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Amazing Playoff Season Ends for Thunder

May 10, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release


Sean Harrison of the Bloomington Thunder
Sean Harrison of the Bloomington Thunder
(Bloomington Thunder)

DUBUQUE, Iowa - The fantastic ride for the Bloomington Thunder to capture the Clark Cup in only their second season came to an unfortunate end on Tuesday night. The Dubuque Fighting Saints were able to hold the Thunder away from multiple chances in the game and take a 3-0 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. The Thunder battled in the post season as the number four-seeded team in the playoffs and overcame multiple series deficits to get to their tenth game of the post season. The Fighting Saints will move on to face the Tri-City Storm in the Clark Cup Final.

The former expansion team put together a statement year as a playoff contender, taking down the Anderson Cup champions in the first round of the post season. In the second round, the Thunder tied the series twice including a Game 4 overtime win.

In Game 5, the Thunder came out with a firry first period performance. The Thunder battled for the best chances in the opening frame with 13 shots on net. Jake Slaker put a laser shot on the net that trickled through to the opening of the goal. The Fighting Saints were able to get to the puck before it crossed over the goal line and clear it down the ice.

Also getting a good look was Jake Durflinger. On the left side of the post, Wyatt Kalynuk (Western Michigan University) fed the forward a one timer. Fighting Saints goaltender Hunter Miska (University of Minnesota-Duluth) slid across and denied the Thunder on a split save. It was one of 25 that he ended the game with to bounce back for Dubuque.

The Fighting Saints battled for two in the second. Casey Johnson (University of North Dakota) scored his first of the playoffs battling in the offensive zone while shorthanded. An unfortunate bounce to the front of the net hit the Thunder and opened the scoring just under seven minutes in. The Zach Solow found himself at the right place at the right time. The shot from Colin Theisen (Dartmouth College) was going wide, but Solow reached his stick out and tipped it in.

Hayden Lavigne (University of Michigan) was brilliant on the game making 36 saves between the pipes. Following a 39 save game, the goaltender turned chance after chance away on the night to keep his team in the game. Only the two Fighting Saints redirects went in as an empty netter was added late in the third.

Pushing chances in the third period, the Thunder ran into a tough defensive effort by the Fighting Saints to hold the defensive zone. A strong number of shots were blocked before getting to the net but the Thunder kept firing. Down to the final two minutes of the game, chances still emerged for Bloomington. Dubuque took an angled shot off the glass and Andrew Kerr watched one roll in to finish the night.

The end of the night by no way signified the Thunder season. In their second year, Bloomington emerged as a top team in the USHL and played that way down to the final buzzer. Big things are set to come for the Thunder. Players moving on to college will be missed, but it also creates a pipeline and a long lasting legacy that the Thunder hope to instill for years to come. As they begin a journey into the offseason, the Thunder look back on an impressive year and run in the playoffs. Then it turns to embark onto the 2016-17 regular season.

SEASON TICKETS: Tickets are now on sale for the 2016-17 season with the Thunder as they look for their second consecutive post season run. Bloomington's tickets begin at $240 and also offer youth prices as low as $150. Also, take a look at our mini packs for some flexible alternatives. The Thunder offer 15, 8, and 6 game packages. Buy your season tickets in full by July 1st to be entered in a Chicago Blackhawks Ticket contest. One lucky winner will win a pair of tickets to a 2016-17 regular season game at the United Center. For more information call (309) 434-2980 or visit BloomingtonThunder.com.




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Sean Harrison of the Bloomington Thunder
Sean Harrison of the Bloomington Thunder

  



United States Hockey League Stories from May 10, 2016


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