Trenton Titans

439 South Broad Street Suite 300 Trenton, NJ 08611 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Matt Hillman ! ! 609-954-2294 matthillman10@gmail.com

Four New Teams Join The ECHL ! TRENTON, N.J.- Usually the talk around the offseason is about the new faces on a given team. This year, it is about the new places in the ECHL. Four new franchises will join the ECHL for the 2012-13 season: The Orlando Solar Bears, the Fort Wayne Komets, the Evansville IceMen, and the San Francisco Bulls. ! Joining the Eastern Conference are the Orlando Solar Bears. This will not be the first time Orlando has had a hockey team. The original Orlando Solar Bears were originally part of the Eastern Conference in the now-defunct International Hockey League. Founded in 1995, the Solar Bears were affiliated with the Atlanta Thrashers. During their time in the IHL, they won the Turner Cup in the 00-01 season and won three conference championships in 95-96, 98-99, and 00-01. ! The Solar Bears added veteran experience by agreeing to terms with defenseman Derick Martin. Martin, a seven year veteran of the league, played 64 games for the Utah Grizzlies last season. He totaled 11 points, 1 goal and 10 assists, last season. Another player that has some ECHL experience on their roster is T.J. Fox. Fox played for the Wheeling Nailers in 2009-10. Last season playing for the Texas Brahmas in the CHL, Fox put up 18 goals and 37 assists in 63 games. Orlando added their first goaltender, Brooks Ostergard, to their roster on September 13. Ostergard spent the last four years as the netminder for Robert Morris University. During his time there, Ostergard compiled a 2.73 GAA and a .917 save percentage. ! Orlando was awarded their ECHL franchise in 2011 and will begin playing this season. The Solar Bears will play in the South division of the Eastern Conference, along with the Greenville Road Warriors, the Florida Everblades, the Gwinnett Gladiators, and the South Carolina Stingrays. They will be affiliated with the Minnesota Wild of the NHL and the Houston

Aeros of the AHL. The Solar Bears will play their home games at the Amway Center, home of the NBAs Orlando Magic. The team will be coached by former NHL defenseman Drake Berehowsky. During his 16 year NHL career, Berehowksy played for the Leafs, Penguins, Oilers, Predators, Canucks and Coyotes. The Solar Bears will open their season on the road against Florida on October 12. ! Two teams from the state of Indiana will be joining the ECHL. One of these teams is the Fort Wayne Komets. The Komets were most recently a member of the Central Hockey League, from 2010-12. Before that, the Komets were a member of the International Hockey League from 1952-99, and the United Hockey League from 1999-2010, when the UHL took over the IHL. The Komets won seven Turner Cups during their time in the IHL. All together, they have won 12 regular season title. They are also the defending Presidents Cup champions of the CHL. ! The Komets will have a balance of vets and new players on their team this year. A defensive standout player would be Tyler Butler. Butler, a seasoned veteran of the CHL, amassed 39 points with the Komets this past season. While the Komets have a lot of offensive fire power, a new face on the team should only add to Fort Waynes powerful offense. Brandon Marino, who played for the Quad City Mallards of the CHL last season, scored 41 goals and 49 assists in 65 games. Marino was second in scoring in the league and was also named to the All CHL All Star team. Goaltenders on the team are Kenny Reiter and former Trenton Devil Charlie Effinger. ! ! Fort Wayne decided to make the jump to the ECHL following this past season. The Komets will play on the North division of the Eastern Conference along with the Kalamazoo Wings, the Toledo Walleye, the Cincinnati Cyclones, and the Evansville IceMen. They will be affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL and the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL. Fort Wayne will continue to play their games at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. They will be led by former NHL player and NHL head coach Al Sims. During his playing career, Sims spent time with the Boston Bruins, Hartford Whalers, and the Los Angeles Kings. After his playing career, he was the assistant coach of the Mighty Ducks on Anaheim from 1993-96, and then serves as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks for the 1996-97 season. The Komets will play their first game in the ECHL on October 12 at home against the Wings.

! The other team in Indiana joining the ECHL is the Evansville IceMen. The IceMen were another team that was a part of the Central Hockey League. The teams is a rival of the Fort Wayne Komets. The franchise began as the Muskegon Fury in the International Hockey League from 1992-2008. The changed their name to the Muskegon Lumberjacks in 2008. In 2010, the team moved to Evansville, Indiana, taking the name Evansville IceMen. They played in the Central Hockey League. They replaced the former Evansville IceMen, who played in the All American Hockey League. The team won four Colonial Cups in 99, 02, 04, and 05. ! Former Trenton Titans Tyler Shelast will suit up for the IceMen this season. Shelast totaled 11 points last season in the ECHL playing for the Stockton Thunder, Trenton Titans, Florida Everblades and the South Carolina Stingrays. Forward Patrick Kennedy, who played one game for the Titans last season, also joins the roster. Kennedy put up 9 goals and 10 assists in 40 games playing for the Idaho Steelheads last season. Denfeseman Matt Gens will back in the ECHL for the IceMen this season. Last playing for the Elmira Jackals in the 2007-08 season, Gens put up 22 points in 35 games. Playing for the IceMen last season, Gens scored 12 goals and 35 assists. IceMen goalie Bryan Gillis will return to the team this season. Gillis put up good numbers last year, posting a 26-8 record with 2.51 GAA and a .920 save percentage. ! The IceMen were accepted into the ECHL this May. They will play in the North division of the Eastern Conference along with the Wings, Walleye, Cyclones, and the Komets. They are affiliated with the NHLs Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues. They are also affiliated with the AHLs Peoria Rivermen and the Springfield Falcons. The IceMen will play their home games at the Ford Center in Evansville. The head coach of the IceMen is former NHL left winger Richard Kromm. Playing from 1983-1993, Kromm played for the New York Islanders and the Calgary Flames. The IceMen open their season at home against the Komets on October 13. ! The lone team to join the Western Conference of the ECHL is the San Francisco Bulls. The Bulls are the first hockey team in San Francisco since the San Francisco Spiders. The Spiders only played for one season in 95-96 in the International Hockey League. The Bulls are a brand new franchise.

! The Bulls will be led offensively by center Justin Bowers. Bowers, who played with the Greenville Road Warriors last season, put up 19 goals and 59 assists in 69 games. The blue line will be manned by veteran Trevor Hendrikx. Hendrikx most recently played for the Allen American of the CHL, where he put up 14 point in 45 games. However, Hendrikx has spent time up in the ECHL, playing for the Dayton Bombers in 2006-07, the Elmira Jackals in 2007-08, the Johnstown Chiefs in 2008-2010, the Charlotte Checkers in 2010, and the Florida Everblades in 2010-11. ! San Francisco was awarded an ECHL franchise in 2011. They will play in the Pacific division, along with the Las Vegas Wranglers, the Ontario Reign, the Bakersfield Condors, and the Stockton Thunder. They are affiliated with the San Jose Sharks of the NHL and the Worcester Sharks of the AHL. The Bulls will play their home games at The Cow Palace. The team will be coached by GM Pat Curcio. The Bulls will open their season at home against the Condors on October 12. ! The addition of these teams should add a different dynamic to the conferences and the league as a whole. Hopefully, these teams will continue to add to the storied success of ECHL teams.