Pride Weekly

December 23, 2002 - ECHL (ECHL)
Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz News Release


The Pride will not practice Monday-Wednesday because of Christmas. Practice resumes Thursday afternoon, with the Pride traveling to Roanoke on Friday (7:35 p.m.) and hosting Augusta on Saturday (7:30) and Florida on Sunday (2:30 p.m.).

LAST WEEK: Pee Dee went 3-0-0 for the week for their first winning week since October 28-November 3 when they also went 3-0-0. The Pride are 16-8-5 for 37 points and are tied with Florida record for second place in the Southeast Division, one point behind first-place South Carolina.

Tuesday, December 17 @ South Carolina PRIDE 5 Stingrays 4 (OT)

South Carolina dominated the first period, scoring three times, including twice on the power play. Pee Dee finally got on the board courtesy of a Mike Glumac goal 3:05 into the second period, but the Stingrays answered with another tally just 31 seconds later. After that, it was all Pride. Trailing 4-3 in the last minute of play, the Pride pulled Matt Underhill for an extra attacker, and it paid off as Matt Reid scored his second goal of the game with just 11.5 seconds left to tie it. In overtime, Allan Sirois gave the Pride the win with a goal with just 2 seconds left. Underhill replaced starting goalie Ron Vogel after the first period, and after allowing a goal on the first shot he faced, stopped the next 17 shots to record the win.

Friday, December 20 @ Greenville PRIDE 6 Grrrowl 5 (OT)

Once again, the Pride would use a late rally to pick up two points. The teams held a first-period score-fest, combining for six goals. Greenville took a 4-2 lead into the second period, and the Pride would pull within one on a Mike Torney goal midway through the middle period. In the third, Kyle Kidney ended a 15-game goalless drought with the tying tally at the 10:22 mark. The Grrrowl went back ahead on a Jonathan Roy breakaway goal with 3:47 left. But, the Pride answered just 1:15 later when Preston Mizzi deflected home a Mike Torney shot from the point. In overtime, B.J. Adams picked up the game winner on a shot from the left wing boards with 1:40 left.

Saturday, December 21 v. Greenville PRIDE 5 Grrrowl 2

Pee Dee would not need a rally in this game, as the Knoxville/Pee Dee franchise became the first team in ECHL history to record their 500th win. Matt Reid tallied two goals and two assists, while Greg Schmidt and Wes Goldie both had three assists. The Pride power play awakened from an 8-for-92 stretch by posting three goals in seven opportunities. It was the first time since November 2 (18 games) that the Pride had more than one power-play goal in a game.

THIS WEEK'S GAMES

Friday, December 27 @ Roanoke 7:35 p.m (Coverage on WDAR Sunny 105.5 at 7:15)

The Pride and Roanoke meet for the third of four times this season. The first two meetings took place in Florence with the teams splitting the games. The Express are 16-12-2 this season for 34 points and are in fifth place in the Northeast Division.

Saturday, December 28 v. Augusta 7:30 p.m. at the Lion's Den

Pee Dee and Augusta meet for the third time this season. The home team has won both of the first two meetings. Starting with this game, Augusta will make three visits to Florence in a span of 11 days. The Lynx are in seventh place in the Southeast Division with a record of 9-18-1 for 19 points. They are just 3-12-1 on the road.

Sunday, December 29 v. Florida 2:30 p.m. at the Lion's Den

The Pride and Everblades meet for the seventh time this season. Pee Dee is 3-2-1 against Florida this season and 2-0-0 at Florence. Florida is one of the hottest teams in the league, winning four straight and going 8-0-2 in their last 10 games. Overall on the season, the Everblades are 15-6-7 for 37 points and are tied with the Pride for second place in the division.

OTHER NOTES

POWER PLAY AWAKENS

The Pride had a good week on the power play, going a combined 4-for-16 (25%) on the man advantage. Entering Saturday's game against Greenville, Pee Dee had been just 8 for their last 92 on the power play before going 3-for-7 against the Grrrowl. The three power play goals marked the first time since November 2, a span of 18 games, that the Pride scored more than one power-play goal in a game.

NEVER SAY DIE

In their first two wins this week, the Pride came back from deficits to pick up wins. Tuesday against South Carolina they trailed by three goals on two separate occasions, and on Friday at Greenville, they trailed by two after one period. In both games, Pee Dee trailed entering the third period before rallying to win. The Pride are now 3-4-2 in games in which they trail entering the final period.

FIRST TO 500

With Saturday's win against Greenville, the Knoxville/Pee Dee franchise became the first franchise in ECHL history to record 500 all-time wins. Earlier this season, the franchise was also the first in league history to record 300 home wins. Entering this week, the Pride are three road wins shy of 200.



ECHL Stories from December 23, 2002


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