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Thunder Tighten Pacific Race

Published on December 14, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


Sweeping three games in three days at Alaska, Stockton extended its winning streak to five games and moved within two points of Ontario for second place in the Pacific Division.

Stockton plays on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at Victoria which has won its last three games and is 5-2-3 in the last 10 games. The Thunder won the first two meetings, 5-2 at Victoria on Nov. 1 and 5-1 at Victoria on Oct. 30, to improve to 9-10-3 all time against the Salmon Kings.

Oren Eizenman leads the Thunder in the last five games with nine points (4g-5a) while J.F. Caudron has five goals and eight points and Judd Blackwater (2g-5a) and Matt Robinson (6g-1a) each have seven points. Bryan Pitton was 3-0-0 during the streak before being called up to the National Hockey League by the Edmonton Oilers while Andrew Perugini is 2-0-0.

Victoria's David Shantz is 3-0-0 with a goals-against average of 1.93 in his last three starts while Wes Goldie (4g-1a) and Olivier Latendresse (1g-4a) have five points each.

Bakersfield has won a team record 10 home games in a row and continues to lead the division with 34 points (16-6-2), nine points ahead of Ontario. The longest home winning streak in ECHL history is 18 games by South Carolina from Dec. 23, 1994-Mar. 19, 1995. The Condors play at Ontario on Wednesday and at Utah on Friday and Saturday.

Condors rookie Timo Pielmeier has won his last two starts to improve to 6-0-2 with a goals-against average of 2.44 in his last eight games. Shawn Weller (5g-6a) and Stephane Goulet (4g-7a) lead Bakersfield in the last 10 games with 11 points each while Mathieu Aubin (5g-5a) and Andrew Ianiero (5g-5a) have 10 points apiece.

Walleye Back In North Race

Back-to-back home wins and a road win at division-leading Kalamazoo helped Toledo improve to 12-10-1 and move within one point of second-place Cincinnati in the North Division.

The Walleye play at Cincinnati (14-9-1) on Tuesday and at Johnstown on Friday before hosting Johnstown on Saturday while Kalamazoo continues its eight-game home stand hosting Gwinnett on Friday and Saturday.

Bryan Ewing leads the Walleye in the last three games with four assists and five points while rookie Mike Hedden has two goals and four points. Rookie Jordan Pearce is 2-0-0 with a goals-against average of 1.44 during the streak while fellow rookie Alec Richards is 1-0-0 with a goals-against average of 1.00.

Cincinnati, which has won five of its last six games, hosts Toledo on Tuesday before traveling to Trenton for games on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Wheeling, which has won four of six and moved within two points of Toledo, travels to Florida for games on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

ECHL Hits Million Fans Fastest Since 1999-2000

The ECHL has surpassed one million fans for the 20th season in a row and is averaging 4,206 per game which is up 9.9 percent from the first nine weeks of 2008-09.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League reached the one million mark in 237 games which is the fewest number of games since 206 games in 1999-2000.

To purchase tickets for any ECHL game go to ECHL.com/tickets.shtml.

The only minor professional hockey league to increase average attendance each of the last two seasons, the Premier 'AA' Hockey League has averaged more than 4,000 fans each of the last five seasons and 17 times in the last 19 years while drawing more than 3 million fans for 16 straight seasons.

Four returning teams are ahead of their average attendance from a year ago led by Cincinnati with 28.4 percent. The Cyclones, who are averaging 3,986 per game, led minor professional hockey with a 36 percent attendance increase from 2006-07 to 2007-08 and ranked second with 23 percent from 2007-08 to 2008-09.

Elmira leads the league with six sellouts and ranks second among returning teams and third overall with a 14.0 percent increase. The Jackals are averaging 3,799 per game which is 100.4 percent of capacity at First Arena. Elmira has had 25 sellouts since joining the ECHL and tied for the league lead in 2008-09 with five sellouts after leading the ECHL the first season in 2007-08 with 14 sellouts.

Drawing more than 15,000 for three games against Stockton, Alaska raised its average to 4,928 per game which is seventh in the league and up 5.3 percent from a year ago.

Stockton leads the league in average attendance with 5,874 per game while Ontario is second with 5,827 per game. Stockton has led the ECHL in attendance each of their first four seasons and is trying to tie the league record of five years set by Florida from 2000-05.

Toledo is third in the league with 5,654 per game which is up more than 43 percent from 2006-07 when the team played its last season in the Toledo Sports Arena.



Stingrays, Steelheads Still Setting Pace

Winning three games in three days, defending Kelly Cup champion South Carolina extended its winning streak to a league season high 10 games and its home winning streak to five games. The longest winning streak in league history is 17 games by Cincinnati from Jan. 13-Feb. 29, 2008.

The Stingrays, who are 19-6-4 and lead the league with 42 points and are tied for the lead with 19 wins, play at Charlotte on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and host the Checkers on Saturday.

Matt Fornataro leads South Carolina in the last 10 games with 11 assists and 17 points while Keith Johnson (5g-6a), rookies Rob Ricci (4g-6a) and Nikita Kashirsky (6g-4a) and Trent Campbell (2g-8a) have 10 points each. Todd Ford is 6-0-0 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 1.33 and a save percentage of .960 during the winning streak while rookie Braden Holtby is 4-0-0 with a goals-against average of 2.45 and a save percentage of .933.

Idaho is 7-2-1 in the last 10 games and 19-5-2 overall to lead the league with a winning percentage of .769. The Steelheads, who are first in the National Conference with 40 points and tied for the league lead with 19 wins, host Utah on Wednesday and Alaska on Friday and Saturday.



National Conference - Pacific Division

Bakersfield Condors
* Bakersfield has won team record 10 straight home games.
* Shawn Weller had three points (2g-1a) in a 3-2 overtime win over Utah on Dec. 12.
* Condors visit Ontario on Wednesday and Utah on Friday and Saturday.

Las Vegas Wranglers
* Las Vegas has won its last three home games.
* Robbie Bina is tied for second among defensemen with 18 points and is tied for fourth with 14 assists.
* Wranglers play at Ontario on Friday before hosting Ontario on Saturday.

Ontario Reign
* Ontario will auction game-worn jerseys of NHL affiliate Los Angeles Kings on Friday to benefit Jr. Reign Youth Hockey.
* Shawn Germain scored his first goal of the season at Idaho on Dec. 9.
* Reign host Bakersfield on Wednesday and Las Vegas on Friday before traveling to Las Vegas on Saturday.

Stockton Thunder
* Stockton leads the ECHL in attendance with 5,874 per game.
* Oren Eizenman has a five-game point streak (4g-5a).
* Thunder play at Victoria on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

National Conference - West Division

Alaska Aces
* Alaska is second in the league on the penalty kill at home with 90.8 percent (59-for-65).
* Scott Burt is tied for the ECHL lead with three shorthand goals.
* Aces play at Idaho on Friday and Saturday.

Idaho Steelheads
* Idaho is the only ECHL team that has not allowed a shorthand goal.
* John Swanson has career-best three-game goal streak (3g) and a four-game point streak (3g-1a).
* Steelheads host Utah on Wednesday and Alaska on Friday and Saturday.

Utah Grizzlies
* Seven players from Grizzlies opening-day roster are called up to the American Hockey League.
* Tom May has scored a goal in eight of Utah's last 11 games (8g).
* Grizzlies play at Idaho on Wednesday before hosting Bakersfield on Friday and Saturday.

Victoria Salmon Kings
* Victoria's penalty kill in the last 15 games is 90.5 percent (67-for-74).
* Wes Goldie scored his 350th professional goal on Dec. 10.
* Salmon Kings host Stockton on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

American Conference - South Division

Charlotte Checkers
* Charlotte has won seven of its last eight home games to improve to 8-3-1 at Time Warner Cable Arena.
* Ryan Munce is 3-0-0 with a shutout and a goals-against average of 0.45 in his last three starts. * Checkers host South Carolina on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday while playing at South Carolina on Saturday.

Florida Everblades
* Florida had largest crowd of the season with 6,586 for Teddy Bear Toss game against Charlotte on Dec. 12.
* A.J. Thelen is tied for second among ECHL defensemen with four power-play goals.
* Everblades host Wheeling on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Gwinnett Gladiators
* Gwinnett is 8-1-2 on the road after losing in regulation on the road for the first time at Wheeling on Dec. 13.
* Tom Zanoski has a four-game goal-scoring streak (5g) and a four-game point streak (5g-1a).
* Gwinnett plays at Kalamazoo on Friday and Saturday.

South Carolina Stingrays
* South Carolina has won 10 in a row which is the longest winning streak in the ECHL this season. * Rookie Nikita Kashirsky is tied the league lead with five game-winning goals.
* Stingrays host Charlotte on Saturday and play at Charlotte on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

American Conference - East Division

Elmira Jackals

* Elmira leads the league on the penalty kill with 86.7 percent (124-for-143).
* Rookie Tyler Sims had 36 saves in 2-1 shootout loss at Toledo on Dec. 13.
* Jackals travel to Reading on Friday before hosting the Royals on Saturday and Johnstown on Sunday.

Johnstown Chiefs

* Johnstown is 6-1-2 when it scores first.
* Mike Bartlett has eight assists and 13 points in his last 10 games.
* Chiefs host Reading on Wednesday and Toledo on Friday before traveling to Toledo on Saturday and Elmira on Sunday.

Reading Royals

* Reading is 9-0-1 when leading after two periods with the only loss in a shootout against Kalamazoo on Dec. 9.
* Rookie Stefano Giliati scored his first professional game-winning goal on Dec. 13 in a 4-2 win over Cincinnati.
* Royals play at Johnstown on Wednesday, host Elmira on Saturday and play at Elmira on Sunday.

Trenton Devils

* In their first three games together, Tony Zancanaro (2g-1a), Kyle Kucharski (0g-2a) and Matt Vokes (1g-2a) had eight points and a goal in each game.
* Dave Caruso made career-high 53 saves in a 4-3 win over Gwinnett on Dec. 9.
* Devils host Cincinnati on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

American Conference - North Division

Cincinnati Cyclones
* Cincinnati has not lost consecutive games in regulation since Jan. 6, 2009 against Wheeling and Jan. 9, 2009 against Trenton.
* Scott Reynolds leads the league with five shorthand points (3g-2a).
* Cyclones host Toledo on Tuesday before playing at Trenton on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Kalamazoo Wings
* Kalamazoo is 3-1-0 against the South Division.
* Andrew Fournier had his first career hat trick and tied a season high with four points on Dec. 12 against Wheeling.
* K-Wings host Gwinnett on Friday and Saturday.

Toledo Walleye
* Toledo is 7-0-0 when scoring five or more goals after 6-2 win at Kalamazoo on Dec. 11 and 5-1 win against Elmira on Dec. 12.
* Bryan Ewing has a four-game point streak (1g-5a).
* Walleye play at Cincinnati on Tuesday and Johnstown on Friday before hosting Johnstown on Saturday.

Wheeling Nailers
* Wheeling improved to 8-2-1 when scoring first after 3-2 win against Gwinnett on Dec. 13.
* Chris Capraro had five points (1g-4a) in four games last week.
* Nailers play at Florida on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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ECHL Stories from December 14, 2009


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