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Royals Silence Thunder

December 29, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - In a back-and-forth affair that inherited a battle of speed, the Stockton Thunder (5-14-3, 13 points) suffered a 6-4 defeat to the Reading Royals (17-6-2, 36 points), before a crowd of 4,483 at Stockton Arena on Wednesday night.

Mike Pandolfo's shorthanded goal put Reading out front 1-0 at 14:42 of the first frame. Reading's John Morlang provided additional support by adding a goal 16:49 in the first, hiking Reading to a 2-0 advantage by the end of the first period.

Reading came out strong in the second. Grant Jacobsen snuck behind Thunder goaltender Jeff Weber on an up-ice rush with a goal, putting Reading out front 3-0, 2:55 into the second. The Thunder struck back with Mike Lalonde's two-man advantage goal at 6:39, tapping in a Joel Irwin centering feed at the crease. Irwin earned a penalty shot late in the period (Stockton's second penalty shot in as many nights), but missed wide.

Aaron Foster added another goal for the Thunder at 16:57, pouncing on a rebound in the slot to cut Reading's lead to 3-2. Reading answered back with a quick goal by Doug Christiansen with one second left in the period, stuffing in a rebound past Weber.

Tension built between both teams in the third, with Grant Jacobsen adding a goal for Reading, 2:17 in the frame for a 5-2 Royals lead. Stockton's Aaron MacInnis answered with a rebound goal at the 6:14 mark, making it a 5-3 game.

Maris Ziedins helped the Thunder stay alive with a goal 14:57 into the period, scrapping in a rebound at the left circle for a 5-4 score. Reading though capitalized on an empty-net, when Chris Bala put the game out of reach with goal with a minute left in the third.

Weber finished with 23 saves for Stockton, while counterpart Yutaka Fukufuji finished with 33 saves for Reading.

Before the game, the Thunder announced defenseman Likit Andersson was activated off the seven-day injured reserve list, while defenseman Dean Stork was placed on the seven-day injured reserve list with an eye injury.

The Thunder and Royals return to play on Friday, December 30 with a 7:30pm (PT) faceoff at Stockton Arena. The game can be heard live on the internet (free-of-charge) and is available for a $6 "pay-per-view" rate at www.stocktonthunder.com, courtesy of B-2 Networks.

Thunder season tickets, individual tickets, and mini packages are on-sale now. Individual tickets can be purchased in-person at Stockton Arena's Box Office, online at www.stocktontickets.com, or by phone at (209) 373-1700. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit www.stocktonthunder.com. ###

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