Cameron caps off heroic comeback on game winner with 10.9 seconds left

November 27, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - Bretton Cameron capped a two goal effort and third period rally on a game winning goal with 10.9 seconds left in regulation, lifting the Stockton Thunder (8-6-3, 19 points) to an epic 3-2 comeback victory over the Las Vegas Wranglers before 5,572 fans at Stockton Arena on Saturday.

The Thunder scored a trio of goals in the final 3:05 of regulation and combined with Las Vegas for three goals in the final 62 seconds of regulation which featured a pair of lead changes. Cameron's game winning goal came when he buried a wrist shot over Joe Fallon off the rush.

"Obviously an emotional win for us with two losses at home where we played well enough to score a lot of goals, but didn't score and came away with no points," said Thunder head coach Matt Thomas. "You can feel the energy in the building and the energy on the bench - all the way through the arena. It certainly gives us some momentum. Bretton's a guy who can score goals and had been struggling. It's nice to see some guys step up."

Ryan Martindale gave the Thunder a 2-1 lead with 1:02 left in regulation. The comeback gave goaltender Thomas Heemskerk the win with 28 saves in net.

Chris Francis got Las Vegas on the board at 17:13 of the first period with a power play goal, on a wrist shot that seared through a screen from the high slot.

The Thunder responded with pressure at the Las Vegas net in the second period, tying a season high with 19 shots in a 20 minute span. Fallon turned them all away and the only one that got by him rang off the post via a Jordan Foreman snap shot from between the circles.

Fallon continued to turn everything away in the third period until a rush up ice with 3:05 left in the third period, enabling Cameron to tie the game at 1-1 on his third goal of the season. After Colten Hayes was leveled in the defensive zone, Cameron carried the puck up ice and cut to the right wing, firing a wrist shot through Fallon's five hole from the circle.

Defenseman Channing Boe then took down Jordan Fulton on his drive to the net and was called for interference, helping the Thunder earn a critical power play with just 2:01 left in regulation. Martindale capitalized on his first professional goal with 1:02 left in the game, drilling a wrist shot past Fallon from the right circle.

On the ensuing shift, Las Vegas pounced on a defensive zone turnover behind the net, helping Adam Miller set up Eric Lampe who stashed his 17th goal of the season into an open net from the bottom of the right circle with 46 seconds remaining, which tied the game right after Fallon was pulled for an extra skater.

That's when Cameron took the stage again.

With the Thunder managing the puck at center ice, Nathan Deck flipped a feed ahead for Fulton, who got behind the Las Vegas defense. As he raced down the left wing, he fed a tape-to-tape pass to Cameron at the right circle, who rifled a wrist shot over Fallon's stacked pads with 10.9 seconds remaining to restore the lead and sending Stockton Arena into pandemonium.

The Thunder won the ensuing faceoff and dumped the puck into the offensive zone to seal their second comeback victory when trailing after two periods.

Fallon absorbed the loss with 34 saves.



ECHL Stories from November 27, 2011


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