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Thunder moves to 5-1-0 in last six, winning wire-to-wire in fight-marred game

January 16, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - A total of 12 fighting majors and 149 total penalty minutes highlighted a game where the Stockton Thunder (17-11-6, 40 points) led wire-to-wire, cruising to 5-1-0 in the last six games and a 4-1 victory over the Utah Grizzlies at Maverik Center on Friday.

From the opening faceoff, physical play would dominate the game's flow where two separate fights broke out simultaneously, involving the Thunder's Garet Hunt and Jesse Gimblett, along with Utah's Brian Kilburg and Riley Emmerson. Game misconducts were issued to Gimblett and Emmerson, and the entire five-on-five lineup combined for 68 penalty mintutes.

In between the scraps, the Thunder, who skated with an original lineup of just 15 skaters and went with 14 after the Gimblett ejection, got the eventual game-winner from P.A. Bureau in the first period, spotting additional goals from Bretton Cameron, Daryl Marcoux and Ryan Constant.

"Wild game," said Thunder head coach Matt Thomas. "Obviously they wanted to send a message with their starting lineup, but we're alright with it. We showed up and we're a group that's not going to get pushed around. It's a big win on the road again, with everyone chipping in with a shorthanded lineup. I'm proud of the guys for coming through because we executed."

With both teams combining for 196 penalty minutes in the last two games of the series, the emotions spilled over and after play continued with a lighter amount of penalties issued, the Thunder struck first on the scoreboard with Cameron's 12th of the season at 5:27, burying a rebound over Andrew Engelage's glove after Jarrett Konkle was stopped on a bid from the right circle.

Brett Parnham leveled the score, 1-1 with 1:37 left in the period when he went to the front of the net and re-directed David Schulz's drive from the blueline past Garrett Zemlak's glove.

Just 52 seconds later, a one-timer by Bureau restored the Thunder lead at 2-1, taking Garet Hunt's feed from the left boards and beating Engelage from inside the blocker side post.

Marcoux's first goal of the season, off a shorthanded rush, expanded the lead to 3-1 which forced Utah to burn their only timeout on the bench. With 7:15 left in the second period, Marcoux took a cross-ice feed from Craig Valette and buried a snapshot under the crossbar from the right circle.

Constant fired a one-timer from the right point, a bullet through traffic, to boost the Thunder edge to 4-1 with 2.5 seconds left when he converted off Steve Vanoosten's point-to-point pass.

Both teams played through a scoreless period as more penalties piled up. Dan Ringwald and Utah counterpart Marcus Carroll dropped the gloves after the whistle just 39 seconds in, and on the ensuing faceoff, Jordan Fulton traded punches with Utah's Kevin Deeth.

After Hugo Carpentier leveled Cameron behind the net and before being issued with a five-minute major penalty for boarding, Konkle came in to respond by dropping the gloves with Carpentier with 4:28 gone in the period. Jim McKenzie of the Thunder then went with Carpentier with 4:24 left in the game, on a faceoff in the Utah zone.

Toward the end of the game, Tom May served an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after Utah head coach Kevin Colley was ejected with 28 seconds left in the game, being issued a game misconduct after sticks rained on the ice from the Utah bench.

Zemlak picked up his third win this year with 26 saves.

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