Thunder, Condors combine for 11 different goal-scorers in offensive slugfest

November 16, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - A third period comeback for the Stockton Thunder (5-6-2, 12 points) fell short as the Bakersfield Condors capitalized on four power-play goals en route to a 6-5 win over the Thunder in front of 6,375 fans at the Stockton Arena on Sunday.

Three separate players attained two-point games for the Thunder, who were led by Ryan Huddy (1g-1a), rookie Jordan Bendfeld (1g-1a) and Bryan Lerg (two assists). Three separate Condors tallied two-point games and goaltender Ryan Nie stopped 31 shots for his second straight win.

Huddy notched the first goal of the night 3:16 in the first when he wrestled a puck free along the boards then broke out on a shorthanded two-on-one rush with Mike Lalonde as his outlet to his right. Instead of passing to Lalonde, Huddy kept the puck himself and fired a wrist shot that sailed into the top right corner of the net.

Thunder goaltender Bryan Pitton kept the Thunder on top when he made a sweeping glove save after being caught out of position on a shot by Charlie Kronschnabel, having to lay out to take away the shot in mid-air.

Martin Frechette tied the game 1-1 at 8:00 of the first period, wristing a shot from the right point that found its way through traffic.

A one-timed shot from Matt Pope from the slot extended the Condor lead 2-1 as he accepted a pass from Ryan Mahrle and slammed the puck through an opening on the left side of Pitton.

Bakersfield hiked the score to 3-1 just 19 seconds into the second after Andrew Ianiero continued to chip away at a pile of bodies in front of Pitton until he finally pryed the puck loose and across the goal line.

Lerg attempted a shot from in tight which ricocheted off Nie's left pad and left a long, slow rebound that was snatched up by Jordan Bendfeld, who fired it over the glove outstretched glove of Nie at 5:13 to bring the Thunder to within a goal at 3-2.

Bakersfield followed with two goals in a 22-second span to extend their lead to 5-2, their largest lead of the game. Mark Derlago's re-direction of Andrew Thomas' point shot posted the Condors' third power-play goal of the game at 11:24 for a 4-2 lead.

Dave Bonk then put the Condors ahead 5-2 on a delayed penalty, when he followed a wrist shot from the right circle with a rebound that was converted underneath Pitton's legs.

Stockton pulled within a two-goal deficit when Garet Hunt came streaking towards Nie and fired a shot that sent the puck hard off his pads, angling towards David Rohlfs, who rifled the rebound home at 14:41.

Cory Urquhart's team-leading fifth goal of the season trimmed the deficit to 5-4 for the Thunder with 1:03 left in the second period, converting a rebound at the left circle to cap a six-goal outburst in the second period between both teams.

The Condors responded early in the third period for the eventual game-winner when Matt Caruana's pass from a sharp angle deflected off a screen at the top of the crease and fluttered into the open goal over Pitton's glove for a power-play goal, giving Bakersfield a 6-4 lead just 1:32 into the period.

Mike Lalonde's third goal of the year, snapping a nine-game goal-scoring drought, ignited a Thunder rally in the waning minutes by burying a rebound from between the hash marks and cutting the Condors edge to 6-5 at 6:32.

A final Thunder rally threatened Bakersfield's lead but fell short in the last 10 seconds with Pitton pulled for an extra attacker. Cleve Kinley's one-timer from the mid slot whistled wide of Nie's glove, followed by a Neil Pertuic bomb from the middle point that Nie steered away through traffic as the clock expired.

NOTES: The Thunder scratched James Bates (healthy), Jeff Kryzakos (healthy), Marc-Andre Bernier (injured reserve), Mark Adamek (injured reserve) and Toby LaFrance (injured reserve) ... Thunder enforcer Adam Huxley had two separate bouts with Bakersfield counterparts Liam Huculak and Jason Bailey ... the Thunder fell to 1-2-0 in the season series against the Condors ... both teams have combined for 11 goals in each of the three games ... 2008 United States Olympic gold medalist (discus) Stephanie Brown Trafton, a local native of Galt, Calif., was in attendance.

The Thunder return to play on Wednesday, Nov. 19 against the Idaho Steelheads from Quest Arena, starting at 6:10 p.m. The game is available for viewing and listening exclusively on the internet 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/.



ECHL Stories from November 16, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central