Bates enters the Thunder record books with four-goal outburst

Published on January 17, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - James Bates set a new team record with four goals and tied another with a five-point (4g-1a) game, helping lift the Stockton Thunder (15-16-5, 35 points) to a 6-4 victory over the Utah Grizzlies before 5,907 fans at Stockton Arena on Saturday night.

Bates, who became the sixth player in Thunder history to record a hat trick, became the second player in Thunder history to notch a five-point game (Brock Radunske vs. Utah, Mar. 22, 2007) and scored the eventual game-winner with just 41 seconds elapsed into the third period. J.F. Caudron snapped a five-game goal-scoring drought with a first period goal, and Matt Robinson hit the double-digit goal plateau in the second period.

The Thunder took a 2-1 lead through one period, starting with Caudron's ninth goal of the season just 1:24 into the game when he took Igor Gongalsky's pass in the right corner, walked into the slot and ripped a wrist shot past the glove of Mitch O'Keefe.

James Sixsmith leveled the score at 1-1 on a Utah power-play goal, finishing off a post-to-post feed at the right side of the crease from A.J. Perry with 9:44 left in the period.

Bates' ninth goal of the year restored the Thunder lead to 2-1 with 4:34 left, when he tapped in a loose puck behind O'Keefe after ex-Grizzly Jason Pitton's wrist shot at the left circle was fumbled by the Utah goaltender.

Both teams erupted for five combined goals in the second period, emerging with a 4-4 tie after 40 minutes that began with A.J. Perry's rebound goal at the doorstep with 4:21 into the period on the power-play.

Just 31 seconds later, Bates stole the puck from O'Keefe and slipped the turnover through his five-hole from the slot for a shorthanded goal, restoring the Thunder edge to 3-2 on the forward's second goal of the game.

Robinson finished off a backdoor pass by Justin DaCosta with 9:54 gone in the period, hiking the lead to 4-2 on his 10th goal of the year, a one-timer at the left goal post. Utah, unfazed, responded with two goals in less than five minutes to knot the game on Patrick Asselin's rebound goal at 10:40 and Tim Crowder's power-play marker, Utah's third of the game, on a wrist shot from between the hash marks with 4:28 left.

Bates completed the hat trick just 41 seconds into the final period when he followed up Chris D'Alvise's attempt from off the rush and buried a backhander from the right circle, giving the Thunder another one-goal lead.

As the period continued and the Thunder managed the puck for the duration of the last few minutes, Utah's attempt to tie the game by pulling O'Keefe for an extra attacker backfired, and Bates stole a pass at the red line, burying the empty-netter with 45.5 seconds left in the game for the record-setting goal and 6-4 Thunder lead.

O'Keefe took the loss with 32 saves in the game.

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ECHL Stories from January 17, 2010


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