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Three's A Charm

March 15, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies News Release


ATLANTIC CITY - WEEK RECORD: 2-1 - SEASON RECORD: 41-15-5 - 2nd NORTHERN

BULLIES REWIND: The Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies took 4 out of a possible 6 points last week and remain 12 points behind the first place Wheeling Nailers with 4 games in hand. The Bullies also maintain their 1-point lead over the Peoria Rivermen for second place in the Northern Division with 3 games in hand. Atlantic City needs a combination of 3 points to clinch their third consecutive playoff berth.

Wednesday, Mark Kosick tallied the lone goal on the power play at 18:38 of the third period and Joe Exter stopped all 23 shots he faced as the Wheeling Nailers defeated the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies 1-0 before 2370 at Boardwalk Hall in ECHL action on Wednesday. The win gave Wheeling a season-high 13-point lead over the Bullies. The Nailers extended their winning streak to an ECHL-high 12 games and set the new ECHL record for shutouts in a season with 11. The Bullies out-shot Wheeling 23-13 for the game, but failed to convert on two two-man advantage power plays. Bullies goaltender Scott Stirling stopped 12 shots in suffering his 11th loss of the season. Atlantic City went 0-4 on the power play.

Friday, Sam Paolini tallied a pair of goals and had the game-winner in the shootout as the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies defeated the Wheeling Nailers 4-3 in a shootout before 3374 at WesBanco Arena in ECHL action Friday. With the win, the Bullies snap Wheeling's 12-game winning streak and 14-game winning streak at home. Dave Reid opened the scoring for the Bullies, taking a feed at the right circle from Paul Falco behind the net and slapped it through the pads of Wheeling goalie Joe Exter at 14:04 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. The Bullies would make it 2-0 before the end of the period. Pierre-Luc Sleigher's pass across the slot deflected right to Sam Paolini at the side of the net, and Paolini tipped it by Exter at 17:33 to give the Bullies a 2-0 advantage. Paolini would net his second goal of the game at 2:05 of the second, stuffing the loose puck in the slot through Exter for a 3-0 edge. Wheeling would counter with three unanswered goals 4:33 seconds apart to tie the game before the second intermission. First, Brendon Hodge slipped Jake Ortmeyer's rebound by Bullies goaltender Scott Stirling at 6:41 to cut the deficit to 3-1. Mario Larocque brought the Nailers to within one at 3-2 with a slap shot from the left point at 10:30 on the power play. 44 seconds later, Ortmeyer off the draw beat Stirling over the left shoulder with a slap shot at 11:14 to tie the game at 3-3. The Bullies and Wheeling each had 32 shots on goal. Stirling stopped 29 shots to pick up his 29th win of the season. The Bullies went 0-4 on the power play.

Saturday, Jon Cullen had a pair of shorthanded goals and an assist as the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies defeated the Reading Royals 6-4 before 6223 at the Sovereign Center in ECHL action on Saturday. Cullen opened the scoring at 3:38 of the first period shorthanded. Off a turnover in the neutral zone, Cullen gathered the puck, came in alone and fired a slap shot by Royals goaltender Tom Lawson to give the Bullies a 1-0 lead. Luke Curtin made it 2-0 on the power play at 5:30 of the first, taking the feed from Cullen behind the net and slapping the puck over the left shoulder of Lawson. Reading would cut the deficit to 2-1 when Kent Davyduke's shot from the left circle got through Bullies goaltender Scott Stirling at 11:48. Graig Mischler brought the Royals back to even strength at 12:19 of the second, deflecting Dean Arsene's shot from the left point through Stirling to tie the game 2-2. The Bullies would counter 1:19 seconds after the Mischler goal as Sam Paolini on the power play streaked up the left wall and fired a shot that beat Lawson short side at 13:35 to give the Bullies a 3-2 lead going into the second intermission. The third period began with 4 goals in the first 5:56. Cullen opened the third period tallying his second shorthanded goal of the game 19 seconds into the period to give the Bullies a 4-2 lead. The Royals raced right back to cut the lead to 4-3 as Lars Pettersen tipped home Mat Snesrud's rebound at 1:23 on the power play. Ian Walterson increased the lead back to two at 5-3 with a slap shot from the blue line at 4:29 on the power play. Reading drew close again as Doug MacIver found the back of the net from the left point at 5:56 to cut the deficit to one at 5-4. However, the Royals could muster no more as Josh Prudden sealed the win with an empty net goal at 19:02. The Royals out-shot the Bullies for the game 35-33. Atlantic City went 3-7 on the power play.

BULLIES "TOP DAWG" AWARD: Each Monday from now until the end of the season, Public Relations and Broadcasting Manager Dan Weiss will select the Bullies "Top Dawg" for the week. This week's winner is Sam Paolini who finished the week with three goals and had the game-winner in the shootout win Friday at Wheeling. Honorable mention goes out to Paul who tallied his first professional points with a three-assist game at Wheeling. Previous recent winners below include:

1/5/04: Brian Fahey (3 goals, GW goal)
1/12/04: Luke Curtin (4 goals, 4 assists)
1/19/04: Stefan Rivard (4 goals, 1 assist)
1/27/04: Aaron Foster (3 goals, 1 assist, 2 GW goals)
2/2/04: Jim Henkel (3 goals, 1 assist)
2/9/04: Jake Moreland (career-high 35 saves against Reading)
2/16/04: Luke Curtin (4 goals, 2 assists)
2/23/04: Scott Horvath (4 goals, 1 assist)
3/1/04: Jon Cullen (1 goal, 4 assists)
3/8/04: Scott Stirling (4th shutout of the season; 14th of his career)

DRAWING CLOSE: The Bullies need any combination of 3 points to clinch their third consecutive Kelly Cup Playoff berth. That feat could be accomplished as early as Wednesday should the Bullies defeat Johnstown and Trenton loses to Peoria. Five teams have already punched their ticket for the playoffs, but Wheeling is so far the only team from the Eastern Conference to do so. The four remaining teams from the Western Conference are San Diego, Las Vegas, Idaho, and Louisiana.

PAOLINI LOANED TO ROCHESTER: Bullies forward Sam Paolini has been loaned to Rochester of the American Hockey League. Paolini, 24, begins his second stint in the AHL and his first with Rochester. A native of Rochester, NY himself, Paolini has 17 goals and 43 points in 61 games. He ranks fourth on the Bullies in scoring and 17th among all ECHL rookies following a three-goal week. Paolini is one of just three Bullies to play in all 61 games so far this season. Ten Bullies have been promoted to the AHL this season.

OUT OF THE DOLDRUMS: The Bullies snapped out of a 3-46 (6.5%) funk on the power play by going 3-7 with the man advantage Saturday at Reading. The three power play goals tied the second highest total of the season, one behind the four the Bullies notched on February 18 against Bakersfield. The three power play goals were the most surrendered by the Royals on their home ice this season. Reading entered the game with the league's second-best home penalty kill at 89.4%.

CURTIN CALL: With a power play goal and an assist on Saturday, Bullies forward Luke Curtin tied his career-high for goals in a single season of 32, and set a new standard for points by notching his 76th of the year. Curtin bested his previous career-high point total of 75 that he set back in 1999-00 as a member of the Baton Rouge Kingfish. The Roseville, MN native is tied for third in the ECHL scoring race, 3 points behind Columbia's Tim Smith.

THE FARM REPORT: In Lowell, center Jim Henkel has caught fire as of late with 3 goals and 4 assists in his last 5 games. Henkel has 6 goals and 6 assists, and is a minus-2 in 21 games with the Lock Monsters. Meanwhile in Philadelphia, defenseman Kirk Furey continues to have a fine season with 8 goals and 23 points in 50 games for the Phantoms. Furey leads the team in plus-minus ration with a plus-20. Defenseman Brian Fahey saw his first action with Hershey this weekend, going scoreless in two games. Goaltender Jake Moreland dressed, but did not start for Worcester over the weekend. Newcomer Alexandre Jacques has 5 assists and is a plus 5 in his last 6 games with Milwaukee.

BULLIES CONTINUE THEIR "QUEST FOR THE CUP": The Bullies continue their "Quest For the Cup" presented by Swingers at Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, an hour earlier from 6PM-7PM on ESPN Radio 1450AM. Join us live on location at Swingers Bar inside the Sands Casino for a weekly inside look at the Boardwalk Bullies as they begin their march to repeat as Kelly Cup Champions. Tonight's guests will be Head Coach Mike Haviland along with Preston Mizzi and Pierre-Luc Sleigher. That's "Quest For the Cup", tonight from 6-7PM on ESPN Radio 1450.

POWER PLAY FOR UNITED WAY: The Bullies have teamed up with United Way of Atlantic County to sponsor the Power Play for United Way. For every power play goal the Bullies score this season, Trump Plaza, Sands Casino Hotel, Advance Door & Supply, Kline Construction and HR Solutions will donate $10 dollars to United Way of Atlantic County. The Bullies produced three power play goals last week to run their season total to 66, good for $3,300 dollars towards the Power Play for United Way.

STAY ONLINE WITH THE BULLIES: Follow the Bullies throughout the season by pointing your computer mouse to www.boardwalkbullies.com. You can read game updates, get to know your favorite Bullies, and find out where "Wooly" and the team will be appearing next. Click and score with www.boardwalkbullies.com!

UP NEXT: The defending ECHL Kelly Cup Champions will continue their stretch run with three more games this week. The Bullies host the Johnstown Chiefs at 7:05PM Wednesday at Boardwalk Hall. Friday, the Bullies will face-off for the final time in the regular season with the Peoria Rivermen at Boardwalk Hall. Game time is 7:05PM. The Bullies visit the Trenton Titans at 3PM on Sunday at Sovereign Bank Arena. Catch Sunday's game live on ESPN Radio 1450AM and all three games on the Surfer Network at www.boardwalkbullies.com beginning with the pre-game show 20 minutes prior to face-off with Dan Weiss.

Every Wednesday home game this season is a Wild Wednesday sponsored by Coors Light and Molson Canadian. All college students, casino workers, military and service industry personnel get in for just $6! Enjoy great Coors Light and Molson Canadian draught beer all night for just $2! On Wednesday and Friday, the Bullies will wear special commemorative jerseys to culminate their "Face-Off Against Kids Cancer." The jerseys will be available for purchase through a silent auction at both home games this week, and continuing with a live online auction at www.boardwalkbullies.com through March 31. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Caps For Kids and duPont Hospital For Children in Wilmington, Delaware. For more information or to order tickets, call (609) 348-PUCK.

BULLIES SCHEDULE WEEK OF MARCH 15th

Monday, March 15: Practice 10:30AM-12PM @ Flyers SkateZone

Tuesday, March 16: Practice 10:30AM-12PM @ Flyers SkateZone

Wednesday, March 17: Morning Skate 10AM @ Flyers SkateZone; Bullies vs. Johnstown 7:05PM

Thursday, March 18: Practice 10:30AM-12PM

Friday, March 19: Morning Skate 10AM; Bullies vs. Peoria 7:05PM

Saturday, March 20: Practice 12PM-1:30PM @ Flyers SkateZone

Sunday, March 21: Bullies @ Trenton 3PM

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