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Thunder Comeback Falls Short in 3-2 Loss

December 22, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


Thunder defensemen Ryan Constant and Landon Oslanski contribute one goal each, but isn't enough to overcome two-goal deficit

The Stockton Thunder's third-period comeback at the Stockton Arena fell short as they lost to the Ontario Reign for the second straight night with a final score of 3-2.

"I think our effort has been good for two nights now," Head Coach Rich Kromm said. "We came out good; we had good chances and came out with a lot of pressure. Our fore-check was good, we just didn't capitalize on our chances."

Stockton recorded the first goal of the night thanks to a first period slap-shot from defenseman Ryan Constant. After Trivino won the offensive-zone faceoff, Constant blasted the puck past the blinded Ontario netminder Michael Hutchinson for the early lead.

Ontario responded to tie the game 1-1 5:49 into the second period when forward Mario Lamoureux delivered the puck into the back of the net. The Reign then doubled the lead when Captain Derek Couture poked the puck past Thunder goaltender Patrick Milner with just 3:16 left in the second period.

After Ontario scored 3:36 into the third period to extend their lead to two, Thunder forward Corey Trivino won the draw in the offensive zone. Forward Matt Bergland then gathered the puck and found defenseman Landon Oslanski for the Thunder's second goal of the night.

"We have been throwing pucks at the net," Oslanski said. "Typically when you have more shots than the other team you win and tonight my goal just resulted from a simple shot that found its way in."

Earlier in the final frame Thunder Captain Garet Hunt was called for tripping, sending him to the penalty box for two minutes. During this Reign power-play, defenseman Shawn Boutin sent the puck into the stands, resulting in a delay of game penalty and a two-man advantage for the Reign.

Ontario capitalized on the two-man advantage and scored their third and final goal with just one second left on the Hunt penalty with a slap shot from Reign defenseman Matt Register. Register's goal ended up being the game winner as Stockton's comeback fell one goal short.

"Obviously the five-on-three was a difference maker in the game tonight," Kromm said. "It was unfortunate because Boutin was just trying to clear it and it went over the glass, but it is what it is and we have to go to their building tomorrow and get a win."

Milner, who was recently sent back down to the Thunder from Bridgeport, made his first start since rejoining the Thunder squad. He ended the night saving 15 of the 18 shots he faced.

With the loss, the Thunder's record fell to 13-9-0-4. Ontario leads the ECHL with 42 points. Both teams travel south to Ontario for the final game of the three-in-three showdown. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. in Ontario.

The next Thunder home game features a Garet Hunt bobblehead giveaway on December 28. The team will face off against the San Francisco Bulls on the 28th and 29th. On December 29th, fans of all ages are invited for WE PAINT the Ice Night and Kids Take Over the Stockton Arena sponsored by We Paint, Dr. Lester Low Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, and Naf's Ice Paint. For more information, visit www.StocktonThunder.com/wepaint.



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