Bloomington Thunder Weekly

December 17, 2013 - SPHL (SPHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release


The Bloomington Thunder stay in Central Illinois for three games against their rivals this weekend.

Playing in Peoria: The Thunder will face the Peoria Rivermen on Friday at 7:15 p.m. and Sunday at 3:15 p.m. at Carver Arena with the teams squaring off at U.S. Cellular Coliseum on Saturday night at 7:05. The Thunder have come up empty in four meetings against the Rivs this season, suffering a 5-1 loss in Bloomington in the penalty-filled most recent meeting in Bloomington on November 30. Nick Prockow leads the active Rivermen against the Thunder with nine points (6 goals, 3 assists). Ron Cramer has one goal and three assists for four points to lead the Thunder against Peoria.

Last time out: The Thunder earned an impressive 5-1 win over the Mississippi Surge on Friday in the debut of Greg Pankewicz as Thunder coach, but fell to the Surge 5-2 on Saturday and 6-1 on Sunday. Burke Gallimore recorded two goals and an assist in Friday's win. After holding the Surge scoreless in four power plays on Friday, the Thunder gave up five goals in 10 man advantages in the remaining two games.

Leading the way: Kevin Walrod (7g, 9a) and Travis Granbois (4g, 12a) each have 16 points to lead the Thunder. Tyler Noseworthy is a close third with 15 points (6g, 9a). B.J. O'Brien leads the goaltending corps with a 3.17 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. The Rivermen are paced by 19 points from Nick Prockow (8g, 11a) and 12 points, all from assists, by Joe Schiller. Eric Levine has recorded a 3.08 goals against average and a .901 save percentage in net.

Is that Sponge Bob?: The Thunder's special guest for Saturday night's game is Sponge Bob Square Pants, who will meet with fans before and during the game. Saturday features another Kids Eat Free Night courtesy of SERVPRO in which kids 12 and under can eat corn dogs, hot dogs, nachos, fries and popcorn for free from the gate opening at 6:05 until the first Thunder goal.

Delivering those teddy bears: The Thunder players will be helping distribute toys, including the donations tossed onto the ice and into collection boxes at U.S. Cellular Coliseum last weekend, on Thursday afternoon at the Salvation Army headquarters in Bloomington.

Here come the Hawks: The Thunder and Rivermen last week announced a partnership with the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks that will include two special Blackhawks Nights in each venue at dates to be determined this season including giveaway items and in-game promotions plus dasher signs and social media elements throughout the remainder of the season.

Central Illinois Strong Friday: The Thunder will be joining the Peoria Rivermen with efforts to help residents of Washington and Pekin rebuild after about 1,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in Sunday's tornado. The storm-ravaged communities are located between Bloomington and Peoria. Friday, December 20 has been designated "Central Illinois Strong Night" when the Rivermen host the Thunder at Carver Arena. Special jerseys will be worn by the Rivermen that night and auctioned after the game with all proceeds going to the local American Red Cross efforts to help area residents affected by the devastating storm. Both teams' players and staff are planning to assist with clean-up of the storm's aftermath.

Juniors battle: The Bloomington Junior Blaze grabbed four of six possible points from the Michigan Ice Dogs with a 6-0 win on Friday and a 6-5 nine-round shootout win on Sunday sandwiched around a 6-3 loss in the middle game. The Junior Blaze host the Berkley Bruins for three games before the holiday break at 1 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday and Monday at U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

Group discounts and multi-game packages are available by calling 309-434-2980, and the latest Thunder information can be found at www.bloomingtonthunder.com, Facebook and Twitter (BLMThunder). All Thunder games can be heard inside U.S. Cellular Coliseum on 93.7 FM and online at WJBC.com with subscription video available through America One Sports. Links to the broadcasts are at www.bloomingtonthunder.com. Fans are invited to watch all road games at Six Strings, 524 N. Center St. in downtown Bloomington.



SPHL Stories from December 17, 2013


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