Thunder Host Eagles to Kick off Second Half

January 23, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


The Thunder start the second half of the season looking to turn things around as they host the red-hot Colorado Eagles at 7:30 p.m. at Stockton Arena

Arena: Stockton Arena

Date: Friday, January 23

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Giveaway: Team Photos given out to the first 500 fans

Broadcast: ECHL.TV and Spreaker beginning at 7:15 p.m. PST

This Season's Record: Stockton is 1-5-0-0 against Colorado

Follow the Thunder Facebook Page for occasional updates or follow @StocktonThunder on Twitter for the play-by-play tweeting!

Last Time vs. Colorado

The Thunder were hoping to bounce back after their fifth-straight loss against the team that sent them to defeat number five as part of a long road trip to begin the new year. It didn't start well as Mario Larocque was called for a roughing penalty just 3:29 into the game, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise.

Shawn Boutin found himself with the puck on the penalty kill and whipped it up the boards past the Colorado defense to Peter Sivak who began a two-on-one with Tyler Maxwell. Sivak fed to Maxwell who buried the shorthander past Doug Carr to get the Thunder on the board. The lead was short lived though as just 40 seconds later, Trent Daavettila scored just after the penalty had expired to even things up.

After a couple of fighting majors to Garet Hunt and Darryl Bootland, the Eagles got into some late period penalty trouble with Sean Zimmerman getting a charging minor and Colin Bowman going for roughing, giving the Thunder power play unit a short two-man advantage. However seconds into the first penalty Brock Nixon repaid the shorthanded favor as he scored his 17th of the season putting the Eagles up one.

While the Thunder weren't able to score while up two men, they did however find the back of the net with Maxwell cruising down the center of the ice and putting a twisted wrister past Carr for his second goal of the evening. That goal tied the score that would remain until past the midway mark of the third period when Nixon scored his second of the evening in what would stand as the game winning goal. The Thunder would fall in their sixth straight by a 3-2 final. Kent Simpson stopped 36 of 39 shots.

Tonight

The Thunder are at home for the first time in 2015 after a difficult road trip that saw the Thunder go 0-6. When added that to the previous two home losses at the end of 2014, the Thunder have now fallen in eight-straight contests.

There is a silver lining though as the Thunder do hold a winning record at home and had a 12-day layoff between games, giving the team ample time to regroup, go over systems, better condition themselves, get healthy, and also enjoy a little respite away from the rink during the All-Star break.

Who to Watch

There are many things to look out for tonight and players to look out for as the Thunder have also done some regrouping over the layoff.

Players like Austin Levi and Loic Leduc have returned to help solidify the defense. Both were at the top of their games prior to their calls to the Charlotte Checkers and Bridgeport Sound Tigers respectively. Levi saw action in four contests while with the Checkers while Leduc didn't make his way into a game, but did practice with the team throughout his stay.

Not only should you watch the defenseman but you should also watch out for the newest member of the team, Vinny Scarsella. Scarsella was acquired in a trade with the Utah Grizzlies where the teams flipped two forwards that seemed to need a change of scenery as Ryan Hayes was sent to West Valley City.

Both players are similar to the fact that they are snipers who have tremendously quick shots that are extremely accurate. Both players also have pretty solid hands, meaning they can stickhandle through even the tightest of spaces. The biggest difference between the players lies in speed and defensive ability. Hayes may flash some brilliance on the defensive end, there is no question that he contributes more to the offensive side of the game, finishing his time this season with the Thunder with a team worst minus-24 rating.

Scarsella brings a little bit more to the defensive side of the ice and that is mainly because of his speed and tenacity. One of the biggest losses over the course of the off season was a "heart and soul" player like Matt Bergland, who may not have been the most talented player on the ice, but utilized his speed and tenacity to make positive contributions all over the ice. With Mike Pereira currently on the injured reserve list, Scarsella provides someone who can fill that kind of role left by guys like Bergland and Pereira.

The former Grizzlies forward brings 7 goals and 11 assists from his previous team. With his speed and ability, Scarsella could be utilized in a couple different places in the lineup, leaving Coach Kromm spoiled for choice on who to play him with.

Starring at the All-Star Classic

Lukas Sutter had two assists and a multi-point game for the ECHL All-Stars, including the primary assist on the game-winning-goal of the game, as the ECHL All-Stars double up the Orlando Solar Bears 8-4 in front of 9,288 in the 2015 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic.

Originally elected to the game as an alternate, Sutter replaced Bakersfield's Connor Jones in Orlando for the festivities as Jones still finds himself in the AHL with the Oklahoma City Barons. Sutter, wearing number 11 for the All-Stars, helped the All-Stars gain the lead 1:24 after the team tied the game in the second. Sutter found some space and shot at goalie Garret Sparks who made the save but the rebound came right to Gwinnett's Brenden Walker, who tucked the goal home for a 2-1 lead.

After a penalty to Evansville's Myles Bell expired, the forward scored his second goal of the game when former Thunder defenseman Landon Oslanski found Sutter at the side of the cage. Sutter's shot went up in the air and Bell baseball-batted it into the net for the goal of the evening and Sutter's second assist.

Sutter did have a breakaway later in the third period but in true All-Star form, went in-between his legs and tried to get the puck over the glove hand of Orlando goalie Sean Bonar but failed. He ended the evening as one of four All-Star players and five overall (including Orlando) to have a multi-point All-Star Game. His plus-2 rating was matched by seven players on the All-Star team.

All-Time Watch

We're monitoring the situation between Garet Hunt, Ryan Constant and Mike Lalonde as Lalonde's all-time lead in points could be in danger of falling to one of the Thunder's star players soon.

Lalonde's 156 career points is in jeopardy as Constant pulled ahead with 151 points with the Thunder while Hunt is right behind them both with 148.

That means Constant is just 5 points back of tying the record while Hunt is 8 points back of tying the record. Both players have missed time due to injuries this season as Hunt missed 11 games while Constant was placed on Injured Reserve on December 14.

Hunt is the only one close to Lalonde's all-time record of 72 goals with his 56 markers, putting the Thunder captain 16 shy of tying the record.

About the Eagles

The Colorado Eagles come into Stockton red-hot, currently enjoying a seven-game winning streak that started at home with two wins against the Thunder, through two games in Bako, and a sweep of the Alaska Aces.

The most inconsistent thing the Eagles have had during their winning streak is who goes between the pipes as they've used Doug Carr against the Thunder (who got called up to the AHL), Tate Maris (who was current goalie Clarke Saunders third string goalie at North Dakota), Troy Redmann (who we typically see as the Ontario Reign emergency backup...his career ECHL record is now 5-0-0) and Saunders who finally found his way back between the pipes after a bit of an injury kept him out of games.

Now the Eagles have Saunders and Daniel Spence as the goalies after Spence was claimed off waivers.

While the goalies have been inconsistent, the wins have been the exact opposite and the team has seen Kyle Kraemer return to the lineup, seemingly replacing what was lost in Jonathan Parker who was traded to Indy. Don't sleep on Brock Nixon who still leads the team with 39 points while Nathan Moon and Trent Daavettila sit right behind him with 29 points.



ECHL Stories from January 23, 2015


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