Game 1 Preview: Stockton Thunder At Reading Royals (kelly Cup Finals)

Published on May 18, 2013 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


DATE: Saturday, May 18, 2013

TIME: 4:05 p.m.

SITE: Sovereign Center

RADIO: 1360 AM KFIV/StocktonThunder.com (America One)

NHL AFFILIATES

Stockton Thunder: Edmonton Oilers

Reading Royals: Washington Capitals

NEXT HOME GAME

Tuesday, May 21 vs. Reading Royals (7:00 p.m.)

GAME 3 - KELLY CUP FINAL

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

The Western Conference champion Stockton Thunder makes history tonight by playing in its first Kelly Cup Finals in team history, with Game 1 against the Eastern Conference champion Reading Royals at Sovereign Center. Stockton, the fourth seed in the Western Conference, reached the championship series by downing the fifth seed Las Vegas Wranglers and first seed Alaska Aces before taking out the third seed Idaho Steelheads in five games to win the West. The first seed Royals, who are also playing in their first Kelly Cup Finals, dispatched the eighth seed Greenville Road Warriors and the fourth seed Florida Everblades (the defending champs) before eliminating the second seed Cincinnati Cyclones in five games in the conference finals. The Thunder and Royals have not faced each other since Stockton's inaugural season in 2005, when Stockton went 0-2-1 in a three game series at Stockton Arena.

STOCKTON VS. READING - KELLY CUP FINALS (all times listed PT)

Game 1: Stockton at Reading - Saturday, May 18 - 4:05 p.m. (Sovereign Center)

Game 2: Stockton at Reading - Sunday, May 19 - 1:05 p.m. (Sovereign Center)

Game 3: Reading at Stockton - Tuesday, May 21 - 7:00 p.m. (Stockton Arena

Game 4: Reading at Stockton - Friday, May 24 - 7:30 p.m. (Stockton Arena)

Game 5: Reading at Stockton - Saturday, May 25 - 7:30 p.m. (Stockton Arena) *

Game 6: Stockton at Reading - Tuesday, May 28 - 4:05 p.m. (Sovereign Center) *

Game 7: Stockton at Reading - Wednesday, May 29 - 4:05 p.m. (Sovereign Center) *

*If necessary

BREAKDOWN: THUNDER ALL-TIME RECORD BY GAMES

GAME ONE

DATE ROUND OPP. LOCATION SCORE OT GOALIES (STK/opp) GWG

Apr. 10, 2007 NQF Idaho Qwest Arena W, 4-2 - Dubnyk/Silverthorn Tim Sestito

Apr. 11, 2008 NQF Las Vegas Orleans Arena W, 4-2 - Boron/Lalande Jonas Almtorp

Apr. 10, 2009 PSF Ontario CB Bank Arena L, 3-4 - Perugini-PITTON/Zatkoff Shawn Germain

Apr. 24, 2009 PF Las Vegas Stockton Arena W, 4-3 - Van Buskirk/Fisher-DeCARO Cory Urquhart

Apr. 5, 2010 NQF Alaska Menard Center L, 3-4 - Perugini/Sauer B.J. Crum

Apr. 16, 2010 NSF Bakersfield Rabobank Arena W, 3-2 10:18 Perugini/Levasseur J.F. Caudron

Apr. 30, 2010 NCF Idaho Qwest Arena L, 2-4 - PERUGINI-Pitton/Bachman Mark McCutcheon

Apr. 5, 2011 WQF Utah Maverik Center L, 2-5 - Sexsmith/Lamoureux Matt Reber

Apr. 3, 2012 WQF Colorado Stockton Arena W, 3-1 - Roy/Jones Jesse Fratkin

Apr. 13, 2012 WSF Alaska Sullivan Arena L, 1-2 - Roy/Coleman Garry Nunn

Apr. 5, 2013 WQF Las Vegas Stockton Arena W, 3-2 3:49 Roy/Fallon Matt Bergland

Apr. 19, 2013 WSF Alaska Sullivan Arena L, 2-5 - Roy/Coleman Alex Hudson

May 3, 2013 WCF Idaho Cent. Link Arena W, 3-1 - Roy/Robinson Maxime Boisclair

All-time game one record: 7-6

GLORY HAYES

Ryan Hayes, acquired in a trade by the Thunder from South Carolina on Mar. 1 for future considerations, leads the ECHL in playoff scoring (22 points) and assists (14) in 18 games. His 22 points has broken the Thunder single season playoff record (19) set by Oren Eizenman in 2009-10. Hayes had a seven game scoring streak (12 points), tied for the longest in the league for the postseason through Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals vs. Idaho.

PLAYOFF MATT-STER

Thunder head coach Matt Thomas enters the Kelly Cup Finals third in ECHL postseason history with 48 wins. He won a Kelly Cup title with Atlantic City in 2003 as assistant coach. This is Thomas' second appearance in the Finals and first trip to Reading since the 2009 ECHL All-Star Game when he served as a coach.

ROY'S RUN

Goaltender Olivier Roy - selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft - has won eight of the last ten postseason appearances and has broken numerous Thunder goaltending postseason records, including appearances (18), minutes (1082), wins (12) and saves (513). He is 7-1 lifetime with the Thunder in playoff overtime.

COUNT ON CLARK

Andrew Clark is tied for second in ECHL playoff scoring with 18 points in 17 games, leading all league rookies in playoff scoring as well. Four of his seven goals have come as game-winners and he also scored a game tying goal with five seconds left in regulation in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals at Alaska, en route to 4-3 overtime win which eliminated the Aces. Clark has scored six goals in the last nine postseason games.

RECORD RUN

The Thunder tied its playoff record with five goals in one period (3rd) on Apr. 12 in its 5-3 comeback win over the Las Vegas Wranglers in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinal. The feat equaled the accomplishment which was set twice in the Conference Quarterfinal in 2010 against the Alaska Aces, set in Game 3 (3rd period) and in Game 4 (1st period). Stockton won that series, 3-1.

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL(ER)

Thunder forward Shawn Weller collected 17 points and a +6 rating in 19 regular season games since joining the Thunder during the middle of the season. Weller, a former captain of Bakersfield and South Carolina and an ECHL All-Star in 2010, was acquired by the Thunder from South Carolina on Jan. 25 in exchange for defenseman Cameron Brodie and future considerations. Following his arrival, Weller posted four multi point games and tied his career high with a four point outing on Mar. 10 vs. Ontario.

MAN ADVANTAGE

This season, the Thunder ranked fourth in the ECHL on power play (20.9%) percentage. Harrison Reed - who led the Thunder in scoring with 45 points in 46 games - earned 12 goals on the man advantage which finished fifth in the ECHL. Their best streak was nine straight games with a power play goal from Jan. 12 to Feb. 1.

OVERTIME HEROICS

The Thunder had won eleven consecutive playoff games in sudden death overtime until Game 3 of the Conference Finals and is 5-1 in playoff overtime this season, tying the ECHL single season playoff record for most overtime wins. Since Matt Thomas took over as Thunder head coach in 2008-09, Stockton is 11-2 in sudden death overtime in the playoffs. The last Thunder win in sudden death overtime came in a 4-3 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Idaho Steelheads, with Andrew Clark scoring the game-winner.

RUNNING TO THE FINISH LINE

Dating back to Feb. 15, the Thunder completed a run to the regular season's conclusion with a record of 13-6-0. They won their final four games of the regular season which was their longest winning streak since Oct. 20 to Nov. 4 (6-0-0). Seven wins during the final 19 games were decided by one goal.

OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN

Garet Hunt was named the sixth captain in Thunder history on Oct. 12, taking the "C" for the first time in his career for full-time duty. Hunt served as an alternate captain for the Thunder last season and has helped guide the team to the playoffs for four straight seasons since his 2008-09 rookie campaign. Hunt is the Thunder all-time leader with 314 games played.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Thunder has made Stockton Arena ideal for home ice advantage this season with a record of 26-12-3 and 8-2 in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Below is a look at key figures for the Thunder at home this season:

At home this season, the Thunder:

- Recorded record of 26-12-3

- Totaled 17 games of scoring four goals or more

- Outshot the opposition 20 times this season

- Posted 25 games of 30 shots on goal or more

- Collected at least one power play goal in 20 of the last 30 games

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