By beating the Utah Grizzlies last Saturday night, the Condors climbed to within one point of first place in the Pacific Division.

The Condors open a three game road trip in Idaho against the Steelheads tonight at 6:10 p.m (PST), followed by games Friday and Saturday night against the Steelheads as well. You can catch all Condors games live on KGEO Hot Talk AM1230 with Jake Stevens calling all the action. This weekend’s games are also available to view courtesy of B2 Networks. Just click the “Watch the Game Live” link on the Condors home page. Live streaming for all Condors games is also available via their web site, www.bakersfieldcondors.com.

Kevin St. Jacques: Eat less sweets.
Assistant Coach Mark Pederson: Strengthen players abilities.
Kevin Truelson: Get my Masters degree.
Mike Hofstrand: Score more goals.
Director of Ticket Sales Jose Rivera: Have another baby.
Steve Rodberg: Pay off all my school loans.
Sean Venedam: Make sure my wife remains happy.
Community Relations Manager Jill Watts: Have better posture.
Reagan Leslie: Take a vacation to the Bahamas.
Jamie Hodson: Spend as much time with my family as possible.
Account Executive Tim Statezni: To get buff!
Kevin Asselin: To not be the butt of jokes anymore!
Shawn Thompson: Remember my friends and family’s birthdays.
Director of Broadcasting Jake Stevens: Be behind the microphone when the Condors win the Kelly Cup Championship!
Rane Carnegie: Live up to my fullest potential.

The Condors would like to congratulate Steve Burud and Polo Melendez; the two lucky fans that both won 42-Inch LG Plasma TVs courtesy of 106.1 KRAB Radio and Rent n Roll during last Friday’s Dec. 22 game against Utah.

Eight lucky Condors fans were randomly drawn to compete on the ice in front of their peers during the first and second intermissions for the two TVs. While not all eight fans who were brought on the ice to compete for the TVs were able to walk away with one, Rent n Roll made sure all contestants walked away happy by giving the remaining competitors $50 each!

Hey Fans! The Bakersfield Condors would like your help in picking the logo that will be used for next year's 10th Anniversary Season. Click here and choose your favorite design.

Fans who vote for the winning logo will be entered into a special drawing where one lucky fan will win a Condors 10th Anniversary Prize Pack which includes a Condors jersey and much more!

We are also giving you the opportunity to design our 10th Anniversary logo. Once you've completed the survey you will be directed to a completion page which will provide details on how you can submit your own logo to the Condors.

This season the Condors Kids Club has excelled not only in activities, but also in membership. To date the Kids Club has well over 300 members, which is the highest membership total in team history. This season for only $20 Kids Club members enjoy tickets to six games, Kids Club t-shirt, exclusive prizes and a party to meet the players. As if that weren’t cool enough, the Condors now offer their Kids Club members an all-access pass to the Kids Zone. Located on the South concourse at all Condors home games, the Kids Zone consists of a Condors bounce house and slide, inflatable slapshot game, mini hockey rink for kids to actually play on, and a prize wheel. With the purchase of a Kids Club membership, kids get to enjoy these fun activities, unlimited and free, all season long. Without a Kids Club membership, Kids Zone access is $3 per game.

The Kids Club will close out the season with the biggest party of the year - the Condors Kids Club meet the team party! This year the event will be held at Rollerama West on April 1. All Kids Club members will receive free entry, skates, lunch and 2 hours of fun with all of the Condors players.

The Condors Kids Club will be accepting new members all season long. Don’t miss your chance to be in the coolest club in Condorstown, contact the Community Relations Department for more information at 324-PUCK (7825).

Brett Lutes has points in six consecutive home games

Josh Liebenow has points in seven of 11 road games this season

Danny Taylor has won two straight games and stopped 76 of 83 shots (91.6%) in that span

The Condors are outscoring opponents 36-22 in the first period

The Condors have scored eight goals when they have a 5-on-3 advantage

The Condors are 3-0-2 in one-goal games on the road

The Condors would like to welcome corporate partner Central Body Works back for another season. Central Body Works has been a proud sponsor of the Condors for many years.

We are most definitely proud to sponsor the Condors and have the relationship with them that we do,” said Central Body Works Owner, Jeaneene Campbell. “Customers come in all the time and tell us how great the team is and how much fun they have at all the games. It’s exciting to team with such a highly recognized community figure.”

CENTRAL BODY WORKS is family owned and operated and our goal is to serve you the customer with the friendly service you deserve. Your car is most likely the second largest purchase you will make in your lifetime, and your family's safety is our top priority, we are commitment to you is to restore your car to it's pre-loss condition using the finest State of the Art, Equipment and Materials possible from start to finish. For more information visit http://centralbodyinc.com/ or call 661.325.7022.

We are a third of the way through the season Condors fans, and your Condors are making this season one to remember.

Coming off the team’s most successful campaign ever last year, Condors fans have continued their phenomenal support by flocking to The Nest to the tune of 88,086 fans in the club’s first 15 games, which is the highest total attendance of any team in the ECHL as of Thursday, Dec. 28. As well, the average of 5,872 fans is third best in the ECHL.

At the start of the season, the Condors came out of the gate slowly, still searching for ways to mesh the skills and attributes of each player into the concept of the team, but showing signs of potential to prove they are a team to be reckoned with. After 26 games, it’s clear to see that the 2006-2007 Condors are a contender in the race for the Kelly Cup.

A youthful spark came to the team via rookie Todd Griffith, a Welland, Ontario native. While unable to participate in the first few games of the season due to immigration issues, Griffith hit the ice and came out full force during the month of November, being named the Kern Trophies Condors Player of the Month. Griffith helped ignite the team, along with team leaders Sean Venedam, Mike Hofstrand and Kevin St. Jacques, helping to produce a 8-2-0 mark since the beginning of December, and outscoring their opponents 48-29 in the process.

To date, Griffith leads the team with 14 goals in 18 games but hasn’t been the only Condor putting the puck in the net. Brett Lutes, a Condor previously in 2004-05, has tallied 13 goals and scored the Condors first hat trick of the season in an exciting 4- 2 win over the reigning Pacific Division Champion Fresno Falcons on Dec. 1. The Condors followed Lutes’ heroics with an explosion of goals in a 10-2 demolition of the Long Beach Ice Dogs. A record- setting evening was witnessed by 6,242 fans as the team scored 10 goals for the first time, and also tied a team record with four power-play goals on the night.

On the other side, the Condors defense has been keeping the puck out of the net, allowing only 30 power play goals in 218 short-handed chances, giving them a penalty kill rate of 86.2%, fourth best in the ECHL.

In goal, Jamie Hodson has been a consistent asset to the team. Overall, Hodson has registered an 12-3-2 record and yielded a 2.86 goals against average while stopping an average of 33 shots per game.

“Early on people thought Hodson was a question mark; he hadn’t played in seven to eight months,” stated Mark Pederson, Condors assistant coach. “For a goaltender, timing and positioning on the net is important, it takes a few games to get it together after not playing for a while. He is an important asset to the team and will be a solid goaltender for the rest of the season.”

The Condors coaching staff believes that the solid play of the team’s leaders along with the supporting cast, consistent goaltending and continued success on special teams are signs that the Condors are going to go a long way this season.

“I want to win a championship,” stated Condors head coach Marty Raymond, Condors Head Coach. “Wins don’t mean anything unless you bring home the Cup and a ring.”

Do you know hockey? The Condors are looking for OFF-ICE OFFICIALS. Haven’t you always wanted to run the game clock, light the lamp, be in the penalty box or keep track of who’s doing what on the ice? Then we have just the thing for you! Contact Michael Trujillo at 342-PUCK (7825) or mtrujillo@bakersfieldcondors.com for more information.

The Condors’ Mailbag has been integrated into the Condors website as a way to answer questions regarding the team, front office and organization. The coaches and front office will answer all relative questions. If you’d like to ask a question or check out some other questions the Condors’ Mailbag is displayed on the Condors homepage.

Mailbag Post:
From Sean:
Who picks the 3 stars of the game? During the most recent game against Las Vegas, Liebenow had a goal and 2 assists. He played a great game and was worthy of a star, yet no star for Liebenow. Don’t worry Josh, your doing great, star or not. Keep up the good work!

Mailbag Response:
We are in total agreement that Mr. Liebenow should have been named one of the “3 Stars of the Game”. In Condorstown, the “3 Stars of the Game” are voted on by the broadcasters from both teams, media personnel, and other team personnel. Although we think that this system is the fairest way to decide the “3 Stars”, some teams may have slightly different selection procedures. We can tell you that Voice of the Condors Jake Stevens is generally given the opportunity to vote on the “3 Stars” when we are playing a road game, however at the end of the day, the home team can name anybody they desire. The “3 Stars of the Game”, is a promotional tool for the home team, and most home teams will typically show some bias to their own players, as admittedly we do here. However any player will tell you though that they would much rather get the win than receive one of the “3 Stars of the Game”. Thanks for the great question!

Justin Fahsbender
Game Operations Manager

Saturday, Jan. 6th, 2007
Asian Salad, Fried Rice, Honey Orange Chicken, Mango Pineapple wontons

Wednesday, Jan. 10th, 2007
Warm Spinach Salad, Chicken Encroute, Roasted Winter Vegetables, Rice Pilaf, Classic Picnic Chocolate Cake

Condorskids.com has a fresh new design that continues to be user friendly and entertaining for kids of all ages.

In the newly revamped site, kids can now have access to great new features including a list of the players’ favorite things about the holidays, desktop wallpapers of their favorite player and fun games they can play such as Condor Concentration, Snowman Challenge and Hockey Showdown. Also available on Condorskids.com are logic and trivia puzzles, links to the Condors community calendar and main website. As well they can check out the features they already love including frequently asked hockey questions and answers section, facts on the California Condor, and player bios.

Kylie Gamez – 12/29
Joel Irving – 1/2
Andrew Ianiero – 1/10

email: condors@bakersfieldcondors.com

phone: 661.324.PUCK (7825)

web: http://www.bakersfieldcondors.com