Thunder Set For Playoff Duel With Ontario

Published on April 8, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


THUNDER 2008-09 OVERALL RECORD: 32-33-7, 71 points

ALL-TIME PLAYOFF RECORD: 4-8

2008 KELLY CUP PLAYOFFS: Lost National Conference Quarterfinals, 4-2 to Las Vegas

THE OPPONENT: (all times PT)

vs. ONTARIO REIGN (Pacific Division Semifinal - best of 7)

The Thunder begins its Kelly Cup Playoff quest on Friday for Game 1 of the Pacific Division Semifinal in a best-of-seven series. The Thunder finished 4-5-1 in the regular season series against Ontario, winning four of six games (4-1-1 record) against the Reign at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Thunder lost in a six-game series last year to Las Vegas in the first round. Ontario is making their first lifetime trip to the Kelly Cup Playoffs after capturing the Pacific Division title.

STOCKTON VS. ONTARIO - PACIFIC DIVISION SEMIFINALS

Game 1: Stockton at Ontario - Friday, April 10 - 7:00 p.m. (Citizens Business Bank Arena)

Game 2: Stockton at Ontario - Saturday, April 11 - 7:00 p.m. (Citizens Business Bank Arena)

Game 3: Ontario at Stockton - Wednesday, April 15 - 7:00 p.m. (Stockton Arena)

Game 4: Ontario at Stockton - Friday, April 17 - 7:30 p.m. (Stockton Arena)

Game 5: Ontario at Stockton - Sunday, April 19 - 4:00 p.m. (Stockton Arena) *

Game 6: Stockton at Ontario - Tuesday, April 21 - 7:00 p.m. (Citizens Business Bank Arena) *

Game 7: Stockton at Ontario - Wednesday, April 22 - 7:00 p.m. (Citizens Business Bank Arena) *

* If necessary

1420 KSTN is the Thunder's flagship radio station and all Thunder games can be heard live on the Internet (free-of-charge) and are available for viewing at a $7 "pay-per-view" charge at www.stocktonthunder.com, courtesy of B2 Networks. Radio broadcaster Mike Benton provides play-by-play commentary, with the "Thunder Forecast" pre-game show starting 15 minutes before each broadcast.

KELLY CUP PLAYOFF TICKET INFORMATION

Round-by-round ticket packages and single game tickets for the 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs are now on sale at the Stockton Arena ticket office, via phone at (209) 373-1700 and online at www.StocktonTickets.com. Kelly Cup Playoff tickets start as little as $9 per seat. Current Thunder season ticket holders receive tickets to the first two rounds of the Kelly Cup Playoffs in their ticket package.

THUNDER FANS ARE LEAGUE'S BEST FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR

The Stockton Thunder finished the 2008-09 regular season as the ECHL's leader in attendance for the fourth consecutive season, drawing 223,854 fans at Stockton Arena and averaging 6,218 fans per game. The Thunder is the first team in the ECHL to lead the league in attendance for four straight seasons since the Florida Everblades accomplished the feat for five straight years (2000-05). It is also the fourth straight year the Thunder surpassed the mark of 220,000 fans for one season. The Thunder has 13 sellouts at the 9,737-seat Stockton Arena since entering the league in 2005-06, drew a club record 244,085 fans to Stockton Arena in 2006-07 and drew the fifth largest crowd in ECHL All-Star Game history on January 23, 2008 with a total of 7,455 fans.

2008-09 TEAM LEADERS:

Points - Ryan Huddy (73)*

Goals - Ryan Huddy (35)

Assists - Ryan Huddy (38)

Plus/Minus - Daryl Marcoux (+11)

Penalty Minutes - Garet Hunt (248)*

*Denotes Thunder single-season record

TEAM NOTES:

o Ryan Huddy's 73 points (35g-38a) finished second in ECHL rookie scoring and is a new Thunder record, surpassing Joel Irwin's 68 points in 2005-06

o Huddy is second in ECHL rookie scoring with 73 points (35g-38a)

o Andrew Perugini won his 20th game of the season in a 5-3 win vs. Utah on Mar. 27, becoming the second goaltender in Thunder history (Devan Dubnyk, 2006-07) to surpass the 20-win plateau

o Stockton is 4-1-1 on the road this season against Ontario

Stockton leads the ECHL in attendance with an average of 6,218 fans

Stockton was 14-10-2 at home since Jan. 16

The team's upcoming schedule for the coming week is as follows:

(subject to change, all times PT)

TUE., APRIL 7:

4:00 p.m. - Practice at Stockton Arena

WED., APRIL 8:

10:00 a.m. - Practice at Stockton Arena

Noon - Media Day (Stockton Arena press conference room)

THURS. APRIL 9:

9:00 a.m. - Practice at Stockton Arena

Travel to Ontario immediately afterward

FRI., APRIL 10:

11:15 a.m. - Morning skate at Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario, Calif.)

7:00 p.m. - GAME 1 at ONTARIO (Citizens Business Bank Arena)

1420 KSTN/StocktonThunder.com

SAT., APRIL 11:

11:15 a.m. - Morning skate at Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario, Calif.)

7:00 p.m. - GAME 1 at ONTARIO (Citizens Business Bank Arena)

1420 KSTN/StocktonThunder.com

Travel to Stockton immediately afterward

SUN., APRIL 12:

Day off

MON., APRIL 13:

TBA

WEEK IN REVIEW

4/4/09 - STK 3 at LV 5: Mick Lawrence and rookie Scott McCulloch scored a pair of goals to help the Las Vegas Wranglers defeat the Stockton Thunder (32-33-7, 71 points) 5-3 in the 2008-09 regular season finale, before 6,564 fans at Orleans Arena on Saturday. Rookie Brandon Naurato scored the first goal of his pro career for Stockton, spelling goals from teammates Craig Valette and David Rohlfs. The Thunder finished the season series with a 3-3-0 split against Las Vegas.

4/3/09 - STK 0 at LV 4: Goaltender John DeCaro stopped 25 shots for his second shutout of the season, helping the Las Vegas Wranglers defeat the Stockton Thunder (32-32-7, 71 points), 4-0, before 4,828 fans at Orleans Arena on Friday. The loss eliminated the Thunder from clinching home-ice advantage in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs, who look to finish the season above the .500 mark in the regular season finale and a rematch with Las Vegas on Saturday. Rookie Kevin DeVergilio scored a pair of goals in his professional debut, spelling a goal each by Adam Miller and Hugo Carpentier.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

(courtesy of The Record)

"It's a fun thing to do, and the point is we're giving it to a guy who goes out there and plays hard," Thomas said. "It's such a long year, and you have to remember as much as you want the guys to play hard, you also want to make it fun."

- Head Coach Matt Thomas on the introduction of the "Golden Digger" Award for the Thunder dressing room, The Record, 4/3/09

"The results weren't in the cards there, but we know who our playoff opponent is and now we know who to start focusing on."

- Thomas after the Thunder went 0-2-0 at Las Vegas to end the regular season and preparing for the Ontario Reign in the first round of the playoffs, The Record, 4/5/09

STOCKTON THUNDER REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS - 2008-09

The proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers and American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons, the Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for three consecutive seasons and drew 239,337 fans to Stockton Arena in 2007-08. Season Ticket packages are on sale now for the 2009-10 season. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit www.StocktonThunder.com.

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ECHL Stories from April 8, 2009


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