Game Preview: Stockton Thunder at Utah Grizzlies

Published on January 14, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


The Thunder faces the Utah Grizzlies for the third meeting of this season beginning Friday at Maverik Center, the former host hockey site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Thunder is 13-17-3, lifetime against Utah and 1-1-0 in the head-to-head series. The last meeting between both teams was on Dec. 11, when Stockton defeated Utah, 3-2 at Stockton Arena. The Thunder will end the road trip with a Monday game, completing a stretch of playing 15 of 19 games on the road since Dec. 1. The Thunder currently is 8-6-3 on the road.

LAST THREE GAMES:

STK 5 ‚¬" BAK 3 (1/12/11): Veteran forward Jarrett Konkle collected a natural hat trick in his home debut and rookie Bretton Cameron ‚¬â„¢s career-high four points (1g-3a) boosted the Thunder in a third period rally, sinking the Bakersfield Condors, 5-3 before a crowd of 3,620 at Stockton Arena on Wednesday. Konkle ‚¬â„¢s hat trick, third in his career and the second natural hat trick in Thunder history (Chris D ‚¬â„¢Alvise, 2009-10), guided the Thunder to its third win in four games and fourth over the Condors at Stockton Arena this season. Jim McKenzie ‚¬â„¢s go-ahead goal with 5:57 left in regulation stood as the game-winner, breaking a 3-3 tie.

STK 3 ‚¬" VIC 1 (1/8/11): Rookie Bretton Cameron collected his second multi-goal effort in three games, including the game winner in the second period, and Bryan Pitton outdueled Chris Beckford-Tseu with 30 saves to lift the Thunder to a 3-1 victory over the Victoria Salmon Kings before 3,734 fans at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Saturday. Cameron took over as the active Thunder goal-scoring leader with 10 goals (tied with Chris D ‚¬â„¢Alvise), scoring four in three games while Ryan Constant helped out with a first period goal. Stockton took four of six possible points in the three-game series and finished 5-1-0 in six games this year in Victoria.

VIC 4 ‚¬" STK 2 (1/7/11): David Shantz made 25 stops and the Victoria Salmon Kings never trailed, using three unanswered goals in the first period to skate past the Thunder, 4-2, before a crowd of 3,308 at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Friday. Victoria busted out with its rally in a span of 8:02 and Michael Wilson and Tim Kraus each recorded two assists. Anthony Aiello and Jason Pitton picked up the only Thunder goals in the first and third period, respectively.

UPCOMING MILESTONES:

· Ryan Constant is 4 points away from 200 in his professional career

· Ryan Constant is 14 games away from 300 in his professional career

· Jim McKenzie is 13 games away from 200 in his professional career

SEASON SERIES (Thunder is 1-1-0)

Fri. Nov. 26 Utah 3 at Stockton 2

Sat. Dec. 11 Utah 2 at Stockton 3

Fri. Jan. 14 at Utah 6:05 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 15 at Utah 6:05 p.m.

Mon. Jan. 17 at Utah 6:05 p.m.

Fri. Feb. 4 Utah 7:30 p.m.

Sat. Feb. 5 Utah 7:30 p.m.

Wed. Mar. 9 at Utah 6:05 p.m.

Fri. Mar. 11 at Utah 6:05 p.m.

Sat. Mar. 12 at Utah 6:05 p.m.

Sun. Mar. 13 at Utah 3:05 p.m.

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).

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) * 361

2. Malcolm Cameron (four teams) * 312

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

4. Glen Gulutzan (Las Vegas) 254

5. Matt Thomas (Stockton, Fre, A.C.) * 248

* Currently ECHL active

BETTER WITH BRETTON

Bretton Cameron has reached a tie for the Thunder goal-scoring lead (10), collecting six goals in his last six games. He had the first multi-goal game of his career on Jan. 5 at Victoria and had two game-winning goals in two wins last week at Victoria. He followed up on Wednesday with a career-high four points (1g-3a), in a 5-3 Thunder win vs. Bakersfield. Last season, he topped career-highs in goals (40), points (67) and penalty minutes (119) in 68 games in 2009-10 with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League.

MAD HATTER

Jarrett Konkle ‚¬â„¢s hat trick on Wednesday (5-3 win vs. Bakersfield) was the second natural hat trick , 12th overall in Thunder history and the third overall in his career. He scored twice in the second period, in a span of 1:10 and followed up with a go-ahead goal with 10:10 left in the third period. Below is a look at the all-time hat tricks in Thunder history:

THUNDER ALL-TIME HAT TRICKS

2005-06 1. Lance Monych 3/11/06 at Bakersfield

2006-07 1. Tim Verbeek 1/13/07 vs. Bakersfield

2007-08 1. Ryan MacMurchy 1/6/08 vs. Bakersfield

2008-09 1. Cory Urquhart 1/8/09 at Phoenix

2009-10 1. Chris D'Alvise 11/1/10 at Victoria

2. James Bates 1/16/10 vs. Utah

3. Igor Gongalsky 1/29/10 vs. Victoria

4. Chris D'Alvise ** 2/5/10 at Ontario

5. Matt Robinson 3/28/10 vs. Las Vegas

2010-11 1. Chris D ‚¬â„¢Alvise 11/6/10 vs. Bakersfield

2. Chris D ‚¬â„¢Alvise ** 11/13/10 vs. Idaho

3. Jarrett Konkle 1/13/10 vs. Bakersfield

** Denotes natural hat trick

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