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Thunder Go for Four against Ontario

January 26, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


The Thunder finish the home-and-home series with the Ontario Reign today when the team looks for their fourth straight win over Ontario at Stockton Arena beginning at 4 p.m.

Fans who can't make it out to the game can watch live coverage of the game on AmericaONE. Free live audio of the broadcast is available to listen to on Spreaker.com andStocktonThunder.com. Free audio is now also available from AmericaONE on your computer, on iOS devices, and android devices.

The Thunder began to turn the season series around on the Pacific Division leading Ontario Reign back on December 22 when the Thunder finally solved their rivals in a 5-1 win. Then the Thunder would make it two wins against the Southern Californian side on January 15 when they'd come away with a 4-2 win, to finish off a season long five-game road trip.

This week the stage was set for a potential four point swing against the league leaders as the top two teams in the division would be scheduled for a home-and-home series starting in Ontario and finishing up today in Stockton.

The ninth meeting between the teams on Friday resulted in yet another Thunder win as they'd skate away with a 4-1 decision. The Ontario Reign got out to a quick start pressuring the Thunder and goaltender Brian Foster making his seventh straight start, however, Ontario's Matt Register would take a cross-checking penalty just 1:19 into the game and the top power play unit went to work.

James Henry would get a pass from Matt Bergland and fire one at Ontario netminder Jussi Olkinuora. The goaltender had a hard time seeing the shot through a number of his own teammates, and Garet Hunt supplying the screen, and just 1:45 into the game, the Thunder got the lead.

However, under a minute into the second period, Ontario would knot the game up at one thanks to a shorthanded goal courtesy of Jason Dale. A Mike Dalhuisen shot was blocked at the blueline and would be picked up by Ontario's Jake Hauswirth. Hauswirth's shot was stopped by Foster but both the goaltender and Dalhuisen were unable to locate the puck. Dale, following up on the play, slid the puck in the open net to tie the game at one.

Slowly the Thunder began to respond after allowing their second shorthanded goal of the season and turn the tide in their favor. With Joey Martin and Cameron Burt in the box with matching roughing minors, the teams would skate 4-on-4. Henry would pick up a puck just outside of the Thunder zone, look up, and see a streaking Nathan Deck splitting the Ontario defense. The forward hit Deck in stride and the defenseman did the rest of the work, wristing a shot past Olkinuora's blocker for the Thunder 2-1 lead. Just 1:04 later the speedy J.P. Burkemper would extend the Thunder lead with a great individual effort.

Mitch Bruijsten broke up a play near the Thunder blueline and the puck would carom to the boards with Burkemper picking it up. Burkemper, watched by Ontario defenseman Burt, decided to cut inside the defender in the neutral zone and quickly showcased his breakaway speed. As the Ontario defense scrambled to chase down Burkemper, the winger would be forced to go to the outside, but he cut back in toward Olkinuora at the last second, stickhandled around a poke check from the aggressive netminder, and stuffed the puck in for the Thunder 3-1 lead.

Foster would be magnificent the remainder of the way, including an amazing stop on Mario Lamoreux while Deck was in the penalty box. The puck worked out to Lamoreux on Foster's doorstep, and despite the netminder momentarily out of position, he'd come post to post to make the magnificent save to keep the Thunder ahead by two.

After a Greg Miller empty net goal in the dying seconds of the game, the Thunder would take their third straight victory on Ontario ice home with them. Foster finished stopping 29 of 30 while Olkinuora stopped 30 of 33.

Certainly the importance of today's game between the Pacific Division rivals cannot be understated as yet another big two-points are up for grabs. Only 10 points separate the division leaders from the Thunder. Stockton is also on a four-game points streak. They beat the Reign in Ontario on Wednesday, January 15, then the Condors at home for Teddy Bear Toss three days later. A shootout loss to the San Francisco Bulls a day later could have derailed the Thunder's momentum but the team came back and beat Ontario just two days ago after their "All-Star" break.

The Ontario Reign are a very different team now without one of the best goaltenders in the league, Michael Hutchinson. Hutchinson is 22-4-0-2 this season before being called up to the AHL. His backup, Mathias Niederberger, was also called up just a day after losing to the Thunder on the 15. That has left Jussi Olkinuora to mind the net for the Ontario Reign, but in 5 games played, the goaltender is just 1-2-1-0 with a 3.20 goals against average and a .878 save percentage.

Meanwhile, Foster has played every minute for the Thunder since Parker Milner was called up to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on January 8. In that span, Foster has gone 4-2-0-1.

Hockey with Heart is just around the corner on February 1 when the Thunder host the Colorado Eagles on a game dedicated to heart health. The first 1,000 adults 18 years or older receive a free red, Hockey with Heart t-shirt. Event Proceeds will benefit the American Heart Association.

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