Lalande's shutout extends Thunder's slide to four games

February 14, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - Kevin Lalande made 25 saves for his third shutout of the season as the visiting Las Vegas Wranglers handed the Stockton Thunder (19-26-3, 41 points) its fourth consecutive defeat in a 3-0 loss before a crowd of 4,348 at the Stockton Arena on Wednesday.

Las Vegas was led by right wing Adam Cracknell (1g-1a), who had two points and the game-winning goal.

The goaltenders kept the opposing teams out of the net for the first 36:45 of the game until the Wranglers broke through with 3:15 remaining in the second period.

The scoreboard read 0-0 after the first period as Stockton goaltender Glenn Fisher shut down the ferocious Wrangler offense, keeping all 12 of their shots out of the net. The Stockton offense had similar problems on the offensive end of the ice as they were held to only 6 shots on goal in the period.

Las Vegas finally managed to break through as they capitalized on a man advantage as Aaron Power and Bruce Mulherin assisted on a Cracknell slap shot that whizzed by Fisher with 3:15 remaining in the period. The Thunder fired 9 shots at the net but the Wrangler defense held strong as they kept the Thunder off the scoreboard for the second consecutive period.

The Wranglers extended their lead at the 4:23 mark of the third period as Shawn Limpright chipped in a power play goal. Jason Jozsa and Tyler Mosienko assisted him on the goal. Las Vegas continued their attack as Brandon Kaleniecki put the Wranglers ahead 3-0 as he was assisted by Cracknell and Aki Seitsonen as he cleaned up a loose puck near the Stockton net with 10:23 remaining in the third period.

The Thunder managed a mere 25 shots on goal, with left wing Tom Zanowski accounting for six of them and Brandon Schwartz, Brian Lee, and Tim Verbeek took three shots apiece. Fisher put on a great effort in the net against a relentless Las Vegas offense but in the end he did not receive the help he needed. He made 36 saves of the 39 shots taken on him while Lalande finished with 25 saves.

The Wranglers took advantage of the power play as they scored on two of their five chances. The Thunder went 0-for-5 with a man advantage.

NOTES: The Thunder missed the services of leading-goal scorer Ryan MacMurchy (injury), Beau Geisler (injured reserve), Ryan Geris (injured reserve), and Adam Huxley (injured reserve)... The Thunder was held scoreless for just the third time in club history and for the first time ever at home ... Las Vegas out shot the Thunder 39-25 ... the Thunder fell to 2-6-0 in the season series against Las Vegas and 4-13-1 lifetime.

The Thunder returns to play on Saturday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m., hosting the Alaska Aces at Stockton Arena. The game can be heard live on radio at 1420-AM KSTN and online (video and audio available) at www.stocktonthunder.com, courtesy of B2 Networks.

The Thunder has led the ECHL in attendance for two consecutive seasons and drew 244,085 fans to the Stockton Arena in 2006-07. Season tickets, group tickets and individual tickets for 2007-08 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit www.stocktonthunder.com.



ECHL Stories from February 14, 2008


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