went 2-0-1 last week and is off to the best start in team history with a 5-1-1 record. The Nailers are in second place in the Northern Division, three points behind Atlantic City which leads the ECHL with a 7-1-0 record and 14 points. Wheeling's previous best start was 5-2-0 in both 1996-97 and 1997-98, the last time the team qualified for the postseason. Wheeling lost in the first round of the 1997 Kelly Cup Playoffs and advanced to the Northern Conference Finals of the 1998 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Wheeling was 4-1-0 and had a .800 winning percentage in October which surpasses its previous best for the month set in 1995 when the team was 4-2-1 and had a .643 winning percentage. The Nailers, who are 3-0-1 at home and 2-1-0 on the road, play at Cincinnati on Wednesday and at Toledo on Saturday before returning home to host Dayton on Sunday.

Ice Pilots' Neilson Tallies ECHL-High Five
Pensacola defenseman Corey Neilson assisted on five of the six goals in the Ice Pilots 6-2 win over Mississippi on Saturday. The five assists are the most in an ECHL game this season while Neilson's five points ties the season high set by Texas' Cory Morgan, who had a goal and four assists in a 6-5 overtime loss at Greensboro on October 23. Neilson, who had scored six points (2g-4a) in his first five games, is tied for the ECHL lead among defensemen with nine assists and 11 points.

Gulls' Crowd of 10,188 Boosts Opening Night Average
San Diego drew 10,188 for its home opener on Saturday increasing the ECHL average opening night attendance from 5,661 to 5,763. The ECHL has drawn 167,131 for the 28 home openers that have been played.

The Texas Wildcatters will open the new 7,500-seat Ford Arena on Saturday hosting Louisiana. Fresno will be the last of the 31 teams to play its home opener when it hosts Bakersfield on November 16. The Falcons are awaiting completion of the 13,800-seat Save Mart Center.

The 22 former ECHL teams have drawn 124,792 fans and averaged 5,672 for their home openers compared to 112,742 and an average of 5,125 in 2002-03, an increase of more than 10 percent. The 26 ECHL and WCHL teams that played in 2002-03 have drawn 149,357 and averaged 5,745 for their home openers compared to 129,963 and 5,199 for their home openers in 2002-03, an increase of more than 10 percent.

In the first three weeks, the ECHL has drawn 418,796 fans for 109 games and is averaging 3,842 per game. In the first three weeks of 2002-03, the ECHL drew 362,605 fans and averaged 3,663 per game while the WCHL drew 85,494 and averaged 5,029 per game.


Northern Division
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
 * Rookie Sam Paolini is tied for third in the ECHL with 12 points (5g-7a).
* Luke Curtin is tied for the ECHL lead with three game-winning goals.
* Atlantic City hosts Trenton on Thursday and travels to Trenton on Friday before hosting Johnstown on Sunday.

Cincinnati Cyclones
 * Garrett Prosofsky had a hat trick on Friday and scored five points (3g-2a) in two games last week.
* Defenseman Ryan Brindley is tied for second in the ECHL with three power-play goals.
* Cincinnati hosts Wheeling on Wednesday before traveling to Idaho on Friday and Saturday.

Dayton Bombers
 * Jason Deskins is tied for the ECHL lead with two shorthand goals.
* Bombers will play five of their next six and eight of their next 10 games on the road.
* Dayton travels to Wheeling on Sunday.

Johnstown Chiefs
 * Arturs Irbe leads the ECHL with a .954 save percentage and is second with a 1.25 goals against average.
* Jason Notermann is tied for the ECHL rookie lead with five goals and two game-winning goals.
* Johnstown hosts Toledo on Friday before traveling to Trenton on Saturday and Atlantic City on Sunday.

Peoria Rivermen
 * Peoria leads the ECHL with three shorthand goals.
* Mike Valley's shutout streak of 124:22 ended in the second period of Wednesday's 4-3 loss at Alaska.
* Rivermen host Reading on Friday and Saturday.

Reading Royals
 * Cody Rudkowsky ranks second in the ECHL with a .938 save percentage.
* David Masse leads ECHL rookies with nine assists and is tied for the rookie scoring lead with 12 points.
* Reading travels to Peoria on Friday and Saturday.

Toledo Storm
 * Storm is 2-0-1 in shootouts and 1-0-0 in overtime games.
* Wes Mason (5g-1a), Nick Parillo (2g-5a) and Morten Ask (3g-3a) are tied for the team scoring lead.
* Toledo plays at Johnstown on Friday and hosts Wheeling on Saturday.

Trenton Titans
 * Matt Zultek is tied for the ECHL lead with seven goals, including a hat trick at Charlotte on Friday.
* Andrew Allen is 3-2-0 with a 2.58 goals against average in his last five games.
* Trenton plays at Atlantic City on Thursday before hosting Atlantic City on Friday and Johnstown on Saturday.

Wheeling Nailers
 * Jason Jaffray is tied for third in the ECHL with six goals and 12 points.
* Martin Brouchu is tied for second in the ECHL in wins (5) and is fourth in saves (169).
* Wheeling plays at Cincinnati on Wednesday, Toledo on Saturday before hosting Dayton on Sunday.


Southern
Charlotte Checkers
 * Charlotte is tied for second in the ECHL with two shorthand goals.
* Dusty Jamieson (3g-3a) and Allan Egeland (2g-4a) lead the Checkers in scoring.
* Charlotte hosts Greensboro on Friday before traveling to South Carolina on Saturday.

Columbia Inferno
 * Barrie Moore is tied for eighth in the ECHL with a team-leading 11 points (4g-7a).
* Jesse Schultz's five goals tie him for the ECHL lead among rookies and defensemen.
* Columbia hosts South Carolina on Monday and Greenville on Friday before traveling to Roanoke on Saturday.

Florence Pride
 * Florence is 3-0-0 when Mark McRae scores a goal and 0-3-1 when he does not have a goal.
* Pride is 0-3-1 against Southern Division teams and 3-0-0 against the rest of the ECHL.
* Florence hosts Gwinnett on Friday and Greenville on Saturday.

Florida Everblades
 * Keith Anderson is tied for the ECHL scoring lead with 14 points (6g-8a).
* Rob Zepp is 1-0-2 with a 2.25 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.
* Florida plays at Las Vegas on Tuesday, at Long Beach on Wednesday, at San Diego on Friday and Saturday and at Bakersfield on Sunday.

Greensboro Generals
 * Geno Parrish ranks third among ECHL defensemen with seven assists.
* Greensboro is tied for fourth in the ECHL averaging 3.71 goals per game.
* Generals host Greenville on Thursday, travel to Charlotte on Friday and host Gwinnett on Saturday.

Greenville Grrrowl
 * Greenville is third in the ECHL on the penalty kill with 95.2 percent (20-for-21).
* Grrrowl earned its first victory of the season with a 6-2 win against Augusta on Saturday.
* Greenville travels to Greensboro on Thursday, Columbia on Friday and Florence on Saturday.

Roanoke Express
 * Tim O'Connell is tied for third among ECHL defensemen with four goals.
* Dave Belitski earned has first ECHL shutout in Sunday's 2-0 win against Charlotte.
* Roanoke hosts Augusta on Friday.

South Carolina Stingrays
 * Kirk Daubenspeck earned his first shutout of the season in Tuesday's 3-0 win against Florence.
* South Carolina is tied for fourth in the ECHL in fewest goals allowed with 2.50 goals per game.
* Stingrays travel to Columbia on Monday before hosting Columbus on Friday and Charlotte on Saturday.


Central Division
Augusta Lynx
 * Lynx' penalty kill is 29th in the ECHL with 75.0 percent (33-for-44).
* Scott Kelman leads the team in scoring with eight points (4g-4a).
* Augusta travels to Roanoke on Friday.

Columbus Cottonmouths
 * J.F. Plourde scored two power-play goals in Columbus' 5-3 loss to Augusta on Sunday.
* Peter Hogan is tied for fourth among ECHL defensemen with eight points (2g-6a).
* Columbus hosts Fresno on Tuesday before traveling to Gwinnett on Thursday, South Carolina on Friday and Louisiana on Sunday.

Gwinnett Gladiators
 * Gwinnett's penalty kill is fourth in the ECHL with 94.3 percent (33-for-35).
* Brandon Dietrich ranks second in the ECHL with 10 assists.
* Gladiators host Columbus on Thursday before traveling to Florence on Friday and Greensboro on Saturday.

Louisiana IceGators
 * IceGators' power play is fourth in the ECHL with 24.0 percent (6-for-25).
* Frederic Cloutier earned his 50th professional win in Saturday's 3-2 win at Columbus.
* Louisiana travels to Mississippi on Friday, Texas on Saturday and Columbus on Sunday.

Mississippi Sea Wolves
 * Jeff Hutchins has a goal in each of Mississippi's first four home games (5 goals).
* Louis Dumont has scored a goal in three consecutive games (4 goals).
* Mississippi hosts Louisiana on Friday and Fresno on Sunday.

Pensacola Ice Pilots
 * Cory Neilson is tied for the ECHL lead among defensemen in assists (9) and points (11).
* Ice Pilots lead the ECHL in scoring averaging 4.83 goals per game.
* Pensacola hosts Fresno on Friday and Saturday before traveling to Texas on Sunday.

Texas Wildcatters
 * Bob Cunningham has a five-game goal-scoring streak and leads the ECHL with seven goals.
* Davis Parley made an ECHL season-high 58 saves in 6-5 overtime loss at Greensboro on October 23.
* Texas hosts Louisiana on Saturday and Pensacola on Sunday at the new 7,500-seat Ford Arena.


Pacific Division
Alaska Aces
 * Mike Scott is tied for the ECHL lead with three game-winning goals.
* Aces' power play ranks third in the ECHL with 24.2 percent (8-for-33).
* Alaska travels to Las Vegas on Wednesday, Long Beach on Friday and Bakersfield on Saturday.

Bakersfield Condors
 * Joe Watkins is 2-2-0 and tied for third in the ECHL with a 1.50 goals against average.
* Condors' power play is 31st in the ECHL with 5.0 percent (2-for-40).
* Bakersfield travels to Las Vegas on Friday before hosting Alaska on Saturday and Florida on Sunday.

Fresno Falcons
 * Greg Bullock has scored a point in each of Fresno's first five games (2g-5a).
* Kris Porter leads the Falcons with four goals and eight points.
* Falcons travel to Columbus on Tuesday, Pensacola on Friday and Saturday, and Mississippi on Sunday.

Idaho Steelheads
* Blair Allison is 3-1-0 and tied for third in the ECHL with a 1.50 goals against average.
* Jan Kopecky leads the Steelheads in scoring with 10 points (4g-6a).
* Idaho hosts Cincinnati on Friday and Saturday.

Las Vegas Wranglers
 * Greg Day leads the ECHL with 11 assists and is tied for the league lead with 14 points.
* Dave Cousineau leads the ECHL with four power-play goals.
* Wranglers host Florida on Tuesday, Alaska on Wednesday and Bakersfield on Friday before traveling to Long Beach on Saturday.

Long Beach Ice Dogs
 * T.J. Aceti earned his first professional shutout with a 3-0 win against Bakersfield on Saturday.
* Ice Dogs' penalty kill is fifth in the ECHL with 91.2 percent (31-for-34).
* Long Beach hosts Florida on Wednesday, Alaska on Friday and Las Vegas on Saturday.

San Diego Gulls
 * San Diego leads the ECHL on the penalty kill with 96.3 percent (26-for-27).
* Gulls are tied for the ECHL lead for fewest goals allowed with 2.00 goals per game.
* San Diego hosts Florida on Friday and Saturday.

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