Memorable day for 16 Boy Scouts at CPL Retail Energy Street Hockey Challenge with the Corpus Christi Ice Rays Players earn additional $2,000 for CPL's Neighbor-to-Neighbor bill payment assistance program

Corpus Christi, TX (4/11/2009) - Overcast skies and swirling wind didn't dampen spirits for members of Boy Scout Troop 73 and the many fans that came out to support them as they joined the pros for a fun afternoon of ball hockey Saturday at the CPL Retail Energy Street Hockey Challenge with the Corpus Christi Ice Rays.

The Challenge, a contest put on by CPL and the Ice Rays organization this season, was won by hockey and Ice Rays fan Tim Lovell, who took home a bubble hockey game and the chance to host friends and family for a game of pick-up hockey on the street fronting the American Bank Center.

"When I found out I won, I just kept racking my brain to think of a way for the street hockey game to not go to waste," said Lovell, a new father. He ultimately chose to donate the experience to local Boy Scout Troop 73.

"This outing really means to us that we get to give our boys a chance to not only meet the players and have a great time, but also have the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with this great team in their sport," said Scoutmaster Neal Martin. "We want to thank CPL and the Ice Rays for making this such a memorable day."

Ice Rays players Kris Tebbs, Justin Quenneville, Adam Powell, Chris Mei, Chris Richards, and Ryan Bennett split up into two teams, and were joined by eight of the members of Troop 73 on each side for what turned out to be a high-scoring game with a total of 37 goals scored. And every one of those goals went right back to helping local residents; CPL committed to putting $20 per goal towards Neighbor-to-Neighbor, a bill payment assistance program for CPL customers with financial need.

"This was really a first introduction to the game of hockey for a lot of these guys, but that didn't stop them from picking it up quickly and having a great time," said Lisa Dornan, CPL's senior manager of public relations. "Today's players raised $740 for Neighbor-to-Neighbor through goals alone. But the spirit and sportsmanship they've all shown has convinced us to raise that to an even $2,000, which will go back to helping CPL customers in the Coastal Bend who need a little extra help in paying their electricity bills this year."

CPL has been a sponsor of the Ice Rays the last two seasons. Also at the American Bank Center were members of CPL's Spread the Love team, who'll be out and about in Corpus Christi this week performing random acts of kindness for unsuspecting residents, including the purchase of gasoline and groceries, and paying for their parking and meals. Spread the Love is an initiative CPL has created to reinforce its community ties, aimed at helping South Texans during this difficult economic period.

CPL last reduced prices for most of its residential customers at the end of February, when it discounted its Direct Electricity Plan by 15 percent.

About CPL Retail Energy
CPL Retail Energy is part of the Centrica group of companies, one of the largest multi-state providers of retail energy services in North America. The North American operations have grown to more than 5 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Through its Direct Energy, CPL Retail Energy and WTU Retail Energy brands, the company is the third largest retail energy provider in Texas, and owns a series of energy-related services companies. Globally, the Centrica group of companies is a leading provider of energy and other essential services with approximately 32 million customer relationships. For more information, visit www.cplretailenergy.com.

For further information, please contact:

Lisa Dornan
Senior Manager, Public Relations
Direct Energy, CPL Retail Energy, WTU Retail Energy
12 Greenway Plaza, Suite 600
Houston, TX 77046
Direct line: 713.877.3925
Mobile: 281.726.5954
www.directenergy.com
www.cplretailenergy.com
www.wturetailenergy.com

Direct Energy® is a subsidiary of Centrica plc. All rights reserved. Centrica was created following the demerger of British Gas plc in 1997 and is now a leading supplier of energy and related services. To read more about Centrica plc please visit www.centrica.com.