Thunder Invades Fort Wayne
Published on December 30, 2009 under International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Bloomington PrairieThunder News Release
Upcoming games and promotions:
Thursday (Dec. 31) at Fort Wayne, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday (Jan. 2) at Quad City, iwireless Center, Moline, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday (Jan. 6) vs. Port Huron, 7:05 p.m. at U.S. Cellular Coliseum (Ladies Night - half price tickets for females; College Night - half price tickets for college students with school ID; Ride the Thunder Express - Bus leaves Pub II in Normal at 6 p.m. and returns after game (Cost $10 includes game ticket, bus ride, pitcher of beverage of your choice)
Radio:
All road games can be heard on WTRX (93.7 FM) and home games can be heard on wjbc.com. Greg Halbleib has the call.
B2 network:
The Quad City game can be seen live on the b2 network at Six Strings Entertainment Center, 512 N. Main Street, Bloomington. Doors open two hours prior to broadcast. Children are welcome when accompanied by an adult. Thursday's game at Fort Wayne will not be shown at Six Strings.
Records:
Bloomington (14-9-2-2, 32 points); Fort Wayne (15-11-0-1, 31 points)
Tickets:
Tickets for all PrairieThunder games are available at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office, calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or 309-585-0507, ext. 304.
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Bloomington PrairieThunder looks to ring in 2010 with a victory over International Hockey League rival Fort Wayne when the teams clash Thursday in a 6:30 p.m. New Year's Eve contest at Allen County's War Memorial Coliseum.
The teams have been jockeying with each other for position in the standings during the first third of 76-game regular schedule. Bloomington (14-9-2-2) currently holds a one point lead over the Komets (15-10-0-1) for third place.
Thursday's game marks the 53rd New Year's Eve home game for the Komets, who have won the last seven straight and are 35-13-3-1 in the night before the new year game since the tradition started in 1955.
It will be the second time the PrairieThunder has spent New Year's Eve in Fort Wayne. Bloomington suffered a 4-1 setback in the 2008 game.
The PrairieThunder also will be looking to put a cap on the most successful month of December in the franchise's three-year history. The PrairieThunder is 5-3-1-0 in the Christmas month, including a franchise-best 5-1-1-0 record at home.
Previously in the month of December, the PrairieThunder has posted a combined 8-30-2-2 mark with three wins being the most during the month each of the last two seasons.
The PrairieThunder, which has lost three straight on the road, and Komets have split four games this season with three of the contests played in Bloomington. Fort Wayne notched a 2-1 victory in the lone game in Indiana.
Fort Wayne, which has lost two straight and three of its last four, suffered a rare loss at home Tuesday with a 6-4 setback to Dayton. The Komets are 8-3-0-1 on their ice, while Bloomington is 3-6-0-2 on the road.
Thunder rumbles:
Craig Macdonald is tied for third in the league in scoring with 32 points, while Bloomington teammates Jon Booras (28) and Billy Bagron (24) are sixth and ninth, respectively.
Bloomington leads the league in power play percentage at 20.7 and is third on the penalty kill (82.2 percent). Fort Wayne leads the league in power play goals with 27.
The PrairieThunder is 14-0-1-1 when leading after the first period and 12-0-1-1 when leading after the second period. Bloomington is 13-2-1-1 when it scores the game's first goal.
Center Jon Booras had a string of six straight games with an assist snapped in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to Muskegon.
Rookie defenseman Noel Coultice scored his first goal with Bloomington in Tuesday's game, while rookie forward Mike Liambas returned to the lineup and recorded an assist. Liambas had been on the 14-day injury list with the H1N1 flu.
International Hockey League 2 Stories from December 30, 2009
- Mallards Best Gens 4-3 In Shootout - Flint Generals
- Generals Lose in Shootout - Flint Generals
- Gems Drop Tough Decision To Komets 3-2 - Dayton Gems
- Mallards Rally Past Flint In Shootout 4-3 - Quad City Mallards
- Generals Weekly Report: Week Twelve - Flint Generals
- Thunder Invades Fort Wayne - Bloomington PrairieThunder
- Dayton Gems Beat Fort Wayne Komets To Snap Losing Streak 6-4 - Dayton Gems
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