Bloomington Thunder Weekly Update

October 22, 2015 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release


BLOOMINGTON, Illinois - The Bloomington Thunder prep for week five in the USHL as they host the Sioux Falls Stampede for the first time since the 2014 home opener. After a tough weekend against the Fargo Force the Thunder are 3-5-0 and tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Steel.

LEAGUE LEADERS

Logan Lambdin: T-5th - Power Play Goal (2)

Jeremy Davies (Northeastern University): T-6th - Shots on Net (26)

Hayden Lavigne (University of Michigan): T-2nd - Wins (3), Shutouts (1), Games Played (6)

UPCOMING GAMES

Sioux Falls comes to the U.S. Cellular Coliseum on Friday, Oct.23 for a 7 p.m. game. The night is presented by McLean County Orthopedics and tickets start at just $10 when you call the Thunder office. As part of the season long food and drink specials, from 6-7 p.m. you can buy draft beer and soft drinks for $1 at the Coliseum concession stands. Sioux Falls is third in the Western Conference at 4-3-0 and are on a three-game win streak.

For specials or ticket info visit the Thunder's promotional page or call (309) 434-2980.

Saturday the Thunder hit the road for their first of four meetings with the Madison Capitols. The Thunder are 3-1-0 against Madison all time following their 2014 expansions. Madison is 4-2-0, on a four-game win streak and are the least penalized team in the USHL.

FORCE TAKE TWO

The Fargo Force took two games against the Thunder on their road trip. On Friday night the Force opened the game with four goals before Bloomington broke Ryan Wischow's (St. Lawrence University) shutout streak. Logan Lambdin began his two goal weekend with a power play goal in the third. Bloomington tried to muster a comeback in the game but fell 5-1 to the Force. Logan Halladay (University of Minnesota) entered the game in the second period, making 18 saves on 19 shots without taking the decision.

Saturday was a different story for the Thunder. On Pink in the Rink night, Bloomington held the Force to just three shots in the first period before opening the scoring in the second. The determined Thunder group scored two in the period, first from Sean Harrison (Union College) and then Lambdin again. Between the markers, Halladay also stopped a penalty shot from Riley Tufte (University of Minnesota-Duluth). Despite outshooting the Force 27-21, Fargo came back in the third with three goals to take the win. Denis Smirnov (Penn State University) helped the Force over the weekend with 5 points (2g, 3a), including the game winner on Saturday night.

LAMBDIN NETS TWO

Forward Logan Lambdin leads the team after the weekend with 3 goals this season. The Carleton, MI native scored 10 for the Thunder in 2014-15 in route for an 18 point rookie season. The 20-year-old missed two games to injury, but has scored a goal in each of the Thunder's three home games. Lambdin also has proved to be a threat on the power play, with two goals on the man advantage.

HARRISON SCORES AGAIN

Sean Harrison (Union College) has scored two goals in his rookie season in the USHL. He has scored goals in two of his last three games. Before joining the USHL, Harrison played for the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary's before moving to the BCHL's Cowichan Valley Capitals last season. Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks) and Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild) along with many other NHLer's are alumni of Shattuck St. Mary's as well.

GIVING BACK

The Thunder helped raise close to $6,000 from a post-game jersey auction on Saturday night. The money was put toward their annual Pink in the Rink donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer awareness and research. The Thunder will hold four more jersey auctions during the 2015-16 season.

COLLEGE COMMITMENTS

The Bloomington Thunder's most recent college commitment was defenseman Matt Foley (Yale University) to Yale on Sept. 22. To date, the Thunder have 18 players committed to Division I colleges. Western Michigan University has the highest presence on the roster with three commitments to Thunder players. Others include:

- Bemidji State University

- Brown University

- Cornell University

- Niagara University

- Northeastern University

- Quinnipiac University

- Union College

- University of Maine

- University of Michigan

- University of Minnesota

- University of North Dakota

THUNDER ALUMNI

Three Thunder alumni scored their first point in the NCAA this past weekend. Matt Mendelson (Penn State University), Vince Pedrie (Penn State University), and Ryan Siroky (Miami University) all had assists on goals over the weekend. Jack Jenkins (University of Notre Dame) and David Jacobson (Arizona State University) each saw their first game action over the weekend as well. Jacobson entered Friday night's game and played 37 minutes. He made 28 saves, allowing only one goal in his first game for the Sun Devils. Jenkins suited up against Pedrie and Mendelson on Saturday night for the Fighting Irish and recorded two shots. To date, nine Thunder alumni have played in the NCAA during their freshman seasons.

WJBC BROADCAST INFO

Tune into the Thunder's broadcasts this season through their radio affiliate WJBC.com. All games will be broadcast live through http://portal.stretchinternet.com/wjbc/ with a pregame report 15 minutes prior to the game. For video, check out FastHockey.com or follow the game on the Thunder's Twitter account.

NEXT HOME GAME: Friday, October 23rd - 7 p.m. - Bloomington hosts the Sioux Falls Stampede to wrap up a three game home stand. Draft beer and soft drinks will be on sale from 6-7 p.m. The night is presented by McLean County Orthopedics. Tickets can be purchased without service fees by going to the Thunder Box Office at the corner of Front St. and Madison St. For more information please contact the Thunder office at (309) 434-2980.

Season and Partial Ticket Plans: The 2015-16 season has begun, but we can still reserve your seat for every Bloomington Thunder game at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. You'll have a chance to win a pair of Chicago Blackhawks regular season tickets during the season along with other great promotions if you get season tickets.

Can't make it to every game? Check out 20 and 10-game ticket plans starting at only $100. Make it a voucher pack and get all the same benefits with more flexibility.

Check out our ticket pricing and reserve your tickets by calling (309) 434-2980.



United States Hockey League Stories from October 22, 2015


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