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Game Preview: Stockton Thunder at Ontario Reign

January 23, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


The Thunder heads into the All-Star break with one final game, on the road against Ontario Reign, finishing three games in three days. The Thunder is 4-1-1 against Ontario this season and in the last meeting, the Thunder defeated Ontario, 4-1 at Stockton Arena last night. Through 25 regular season games in the all-time series, the Thunder is 15-9-2 against Ontario. Stockton has combined for 24 goals in the first six games of the series.

LAST THREE GAMES:

STK 4 - ONT 1 (1/22/11): Captain Craig Valette snapped a 1-1 tie with his third goal of the season, igniting a three-goal rally by the Thunder in a 4-1 victory over the Ontario Reign before a crowd of 9,482 at Stockton Arena on Saturday. In the Thunder's sixth annual ‚¬Å“Teddy Bear Toss ‚¬Â game, where fans were invited to donate stuffed animals to the ice surface on the first Thunder goal (for youth charity), Jim McKenzie scored the promotional goal early in the first period, and Jesse Gimblett and Jarrett Konkle chipped in with a goal each for the Thunder. Stockton won its seventh in a row and improved to 3-1-2 in the annual ‚¬Å“Teddy Bear Toss ‚¬Â event.

STK 7 - ONT 2 (1/21/11): Fraser Clair (2g-1a) and Ryan Constant (three assists) both posted three-point games to lead the Thunder to its sixth consecutive victory, routing the Ontario Reign in a 7-2 victory before 5,395 fans at Stockton Arena on Friday. Stockton came back from an early 1-0 deficit to score seven of the next eight goals, claiming its seventh win in the last eight games and moving up to fourth place in the Western Conference. In a fight marred game that featured 96 penalty minutes, 50 which came in the final 3:27 of the game on five separate fights, the Thunder also got goal-scoring help from Steve Vanoosten, Jim McKenzie, Jordan Fulton, Jarrett Konkle and Garet Hunt.

STK 6 - UTA 3 (1/17/11): Defenseman Ryan Constant scored a pair of goals, including his second of the game to break a 3-3 tie with 2:08 left in regulation, to help lift the Thunder to their fifth straight win, 6-3, over the Utah Grizzlies before 2,739 fans at Maverik Center on Monday. The Thunder, who improved to 6-1-0 in the last seven games and swept Utah on the road for the first time since the 2006-07 season, jumped back to second place in the Pacific Division and tied for fourth in the Western Conference. In helping battle back from a 3-1 deficit, Fraser Clair netted a three point game (1g-2a) and P.A. Bureau, Bretton Cameron and Steve Vanoosten also chipped in with a goal each.

UPCOMING MILESTONES:

- Ryan Constant is 9 games away from 300 in his professional career

- Jim McKenzie is 10 games away from 200 in his professional career

SEASON SERIES (Thunder is 4-1-1)

Fri. Oct. 15 Ontario 6 at Stockton 3

Sat. Oct. 16 Ontario 5 at Stockton 4 (OT)

Fri. Oct. 22 Ontario 1 at Stockton 3

Sat. Oct. 23 Stockton 3 at Ontario 2 (SO)

Fri. Jan. 21 Ontario 2 at Stockton 7

Sat. Jan. 22 Ontario 1 at Stockton 4

Sun. Jan. 23 at Ontario 5:00 p.m.

Wed. Feb. 9 at Ontario 7:00 p.m.

Wed. Feb. 16 at Ontario 7:00 p.m.

Sun. Feb. 27 at Ontario 5:00 p.m.

CROWDING OUT THE ECHL

A whopping crowd of 9,482 piled into Stockton Arena for the ‚¬Å“Teddy Bear Toss ‚¬Â game, the largest crowd at Stockton Arena this season and the fourth crowd over 9,000 in the event's history. It put the Thunder back in the lead for top attendance in the ECHL, attracting an average of 6,154 fans per game, through 17 home games. The Thunder led the ECHL in attendance last year with an average of 6,218 fans through 36 home games. Stockton has 14 sellouts in the team's franchise history and in 2008-09, the Thunder became the first team since 2004-05 to lead the ECHL in attendance for four straight seasons (Florida led the ECHL in attendance for five straight seasons - 2000-05).

LIKE THUNDER, THE OFFENSE ROLLS

Scoring four times last night in a three-goal win, the Thunder have posted a combined 33 goals in their seven-game win streak, also tying a season-high with seven goals in Friday's 7-2 win vs. Ontario. Currently, the Thunder ranks 7th in the ECHL with 3.2 goals per game.

CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDER

The Thunder enters Sunday's game with 63 major penalties, leading the ECHL. Additionally, their average of 22.4 penalty minutes ranks second in the ECHL, eclipsed only by Utah's average of 23.6 per game. Individually, the Thunder is led by Garet Hunt, who has 91 penalty minutes. Eight players on the Thunder have registered 50 penalty minutes or more at the halfway mark this season.

LIKE A BROKEN RECORD

The Thunder broke a club record on Saturday, Nov. 20 in a 2-1 shootout loss to Idaho for a 12-game unbeaten streak in regulation (8-0-4). The previous standard was set with an 11-0-0 run in 2006-07. The Thunder began the streak with a 5-4 overtime loss to Ontario on Oct. 16 at Stockton Arena and tied the mark on Nov. 18, in a 3-2 shootout win over the Idaho Steelheads.

THUNDER ANSWERS ROAD RULES CHALLENGE

The Thunder owned a 6-0-2 streak on the road to begin the season, finishing as the last remaining team in the ECHL yet to lose a game in regulation on the road. Additionally, the streak to start the season broke the mark of five straight games without a loss in regulation (5-0-0), set back in 2006-07 (Mar. 17-31). Currently, the Thunder have won four straight games on the road, tying a season high.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF

Thunder head coach Matt Thomas ranks third in wins in the last decade in the ECHL (among active coaches), entering the year with a lifetime .606 win percentage (234-143-54 record) in six seasons as a head coach for Stockton, Fresno and Atlantic City. Thomas also has never missed the playoffs, won a Kelly Cup championship in 2002-03 as an assistant coach with Atlantic City, has been named coach for the ECHL All-Star Game twice (2005, 2009) and has been behind the bench in a coaching role for teams that advanced to the Conference Finals three times.

ALL-TIME WINS, REGULAR SEASON (2000-2010)

COACH WINS

1. Jeff Pyle (Gwinnett, Mobile) * 362

2. Malcolm Cameron (four teams) * 314

3. Davis Payne (Alaska, Pee-Dee) 289

4. Glen Gulutzan (Las Vegas) 254

5. Matt Thomas (Stockton, Fre, A.C.) * 253

* Currently ECHL active

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