
Pee Dee Pride Weekly
January 3, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz News Release
LAST WEEK: Pee Dee went 2-1-0 last week, improving to 17-10-2 on the season for 36 points. The Pride are tied with Charlotte for first place in the East Division. Pee Dee has three games in hand on the Checkers.
Tuesday, December 28 @ Gwinnett Gladiators 2 PRIDE 0
Gwinnett got the scoring started early, as Adam Smyth tallied just 22 seconds into the contest to give the Gladiators the early lead. The score stayed 1-0 until the 8:21mark of the final period when Mike Stathopolous increased the Gladiators lead to 2-0. Gwinnett goaltender Sean Fields turned aside all 29 Pride shots to record the shutout, while Nick Boucher stopped a season-high 41 shots in the loss.
Friday, December 31 v. Augusta PRIDE 7 Lynx 4
Pee Dee's four-game losing streak came to an end as the Pride downed Augusta 7-4. Leading 2-1 after two periods, the Pride turned up the offense over the final 20 minutes scoring five times, with Jeff Szwez scoring all four of his goals in the final period. Mark Mullen assisted on all four of Szwez' goals, while Adam Elzinga got helpers on three. Tyler Kindle also had a three-point night, with a goal and two assists.
Saturday, January 1 v. Columbia PRIDE 7 Inferno 0
Sebastien Laplante stopped all 24 Columbia shots for his third consecutive shutout as the Pride rolled over the Inferno 7-0. Pee Dee scored three goals in each of the first two periods, and then added a single tally in the final period. Brian Collins and Allan Sirois both had two goals and an assist in the victory.
THIS WEEKS' GAMES
Thursday, January 6 v. Florida 7:00 p.m. at the Lion's Den
The Pride and Everblades meet for the fifth and final time this season. Pee Dee is 1-2-1 against Florida this season, and 0-2-0 at home. The Everblades have won three straight games to improve to 18-12-1 for 37 points. Florida is tied with Pensacola for first place in the South Division.
PROMOTIONS: It's Thirsty Thursday at the Lion's Den, with all beer just $2.
Friday, January 7 @ Greenville 7:00 p.m. Coverage on WDAR Sunny 105.5 at 6:40
The Pride and Grrrowl meet for the fifth of 10 times this season. Pee Dee is 2-1-1 against Greenville this season, with the road team winning each of the first four meetings. The Grrrowl are 16-12-3 for 35 points and are in third place in the East Division, one point behind the Pride.
Saturday, January 8 @ South Carolina 7:00 p.m. Coverage on WDAR Sunny 105.5 at 6:40
The Pride and Stingrays meet for the sixth of 11 times this season. Pee Dee is 2-3-0 against South Carolina this season, with the home team winning each of the first five meetings. The Stingrays are winless in their last five games (0-3-2) and are 12-14-3 on the season for 27 points. South Carolina is in fifth place in the East Division.
PRIDE NOTES
- Sebastien Laplante's three consecutive shutouts ties the ECHL record shared by two other goaltenders: Trenton's Andrew Allen in 2002-03 and Hampton Roads' Darryl Paquette in 1996-97. Laplante's shutout streak of 180:00 is 56:03 shy of Paquette's record shutout sequence of 236:03.
- Pee Dee's six shutouts as a team is one shy of the team record of seven set in the 1999-2000 season. The ECHL record for shutouts in a season is 11, set by Wheeling last season.
- Jeff Szwez' four goals in Friday's 7-4 win over Augusta tied the Pride team record for goals in a game. Szwez joins Peter Geronazzo (11/6/98 v. Birmingham) as the only players in Pride history to score four goals in a game.
- Pee Dee needs two wins for 300 in regular-season team history. Since moving from Knoxville prior to the 1997-98 season, the team is 298-180-49 (.612 winning percentage).
- The Pride have scored power-play goals in each of their last two games. This is the first time that the team has scored power-play goals in back-to-back games since they scored in three straight contests from October 29-November 2.
PRIDE LEADERS
Goals Collins 13
Assists Collins 14
Points Collins 27
+/- Szwez +12
Penalty Minutes Vodrazka 83
Shots Collins 111
Power-Play Goals Sirois 3
Shorthanded Goals Collins 3
Game-Winning Goals Collins/Kidney 3
HOCKEY TONIGHT SIGNS
The Pride's "Hockey Tonight" yard signs are back! If you need a new yard sign, you can pick one up at the Pride office between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, or at the Customer Service Tables during home games. Remember to place your yard signs on game days. The Pride's next home game is Thursday, January 6 against the Florida Everblades.
PRIDE ON THE AIR
All Pride away games can be heard on WDAR Sunny 105.5 FM and on-line at www.peedeepride.com with the Voice of the Pride, Joe Babik. Each broadcast begins 20 minutes prior to faceoff with the Palmetto Chiropractic Pre-Game Show.
PRIDE TICKETS
Tickets for all Pride home games can be purchased at the Florence Civic Center Box Office (10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday; through the second period on game nights), all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at (843) 679-9333 or on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. In addition, group tickets are now available for all Pride home games. Groups of 15 or more receive $3 off either 200 or 400 level tickets, have their name announced over the PA system and printed in the game-day program, and are eligible to win prizes in a group-exclusive raffle. For more information, or to purchase your tickets, call the Pride at (843) 669-7825.
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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.
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