The PrairieThunder this Week - Issue #15 (1-11-11)

January 11, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Bloomington PrairieThunder News Release


Bloomington-Normal's only professional winter sports team, the PrairieThunder, has reached the Central Hockey League's All-Star Break with thebest winning percentagein the league's Turner (Northern) Conference. The PrairieThunder has a winning percentage of .629 and based on playing three fewer games than the first place Rapid City Rush, are in the second place, one point behind Rapid City when regular season play resumes on Friday.

Bloomington (19-11-1) will play three games this week. The PThunder head to Ohio to face the Dayton Gems on Friday (1/14) and then are back home to play the Fort Wayne Komets for the first time in Bloomington this season on Saturday night (1/15) and entertain the Rapid City Rush for the only time during the regular season on Sunday afternoon.

Last week, Bloomington went 2-1. The PrairieThunder defeated Evansville at home 7-5 on Wednesday (1/5) and defeated Dayton 3-2 in overtime at home on Friday (1/7). Finally, Bloomington lost 5-1 in Wichita on Saturday (1/8).

This Week's Schedule (Home Games @ U.S. Cellular Coliseum

Wednesday (1/12): 1:15pm-2:15pm: Practice @ Pepsi Ice Center

Thursday (1/13): 8:10am-9:10am: Practice @ Pepsi Ice Center / Team departs for Dayton, Ohio

Friday (1/14): Away Game @ Dayton Gems (6:30pm central)

Saturday (1/15):Home Game vs. Fort Wayne Komets (7:05pm)

Sunday (1/16):Home Game vs. Rapid City Rush (3:05pm)

This Week's Games

(Home Games @ U.S. Cellular Coliseum)

Wednesday, January 12th: 7:35pm (central) Central Hockey League All-Star Game

@ Rapid City, South Dakota

Rapid City Rush vs. CHL All-Stars / CHL-TV

Watch the game at BlueLine Nightclub, 602 N. Main Street

Friday, January 14th: 6:30pm (central) AT Dayton Gems (16-13-3)

Radio: WJBC-AM (1230), WJBC-FM (93.7), WJBC.com, & CHL-TV

Watch the game at BlueLine Nightclub, 602 N. Main Street

Friday night is the seventh meeting of the year between the PrairieThunder and the Gems. Currently, the season series is tied 3-3 with Bloomington having won the last two games of the series, 4-3 on 12/30 in Bloomington and 3-2 in overtime on 1/7 in Bloomington. Veteran Jon Booras leads all PThunder in scoring against Dayton with 4 goals & 2 assists in 5 games. Dayton's Brett Lutes has 4 goals and 1 assist in 4 games against Bloomington.

Saturday, January 15th: 7:05pm vs. Fort Wayne Komets (10-16-4)

Promotion: PrairieThunder Stocking Caps sponsored by U.S. Cellular

First 2000 fans receive free stocking caps from U.S. Cellular

All regular adult tickets only $10.00

Only the third meeting of the year with the long-time rivals from Fort Wayne, Indiana. The PrairieThunder have won the first two games of the season series (both in Fort Wayne) by scores of 4-0 and 5-3. Including Saturday night's contest, Bloomington will still face the Komets eight times this season, including five games at U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Frankie DeAngelis leads the Komets in scoring this season with 7 goals & 17 assists for 24 points in 30 games.

Sunday, January 16th: 3:05pm vs. Rapid City Rush (18-12-4)

Promotion: Family four packs of tickets only $32.00

Post Game Concert with The Centralia Mine Fire (in the Bud Light Lounge)

Bring your ticket stub from Saturday's Game and get $6.00 off a regular adult tix

Pheasant Lanes Post Game Skate with the Players!

Possible battle for first place as the PrairieThunder and Rush meet for the only time (home or away) during the regular season. Rapid City begins the week in first place in the CHL's Turner (Northern) Conference with 40 points, one point better than both Bloomington and Missouri. The PrairieThunder has played three fewer games. Ryan Menei, with 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points, leads Rapid City in scoring. Rapid City is coached by hockey veteran Joe Ferras who is in his third season behind the Rush bench. Ferras played professionally from 1988 to 2000 with stops in the AHL, ECHL, England, Italy, and the WPHL, including playing for the famous Carolina Thunderbirds in 1989-90 and 1990-91. On those Winston-Salem, North Carolina based teams were a number of future professional coaches, including, John Torchetti (former Chicago Blackhawks assistant, now in Atlanta), Mike Haviland (current Blackhawks assistant), Scott Allen (current New York Islanders assistant), and Nick Vitucci (head coach with ECHL Toledo Walleye). Former CHL Commissioner Brad Treliving was on the 1990-91 team as was Keith Gretzky (Wayne's brother).

*PrairieThunder Fans: Ask about the new D.P. Dough "Thunderzone" at the Coliseum Box Office. Tickets start as low as $8.00 (walk-up ticket sales only).

PrairieThunder Notes

At Wednesday's All-Star Game, the Bloomington player representative will be leading scorer Jason Dale. Dale has played in all 31 games for the PrairieThunder scoring 27 points (10 goals & 17 assists). He's +1 on the season and has 10 power play assists and 4 game winning goals....Bloomington is also represented in Rapid City by the team's principal owner, Tim Leighton.....Brett Holmberg is the team leader in goals with 11.....Bill Bagron leads in assists with 18.....Holmberg remains the plus / minus leader at +9.....John Snowden is second in the CHL with 6 game winning goals.....Goaltender Marco Emond leads all CHL goalies with 15 wins.

PThunder Profile: #24 Bill Bagron

- His nickname is "Bags" - Has three sisters - Also has played baseball - Put on his first pair of skates at age 3 - Wayne Gretzky is his hockey idol - He also looks up to his parents - He likes to hike, watch movies, bowling, fishing, and working out - Favorite TV show is "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" - Favorite movie is "The Hangover" - Likes to vacation in Hawaii - Like Sushi - Worked in construction for his first job - He listens to music, plays cards and does crossword puzzles on road trips PrairieThunder Tickets

Bloomington PrairieThunder single game tickets are on sale at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum Box Office. Tickets are on sale at the Coliseum Box Office Monday through Friday from 11am to 5:30pm and on weekends when there are events in the Coliseum. PrairieThunder single game tickets are also available by going to the U.S. Cellular Coliseum website:

http://www.uscellularcoliseum.com/events/all/

and click on Tickets & Seating. And for Prairie Thunder season tickets and group sales information, please call the PrairieThunder at 309-585-0507 or go to our website:

www.prairiethunderhockey.com



Central Hockey League Stories from January 11, 2011


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