Thunder gains point, moves into fifth in conference

January 21, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - Alaska Aces right-winger Joe Talbot's goal at the 1:24 mark of the overtime period lifted the Aces to a 3-2 overtime win over the Stockton Thunder in front of a sell-out crowd of 9,737 fans at Stockton Arena on Saturday night. The Thunder (18-9-7, 43 points) pick up one point in the ECHL standings with the OT loss.

Thunder forward Stephane Goulet opened the scoring at the 4:29 mark of the first period, the recipient of a tape-to-tape feed from right winger Stephen Slonina. Goulet, left unmarked in front of Aces goaltender Derek Gustafson, converted a spin-o-rama type effort to give Stockton a 1-0 lead, sliding the puck past Gustafson stick-side for his 10th goal on the season. Alaska forward Olivier Filion would level the score at 1-1 at 14:19 beating Thunder goaltender Devan Dubnyk with a one-time shot along the ice from the right face-off circle. The tally was Filion's 19th goal thus far this season.

Thunder left winger Tim Sestito propelled Stockton to a 2-1 advantage at the 14:05 mark of the second period beating Gustafson with a low wrist-shot from the slot position as the clubs were skating 4-on-4. Thunder defenseman Tim O'Connell collected his 200th career point in professional hockey on the play, having been credited with an assist on Sestito's 10th goal of the season.

Aces forward Kevin Croxton would level the contest at 2-2 at 11:04 of the third period, capitalizing on a Thunder give-away in front of the Stockton goal. Croxton proceeded to beat Dubnyk with a 20-foot wrist shot top shelf on the stick-side to record his 15th goal of the season.

In the extra frame, Aces defenseman Matt Shasby fed a streaking Joe Talbot who capped a coast-to-coast effort by beating Dubnyk with a wrist shot from the right face-off circle to give Alaska the 3-2 win. It was Talbot's 7th goal on the season.

Aces forward Matt Shasby assisted on all three Alaska goals, as O'Connell led the Thunder offense with two assists. The Thunder jumps into fifth place in the National Conference ahead of the Idaho Steelheads with the overtime decision. Idaho lost in regulation earlier tonight against the Phoenix RoadRunners.

The Thunder returns to play on Sunday, January 21 with a 4:00 p.m. home game against the Alaska Aces at Stockton Arena. The game can be heard live on the internet (free-of-charge) and is available for viewing for a $6 "pay-per-view" charge at www.stocktonthunder.com (courtesy of B2 Networks).

Thunder season tickets, mini-plans and individual tickets for the 2006-07 season are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit www.stocktonthunder.com.



ECHL Stories from January 21, 2007


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