PrairieThunder returns home to face league-leaders
Published on January 23, 2007 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Bloomington PrairieThunder News Release
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Three games at home after three on the road.
That's where the Bloomington PrairieThunder hockey team finds itself Wednesday when it returns home for a three-game homestand after spending the last three games on the road.
The PrairieThunder (12-27-2) has the dubious task of facing United Hockey League conference leaders Fort Wayne and Muskegon in its next two games.
Bloomington meets Western Conference leader and rival Fort Wayne (25-13-2) on Wednesday before facing off against UHL and Eastern Conference leader Muskegon (36-7-1) on Friday.
The PrairieThunder concludes its homestand on Saturday against Western Conference foe Chicago. All games are at U.S. Cellular Coliseum and start at 7:05 p.m.
Fort Wayne holds a 4-1 record against the PrairieThunder, having won the last four meetings. The Komets have a 10-8-1 record on the road and have allowed the fewest goals among league teams with 98.
Center J.C. Ruid of Fort Wayne ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 50 points and 39 goals. Komets' goalie Kevin St. Pierre is second in goals against with a 2.23 average and owns a 22-11-2 record.
Ruid has scored nine points against the PrairieThunder on five goals and four assists, while St. Pierre has a 3-1 record against Bloomington. The PrairieThunder defeated Fort Wayne, 4-2, in the first game played at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in October.
The PrairieThunder has an 8-11 record at home and has lost two straight overall. Alex Goupil leads the team with 14 goals. He has scored 25 points.
Rookie Mike Zbriger has 31 points. However, 19 of Zbriger's points came during his time with Flint. He has scored 12 points in nine games since coming to the PrairieThunder in a trade at the first of the year.
Muskegon leads the UHL with 185 goals scored and has the top three scorers in the league in Todd Robinson (84), Rustyn Dolyny (57) and Mike Watt (52). Robinson has scored 28 goals in 44 games.
Goalie Clayton Pool leads the league with a 2.16 goals against average and a 27-5 record. He has a .929 save percentage. The Fury is 4-0 against the PrairieThunder.
Bloomington has fared much better against Chicago with a 4-1 record. The PrairieThunder trails Chicago, 27-24, in the standings. Bloomington is 12 points behind Quad City, Elmira and Port Huron for a spot in the postseason playoffs at the halfway mark of the season.
The PrairieThunder remains third in overall attendance among the 10 UHL teams with an average of 3,664 fans for 19 games. Fort Wayne is the leader with an average of 7,620 per game, while Rockford is second at 3,836.
Bloomington, which has 19 home games remaining, has played three less home games than Rockford. The PrairieThunder has drawn 69,631 fans, while Rockford has drawn 84,407 fans for 22 home dates.
Upcoming promotions
Wednesday - Appearance by NASCAR driver Reed Sorenson, who will sign autographs for the general public from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at the Party Deck on the Party Deck suite level.
Also on Wednesday, Wine, Women and Hockey Night where individuals can buy a $30 package that includes massage, manicure, wine tasting and dessert sponsored by Fox and Hounds Day Spa.
Friday - College Student Discount and Pepsi/Insight Family Night. College students get $4 discount off ticket price by showing ID when purchasing ticket at the box office. Families can receive $5 off ticket price by bringing Pepsi product cans to box office when purchasing tickets.
Saturday - Performances by Claude the Happy Trumpeter during the game; Concert by American English, a nationally known Beatles band, following the game for those with game tickets. Individuals must have game tickets to attend the concert.
Tickets for all PrairieThunder games are available at the box office, which is located at 101 S. Madison St., Bloomington, or by calling the box office at 309-434-2679 or on-line at www.uscellularcoliseum.com.
Tickets are $10, $12, $15 and $20. The box office is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Tickets for all PrairieThunder games are available at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office, 101 S. Madison, Bloomington
International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 23, 2007
- PrairieThunder returns home to face league-leaders - Bloomington PrairieThunder
- Chicago Hounds Set for Youth Hockey Clinic - Chicago Hounds
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