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San Diego Moves Into First Place In Pacific Division

Published on January 26, 2004 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Three wins in three days combined with Alaska's two-game sweep of Idaho has moved San Diego atop the Pacific Division. The Gulls are 26-10-3 with 55 points while Idaho is 25-13-4 with 54 points. Las Vegas is in third place at 24-11-5 with 53 points and Alaska is in fourth place at 24-14-3 with 51 points.

San Diego has won its last five games and is 17-3-1 in its last 21 games after going 9-7-2 in its first 18 games. The Gulls travel to Las Vegas on Tuesday before returning home to host Long Beach on Thursday, Idaho on Friday and Bakersfield on Saturday. San Diego is 24-7-3 against the Pacific Division including a 15-1-0 home record. The Gulls are 2-2-1 against Las Vegas, 5-0-1 against Long Beach, 4-0-0 against Idaho and 6-1-0 against Bakersfield.

Mark Pederson, Sylvain Deschatelets and Greg Barber have combined for 24 points (10g-14a) in the last five games and 45 points (18g-27a) in the last 10 games.

Pederson has an ECHL season-high 14-game scoring streak. Pederson has 24 points (15g-9a) during the streak, including seven points (3g-4a) in the last five games and, that dates back to December 28 and he has moved into a tie for the ECHL lead with 26 goals and is tied for 12th in the league in scoring with 45 points (26g-19a) in 39 games.

Barber leads the team the last five games with four goals, including two game-winning goals, and nine points while Deschatelets has eight points (3g-5a) in his last five games. Barber has 15 points (6g-9a) in his last 10 games and Deschatelets has scored 14 points (3g-11a) in his last 10 games. Deschatelets leads the Gulls with 25 assists and ranks third in scoring with 35 points while Barber is second on the team with 15 goals, 21 assists and 36 points.

In the last five games, Trevor Koenig is 4-0-0 with a 1.25 goals against average while David Burleigh is 1-0-0 with a 3.00 goals against average. Koenig is 12-2-1 with a shutout and has lowered his goals against average from 2.82 to 2.31 while raising his save percentage from .893 to .915 during the last 21 games. Koenig is tied for third in the league with 19 wins and ranks seventh in goals against average. Burleigh is 5-1-0 and has lowered his goals against average from 2.51 to 2.47 in the last 21 games.


The Hockey Company Becomes Exclusive ECHL Supplier
Players Wear Only CCM®, JOFA® and KOHO® Beginning In 2004-05
The ECHL has signed an unprecedented marketing partnership with The Hockey Company Holdings, Inc. to exclusively provide on-ice and protective equipment to all 31 ECHL teams.

The Hockey Company is the manufacturer of three of the world's most recognizable hockey brands – CCM®, JOFA® and KOHO®. The Premier "AA" Hockey League, the ECHL is the largest league in professional hockey with 31 teams in 17 states.

The new agreement begins with the 2004-05 playing season and establishes The Hockey Company as the exclusive supplier of hockey sticks, helmets, visors, gloves, pants and protective equipment for all 31 teams and an exclusive supplier of authentic and replica jerseys. The Hockey Company has also been granted the exclusive rights to supply all on-ice officials with jerseys, visors, helmets, and pants.


ECHL Has 21 Sellouts, 4 Crowds Over 10,000
Dayton drew a crowd of 10,057 to the Nutter Center on Friday breaking the team attendance record of 9,198 set on February 12, 2000 against Wheeling. The Bombers had a crowd of 4,936 on Saturday night to increase their average attendance by more than 15 percent from 2,678 to 3,160, up over 12 percent from the first 20 games of 2002-03.

Dayton's crowd was the fourth time in 2003-04 that the ECHL has had a crowd over 10,000, joining San Diego (10,188 on November 1) and Fresno (12,462 on November 16 and 11,224 on January 17).

The ECHL has had 21 sellout crowds in 2003-04 led by Idaho which has five sellouts, including 5,304 on November 28 against Fresno. Florida has had three sellouts, including a team record 7,386 on January 17 against Roanoke, and leads the ECHL averaging 5,911 fans per game. Reading had a sellout crowd of 7,215 on October 18 against Texas, the 15th time in team history that the Sovereign Center has been sold out, and the Royals rank second in the league averaging 5,317 fans while Peoria is third averaging 5,056 per game.

Alaska has had three sellouts, including a season-high 6,293 on November 22 against Idaho, and the Aces are averaging 4,310 for 25 home dates, up over 61 percent from the first 25 games in 2002-03. Johnstown has had three sellouts, including a team record 4,191 on November 14 against Wheeling, and the Chiefs are averaging 2,497 for 20 home dates, up more than 20 percent from its first 20 games in 2002-03. Atlantic City had a sellout crowd of 7,040 on December 12 against Cincinnati and the Boardwalk Bullies are averaging 3,189, up more than 19 percent from a year ago.

Greenville had a sellout crowd of 7,479 on October 24 against Charlotte and Las Vegas had a sellout crowd of 7,208 when it opened the Orleans Arena on October 21 against Bakersfield. Texas sold out the Ford Arena on November 8 drawing 8,314 for its home opener against Louisiana, and Toledo had a sellout crowd of 5,361 for its home opener on October 17 against Johnstown.

Other ECHL that have seen increases from last season are Mississippi (26 percent through 20 games), Roanoke (13 percent through 21 games), Columbia (5 percent through 21 games) and Charlotte (2 percent through 17 games),

The ECHL has drawn over two million for the 12th consecutive season and is averaging 3,688 per game for the first 634 games of 2003-04, up more than five percent from its average of 3,509 through the first 15 weeks of 2002-03.


Seven All-Stars Get AHL Call Up
Seven players from the 2004 Par-A-Dice ECHL All-Star Game were called up to the American Hockey League following the game while two players that returned from the AHL to play in the game remained in the AHL.

Named the Most Valuable Player after scoring the game-winning goal to finish with three points (2g-1a), Randy Rowe of Peoria was called up to St. John's on January 25. Chris Houle, who made 10 saves in the third period to pick up the win, was called up to Philadelphia of the AHL on January 23. Greg Jacina of Augusta was called up to San Antonio on January 24 and had an assist in the Rampage's 2-1 loss at Milwaukee on January 24 and also played January 25 in a 5-3 loss against Syracuse. Named as a starter for the Eastern Conference for the second straight year, Wheeling left wing Jason Jaffray scored a goal and had an assist in the ECHL All-Star Game. The 2003 ECHL Rookie of the Year, Jaffray was called up to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on January 24.

Western Conference starting goaltender Fred Cloutier of Louisiana was called up to Houston on January 22 and started on January 23, making 25 saves in a 5-3 loss at Cleveland. Michael Garnett of Gwinnett, who made 24 saves in the second period, was called up to Chicago of the AHL on January 22 while Justin Kelly of Las Vegas was called up to Lowell on January 24. Brent Gauvreau of Mississippi, who started at forward and had an assist for the Western Conference, was called up to Bridgeport on January 24.

Idaho goaltender Dan Ellis and defenseman David Cornacchia were called up to Utah on January 13 and 14, respectively. Cornacchia was returned to Idaho on January 23 while Ellis remains with Utah, making 34 saves in a 5-1 loss against Chicago on January 24. Charlotte defenseman Dave Inman was originally named to the Eastern Conference roster, but did not play in the ECHL All-Star Game after being called up on December 17 to Lowell where he has 13 points (5g-8a) in 17 games.

Named as a starter for the Eastern Conference, Roanoke left wing Dan Carlson did not play in the ECHL All-Star Game after being called up on December 4 to Lowell where he has four points (3g-1a) in 20 games. Carlson's replacement was Roanoke teammate Shawn Limpright, who tallied an assist after returning for the ECHL All-Star Game from Syracuse. Originally called up on January 1, Limpright has returned to Syracuse where he has three assists and is +9 in six games.


Parley, Wildcatters Face High Number Of Shots
Davis Parley of the Texas Wildcatters has the most saves of any goaltender in the ECHL in a game (63 at Pensacola on January 2), in the first period (27 on January 17 against Louisiana), and in the second period (27 at Greensboro on October 23), and he has made more than 20 saves in a period five times. Parley ranks third in the league with 965 saves and has a .908 save percentage in 28 games for the Wildcatters. The 63 saves on January 2 tied Parley with Wheeling's Joel Laing (63 vs. Peoria on February 16, 2002) for the second-most saves in a game, one shy of the ECHL record of 64 set by Baton Rouge's Christian Soucy against Tallahassee on January 18, 1977.

Parley's teammate Mark Scally has the most saves in the third period (26 on January 16 against Louisiana). Scally has 103 saves and a .920 save percentage in three games with Texas.

Texas ranks last in the league for shots allowed averaging 41.21 per game, three shots more than Pensacola which ranks 30th with 38.10 shots allowed per game.


Gulls' Pederson Scores In ECHL Season-High 14 Games
San Diego's Mark Pederson scored a goal in Sunday's 3-1 win against Bakersfield to extend his scoring streak to an ECHL season-high 14 games. Pederson has 24 points (15g-9a) during the streak that dates back to December 28 and he has moved into a tie for the ECHL lead with 26 goals and is tied for 12th in the league in scoring with 45 points (26g-19a) in 39 games. Pederson had a nine-game goal streak (12g) from December 28-January 17, tying the ECHL season high set by Florida's Keith Anderson, who scored 11 goals in nine games from October 18-November 9. The ECHL scoring record is 38 games by Nashville's Trevor Jobe, who scored 112 points from December 19, 1992-March 14, 1993. The ECHL goal record is 16 games by Wheeling's Darren Schwartz, who scored 25 goals from January 14-February 21, 1993.


7-Game Streaks Put Louisiana, Mississippi Atop Central Division

Louisiana and Mississippi have each won their last seven games and the tandem sits in first place and second place, respectively, in the Central Division. Louisiana is 29-10-2 with 60 points while Mississippi is 26-11-6 with 58 points. Gwinnett is 23-14-3 with 49 points and tied for third place with Columbus, who is 23-19-3 with 49 points. Pensacola is in fifth place with 45 points and a 20-15-5 record.

The last time that Mississippi lost back-to-back games was November when it dropped three in a row from November 27-30 and it is 18-3-2 in the last 23 games. The Sea Wolves travel to Columbus on Tuesday, Louisiana on Friday and Texas on Saturday. Mississippi is 4-2-0 against Columbus, 3-2-3 against Louisiana and 5-1-0 against Texas.

Louisiana dropped back-to-back games on December 26-27 and it has gone 11-2-0 in the last 13 games. The IceGators host Mississippi on Friday and travel to Pensacola on Saturday. Louisiana is 5-3-0 against Mississippi and 5-1-2 against Pensacola.

Between the pipes for Louisiana during the streak, Derek Gustafson is 4-0-0 with a shutout, a 1.25 goals against average and a .961 save percentage while Frederic Cloutier is 3-0-0 with a shutout, a 1.33 goals against average and a .949 save percentage. In his last eight games, Gustafson has gone 7-1-0 and lowered his goals against average from 2.49 to 2.23 while raising his save percentage from .911 to .921. Leading the way offensively for Louisiana the last seven games are Jamie Johnson with 13 points (2g-11a) and Alex Materukhin (4g-6a) and Bobby Brown with 10 points.

The offensive leaders for Mississippi the last seven games have been Travis Lisabeth with 12 points (4g-8a) and Sergei Kuznetsov (0g-10a) and Louis Dumont (2g-8a) with 10 points each. Between the pipes for Mississippi during the streak, Greg Gardner is 5-0-0 with a 1.93 goals against average and a .945 save percentage while Sean Matille is 2-0-0 with a 2.14 goals against average and a .950 save percentage.


Cottonmouths' Tessier Extends Assist Streak To 10 Games
Columbus center Dan Tessier had an assist in Sunday's 6-2 loss at Mississippi to extend his assist streak to 10 games, tying the ECHL season high. Louisiana's Kenny Corupe had an assist in 10 consecutive games (10a) from October 25-November 26. Tessier, who began the streak on December 30 in a 2-1 win at Greenville, has 14 assists during the streak. Assigned by Toronto of the American Hockey League on December 29, Tessier leads the team in plus-minus with +11, is second on the team with 18 assists and is tied for fifth in scoring with 23 points (5g-18a) despite playing in only 14 of the Cottonmouths' 45 games.

Northern Division
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
 * Scott Stirling leads the ECHL with a 1.69 goals against average and 22 wins.
* Atlantic City leads the ECHL in goals allowed with 1.85 goals per game.
* Bullies host Wheeling on Wednesday, travel to Trenton on Thursday, visit Johnstown on Friday, and host Augusta on Sunday.

Cincinnati Cyclones
 * Garrett Prosofsky leads the team with 15 goals, 20 assists, 35 points and six power-play goals.
* Cyclones are 9-1-0 when leading after the first period and 7-8-2 in one-goal games.
* Cincinnati hosts Reading on Wednesday before traveling to Peoria on Friday and Saturday.

Dayton Bombers
 * Rookie Olivier Proulx leads the team with 23 assist s and 33 points.
* Jason Deskins is tied for the ECHL lead with four shorthand goals.
* Dayton hosts Roanoke on Wednesday before traveling to Trenton on Friday, Wheeling on Saturday and Reading on Sunday.

Johnstown Chiefs
 * Jeff Sullivan passed the 1,000 career PIM mark (1,008 PIMs) in Saturday's 4-2 win against Reading.
* Chiefs are 0-14-2 when allowing three or more goals in a game.
* Johnstown hosts Atlantic City on Friday and Reading on Saturday.

Peoria Rivermen
 * Peoria is 20-9-7 against the Northern Division and has the league's best road record at 14-4-4.
* Levente Szuper is 9-4-1 after starting the season 0-3-1 with a 4.53 goals against average.
* Peoria hosts Cincinnati on Friday and Saturday and Toledo on Sunday.

Reading Royals
 * Reading ranks second in the ECHL in goals allowed with 2.39 goals per game.
* Royals home penalty kill leads the ECHL with 91.8 percent (67-for-73).
* Reading travels to Cincinnati on Wednesday, hosts Augusta on Friday, travels to Johnstown on Saturday and hosts Dayton on Sunday.

Toledo Storm
 * Jim Abbott leads ECHL rookies with 20 goals and is tied for seventh in scoring with 35 points.
* Alexandre Jacques has 14 points (7g-7a) and is +3 in 10 games in January.
* Toledo hosts Roanoke on Friday and Saturday before traveling to Peoria on Sunday.

Trenton Titans
 * Andrew Allen is 5-2-1 with a 1.74 goals against average and two shutouts in his last eight games.
* Titans have allowed two power-play goals in their last 41 opportunities (95.1 percent).
* Trenton hosts Atlantic City on Thursday, Dayton on Friday and Augusta on Saturday.

Wheeling Nailers
 * Rookie Nick Boucher is 18-4-1 and leads the ECHL with four shutouts.
* Nailers rank third in the ECHL in scoring with 3.64 goals per game.
* Wheeling travels to Atlantic City on Wednesday before hosting Greensboro on Friday and Dayton on Saturday.


Southern Division
Charlotte Checkers
 * Charlotte's road penalty kill ranks second in the ECHL with 89.1 percent (115-for-129).
* Checkers went 284 minutes without a goal until Ryan Cuthbert's shorthand goal in the third period of Saturday's 3-1 win over Greenville.
* Checkers host South Carolina on Tuesday and travel to Greensboro on Thursday before hosting Florence on Friday and Columbia on Saturday.

Columbia Inferno
 * Tim Smith is tied for second in the ECHL with 35 assists and ranks seventh in scoring with 50 points.
* Inferno leads the ECHL in scoring with 4.00 goals per game.
* Columbia hosts Columbus on Thursday and Gwinnett on Friday before traveling to Charlotte on Saturday.

Florence Pride
 * Wes Goldie scored his 100th career goal in Friday's 3-1 loss at Columbus.
* Pride's home power play ranks third in the ECHL with 22.4 percent (24-for-107).
* Florence travels to Charlotte on Friday and hosts Greenville on Saturday.

Florida Everblades
 * Brian McCullough is tied for the ECHL lead with 26 goals, seven game-winning goals and 55 points.
* Jeff Maund earned his second shutout of the season in Friday's 2-0 win at Pensacola.
* Florida hosts Pensacola on Tuesday and South Carolina on Friday and Saturday.

Greensboro Generals
 * Defenseman Geno Parrish leads the ECHL with 38 assists.
* Daniel Berthiaume leads the ECHL with four overtime wins and ranks second with 21 wins.
* Generals host Gwinnett on Wednesday and Charlotte on Thursday before traveling to Wheeling on Friday.

Greenville Grrrowl
 * Jeff Zehr has nine assists in his last 10 games and leads the team with 21 assists.
* Grrrowl are 2-7-3 in one-goal games and 6-6-0 when leading after the first period.
* Greenville travels to Roanoke on Tuesday, Columbus on Friday and Florence on Saturday.

Roanoke Express
 * Defenseman Duncan Dalmao is tied for fourth in the ECHL with 17 power-play assists.
* Rick Kowalsky leads the team with 20 goals and 45 points.
* Roanoke hosts Greenville on Tuesday before traveling to Dayton on Wednesday and Toledo on Friday and Saturday.

South Carolina Stingrays
 * Kirk Daubenspeck earned his second shutout of the season in Saturday's 2-0 win against Gwinnett.
* South Carolina's road power play ranks third in the ECHL with 22.8 percent (21-for-92).
* Stingrays travel to Charlotte on Tuesday and Florida on Friday and Saturday.


Central Division
Augusta Lynx
 * Louis Goulet has 12 points (4g-8a) in his last 10 games and leads the Lynx with 41 points (17g-21a).
* Paul Vincent has 15 points (4g-11a) and is +3 in 12 games in January.
* Augusta travels to Reading on Friday, Trenton on Saturday and Atlantic City on Sunday.

Columbus Cottonmouths
 * Jason Tapp is 5-2-0 with a 1.97 goals against average and three shutouts in seven games with Columbus.
* Cottonmouths rank fourth in the ECHL on the penalty kill with 87.8 percent (180-for-205).
* Columbus hosts Mississippi on Tuesday, visits Columbia on Thursday and hosts Greenville on Friday and Gwinnett on Saturday.

Gwinnett Gladiators
 * Gladiators' road penalty kill ranks third in the ECHL with 89.1 percent (82-for-92).
* Anthony Aquino has five goals and six assists in his last 10 games.
* Gwinnett travels to Greensboro on Wednesday, Columbia on Friday and Columbus on Saturday.

Louisiana IceGators
 * Alex Materukhin earned his first hat trick of the season in Sunday's 5-1 win against Florida.
* Jamie Johnson has a six-game assist streak (11a) dating back to January 16.
* Louisiana hosts Mississippi on Friday and travels to Pensacola on Saturday.

Mississippi Sea Wolves
 * Steffon Walby is tied for the ECHL lead with 55 points and is tied for second with 35 assists.
* Jim Baxter leads ECHL defensemen with 13 goals and 45 points and has 247 career points.
* Mississippi travels to Columbus on Tuesday, Louisiana on Friday and Texas on Saturday.

Pensacola Ice Pilots
 * Brian Eklund leads the ECHL with 1,212 saves and is tied for third with 19 wins.
* Defenseman Corey Neilson leads the ECHL with 21 power-play assists.
* Pensacola travels to Florida on Tuesday and Texas on Friday before hosting Louisiana on Saturday.

Texas Wildcatters
 * Cory Morgan leads the team with 24 assists and 35 points.
* Lukas Smital has eight goals and three assists in 10 games in January.
* Texas hosts Pensacola on Friday and Mississippi on Saturday.


Pacific Division
Alaska Aces
 * Joe Talbot leads ECHL rookies in scoring with 43 points (18g-25a).
* Aces rank third in the ECHL on the penalty kill with 88.0 percent (220-for-241).
* Dan Murphy is 5-3-0 with a 2.86 goals against average in his last nine games.
* Aces do not play until February 6-8 when they will host Las Vegas for three games.

Bakersfield Condors
 * Jason Ralph has an eight-game home point streak (4g-7a) dating back to December 12.
* Kevin Riehl has 12 points (6g-6a) in his last 10 games and leads the Condors with 37 points (13g-24a).
* Bakersfield hosts Fresno on Tuesday before traveling to Fresno on Friday and San Diego on Saturday.

Fresno Falcons
 * Brad Mehalko has three goals and four assists in his last five games.
* Falcons lead the ECHL in penalty minutes with 30.1 penalty minutes per game.
* Fresno travels to Bakersfield on Tuesday and Las Vegas on Saturday while hosting Bakersfield on Friday.

Idaho Steelheads
 * Lance Galbraith has five goals and seven assists in his last 10 games.
* Miguel Delisle leads ECHL rookies with 10 power-play goals.
* Idaho travels to San Diego on Friday and Long Beach on Saturday.

Las Vegas Wranglers
 * Marc Magliarditi is 13-2-1 with a 2.17 goals against average in 16 home games.
* Dave Cousineau is tied for second among ECHL defensemen with seven power-play goals.
* Las Vegas hosts San Diego on Tuesday, Long Beach on Friday and Fresno on Saturday.

Long Beach Ice Dogs
 * John McNabb has a four-game assist streak (5a) and leads the team with 36 points (16g-20a).
* Colin Zulianello is 2-1-0 with a 2.54 goals against average in his last three games.
* Long Beach travels to San Diego on Thursday and Las Vegas on Friday before hosting Idaho on Saturday.

San Diego Gulls
 * Mark Pederson is tied for the ECHL lead with 26 goals and 11 power-play goals.
* San Diego ranks second in the ECHL on the penalty kill with 88.7 percent (189-for-213).
* Gulls travel to Las Vegas on Tuesday before hosting Long Beach on Thursday, Idaho on Friday and Bakersfield on Saturday.

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ECHL Stories from January 26, 2004


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