Thunder Weekly--Final Week Includes 3 Crucial Games
March 17, 2014 - SPHL (SPHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release
The Bloomington Thunder still have post-season hopes as they conclude the regular season with a Tuesday game in Peoria and Friday and Saturday contests at home against the league leaders.
Stayin' alive: The Thunder can still earn a Southern Professional Hockey League playoff spot if they win their three remaining games and the Mississippi Surge lose their final two contests. The Thunder visit Peoria on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. before hosting the Pensacola Ice Flyers on Friday and Saturday at 7:05 each night. The Surge host Columbus on Friday and the Mississippi RiverKings on Saturday. Any point earned by the Surge will clinch the final President's Cup playoff spot.
Navigating the Rivermen: The Thunder have won the last four games with Peoria entering the final meeting at Carver Arena on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. The Thunder are 7-8-1 against the Rivermen. Thunder captain Travis Granbois leads the squad against the Rivs with 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) followed by 11 points from Tyler Noseworthy (4g, 7a). Garrett Vermeersch leads Peoria against Bloomington with 23 points (14g, 14a) and is one of six Rivermen with double-digit points against the Thunder with others including Nick Prockow (9g, 7a, 16p), Joe Schiller (1g, 11a, 12p), Parker Stanfield (1g, 10a, 11p), Matt Viola (4g, 6a, 10p) and Taylor Larsen (3g, 7a, 10p). Vermeersch is third in SPHL scoring with 54 points (26g, 28a) and second with six game-winning goals. Kyle Rank is the leading SPHL goaltender with a 1.88 goals against average and a .939 save percentage with a league-best eight shutouts.
Refreshing Pensacola: The Pensacola Ice Flyers last week clinched the regular season title and home ice advantage through the playoffs. The Ice Flyers are the defending President's Cup champions and have won a league-record nine straight games, most recently a pair of 2-1 decisions over Peoria at the Pensacola Bay Center last Friday and Saturday with Friday's win in a shootout. Joe Caveney leads the Ice Flyers and is second in the SPHL with 56 points (25g, 31a). Ross MacKinnon is second among league goalies with a 2.06 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. The Ice Flyers lead the SPHL in goals (199), assists (333) and points (532). The Thunder lost both of the previous meetings in Pensacola, 3-2 in overtime on January 31 and 8-3 on February 1.
Big finish: The Thunder host the Ice Flyers in the final two regular season games on Friday and Saturday with 7:05 p.m. puck drops each night. Friday is Pepsi Date Night with two lower end tickets available for only $20 when bringing a Pepsi product to the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office. Saturday is another Kids Eat Free Night presented by SERVPRO when those 12 and under can eat free hot dogs, corn dogs, popcorn, nachos and fries until the first Thunder goal. Saturday also features presentation of end-of-season player awards and a post-game jersey auction.
Thunder games can be heard on 93.7 FM inside U.S. Cellular Coliseum with online broadcasts on WJBC.com and America One subscription video. Broadcast links are found along with team information at www.bloomingtonthunder.com, Facebook and Twitter (BLMThunder). Group discounts for the final two home games are available by calling the Thunder office at 309-434-2980. Individual tickets can be purchased at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office between 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
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SPHL Stories from March 17, 2014
- Thunder Weekly--Final Week Includes 3 Crucial Games - Bloomington Thunder
- Havoc Slip into Fourth Place Tie with RiverKings - Huntsville Havoc
- Ice Flyers Clinch First, Break SPHL Attendance Records - Pensacola Ice Flyers
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