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Mannino's 40 saves enough to thwart Thunder rally in third period

February 21, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - Peter Mannino made 40 saves and Rob Hennigar tallied a goal and an assist to help the Utah Grizzlies edge the Stockton Thunder, 2-1 before a crowd of 4,834 at The E-Center on Saturday night.

Damian Surma tallied the only Thunder goal in the third period while Utah's Tim Verbeek notched the game-winner on the power-play in the first period. Hennigar scored a shorthanded goal in the first period to send the Thunder to its fourth straight loss.

The Thunder began the opening period battling against nearly 15 minutes of penalty kill time which also claimed defenseman Cleve Kinley, who was making his return to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 17 and made a quick exit with 6:42 left in the first period when issued a five-minute cross-checking penalty and a game misconduct.

Yet, it was a shorthanded goal that got the Grizzlies on the board with a Thunder defenseman losing an edge at center ice, and Rob Hennigar capitalized on a breakaway for his seventh goal of the season with 8:37 left in the first period.

After Stockton killed off two consecutive 5-on-3 power-plays, Tim Verbeek victimized his former team with his career-high tying 24th goal of the year with just two seconds remaining on the major power-play, converting James Brannigan's centering pass at the goal mouth and lifting Utah to a 2-0 edge with 1:54 left in the period.

Both goaltenders matched each other save-for-save, with Pitton turning aside 10 Utah shots in the second period. Mannino labored through a five-on-three Thunder power-play but kept Utah ahead by two with 17 stops in the second.

Surma got the Thunder back in the game with a shorthanded goal, Stockton's ninth of the year which cut the Utah lead to 2-1 with 4:35 gone in the final period. Surma converted an odd-man rush, took Ryan MacMurchy's pass into the slot and beat Mannino with a wrist shot from between the circles.

The Thunder rally continued with Huddy missing an open net with backhanded shot and center Craig Valette's bid denied from the left circle with a 6-on-5 skating situation, but Damian Surma's pass into the slot with two seconds left missed Huddy in front of the goal for the final scoring chance of the game.

Pitton, who lost his sixth straight game, kept the Thunder in the game with 29 saves.



ECHL Stories from February 21, 2009


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