Constant the Hero in Overtime Thriller

Published on February 23, 2014 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


Stockton defenseman Ryan Constant scored the game-winning goal with 1:12 remaining in OT to clinch a 4-3 win for the Thunder against the Colorado Eagles

It took the Stockton Thunder (25-21-0-5) more than the 60 minutes of regulation to get the job done, but they managed to come away with a 4-3 overtime victory against the Colorado Eagles (26-15-6-4) on Saturday night in Loveland, CO. Defenseman Ryan Constant had the game-winner with a slap shot from the right wing circle that beat Eagles goaltender Adam Brown on the glove side.

Constant's blast capped a back-and-forth game that saw five goals scored in the second period but no tallies in the third as goaltenders Brown and Parker Milner put on a show with several fine saves. Forward Corey Trivino put on a fine display of his own finishing with one goal and two assists for a three-point night.

Forward Joey Martin opened the scoring late in the first period with a goal 19:02 into the frame. Brown made the save on an initial shot from the right wing but the rebound eventually found its way to Martin for his 15th goal of the season. The tally gives Martin the active team lead in goals this season, breaking a tie with captain Garet Hunt, putting him two behind the 17 goals scored by Greg Miller before the forward was traded.

As long as it took to open the scoring, the second period was chalk full of goals. The Eagles Jonathan Parker scored his second goal of the weekend just 2:18 into the period to make it 1-1. That was answered by a response from the Thunder. Mathieu Gagnon knocked in his first professional goal for the 21-year-old rookie from Montreal, QC. Matt Bergland had the initial shot, which Brown stopped, but he could not cover the rebound leading to Gagnon's eventual goal through the five-hole.

Just 0:14 later the Thunder were back on the board again. Trivino, having picked up assists on both of the team's previous goals, scored his first since his return to the Thunder from the AHL to make it a 3-1 lead. The back-to-back tallies in quick succession stunned the crowd momentarily, but they were back on their feet just over two minutes later. Kyle Kraemer scored at the 6:04 mark of the second period to cut the deficit down to one. Kraemer then made it two straight goals as finished off a power play chance with 1:11 to play in the period to make it 3-3. Trent Daavettila picked out Kraemer for a one-time blast from the left wing that Milner could not keep out.

The third period was all about the netminders though. Milner made two huge stops early on to keep the score tied. First he robbed Kevin Ulanski with a left toe save on a two-on-one chance for the Eagles with Kraemer. Later, with the Thunder on the power play, Riley Nelson broke away for a one-on-one scoring chance. However, unlike Friday when Nelson scored a short-handed goal that eventually stood as the game-winner, Milner snared the backhand shot in his glove. Brown was equally impressive on the other end and both goaltenders had 28 saves to their credit by the end of regulation.

In overtime, the Thunder got the first break as Constant drew a boarding penalty from Kyle Ostrow that gave the team a four-on-three power play for two minutes. The Eagles managed to kill it off, but it was only a delay from what was coming. With 1:12 remaining in the sudden death period, James Henry slid the puck to Constant in the right wing circle. The defenseman had enough time to get off a slap shot that found the net for his sixth goal of the year.

The spirited game featured three fights as Trivino, Gagnon and Hunt each dropped the gloves at one point for the Thunder. The Thunder power play continued to have difficulties going 0-for-5 in the game, making the team 0-for-15 with the man advantage in their last three contests. The win was the Thunder's second overtime victory on Colorado's home ice this year as the team also earned a 3-2 win in OT on November 8. It was the Thunder's fourth overtime win this season. The team is also now 14-3-0-5 in games decided by one goal this season.

The Thunder finish off their three-game weekend set with the Eagles on Sunday afternoon when they return to the ice for a 1:05 p.m. PST start. Both teams have won three games against the other setting up a winner-take-all showdown for the season series crown in their seventh and final meeting of the year. The Thunder then return home for their next game at Stockton Arena against the Ontario Reign on March 2.

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