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Perugini ties Thunder record with ninth straight victory in net

February 14, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder won their seventh home in the last 10 attempts while rookie goaltender Andrew Perugini tied a club record with his ninth straight victory in a 2-1 shootout win over the Utah Grizzlies before a crowd of 5,461 at Stockton Arena on Friday.

The Thunder, who began a stretch of playing three games in three nights at home, beat Utah on their own home ice for the first time since Dec. 2, 2006. Perugini's record tied Devan Dubnyk's mark, who set the record in 2006-07. Captain Matt O'Dette scored the only Thunder goal in regulation while Utah's only goal came from Tom May.

Thunder leading scorer Ryan Huddy scored the eventual shootout winning goal in the fourth round, when his highlight-reel deke to the backhand beat counterpart Peter Mannino, who helped Utah claim a point in the standings with 41 saves.

In the first period, Perugini (13-6-2) made six saves on the Grizzlies which included a point-blank stop on Tim Verbeek's one-timer in the slot, knocking the puck way with a right-pad kick save. Mannino countered with 12 stops for Utah, highlighted by his save on Mike Lalonde's shorthanded breakaway.

On the same day he was named the third captain in Thunder history, O'Dette helped his team draw first blood with a power-play goal 7:53 into the second period, his fourth of the season. O'Dette set a screen in front of the goal and re-directed Damian Surma's snap shot from the high slot past Mannino.

Tom May's 16th goal of the year on a shorthanded 1-on-1 break leveled the game at 1-1 with 4:19 left in the second period. May took Rob Hennigar's chip pass off the boards and raced into the slot, beating Perugini through the five-hole.

Both teams played through a scoreless third period with the goaltenders taking over. Perugini made seven saves on Utah and stymied two power-play chances. Mannino labored through 14 saves as the Thunder missed on two open net opportunities in the waning minutes, including a rebound to Ryan Huddy at the right circle with under five minutes remaining.

The Thunder outshot Utah 5-1 in the overtime period and Perugini blanked the Grizzlies in the best-of-five shootout. Huddy's goal was the deciding factor in the fifth round which set-up Perugini's game-ending save on Andy Sertich, who was forced wide on a backhander from the slot.

NOTES: The Thunder scratched Marc-Andre Bernier (injured reserve), Jordan Bendfeld (injured reserve), Cleve Kinley (injured reserve) and Ryan Constant (injured reserve) ... both teams played with just 14 available skaters ... the Thunder improved to 10-12-3 lifetime against Utah ... former Thunder forward Tim Verbeek made his first return to Stockton Arena since signing with the Grizzlies in the 2008 offseason ... the Thunder outshot Utah 43-28.

The Thunder returns to play tomorrow, hosting the Bakersfield Condors at 7:30 p.m. at Stockton Arena. The game is available exclusively online (audio is free-of-charge) for viewing for a $7 charge at http://www.stocktonthunder.com/ (courtesy of B2 Networks).

The proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers and American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons, the Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for three consecutive seasons and drew 239,337 fans to Stockton Arena in 2007-08. Season, group, individual tickets and mini plan packages are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit http://www.stocktonthunder.com/.

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