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Thunder Play Utah in Game Two of Three

February 28, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


A slightly later start in Utah at 7:05 p.m. PST will pit the Thunder and Grizzlies against each other with Stockton hoping to snap a losing skid.

Arena: Maverik Center

Date: Saturday, February 28

Time: 7:05 p.m. PST

Broadcast: ECHL.TV and Spreaker beginning at 6:50 p.m. PST

This Year's Record: Stockton is 3-3-0-0 vs. Utah

Follow the Thunder Facebook Page for occasional updates or follow @StocktonThunder on Twitter for the play-by-play tweeting!

Last Time vs. Utah

After a first period full of beautiful saves from both Kent Simpson and Igor Bobkov, the Thunder were able to break through early in the second while Corey Fienhage found himself in the penalty box.

James Henry found Adam Phillips for the one-timer and while Bobkov made the initial save, Thunder captain Garet Hunt was there to deposit the rebound into the back of the net. That would be the score up until the later stages of the second when Ryan Hayes tipped past a T.J. Syner pass past Simpson to tie the game.

Just before the midway mark in the third, the former Thunder forward would find his second straight goal when his shot beat Simpson up high. Moments later a turnover in the Thunder zone found it's way onto the stick of Alex Krushelnyski and the All-Star forward would put the Grizzlies up by two. Mathieu Aubin added then empty netter for the 4-1 Utah win.

Tonight

The Thunder look to snap a skid of five-straight losses and begin a mad dash to the playoffs. With 18 games remaining, the Thunder can reach a high of 69 points, meaning the Thunder have to win, and win often, if they hope for postseason play.

Who to Watch

We've used this space to mention so many great players, and recently, it seems that we've spoken so much about guys like Vinny Scarsella, Tyler Shattock, Tyler Maxwell, and most recently Jack Combs.

While fans should certainly watch those players, it's time to keep an eye on the face of the franchise.

Garet Hunt has had his most productive month of the season, scoring 4 goals and adding 2 assists in the 11 games of February. With one more game to go, Hunt has a chance to match and potentially exceed the 156 career points that marks the team's lead in points. While Mike Lalonde currently holds said honor, it could fall to the man who is in his seventh season with the Thunder.

All-Time Watch

To continue on the above paragraphs, the scoring situation between Garet Hunt, Ryan Constant and Mike Lalonde is in danger of falling to one of the Thunder's star players very soon.

Lalonde's 156 career Thunder points is in jeopardy as Garet Hunt pulled within a point of the tying the record with 155 while Ryan Constant sits right behind him at 151.

Both Hunt and Constant have missed time due to injuries this season as Hunt missed 11 games while Constant was placed on Injured Reserve on December 14.

Hunt is the only one close to Lalonde's all-time record of 72 goals with his 61 markers, putting the Thunder captain 11 shy of tying the record.

Combs Makes his Debut

Jack Combs made his debut with the Thunder on Wednesday, playing primarily with Tyler Maxwell and Adam Phillips. He saw time on the power play and penalty kill in what was his first game in North America since January 11 and only fourth since.

While Combs made his debut, he went pointless for just the fifth time in his 2014-15 ECHL season and finished the game -1. Seeing as Combs still ranks tied-seventh in the ECHL in scoring, we venture a guess that he'll find his first point as a member of the Thunder sooner rather than later.

Interesting Fact

Garet Hunt scored his 10th goal on Wednesday, marking the third time in his seven-year pro career he scored 10 or more goals. Hunt did so in 2010-11 (13 goals), 2013-14 (career-high 14 goals) and this season with 10 goals and 18 games to go.

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