Back-to-back shutouts for Colquhoun
WHEATLEY - Newly acquired goaltender, Brogan Colquhoun, stopped 34 shots for his second shutout in as many games as the Essex 73's travelled to Wheatley Saturday night and defeated the Sharks, in their tank, 1-0.
Gabe Piccolo scored the lone goals for the 73's at the 5:27 mark of the third period, assisted by Luke Sherk and Ryan Basile.
Essex had 37 shots on the Sharks goalie, Ethan Handley, who was equally good in the pipes.
Essex will play host to Mooretown twice this week, Tuesday night, and Thursday night, a rescheduled game from December 10th.
Barrette's hat trick propels 73's to win on road
DRESDEN - Gabe Barrette recorded a hat trick Friday night, and Adrian McBride recorded his 15th win in 16 games this season to lead the Essex 73's to a convincing 9-2 win over the Dresden Kings.
McBride now has 70 junior wins in his career, the most by any 73's goaltender all-time. Brandon Robitaille held the previous mark of 63 games.
Other scorers for Essex were Nate Dowling, Patrick McManus, Luke Sherk, Kale Couvillon, Austin Guevremont and Gabe Piccolo.
Essex out shot Dresden, 37-21.
73's trounce Admirals, 9-0
ESSEX - The 73's welcomed the Amherstburg Admirals to town on Tuesday night and put up nine goals against the visitors.
Essex was powered offensively by Patrick McManus, who had 2 goals and a helper. Other goal scorers for Essex were Luke Sherk, Aleks Bratic, Gabe Barrette, Kale Couvillon, Travus Rivest, Ryan Basille and Austin Guevremont. Karson Beuglet picked up 4 assists on the night and now has 41 points in 28 games.
Newly added goaltender, Brogan Colquhoun, picked up the shutout in his debut stopping all 23 shots directed his way. Colquhoun, 18, was recently picked up from the Elliot Lake Vikings of the Northern Ontario Junior 'A' Hockey League (NOJHL). The London, ON native played last season in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) for the Utica Jr. Comets and posted a 2.79 average and .908 save percentage in 10 games played.
Walpole Island gives 73's a good game
WALPOLE ISLAND - The Essex 73's needed a late third period goal to defeat the last-place Walpole Island Wild last Saturday afternoon, 4-3.
Luka Milosevic scored on the powerplay with just 2:29 remaining in regulation to break a 3-3 tie and seal the win for Essex.
Walpole actually led in this game heading into the third period, 3-1, despite being out shot badly.
Mitch Rawlings had another great start in goal for the Wild stopping 52-of-56 shots he faced.
Matthew Crawford had a pair of goals and assist, and Adam Dunn scored his first of the season to account for all the 73's goals.
Canadiens make fewer mistakes than 73's in
6-4, home-ice win
LAKESHORE - The Essex 73's played well enough at times to win this game Friday night, but defensive blunders in their own end ultimately cost them two points.
Lakeshore scored once on the powerplay while Essex also scored once on the powerplay, and twice more shorthanded, but it wasn't enough on this night.
Essex played from behind all night, and out shot the home team overall, 35-29.
Lakeshore led 2-1 after the first period and 3-2 after the second period.
The 73's scored early in the third period, shorthanded, to even the score 3-3, but errors in their own end led to 3 Lakeshore goals.
Trevor Larue led the charge for the Canadiens, as he usually does, scoring twice and assisting on two others. Eric Bisson, Nicolas Rosati, Bryce Scarlett and Marco Sladoje had the other Lakeshore goals.
Essex got a powerplay goal from Austin Guevremont, shorthanded goals by Gabe Piccolo and Luke Sherk, and another off the stick of Marcus Levesque.
Boe Piroski outdueled Adrian McBride. For McBride, it was his first loss of the season.
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.
