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Thunder in Top 5 of Power Rankings

January 5, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release


CHICAGO, Illinois - Halfway through the season the Bloomington Thunder have gained recognition of their success by producing a 16-9-2-1 record on the year and 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games. Due to their success, USA Hockey Magazine and the United States Hockey League have placed the Thunder in fifth on the most recent power rankings report. Bloomington's ranking is out of 17 clubs in the league and places them in the conversation with the elite programs of the United States top level junior league.

Over the month of December, the Thunder won all but one game and have launched themselves into fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Above them in the standings and power rankings are the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, and Green Bay Gamblers in the east. Only the Lincoln Stars boast a better ranking from the west at fourth. For a full breakdown of the rankings visit USHL.com.

Behind goaltenders Hayden Lavigne (University of Michigan) and reigning goalie of the week Logan Halladay the Thunder have one of the top defensive stances in the USHL. They are second in the league, allowing only 2.57 goals against per game, behind the Green Bay Gamblers. The Thunder have also compiled four shutouts which is the most in the league, again tied with Green Bay. Lavigne is now 12-4-0-1 with a .905 SV%, while Halladay boasts the fifth best GAA this season at 2.28 and has won his last four starts.

Bloomington's spread out offense has a scoring by committee mentality as no player is over 20 points on the season. However, nine players have eclipsed ten points this season, led by Blake Gober (Penn State University) and Tarek Baker (University of Wisconsin) with 16 points each. All but six players for the Thunder are committed to NCAA Division-I colleges including the entire blue line group for the team.

NEXT HOME GAME: Friday, January 8th - 7 p.m. - The Thunder host the Muskegon Lumberjacks for the second time this season at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. The game is presented by Carpets Plus Color Tile and will feature $1 Budweiser drafts and Pepsi products from 6-7 p.m. Tickets start at $10 for groups and kids tickets are $5 when you call ahead. Call (309) 434-2980 for information or to purchase.

Holiday Hat Trick: Call the Thunder for their holiday hat trick package. For just $55 you get four tickets to an upcoming game, a Thunder team hat, and a Thunder mini stick! That's a value of over $90. Visit the Thunder office or call (309) 434-2980 for this amazing limited time offer.



United States Hockey League Stories from January 5, 2016


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.

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