Thunder Host U-18's at Coliseum

Published on March 13, 2015 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release


Bloomington, IL - The top NHL draft prospects come to Bloomington Friday night as the Thunder host the United States National Team Development Program Under-18 team at 7:00 pm CST. This is the second meeting with the U-18's this season but will be the fifth meeting with the Development Program. In Ann Arbor, MI on 11/14/14 the Thunder fell 4-3 in a shootout to the U-18's but competed in an eight-rounds to decide the game. The Thunder are 3-0-1 in four games against Team USA in 2014-15.

Only ten games remain in the 2014-15 season and the Thunder are tied for fifth place with 51 points in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Steel, trailing the Muskegon Lumberjacks by nine points.

Can't make it out to the game? Listen live by going to portal.stretchinternet.com/wjbc. You can catch all the action starting with the pregame show at 6:45 pm CST. You can also follow the Thunder on social media for updates during the game.

The Thunder are back home where they are 13-11-2 after a road loss in Madison 3-0. The Thunder ran into a hot goaltender and could not top the Capitols in the second game of a home and home. Leading scorer Matt Mendelson (Penn State University) leads the team with 34 points (13g, 21a) and forwards Ryan Galt (University of Nebraska-Omaha) and Jake Slaker have each grabbed three points in the last three games.

Joining the group are affiliate players Vladislav Dzhioshvili and Tanner Tweten. Dzhioshvili was a Phase I draft pick by the team and the younger brother of affiliate Maksim Dzhioshvili who played in four games with the Thunder this season. Tweten's rights were acquired in a trade with the Des Moines Buccaneers just before the season. He spent the season with East Grand Forks High School in Minnesota where he won the 2015 Class A State Championship, scoring the game winning goal in overtime.

Team USA is led by Auston Matthews with 35 points (15g, 20a) in just 18 games this season. He is on a seven-game point streak that began on 2/20/15, totaling 16 points (7g, 11a) in that stretch. Jack Roslovic (Miami Universtiy) is next in line with 28 points (6g, 22a) in 19 games and seven points in his last three games. The U-18's are on a three game winning streak and have compiled a record of 15-4-0 on the season compared to the U-17's record of 5-20-0. Goaltender Luke Opilka (University of Wisconsin) is on a six-game win streak dating back to 1/10/15.

Next Home Game: The Thunder help support the American Heart Association for Jump Rope for Heart on Saturday, March 14th. The 7:00 pm CST against the Muskegon Lumberjacks supports students who raised money for the cause by offering them free tickets. Call (309) 434-2980 to book your free ticket or grab six tickets for $36 dollars.

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United States Hockey League Stories from March 13, 2015


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