Thunder Bounce Back in Defensive Thriller

February 25, 2014 - SPHL (SPHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release


BLOOMINGTON - The Bloomington Thunder won a defensive thriller that was scoreless through regulation and overtime and decided in a nine-round shootout for a 1-0 victory over the Knoxville Ice Bears on Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

The Thunder nearly dented the scoreboard midway through the middle period during a five-on-three power play but the rebound by Kyle Watson into the net was ruled off his glove and waved off.

The teams continued their scoreless battle through the remainder of regulation and a five-minute overtime in which the Thunder outshot the Ice Bears 5-0. In the shootout, the Thunder's Bobby Watson scored first in the second round but was countered by the Ice Bears' Mark Van Vliet in the third round. Bloomington's Reid MacLeod and Knoxville Ben Souders scored in the sixth round, but Harry Mahesh scored the game-winner for the Thunder in the ninth round on a low stick-side wrister from the inside edge of the right circle.

B.J. O'Brien earned the win with a 33-save shutout while Bryan Hince sustained the loss by stopping all 41 shots he faced in the 65 minutes. The Thunder killed all three Ice Bears power plays and did not convert either of their two chances.

The Thunder hit the road to face the Huntsville Havoc at 7:30 p.m. Central on Friday and a rematch with the Knoxville Ice Bears on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. Central. Games can be heard on WJBC.com and viewed via subscription on America One with links to audio and video broadcasts at www.bloomingtonthunder.com. All road games are shown on the big screen at Six Strings, 524 N. Center St. in downtown Bloomington. The Thunder return to U.S. Cellular Coliseum on Tuesday to host the Peoria Rivermen at 7:05 p.m. on a $2 Tuesday with $2 drafts, sodas, hot dogs and popcorn. Individual and single game tickets are available through the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office or by calling 309-434-2679. For group discounts and other information, call the Thunder office at 309-434-2980 or visit Facebook, Twitter (BLMThunder) and www.bloomingtonthunder.com.

Junior Blaze honors: The Midwest Junior Hockey League has recognized two members of the Junior Blaze with weekly awards. Tanner Vallon is the MWJHL Defenseman of the Week while logging more than 30 minutes on the ice in all three games against the Michigan Ice Dogs last weekend, scoring a shorthanded goal on Friday. Kent Nusbaum is the MWJHL Goaltender of the Week after picking up both wins out of the three games last weekend with 51 saves on Friday and 41 stops on Saturday. The Junior Blaze conclude their season this Friday, Saturday and Sunday with three games against the Berkley Bruins in suburban Detroit.



SPHL Stories from February 25, 2014


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