73's topple Kings, 11-1
Dowling lights the lamp 4 times in 6-1 win
DRESDEN - The freight train known as the Essex 73's stormed into Dresden on Friday night and manhandled the Kings, 11-1.
The high-flying 73's have now scored 44 goals in it's last five games and now are on pace for 282 goals on the season.
Patrick McManus, Luke Sherk and Nate Dowling each had two goals, and Austin Guevremont had a goal and three assists to pace the 73's. Gabe Barrette, Matthew Crawford, Marcus Lesvesque and Gabe Piccolo had the other 73's goals.
Ian Campbell had the lone goal for Dresden, a powerplay goal late in the first period.
ESSEX - Nate Dowling scored four goals to pace the Essex 73's to a 6-1 win over the Blenheim Blades on Tuesday night at the Essex Centre Sports Complex.
Dowling now has 13 goals on the year to go along with 21 points on the season.
Blenheim goaltender, Jack Vancoillie, kept the game close as he made numerous big saves for the Blades throughout the night. In all, Essex threw 50 shots at the Blades cage.
Aside from Dowling, Luke Sherk and William Claridge had the other 73's goals while Carter Dembinski and Travis Rivest each had three assists.
Adrian McBride picked up his 12th win of the season which is tied for the most wins in the PJHL. He stopped 13-of-14 shots he faced.
McManus' 5 points pace 73's to 12-1 win
WALPOLE ISLAND - Essex skated out of Walpole Island with an easy 12-1 victory over the Wild, who drop to 3-19-2-0 on the year.
The 73's (20-2-0-0) got goals from Matthew Crawford (3), Gabe Barrette (2), Marcus Levesque (2), McManus, Karson Beuglet, Issac Nickel, Travis Rivest and Carter Dembinski.
Sean Shanahan picked up the win in goal.
73's defeat Canadiens; Regain first in Stobbs
ESSEX - Adrian Mcbride turned aside 21-of-23 shots and the Essex 73's defeated the Lakeshore Canadiens, 5-2, in front of 779 fans at the Essex Centre Sports Complex.
Essex (19-2-0-0) started out red-hot, scoring three times in the opening frame and skating to a convincing win on home ice.
The regular series is now 2-2 with two remaining games on the schedule between the two powerhouse teams.
Patrick McManus, Kale Couvillon, Nate Dowling, Seth Martineau and Karson Beuglet had the Essex goals while Gavin Wasylyk and Marco Sladoje had the visitor's goals.
Essex has now scored 13 goals on Canadiens' netminder, Boe Piroski,over the last two games in which Piroski has started.
Essex out shot the Canadiens, 37-23 on the night.
73's put up a 10-spot against Blenheim
BLENHEIM - Essex out shot the home team, 51-25, and are now two points ahead of Lakeshore with Lakeshore holding one game in hand.
Essex goal scorers were Karson Beuglet (3), Luke Sherk (2), and Carter Dembinski, Austin Guevremont, Patrick McManus and Gabe Piccolo with singles.
Gagnon elected to ECHL Hall of Fame
The ECHL announced on Tuesday that the 2025 inductees for the ECHL Hall of Fame are Dave Gagnon, Alex Burrows, , Jamey Hicks and Glen Thornborough.
The 2025 ECHL Hall of Fame ceremony, presented by BFL CANADA and Sutton Special Risk, will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, January 17, 2025 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites, Arcadia Ballroom.
The four will be formally inducted as the 17th class of the ECHL Hall of Fame at a banquet that will be held in conjunction with the 2025 Warrior/ECHL Hockey Heritage Weekend presented by Discover Kalamazoo and FireKeepers.
“The opportunity to commemorate ECHL history and the game of hockey, coupled with Kalamazoo’s 50th Anniversary Season celebration, is what our Hockey Heritage event is all about,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “This year’s ECHL Hall of Fame Class recognizes both a championship winning goaltender and point-scoring forward that achieved great success in the ECHL, an alum who developed in our League and went on to great heights at the National Hockey League level and a builder who helped significantly grow the ECHL before embarking on his prosperous front office career in the hockey industry. It will be our honor to welcome these new inductees by bestowing our League’s highest honor during the ceremony and throughout the weekend’s events.”
“BFL CANADA is once again honored to be the Presenting Co-Sponsor, alongside Sutton Special Risk, of the 2025 Warrior/ECHL Hockey Heritage Weekend Banquet,” said Nellie Lindner, BFL CANADA Vice President, National Practice Leader - Film and Entertainment. “We are excited to be celebrating all the inductees in Kalamazoo. It certainly is extra special as the last Hockey Heritage Weekend in Kalamazoo was back in 2016, and almost a decade later, we are back there to also celebrate the K-Wings 50th season.”
Tickets include a plated dinner in conjunction with the ECHL Hall of Fame ceremony and are on sale for $60 per person.
Individual Ticket Sales – 2025 ECHL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Dave Gagnon, former Essex 73’s goaltender who also played pro in the Detroit Red Wings system, ranks seventh among goaltenders in ECHL history with 272 career appearances and 155 wins, while he is tied for 13th with 14 career shutouts. In nine ECHL seasons with Hampton Roads, Toledo and Roanoke, he compiled an overall record of 155-76-27 with a 2.90 goals-against average and a save percentage of .907. He was at his best in the postseason, capturing Riley Cup championships with Hampton Roads in 1991 and Toledo in 1994, earning Playoff Most Valuable Player honors in both seasons. His 41 career playoff appearances rank eighth among goaltenders in league history with his 27 postseason wins stand sixth all-time.
Alex Burrows began his professional career in the ECHL with the Greenville Grrrowl in 2002-03, and went on to post 111 points (47g-64a) in 134 games over two-plus seasons in the League. He was recalled to Manitoba of the American Hockey League early in the 2004-05 season, and the next season, made his National Hockey League debut with Vancouver, on his way to a 13-year NHL career with the Canucks and Ottawa Senators. He totaled 409 points (205g-204a) in 913 career NHL games. Following his retirement as a player, he served as an assistant coach for Laval of the AHL and Montreal of the NHL, where he currently serves as a player development consultant.
Jamey Hicks was a prolific point producer over his career in the league, totaling 480 points (162g-318) in 352 career games over six seasons with Birmingham and Arkansas, and scoring 30 or more goals in four of his five full seasons. During the 1997-98 season, he led the ECHL with 119 points (44g-75a), earned a spot on the All-ECHL First Team and was named the League’s Most Valuable Player. That same season, he put together a 32-game point streak, which stands as the third-longest in league history.
Glen Thornborough was an instrumental figure during his time at the League Office from 2000-08, ending his tenure as the Senior Vice President of Marketing/Licensing. During his time with the ECHL, he increased the revenues for ECHL Properties, while creating several exclusive partnerships, several of which remain in place to this day. He assisted in forming the first-ever Team Business Services department in any of the top three professional hockey league offices (NHL, AHL, ECHL) and worked to get the ECHL All-Star Game on television on a yearly basis, first with ESPN2, and later NHL Network. After leaving the ECHL, he spent nearly five years at CCM/Reebok before joining the Boston Bruins/TD Garden in 2013 where he currently serves as President of TD Garden and Chief Operating Officer of the Bruins.
The inaugural ECHL Hall of Fame class was inducted in 2008, and over the years, 63 individuals have been enshrined. Inductees are enshrined in the ECHL Hall of Fame, which is open around the clock online at ECHLHallOfFame.com, as well as being recognized at the league office in Shrewsbury, New Jersey and in the ECHL section at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario.
