Thunder nine-game unbeaten streak at home ends

Published on January 24, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - Gino Guyer scored a pair of goals and Stephane Goulet (1g-1a) and Shawn Weller (1g-1a) had multi-point games, helping the Bakersfield Condors steer the Stockton Thunder (17-17-6, 40 points) to a 5-2 defeat before a crowd of 4,209 at Stockton Arena on Sunday.

Colin Hemingway scored his first goal in a Thunder uniform, a shorthanded tally in the third period and James Bates scored one in the first period. The Thunder suffered their first loss in regulation at home since November, ending an unbeaten streak of nine games (6-0-3) at Stockton Arena.

Bakersfield goaltender Timo Pielmeier made 33 saves and counterpart Bryan Pitton stopped 41 bids, one off his career high while taking the loss.

The Thunder were outshot, 8-0 in the opening minutes of the game but made their first shot count, when Jamie Bates stole a Bakersfield clearing pass at the blueline, skated down the right wing and ripped a snapshot past Pielmeier's glove for his 13th goal of the year at 7:52 to claim a 1-0 lead.

Just 1:24 later, Gino Guyer leveled the score at 1-1 when he converted a rebound at the top of the crease, after Pitton denied Evan Stoflet's slapshot from the high slot.

Three goals by Bakersfield helped seize momentum in the second period, taking a 4-1 lead into the dressing room after 40 minutes which began on Guyer's second goal of the game, finishing a post-to-post pass at the left side of the crease from Maxime Macenauer that put the Thunder in a 2-1 hole.

Shawn Weller's 17th goal of the season boosted the Bakersfield lead to 3-1 on a rebound in the slot at 11:54 and Adam Naglich's breakaway goal pushed the lead to 4-1, when he took Mark Mitera's home-run pass and scored on a wrist shot from the deep slot.

Two sets of fisticuffs embodied a physical and emotional period, when Matt McCue and Jordan Bendfeld traded punches and the Thunder's Igor Gongalsky leveled Naglich on a bout at center ice.

Hemingway's shorthanded goal, his third of the year and 14th overall, sparked a Thunder rally with 7:28 left in regulation and slicing the deficit to 4-2 when he banked in a rebound from below the right circle after an initial snap shot was stopped by Pielmeier.

Following a series of close range chances, Bakersfield cleared the zone on an extra-attacker situation and found Goulet in the slot, burying his 16th goal of the year with 1:01 left in the game and finishing the scoring.

NOTES: The Thunder scratched Aaron Sorochan (injured reserve), Brett Hemingway (injured reserve), Justin DaCosta (injury, day-to-day), and Craig Valette (injured reserve)... Chris D'Alvise had his eight-game scoring streak end... the Thunder wore their gold-colored third jerseys for the game... Bakersfield outshot the Thunder, 46-35... Hemingway now boasts 16 points in 13 lifetime games against Bakersfield... both teams won't face each other until Feb. 19 (at Bakersfield).

The Thunder returns to play Wednesday to continue the 11-game homestand against the Victoria Salmon Kings, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Stockton Arena. The game can be heard and viewed online at www.stocktonthunder.com, courtesy of B2 Networks (audio is free of charge).

The Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew 223,854 fans to Stockton Arena in 2008-09. Season Tickets for 2009-10 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit http://www.stocktonthunder.com/.

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