Thunder Travel to Omaha

January 29, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release


OMAHA, Nebraska - It's the beginning of a four game road trip for the Bloomington Thunder as they open a two game weekend in Omaha against the Lancers Friday night. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. as the Thunder (20-11-3-1) battle for the first time this season with the Lancers (18-14-2-1). Bloomington is tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference while the Lancers are also in the hunt in the Western Conference holding down third place. The out of conference opponents will meet just this weekend as the Thunder are 1-1-0-0 against Omaha all-time.

Listen live to all Thunder games this season by going to portal.stretchinternet.com/wjbc/. Tonight's broadcast begins at 6:45 p.m. for pregame coverage. Games will also be broadcast with live video on FastHockey.com. Don't forget to check out the Thunder's Twitter account, @BLMThunder, for updates during the game with our hashtag #BLMvsOM.

Bloomington has faltered in their last two games with the Youngstown Phantoms but are 6-3-1-0 in their last ten games. Tarek Baker (University of Wisconsin) leads the way as the top producer on the Thunder. His nine game point streak has helped him garner a team high 29 points (15g, 14a) this season, just 10 off the season high mark set by Shane Bednard (Bowling Green State University) in 2014-15.

Also in the news was defenseman Jeremy Davies (Northeastern University) who was named CCM Defenseman of the Week for the Thunder. The d-man is also on a point streak for the team and has six points in his last three games. The Montreal, QC native is the leading defenseman on the Thunder and also the second leading scorer on the team with 23 points (8g, 15a). He is seventh in the USHL in scoring and also the top-scoring goal scoring defenseman with eight goals on the year.

Omaha is led by a pair of returners and one of the top rookies in the USHL. Josh French (Minnesota State University-Mankato) and Nick Rivera (Minnesota State University-Mankato) are the top scorers for Omaha and the top two returners from 2014-15. Brandon McManus (University of Minnesota) is the second ranked 16 year old player and was a tender by Omaha in the off-season. Goaltender and NHL draft pick Kris Oldham (University of Nebraska-Omaha, Tampa Bay Lightning) is in a split roll between the pipes for Omaha but has earned his spot as the returning starter.

The home for the USHL/NHL Top Prospects game will be the sight of the Thunder and Lancers game tonight. Four players will be on the ice to skate in the prospects game as the Thunder's top scoring rookie Vlad Dzhioshvili (Cornell University) will square off with a few of his top prospects teammates. John Wojciechowski, Jacob Bryson (Providence College), and Zack Skog suit up for Omaha who are trying to continue their recent hot trend, while the Thunder look to right the ship on the road.

NEXT HOME GAME: Friday, February 12th - 7 p.m. - The Thunder battle with the Green Bay Gamblers to open a weekend series from the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Doors open at 6 p.m. and until puck drop there are $1 draft beers and soft drinks at the Coliseum concession stands. Tickets start at $10 for the game and could go even lower with youth, senior, and military discounts. Call the Thunder office at (309) 434-2980 for more information and the best deals on tickets.



United States Hockey League Stories from January 29, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central