This year, the Condors added a special cause to their growing list of beneficiaries – helping the young former Condor, Chris Kushneriuk, in his fight against testicular cancer. After being diagnosed early last summer, Chris has spent this entire season undergoing aggressive treatment and surgeries. He has just recently been declared cancer-free and now can focus on recovery and repaying the staggering medical costs he incurred.  Throughout the season, the Condors held special sales, raffles and auctions to benefit Chris, totaling nearly $11,000.

Season ticket packages for the 16th season of Condors hockey are on sale now, and renewals are still continuing for the 2013-14 season. Ticket packages are on sale now, with plans for a family of four starting at just $20 per month. Call 324-PUCK (7825) for more information.

Best ways to use your season tickets, #17: Reward staff for an accident free work environment. 

CONDORSTOWN, Calif. - The Bakersfield Condors announced today that G Scott Greenham has signed a professional try-out (PTO) with the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL). He began the 2012-13 season in training camp with the Senators before coming to Bakersfield.

Greenham, 25, enjoyed success in his rookie season despite 
being under siege shot-wise for the majority of the campaign. He finished the year with an 11-19-3 record overall. The Ottawa, Ontario native was also a remarkable 5-1 in shootouts, making 28 saves on 30 attempts for an ECHL-leading .933 save percentage (10 shots or more). His five shootout wins tied for second in the league.

Six times this past season Greenham made 40+ saves, including a season-high 51-save performance against Colorado on February 1, 2013. The month of January proved to be his best month, posting a 4-3-1 record with a 2.64 goals-against average (GAA) and a .927 save percentage. The month featured his first professional shutout, making 29 saves in a victory over Idaho on Jan. 11, 2013.

This is Greenham’s second call-up of 2012-13 as he previously signed a PTO with St. John’s on March 14, 2013. The Senators have already clinched a spot in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs and currently sit one point behind division-leading Syracuse with three games remaining. Binghamton is the AHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators.

The University of Alaska-Fairbanks alum had a tremendous collegiate career and finished as the school’s all-time leader in wins, GAA, saves, save percentage, and shutouts. He played three games at the end of the 2011-12 season for Bakersfield, posting two wins, and earning two separate call-ups to the AHL with Houston and Hershey.

Season ticket packages for the 16th season of Condors hockey are on sale now, and renewals are still continuing for the 2013-14 season. Ticket packages are on sale now, with plans for a family of four starting at just $20 per month. Call 324-PUCK (7825) for more information.

 

Best ways to use your season tickets, #29:  Present them to a front line person who appeased an angry customer

Olver, 54, has a long history of building championship-caliber teams, making a remarkable seven appearances in the league finals during his nine seasons as a head coach. He served as the head coach and vice president of hockey operations of the Idaho Steelheads in the West Coast Hockey League and the ECHL from 2000 – 2005. He also was the head coach and general manager of the Tacoma Sabercats in the WCHL from 1997-00, and the GM of the Fresno Falcons from 1995-97, serving as head coach in 1995-96.He guided the Steelheads to an ECHL Kelly Cup in 2003-04, won a WCHL Taylor Cup Championship with Tacoma in 1998-99, and is the only coach to win a title in both leagues. In addition to his two championships, Olver has led his team to the finals on five other occasions, including three straight with the Sabercats. Olver was awarded the WCHL Coach of the Year four times, and he also coached two All-Star Teams in the WCHL.

 

The North Burnaby, British Columbia native played an integral role in the foundation of the WCHL, and in helping Bakersfield land their first professional hockey team in 1995 (the Bakersfield Fog).

Olver went from Idaho to Northern Michigan University, taking advantage of an opportunity to coach his oldest son, Darin, while serving two seasons as assistant coach. He then headed to Des  Moines, Iowa to serve as president and general manager of the American Hockey League’s Iowa Stars in 2007-08.

Since 2009-10, he has served as GM/head coach of the Idaho Jr. Steelheads in the Western States Hockey League, winning the league title in each of the past three campaigns. This season, his team rolled to a 57-1-1 record en route to also claiming the AAU National Championship.

What Matt Riley says:
“Bringing John in at this time is a move intended to put the Condors at the top of the conference as a serious contender. You cannot find somebody with a more impressive record as a coach and as a team builder than J.O., and we’re confident that he can guide us in the right direction and get the horses in here we need to win.”

Matt Riley will be on First Look with Scott Cox, on KERN 1180 AM, Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. for further discussion. Go here to watch the live stream.

What J.O. says:
“I’m very excited to be here and be given the task of turning this team around on the ice. This is the best minor league hockey city in America and they deserve a winner. And the ownership is giving us the tools to do that. There will be no excuses for us; the resources will be here and we’re going to make it happen.” Originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies, in the 8th round of the 1978 NHL Entry Draft, Olver played three seasons at the University of Michigan and later passed over signing an NHL contract to focus on coaching. He became assistant coach of New Westminster in the British Columbia Junior Hockey League for his first coaching position at the age of 23. At 25, Olver earned his first head coaching position with Langley in the BCHL, and guided his team to a 40-8-2 record.

Olver has two sons who play professional hockey. Darin, 27, was a 2nd round draft pick of the New York Rangers currently playing in the DEL, the top league in Germany. Mark, 25, currently plays with the Colorado Avalanche, the team that drafted him in the 5th round.

 

JOHN OLVER CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Championships

• 1998-99, WCHL, Tacoma Sabercats
• 2003-04, ECHL, Idaho Steelheads

Individual honors

• Coach of the Year, WCHL, 1997-98
• Coach of the Year, WCHL, 1998-99
• Coach of the Year, WCHL, 1999-00
• Co-Coach of the Year, WCHL, 2001-02
• Co-Coach, WCHL All-Star Team, 1999
• Co-Coach, WCHL All-Star Team, 2000

Drafted

• (8th round, 125th overall), Colorado Rockies, 1978

 

Professional Head Coaching record

Totals                                 793   519-210-74  871.680        95  59-36  .621

For a complete list of 84 ideas your business can use Condors season tickets, click here.

CONDORSTOWN, Calif. - While the Bakersfield Condors 2012-13 season didn’t produce a playoff contender, there were many individual accomplishments to reflect upon. This is the first of a multiple-part review of the Condors season that was, as we focus on the on-ice performance of those who slipped on the Condors sweater for the 15th anniversary season. 

It was an Iron Man type of season for Condors captain, D Erik Burgdoerfer. He led the club by playing in 71 of the team’s 72 games this season, en route to becoming just the fourth blueliner (and 11th overall) to appear in 200 games for the Condors. He also set a personal best with 21 points and 17 assists.

 

For the second season in a row, rookies took center stage in Condorstown, especially with mid-season acquisitions. F Francis Verreault (left) became just the second rookie in 15 seasons to lead the Condors in scoring. After his New Year’s Eve acquisition from the Greenville Road Warriors, Verreault averaged nearly a point-per-game, with 26 points in 28 contests, and finished with a team-high 46 points on the season. He also finished with the active team-lead with 16 goals, and put up 152 penalty minutes, which was second on the team. Verreault represented the Condors in the 2013 ECHL All-Star Classic, held in Loveland, Colorado in January.

 

Signed “off his couch,” as Matt O’Dette said in January, perhaps nobody made better use of their truncated season with the Condors in 2012-13 than C Nicholas Tremblay (right). Although nobody knew his name in Bakersfield when he signed on Jan. 11, the entire league knew his name four days later when he was named the ECHL Player of the Week, after an eight-point effort during his three-game debut weekend. Tremblay hadn’t played a pro game since April, 2012 when he signed with Bakersfield, but he finished with 16 goals and 29 points in just 29 games, and also earned a stint with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League.

G Brian Stewart (right) finished the season on a strong note. The Condors netminder ranked 4th in the ECHL this season with a .918 save  percentage, while his 1,365 saves was 2nd. He rocketed up the Condors career rankings in wins (5th), saves and save percentage (3rd), minutes played (3rd) and goals against average (3rd). Perhaps nobody did more in trying to earn a late playoff spot down the stretch than the Burnaby, B.C. native, who posted a dominant .943 save percentage over the final two months of the campaign.

 

Other noteworthy performances include:

• Rookie F Brett Lyon, who earned 218 penalty minutes to lead the team – the highest penalty minute total for a Condor since Jon Mirasty in 2003-04.
• Five different players earned stints in the American Hockey League. Trem blay, Stewart, G Scott Greenham, F Jacob Lagace and F Brett Perlini (right).
• D Kyle Haines, acquired from Greenville along with Verreault on New Year’s Eve, became the first rookie defenseman in team history to record double-digit goals. His 10 tallies led all Condors d-men.
• Greenham became the latest in a long line of memorable rookie goaltenders in team history, linking up with names like Stewart, Yutaka Fukufuji, Ryan Munce and Timo Pielmeier. His .908 save percentage ranks 4th in Condors history among first year netminders.
• RW Scott Freeman climbed to 8th in Condors history with eight career game winning goals, despite playing in just 52 career games. Nobody on the career list above him has appeared in less than 96 games in a Condors sweater. Four of his five goals this season were game winners.

 

GET TICKETS!!

Season ticket plans for the 16th season of Condors hockey are on sale now for the 2013-14 season, with payment plans and options available for every schedule and budget. Packages for a family of four start at just $20 per month. Call 324-PUCK (7825) or visit BakersfieldCondors.com for more information.