Game Preview: Stockton Thunder at Utah Grizzlies

Published on January 17, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


TONIGHT ‚¬â„¢S MATCHUP

The Thunder faces the Utah Grizzlies for the fifth meeting of this season tonight at Maverik Center, the former host hockey site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Thunder is 15-17-3, lifetime against Utah and 3-1-0 in the head-to-head series. The last meeting between both teams was on Jan. 15, when Stockton defeated Utah, 4-1 at Maverik Center in a game that featured 149 minutes in penalties. The Thunder ends a three-game road trip with tonight ‚¬â„¢s game, completing a stretch of playing 15 of 19 games on the road since Dec. 1. The Thunder currently is 10-6-3 on the road.

LAST THREE GAMES:

STK 4 ‚¬" UTA 1 (1/15/11): A total of 12 fighting majors and 149 total penalty minutes highlighted a game where Thunder led wire-to-wire, cruising to 5-1-0 in the last six games and a 4-1 victory over the Utah Grizzlies at Maverik Center on Saturday. The entire five-on-five lineup combined for 68 penalty mintutes and four fighting majors on the opening faceoff. In between all of the scraps, the Thunder, who skated with an original lineup of just 15 skaters and went with 14 after the Gimblett ejection, got the eventual game-winner from P.A. Bureau in the first period, spotting additional goals from Bretton Cameron, Daryl Marcoux and Ryan Constant.

STK 4 ‚¬" BAK 2 (1/14/11): Rookie winger Bretton Cameron collected a goal, assist and a fight for a ‚¬Å“Gordie Howe Hat Trick, ‚¬Â headlining nine different teammates who collected points to guide the Thunder to a 4-2 victory over the Utah Grizzlies before 3,123 fans at Maverik Center on Friday. The Thunder, who improved to 2-1-0 in the head-to-head series with Utah, holding the best record in the Western Conference to enter the game, had Garet Hunt pitch in with a power-play goal, Jesse Gimblett contribute with a game-winner in the third period, and Jim McKenzie finish with an empty-netter. Goaltender Bryan Pitton made 32 saves to improve to 11-4-3 with the win.

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.

UPCOMING MILESTONES:

· Ryan Constant is 3 points away from 200 in his professional career

· Ryan Constant is 12 games away from 300 in his professional career

· Jim McKenzie is 11 games away from 200 in his professional career

SEASON SERIES (Thunder is 3-1-0)

Fri. Nov. 26 Utah 3 at Stockton 2

Sat. Dec. 11 Utah 2 at Stockton 3

Fri. Jan. 14 Stockton 4 at Utah 2

Sat. Jan. 15 Stockton 4 at Utah 1

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.

NO LOVE LOST

The Thunder collected 68 penalty minutes, including six fighting majors, setting a season-high in penalty minutes in Saturday ‚¬â„¢s 4-1 victory at Utah. Both teams combined for 149 penalty minutes and 12 fighting majors. The Thunder PIM mark still was short of the club ‚¬â„¢s all-time record, 98 PIM ‚¬â„¢s, set against Phoenix on Jan. 25, 2009 (9 minor, 4 major, 6 misconduct). Through four games in the head-to-head series, both teams have combined to post 375 penalty minutes.

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 three 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) * 313

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

4. Glen Gulutzan (Las Vegas) 254

5. Matt Thomas (Stockton, Fre, A.C.) * 249

* Currently ECHL active

BETTER WITH BRETTON Bretton Cameron has taken the lead in Thunder goal scoring (12), collecting eight goals in his last eight 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, two weeks ago at Victoria. He followed up on Wednesday with a career-high four points (1g-3a), in a 5-3 Thunder win vs. Bakersfield and had a ‚¬Å“Gordie Howe Hat Trick ‚¬Â (goal, assist, fight) in Wednesday ‚¬â„¢s 4-2 win at Utah. 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 last 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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