Mississippi Sea Wolves Official Hockey Web Site

BILOXI, Miss. � The Mississippi Sea Wolves announced today that the ECHL�s leading scorer Steffon Walby has been placed on the 7-day injured reserve, defenseman Andrei Lupandin has been activated off the 7-day injured reserve and Chuck Thuss has signed as an emergency back-up goaltender.

Walby, 31, leads the ECHL with 47 points by tallying 18 goals, 29 assists and a plus/minus of +25 over 26 games. The 6-foot and 200-pound Walby was named a Starter for the Western Conference at the ECHL All-Star Game to be held on January 21 at Peoria, Illinois.

Lupandin, 25, missed 10 games after being placed on the injured reserve on December 10. The 5-foot-10 and 190-pound Lupandin has played a total of 18 games with Mississippi this season, collecting three goals and 12 points along with a plus/minus of +5.

Thuss, 31, is in his third season as Mississippi�s Director of Player Development. Greg Gardner was recalled yesterday by Rochester of the American Hockey League. The former goaltender played professionally for seven years, including four seasons with Mississippi. In 1998-99, Thuss won the Fan Favorite Award and was a member of the Sea Wolves ECHL Kelly Cup Championship team. The 31-year-old is Mississippi�s all-time goaltending leader with 58 wins and eight shutouts. In 120 contests with the Sea Wolves, Thuss compiled a 58-39-10 record, 2.88 goals against average and .911 save percentage.

The Sea Wolves get back into action with two home games this weekend starting at 7:35 p.m. tonight against the Columbia Inferno at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. It�s 2-for-1 military night, sponsored by Keesler Federal Credit Union. The game can be heard beginning at 7:20 p.m. with the Nextel Pregame Show on ESPN Radio WXBD-AM 1490 and online at www.msseawolves.com.

Mississippi completes its weekend at home beginning at 7:35 p.m. tomorrow by hosting the Louisiana IceGators at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Promotions include $2 drafts and $2 hotdogs from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and �Teddy Bear Toss Night.� Fans are asked to bring a stuffed animal to throw onto the ice immediately following the Sea Wolves first goal. The local police and fire department are the recipients. They will provide the stuffed animals for children at accident scenes and in times of crisis. The broadcast will start at 7:20 p.m. with the Nextel Pregame Show on WTNI-AM 1640 and online at www.msseawolves.com.

Individual game tickets can be purchased at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum box office, all TicketMaster locations and by calling 228-594-3707.

Flex packs, discounted group tickets and fundraiser opportunities are available by calling 228-275-WOLF.