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Victoria survives furious Thunder comeback in three-game sweep

December 19, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


VICTORIA, B.C. - The Victoria Salmon Kings survived a two-goal comeback and a late 6-on-5 skating situation by the Stockton Thunder (10-14-7, 23 points), sneaking by Stockton, 4-3 and mounting a three-game sweep before 4,051 fans at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Saturday night.

The Salmon Kings, who won their tenth in a row at home and sixth overall, sent the Thunder to a 3-3-0 record on the current road trip which wraps up Saturday at Bakersfield. The Thunder received goal scoring support from Jason Pitton, Judd Blackwater and Daryl Marcoux, nearly tying the game in the last seconds on a 6-on-5 skating situation.

Randall Gelech scored the eventual game-winner in the second period.

Jimmy Sharrow put Victoria up front, 1-0 on a power-play goal with 5:45 into the game when his wrist shot from the slot beat Andrew Perugini through traffic.

Goldie's 13th goal of the season put the Salmon Kings ahead, 2-0 on a shorthanded goal that was finished off after Goldie missed high on a shorthanded breakaway, but came from behind the net to swat the puck into the net from mid-air.

Coulombe re-directed Sharrow's blast from the high slot for the Salmon Kings' second straight power-play goal to hike the lead to 3-0 at 15:49.

The Thunder climbed back into the game with back-to-back goals, beginning with Marcoux's first of the year at 2:42 of the second period on a wrister from the high slot that beat David Shantz through the five-hole.

Shantz exited the game minutes later due to injury after a scrum at the front of the net and the Thunder capitalized when Pitton greeted new goaltender Glenn Fisher with a wrist shot from between the circles at 7:07 of the period to cut the deficit to 3-2 for his sixth goal of the season.

Victoria's Randall Gelech restored the lead to 4-2 with 3:57 left in the period when he handcuffed Perugini with a wrist shot from the left circle that went end-over-end into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season.

Pitton's wrist shot at the left circle caught a piece of a Blackwater screen for a power-play goal with 2:40 gone in the third period, slipping through the five-hole of Fisher and finding the back of the net for Blackwater's team-leading 12th goal of the season.

With the Thunder sustaining momentum following a penalty kill to an elbowing penalty issued to Blackwater, they pulled Perugini for a 6-on-5 skating situation and nearly tied the game with 20 seconds left. J.F. Caudron played a pass from the circle to Oren Eizenman, waiting in the slot but failed to put a shot on net with the puck rolling on edge.

Eizenman's follow-up attempt was blocked by the Victoria defense, who cleared the zone.

Fisher picked up his second victory of the season in relief of Shantz, making 10 saves.

The Thunder returns to play after a six-day layoff for the holiday break to finish the seven-game road trip on Saturday, Dec. 26 at Rabobank Arena against the Bakersfield Condors, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard on radio at 1420 KSTN and viewed online at www.stocktonthunder.com, courtesy of B2 Networks (audio is free of charge).

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