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Thunder Hope to End March on Positive Note

March 30, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


The Stockton Thunder (29-29-0-6) complete a grueling four games in five days this afternoon when the team hosts the Idaho Steelheads (35-25-3-4) at 4:00 p.m.

Stockton Arena doors will open at three o'clock with the Silver Bullet Bar serving up cold Rough & Ready Irish Red to customers 21-years of age and older starting at 2:00.

Today marks the second-to-last Family Day where fans have the opportunity to purchase their Thunder Pride Pack featuring four Upper End Zone tickets, four hot dogs, and four sodas for just $38. Purchase your pack online to receive a Thunder hat at no additional charge.

Today's game will also be the final opportunity for the public to skate with the team! Fans can purchase their $5 ticket at the Box Office window located inside the building next to the Silver Bullet Bar and Thunder Information Booth.

Rentals will be provided to those who purchase tickets on a first come, first serve basis, however if your size runs out you can receive a refund from the building. If you own your own skates, you may bring them and check them in at the Thunder Information Booth after you've purchased your ticket. Space is limited to the first 160 fans.

The Thunder are in the midst of a very tough stretch where defensive mistakes and misfortune have been the story during the teams four-game losing streak.

The script nearly changed last night when the Thunder stepped onto the Citizens Business Bank Arena ice surface that has treated them so well this season with a great first period that saw the Stockton side throw 17 shots on Ontario goaltender J.P. Anderson while holding the Ontario Reign to a single shot.

That proved to be the best period this season for the Thunder in terms of the fewest shots allowed. An aggressive forecheck along with an equally aggressive backcheck breathed signs of life back into the team that had fallen flat against Idaho.

However, despite the shots, and the two power plays, the Reign kept the Thunder at bay, with the only real action of the period coming in the form of two fights a second apart from each other when Brady Ramsay scrapped with Olivier Malka for his first pro fight, and then a heavyweight battle between Mathieu Gagnon and Jeremy Yablonski a second later left Gagnon's jersey in need of repairs, and also left Yablonski with some respect for the 21-year-old out of Montreal, Quebec.

In the second period both teams played solid defense to keep the game scoreless but Ontario was able to test goaltender Brian Foster more than they did in the first period with Foster saving all seven second period tries.

The Reign didn't make life easy on themselves as they put the Thunder on four power plays but the Thunder couldn't find the back of the net, and even took two penalties during two of their man-up opportunities to give short looks to the Ontario power play.

After playing such a confident defensive game to bounce back after two losses to Idaho, all it took was a poor turnover at the side of the net that would give the Ontario Reign the lead thanks to Rocco Carzo who jumped on the loose puck, battled through a stick check and wristed one past Foster at the 5:53 mark of the third period.

Under five minutes later the Reign would double their lead with former San Francisco Bull Kyle Bigos shooting a low wrister that fooled Foster and snuck underneath the goalies pads to make it 2-0 Ontario.

Shot after shot after shot did Anderson stop and as the game grew old, and it looked like the Reign were nearing a shutout victory, it would be the snake-bitten Matt Bergland who would give the Thunder a chance.

Alan Quine rushed down the near boards where he worked a two-on-one to perfection with Joey Diamond, but the former University of Maine captain was unable to squeeze his deke past Anderson. The puck was then batted out to the slot where Bergland put it in the open net to score his first goal in 14 games.

John Ryder would give the Thunder a prime opportunity to tie the game when he took a holding minor with 1:29 left in the third. Head Coach Rich Kromm who turned 50 on Saturday, elected to pull his goaltender Foster to put the pressure on Ontario with the 6-on-4 chance but Carzo would put the dagger in the hearts of the Thunder when his clearing attempt from deep in his own zone found the back of the net to seal the Ontario 3-1 win.

The Thunder will feel they deserved a better result because they absolutely peppered Anderson with a total of 39 shots while holding Ontario to just 18, but the Thunder power play which had been the league's best unit for the majority of the season, went 0-8 in the game.

Now the Thunder shift focus back to their own barn where the Idaho Steelheads have been lying in wait for the afternoon start today. Idaho had previously handed the Thunder two consecutive losses on Wednesday and Friday nights when the Steelheads won 4-2 and 4-1 on the respective nights.

All of the Thunder offense against the Steelheads this week can be attributed to one player who scored all three markers, and that player would be Ryan Hayes .

Hayes, who missed 39 games due to an upper body injury earlier this year, has played in 25 games this year picking up 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 total points.

The Thunder should also expect Garet Hunt and James Henry back in the lineup after being healthy scratches in last night's game in Ontario.

With the conclusion of a disappointing month of March today, the Thunder will have seven games left in their regular season with four of them coming at home. The Thunder will take on the Ontario Reign at home on Wednesday to conclude the Family Day promotions, however Wednesday won't just be a Family Day, it will also feature an "Uncle Garet" collectors card given out to the first 3,500 fans in the building.

Then the Thunder host the Utah Grizzlies during both Military Appreciation games on April 4 and 5 before turning to their final three games on the road against Ontario on Sunday, Ontario on Wednesday, and Bakersfield on Friday. The Thunder conclude the regular season a day later on Saturday, April 12 against the Las Vegas Wranglers.

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