Twice as Nice

Published on December 15, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies News Release


BULLIES REWIND: The Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies won back-to-back games for the first time in almost a month and pulled even with Johnstown for second place in a crowded Northern Division with 32 points, one point behind Wheeling and Reading.

Friday, Jon Cullen scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal as the Bullies defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones 2-1 before a season-high 7,040 at Boardwalk Hall. Josh Prudden opened the scoring for the Bullies on the power play when he collected his own rebound in the slot and tipped it by Cyclones goaltender Randy Petruk at 13:01 of the first for a 1-0 lead. But the Cyclones would counter in the final minute of the period when a bouncing puck slipped through the Bullies defense and found its way onto Jason Norrie's stick. Norrie cut to the net and tucked it top shelf by Bullies goalie Scott Stirling at 19:08 to tie the game 1-1. The Bullies would regain the lead for good early in the second frame when Cullen slid the puck off the back of Petruk and into the net at 1:24 to give Atlantic City a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish. For the game the Bullies out-shot the Cyclones 29-24. Stirling made 23 saves in picking up his 12th win of the season and his 98th as a professional. The Bullies went 1-6 on the power play to run their power play streak to nine consecutive games.

Sunday, captain Stefan Rivard tallied a goal and 2 assists, picked up his 400th career point, and led the Bullies to a convincing 7-1 win over the first place Wheeling Nailers at the WesBanco Arena. The Bullies opened the scoring in the second period when Aaron Foster in traffic tucked the puck by Wheeling goalie Nick Boucher at 1:50 for a 1-0 lead. Pierre-Luc Sleigher would extend the Bullies advantage to 2-0 at 3:46 of the period when he took a feed across ice from Jon Cullen, moved around the out-of-position Boucher, and slid the puck into the open net. The Bullies would tally a third consecutive goal at 8:58 on the power play when Cullen picked up Brian Fahey's rebound and slapped it into the net giving Atlantic City a 3-0 edge. Wheeling would finally break through at 11:08 as Arpad Mihaly found the loose puck in the slot and slipped it by Bullies goaltender Scott Stirling to cut the deficit to 3-1. But with Wheeling on the power play, Rivard would intercept the pass back to the line, break in alone on Boucher, and slip the puck behind the Nailers net-minder shorthanded at 12:44 to give the Bullies a commanding 4-1 lead. The Bullies would put Wheeling away in the third period with a goal from John Longo, his first as a professional at 5:45, and two shorthanded tallies from Luke Curtin and Jon Cullen at 12:43 and 14:41 respectively to make the final score 7-1. The Bullies out-shot the Nailers for the game 28-21 and went 1-7 on the power play.


Atlantic City also tallied a season-high three shorthanded goals. Stirling stopped 20 shots for his 13th win of the season. Rivard's 400th career point came on his second assist of the game on the power play goal by Jon Cullen. The Bullies went 1-7 on the power play to run their streak now to 10 games in a row with a power play goal.


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 center Stefan Rivard who enjoyed a four-point weekend with a goal and 3 assists, but more importantly earned his 400th career point as a professional. Congratulations to Stefan! Honorable mention goes out to Jon Cullen who continues to sizzle after multiple-point games on Friday and Sunday with 3 goals and 2 assists for the weekend. Previous winners below include:


10/20/03: Jim Henkel (4 goals, 2 assists)
10/27/03: Luke Curtin (1 goal, 2 assists)
11/3/03: Brian Fahey (0 goals, 5 assists)
11/10/03: Scott Stirling (55 shots, 53 saves)
11/17/03: Matt Hubbauer (1 goal, first professional)
11/24/03: Jon Cullen (2 goals, 3 assists)
12/1/03: Josh Prudden (1 goal, 2 assists)
12/8/03: Luke Curtin (2 goals, 6 assists)


CLOSING IN...Stefan Rivard's 400th career point wasn't the only milestone on the horizon. In fact, if things fall into place this Saturday against Reading, the fans at Boardwalk Hall could be celebrating several accomplishments. The next game Rivard will play will be the 500th of his career. The next win for the Bullies will be their 100th regular season victory as a franchise since relocating to Atlantic City three years ago. That will coincide with the 100th regular season victory for Head Coach Mike Haviland who has been behind the bench with the Boardwalk Bullies since year one. On top of that, if goaltender Scott Stirling gets the start in net, he'll be gunning for his 100th win as a professional. Stay tuned!


SHORT BUT SWEET: The Bullies three shorthanded goals on Sunday set a league-high for this season. It also propelled the Bullies into a first place tie with Peoria, Charlotte, and Alaska with 7 shorthanded goals on the year. The Bullies have often been atop the ECHL rankings in shorthanded goals, recording 14 in each of the last two seasons. Meanwhile, Luke Curtin and Jon Cullen lead the shorthanded attack with 4 points apiece on the penalty kill. Curtin is tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals with 3.


LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST: John Longo became the last of the Bullies 11 rookie skaters to score his first professional goal when he made a nifty move to flip the puck into the back of the net in Sunday's 7-1 win over Wheeling. For Longo, it was his first goal since March 1 of last season with the University of Vermont in a loss against RPI. Ironically, Bullies defenseman Danny Eberly also scored in that game. Every forward on the Bullies roster has now scored at least one goal. Kam White also helped the defense's cause as he tallied his first goal of the season on Sunday as well, leaving Steve Munn as the only Bully on the active roster without a goal.


TEN AND COUNTING: The Bullies have scored a power play goal in 10 consecutive games, their longest run of the season, and the longest current streak in the ECHL. The Bullies rank 12th in the ECHL on the power play at 16.9%.


GIVING BACK THIS HOLDIAY SEASON: The Boardwalk Bullies will share the joy of the holiday season with several appearances this week. Tomorrow, several Bullies will visit patients and sign autographs at Atlantic City Hospital – City Division from 3PM-4:30PM. Wednesday, Wooly and the Bullies will kick off the "Check It Out Reading Program" at Cologne Elementary School at 1:30PM. Thursday, the Bullies will visit and join in with the Egg Harbor Township Street Hockey League from 6:30PM-7:30PM. Friday, several players will be helping serve dinner to the homeless at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission (2009 Bacharach Blvd, Atlantic City) from 4PM-6PM.


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 tallied 2 power play goals this week to up their total for the year to 25, good for $1,250 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 begin a stretch of three consecutive games against the Reading Royals, with the first coming at 7:05PM this Saturday, December 20 at Boardwalk Hall. For tickets, call (609) 348-PUCK. Catch Saturday's game on the Surfer Network at www.boardwalkbullies.com beginning with the pre-game show 20 minutes prior to face-off with Dan Weiss.



BULLIES SCHEDULE WEEK OF DECEMBER 15th


Monday, December 15: Off Day
Tuesday, December 16: TBA (If practice, 10:30AM-12PM)
Wednesday, December 17: Practice 10:30AM-12PM
Thursday, December 18: Practice 10:30AM-12PM
Friday, December 19: Practice 10:30AM-12PM
Saturday, December 20: Morning Skate 10AM; Bullies vs. Reading 7:05PM
December 21-24: ECHL Christmas Break

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ECHL Stories from December 15, 2003


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