Grizzlies escape defeat

March 10, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - Paul McIlveen scored two goals, added an assist and Andrew Engelage turned away 13 shots in the third period, part of a 31 save effort to help the Utah Grizzlies escape and defeat the Stockton Thunder (30-27-5, 65 points), 4-3 before 6,876 fans at Maverik Center on Saturday night.

The Thunder, forced to wait one more game to clinch a playoff berth after Bakersfield defeated Idaho 6-5 in a shootout, outshot Utah 34-26, had two leads in the first period and were led by Jason Morgan and Max Campbell's one goal and one assist effort. Mike Little collected the other Thunder goal in the third period.

A grueling schedule of seven games in nine days closed up with the Thunder finishing 3-4-0 in that stretch. Their next chance to clinch a playoff berth is Wednesday in a home game against Idaho at Stockton Arena and can earn the berth with a win, overtime or shootout loss or a Bakersfield Condors loss.

"You don't want to make excuses but we didn't have enough gas in the tank to play the way we wanted to," said Thunder head coach Matt Thomas. "I thought we battled hard, outplayed them and gave them a couple of easy ones early. I'm happy with the way the guys poured it on in the third period. We just didn't connect."

Morgan began a four goal offensive onslaught in the first period, combined by both teams to put the Thunder ahead, 1-0 on a power play goal at the 2:43 mark when he converted a rebound at the goal mouth from Rob Kwiet's one timer.

Utah answered on Evan Stephens' goal at 5:17 for a 1-1 tie when he buried a wrist shot from the point.

Campbell got into double digit scoring with his tenth of the season, restoring the Thunder lead at 2-1 with 4:49 left when he took Nathan Deck's centering pass and blistered a one timer past Andrew Engelage.

Paul McIlveen's 27th goal of the season knotted the score at 2-2 on his wrist shot from between the circles with 2:09 left in the first period.

McIlveen then buried a one timer from the left circle, on a delayed penalty, with 2:14 elapsed in the second period to put Utah up with a 3-2 lead.

The Thunder tied the score, 3-3 just 1:07 later on Little's eighth goal of the season when he rocketed a slap shot from the blueline through Engelage's five hole on a feed by Jordan Fulton.

Wahl then benefited off a fluky bounce for a power play goal at 7:39 of the second period, putting Utah up 4-3 when his centering pass from the left corner ricocheted off traffic and past Heemskerk's right pad.

The Thunder came back to outshoot Utah, 13-3 in the final period and earned territorial edge with several key chances late in the third period. With less than seven minutes left, Engelage squared up on a Gabriel Levesque re-direction at the goal mouth. One shift later, he stopped a wrist shot by Fulton, who aimed for the upper right corner of the net from the right circle.

Utah withstood pressure and closed out the win with Heemskerk pulled for an extra attacker.

Heemskerk took the loss with 22 saves.



ECHL Stories from March 10, 2012


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