Thunder stonewalled in frantic third period in 2-1 loss to San Diego

March 1, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - A frantic third period which produced 18 Stockton Thunder (8-33-11, 27 points) shots were stoned-walled by San Diego Gulls (24-23-5, 53 points) netminder Tom Lawson, part of a 2-1 Thunder loss to San Diego in front of 3,546 at Stockton Arena on Tuesday night.

Thunder goaltender Jake Moreland nearly matched his counterpart save-for-save, with 37 stops.

In a game that took the complexion of a stern defensive battle early, Stockton's Joel Irwin opened the scoring on a power play goal with a slapshot from the left blueline at 9:53 into the game, with Lance Monych and Geno Parrish getting credit for assists. San Diego evened the score with just 1:03 remaining in the opening period on a Jesse Bennefield goal, pouncing on a rebound on the left side of the crease.

The Gulls took the lead for good on the power play, when Rob Flynn tipped a Jonathon Shockey slapshot at the net to beat Moreland at the second period's 4:22 mark.

The third period ended with both teams unable to add another score, even as the Thunder pulled Moreland for an extra attacker for the last 1:09 of the game. Five of eighteen Stockton third period shots put on net stemmed from two late power plays, including a five-on-three opportunity following a San Diego bench minor for too many men on the ice.

Irwin's power play goal for Stockton was the first power play goal scored against San Diego in their last four games, as the Gulls had stopped 19 consecutive power play attempts over that span. Irwin, who also scored a goal against the Gulls on Sunday night, now has six goals and one assist for a total of seven points against San Diego on the season.

The Thunder returns to play on Saturday against the Dayton Bombers with a 7:30 p.m. face-off at Stockton Arena. The game can be heard live on the internet (free-of-charge) and is available for viewing at a $6 "pay-per-view" rate at www.stocktonthunder.com, courtesy of B-2 Networks.

Thunder season tickets, individual tickets, and mini packages are on-sale now. Individual tickets can be purchased in person at Stockton Arena's Ticket Office, online at www.stocktontickets.com, or by phone at (209) 373-1700. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit www.stocktonthunder.com.



ECHL Stories from March 1, 2006


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