ONTARIO, Calif. - Captain Craig Valette broke a 1-1 tie with a goal coming with 52.3 seconds left in regulation, lifting the Stockton Thunder (4-4-0, 8 points) to their fourth straight win and a 3-2 victory over the Ontario Reign before 4,503 fans at Citizens Business Bank Arena on Wednesday night.The Thunder, who finished a three-game road trip at a perfect 3-0-0 record, received additional goal-scoring support from Colton Yellow Horn (first in a Thunder uniform) and James Bates in the second period. Goaltender Bryan Pitton secured his first win of the year with 35 saves.
Ontario struck first with a power-play goal from Geoff Walker with 9:33 left in the first period, lifting his team to a 1-0 lead when he followed up Bryan Pitton's save on a Tim Kraus one-timer at the left goal line and banked the puck off the goaltender's right skate and into the net.
Yellow Horn leveled the score at 1-1 with 7:17 left in the second period for his first goal in a Thunder uniform, taking a post-to-post pass from Craig Valette and burying the puck past Ontario goaltender Mike Zacharias' blocker side.
The Thunder penalty kill thwarted five Reign power-plays in the period, including two 5-on-3 situations with Pitton making 13 saves to uphold the 1-1 tie.
Bates snapped the 1-1 tie with 3:32 gone in the third period after picking up a rebound at the right circle and rifling it under the crossbar. Jon Rheault answered with his seventh goal of the season to knot the score at 2-2 with 9:10 left in regulation, burying a rebound from the right circle.
Valette netted the game-winner when he set a screen in front of the net and caught a piece of Jordan Bendfeld's drive from the high slot, re-directing the shot past Zacharias for the game-winning goal.
After a penalty to Daryl Marcoux, Pitton sealed the game on a kick-save at the buzzer on Geoff Walker, killing off a 6-on-4, empty-net situation.
NOTES: The Thunder scratched Matt O'Dette (injured reserve), Chris Davis (injured reserve), Bobby Davey (injured reserve), Steve Vanoosten (healthy) and Kelly Czuy (injury) ... the Thunder all-time record against Ontario improved to 6-6-1 ... the Thunder improved their all-time record at Citizens Business Bank Arena to 5-1-1 ... Ontario outshot the Thunder, 37-19.
The Thunder moves onto play five of the next six games at home and return to Stockton Arena on Friday, facing the Alaska Aces at 7:30 p.m. to launch "Thunder Goes Pink 4." The game can be heard and viewed exclusively online at www.stocktonthunder.com, courtesy of B2 Networks (audio is free of charge).
The Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew 223,854 fans to Stockton Arena in 2008-09. Season Tickets for 2009-10 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit http://www.stocktonthunder.com/.
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