Thompson Agrees To Terms With Lynx

Published on May 24, 2004 under ECHL (ECHL)
Augusta Lynx News Release


The Augusta Lynx announced this week that they have agreed to terms in principle with power forward Jarrett Thompson. Thompson, 24, signed with the Lynx just after the New Year in 2004, playing in 32 games with the club. He recorded seven goals and 19 points along with 51 PIMs in those contests, notching three multiple-point efforts including a two-goal game against Greenville on March 26th. He joins Louis Goulet, Jason Saal, and Trevor Peterson as prospective Lynx for 2004-05.

ECHL, Lynx Set To Announce Schedule

The ECHL will release the league schedule on Tuesday, May 25th at 3 pm ET, followed by the Lynx releasing their team-specific version at 3:30 pm. The Lynx will have the schedule posted on their website at www.augustalynx.com shortly after the official team release goes out!

Steelheads Capture Kelly Cup

The Idaho Steelheads defeated the Florida Everblades 5-2 on Saturday night to claim the Kelly Cup Championship in their first season in the ECHL.

Playing to a standing room only crowd of 5,374 at the Bank of America Centre, Florida jumped on the board first when Jared Newman found the net behind Dan Ellis at 7:07 from Keith Anderson and Tim O'Connell for a 1-0 Everblades lead. Lance Galbraith would step up for Idaho and tie the score at 17:57 with help from Zenon Konopka, tying the game after one period of play.

David Bararuk would give Idaho their first lead of the night at 9:13 of the second period, which was followed by a cross-checking call against O'Connell that put Idaho on the power play. Florida, however, turned the advantage with a shorthanded goal from Ryan Brindley just 15 seconds into the power play at 11:01 to even things up at 2-2. But Idaho would reclaim the lead for good at 18:38 on Andrei Vasilyev's goal from Bararuk and Brett Draney to make it 3-2 after 40 minutes of play.

Dylan Gyori kicked off the third period scoring with an unassisted marker for the Steelheads at 9:23 to make it 4-2. Chris Thompson got into a scrap with Idaho's Galbraith, trying to get the Everblades going. Instead it was Thompson who went, as he also picked a ten minute misconduct on the play. Vasilyev and Florida's Mark White earned roughing calls on the play as well, but no power play ensued. Florida would eventually have to pull goaltender Jeff Maund for an extra attacker, and with 50 seconds remaining in the game, Ben Keup iced the game with an empty netter from Darrell Hay to give the Steelheads a 5-2 win and the Kelly Cup Championship.

Kelly Cup MVP

Idaho goaltender Dan Ellis was named the Kelly Cup MVP following Idaho's four games to one victory over the Florida Everblades.

The Dallas Stars prospect led all playoff goaltenders with 13 wins and three shutouts, and went 4-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .933 save percentage in the Final. He returned to Idaho from Utah of the American Hockey League in time to help dig the Steelheads out of a 2-0 hole in the Pacific Division Semi-Final against Las Vegas, posting a pair of shutouts and helping the Steelheads to a 4-3 overtime win in Game Four to push the series to the limit. His 42 save performance in Game Five against the Wranglers may have been his best of the playoffs, helping Idaho recover from a difficult deficit to become the hottest team in the playoffs. His final playoff shutout came in Game Three of the Kelly Cup Final against the Everblades, a 1-0 overtime decision that gave Idaho a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Selected in round 2, 60th overall by Dallas in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Ellis finished the playoffs with a 13-3 record, 1.86 GAA and .938 save percentage. He earned a win in his first NHL appearance with the Stars earlier this season, a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings on February 18. His 966 minutes and 456 saves led all ECHL netminders in the post-season.

Standing Room Only Crowds Mark All Five Games In Final

For the first time in the 16-year history of the ECHL, every game for the Kelly Cup Final was sold out in 2004. Drawing 31,224 fans over five games for an average attendance of 6,245, the league saw its highest average since 1999 this year. Also, the five sellouts eclipses the previous mark of four set in 1998 between Pensacola (SO Games 1, 2, 7) and Hampton Roads (SO Game 5).

Kelly Cup Champion Idaho had three home games in the series, drawing a total of 16,423 fans to the Bank of America Centre in Boise for an average of 5,474 fans per game. The Steelheads led the ECHL with ten sellouts during the regular season, and sold out their last five consecutive playoff games. Florida, which hosted Games One and Two of the series, drew 14,801 fans for a 7,401 fan average.

Season Tickets Now On Sale - Partial Ticket Plans Coming Soon!

The Lynx office is in full swing with season ticket sales for the 2004-05 Season! Call (706) 724-4423 to lock in your seat for next season! Single seats start as low as $340 per seat. You may also purchase seats by stopping in at the team's office at 712 Telfair St. in downtown Augusta, or on the web at www.augustalynx.com. Coming Soon – Partial Season Ticket Plans... details in next week's release! Welcome to THE YEAR OF THE FAN!

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ECHL Stories from May 24, 2004


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