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Thunder now 6-0-3 in last 9, D'Alvise enters Thunder record books

November 13, 2010 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


BOISE, Idaho - Steve Oleksy scored a shootout winning goal in the seventh round and Mark Derlago had two assists to help the Idaho Steelheads escape with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Stockton Thunder (6-1-3, 15 points) before a crowd of 3,998 at Qwest Arena on Friday night.

The Thunder, who remained unbeaten in regulation at 6-0-3 in the last nine games, were helped out with goals from Chris D'Alvise (new Thunder record for fastest goal), Chris Lawrence and Jim McKenzie. Goaltender Bryan Pitton made 26 saves, moving his record to 3-0-1. His counterpart, Mike Zacharias, collected his first win as a Steelhead with 34 stops.

"I think we played a very strong game," said Thunder head coach Matt Thomas. "Our penalty kill and power-play couldn't get the job done. But at five-on-five, I thought it was a pretty good performance by us and we had a majority of the chances in overtime. Its tough to come on the road and get wins. But we've set ourselves up to get points in every game. "

Stockton, who leads the Pacific Division by four points ahead of the Las Vegas Wranglers, moved its road record to 2-0-2 and has gone to a shootout in each game away from Stockton Arena.

D'Alvise wasted no time in getting the Thunder on the board, breaking the record for fastest goal in Thunder history to begin a game. Just nine seconds after the opening faceoff, he stripped the Idaho defense at the left circle and roofed a wrist shot over the glove of Zacharias.

Idaho leveled the score, 1-1 when Sean Backman picked up his first career ECHL goal, tapping a re-direction by Geoff Irwin at the right goal post past Bryan Pitton's glove with 1:44 left in the first period.

Yet, Pitton helped preserve the 1-1 tie when his miracle save on Marty Flichel denied a go-ahead goal for Idaho. On a delayed penalty, Idaho forced the puck at the goal mouth and it fell onto the stick of Flichel. But his tap-in bid at the right post was denied when Pitton reached out with his glove and snagged the rebound try with 58 seconds left in the period.

Idaho took its only lead of the game on Kael Mouillierat's fifth goal in his last three games, for a 2-1 edge on a power-play with 1:46 into the second period. Setting a screen at the front of the net, Mouillierat caught a piece of Derlago's pass from the right circle and re-directed it past Pitton's blocker.

Just 27 seconds later though, Lawrence took a feed from Aaron Clarke and ripped a wrister past past Zacharias from the right circle for his third goal of the year, tying the game at 2-2.

Stockton claimed the lead again at 3-2 with 9:26 left in regulation when Garet Hunt won a loose puck battle and set up McKenzie for his third goal of the season. Hunt fed the puck from the right corner onto the tape of McKenzie, who beat Zacharias over the glove from between the circles.

Justin Taylor knotted the score again, at 3-3 on his power-play goal just 2:08 later. Derlago set up Mouillierat at the goal mouth and Pitton denied the rookie's backhand bid. But Taylor, who crashed the net, snuck the rebound over Pitton's blocker.

Both teams exchanged chances for the game-winning goal in sudden death overtime. In the middle of the period, Pitton's poke check denied Geoff Irwin on a semi-breakaway and the Thunder rushed back, but Zacharias stopped Fraser Clair's chance from the right circle.

Idaho cornered the Thunder with a 1-0 lead in the shootout, but McKenzie kept it alive with a forehand goal in the fifth round before D'Alvise went to a forehand deke in the sixth round, burying the shot over Zacharias' blocker for a 2-1 shootout lead.

John Swanson snuck a wrist shot under Pitton's blocker to keep Idaho alive in the bottom of the round.

After Zacharias closed the five-hole on a Lawrence wrist shot, Oleksy sealed the win in the bottom of the seventh round by faking a slapshot, then slipping a wrist shot under the crossbar.

"It can go any way once you get to a shootout," said Thomas. "You hope it goes to the way of the guys who made the nice moves last night, but tonight only one of them gets a goal. Jimmy (McKenzie) got one but (Idaho) made one more play than we did to get a shootout win."

Idaho improved to 3-0-1 in its last four games with the win.

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