Thunder top Victoria, 3-1

October 26, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


VICTORIA, British Columbia - James Bates scored two points (1g-1a) which included his first career pro goal and rookie goaltender Bryan Pitton made 25 saves to help guide the Stockton Thunder (2-3-0, 4 points) to a 3-1 victory over the Victoria Salmon Kings, before a crowd of 3,733 at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Sunday.

Bryan Lerg scored the eventual game-winning goal, a shorthanded marker in the second period while Justin Chwedoruk added an insurance goal in the third period.

Victoria captain Wes Goldie buried his fifth goal of the season on a 5-on-3 power-play to pace the Salmon Kings at a 1-0 lead at the first period's 9:35 mark, converting on a snap shot at the left circle while Dan Gendur and Dylan Yeo picked up the assists.

Bates helped the Thunder respond with 5:33 left in the period for the first goal of his pro career, tying the game at 1-1. Bates led the Thunder on an outnumbered attack and scored on a snap shot from the left circle that beat Victoria goaltender Todd Ford under the crossbar.

Stockton outshot the Salmon Kings 9-5 in the opening period and kept Victoria without a shot on goal in the game's opening 10 minutes.

Lerg's shorthanded goal with 9:43 left in the second period hiked the Thunder to a 2-1 lead, when he converted Cory Urquhart's centering pass with a wrist shot between the circles that eluded Ford's blocker. Urquhart picked up the lone assist on the play, who started it by outmuscling a Salmon King defenseman in the right corner for a loose puck.

Victoria then threatened to tie the game on a penalty shot for Darryl Lloyd with 4:34 gone in the final period, who was denied by Pitton when he snuffed the Salmon King forward with a right pad save.

The Thunder capitalized on the momentum with Chwedoruk's insurance goal with the 6:43 mark, completing a cycle behind the net with rookie forward Garet Hunt to stake the Thunder to a 3-1 cushion. Chwedoruk emerged from the trapezoid with a backhanded wrap-around attempt that was stuffed past Ford's left pad.

Pitton made eight saves in the final period to secure the victory.



ECHL Stories from October 26, 2008


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