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8,155 fans pour into Stockton Arena, Ontario escapes late Thunder flurry

March 17, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder (33-26-9, 75 points) was shut out at home for the first time since December 2011 as Troy Redmann earned his first ECHL win in a 1-0 victory for the Ontario Reign (43-16-7, 93 points) in front of 8,155 fans at Stockton Arena on Saturday.

"You tip your hat to Troy Redmann, who was an emergency backup for us three years ago," Thunder head coach Matt Thomas said afterwards, "He hasn't played hockey in six years. He played well, but we didn't make him work."

Redmann stopped all 27 shots he faced on the night. His Thunder counterpart Olivier Roy - making his first start since returning from Oklahoma City - made 25 saves in his return to Stockton.

Kyle Kraemer netted the game-winner, while forward Ryan Hayes led the Thunder with five shots on goal.

Ontario jumped on the board when Cameron Burt sent a pass from behind the goal to Kraemer, who one-timed a shot at the lip of the crease by Roy for a 1-0 Reign lead 9:04 into the first period.

From there, the game turned defensive and physical. Captain Garet Hunt and Justin Pender let emotions boil over, dropping the gloves for a lively scrap in the second period.

Things got out of hand in the third period, when multiple penalties in just a couple minutes resulted in three Thunder players in the box and a stretch of three-on-three hockey.

Late in the third, the Thunder pulled Roy for an extra attacker. The Thunder pressed and nearly found the back of the net several times, but Stockton was ultimately denied at the end.

"It's frustrating for the whole team as a group," Hunt said, "I thought we played much better than we did last night. We got some shots on net, but it was definitely frustrating."

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