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Week 29/Regular Season Recap

April 15, 2015 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Bloomington Thunder News Release


Bloomington, IL - Almost seven months have passed since the Bloomington Thunder kicked off their first United States Hockey League Season at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in a 2-1 shootout win over the Sioux Falls Stampede. The cliché, "gone in the blink of an eye" is a close representation as the Thunder concluded the 2014-15 season this Saturday in front of over 3,100 fans cheering on an exciting four game win streak that finished the team's rookie year in the league. Finishing in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-24-7 record, the Thunder produced the second best season since hockey was introduced to the central Illinois city and was also the top team in the USHL to finish out of the post-season.

Forward Shane Bednard (Bowling Green State University) was selected by the team with the first pick in the 2014 USHL Phase II draft and finished as the team MVP. The Thunder's leading scorer produced 39 points (16g, 23a) during his first and only season in the league before attending Bowling Green State University in the Fall. The Macomb, MI native ended the season on a team high six game point streak, score eight in that span.

Assistant Captains Ryan Galt (University of Nebraska-Omaha) and Matt Mendelson (Penn State University) finished their careers in the league right behind Bednard in points this season. Galt, an Omaha, NE native, leaves behind a three year career where he totaled 175 career games and 93 points (36g, 57a). Mendelson, from Pittsburgh, PA, played in 119 games in the USHL and scored 69 points (30g, 39a) while only taking 40 minutes in penalties. The forward also landed honors as the top offensive player for the Thunder, scoring career highs in his final season.

Blake Gober and Galt were awarded the coaches award by the organization for their hard work and dedication to the Bloomington Thunder and Jake Slaker was rewarded for his performance in his rookie USHL season with the Most Improved Player award. Max Gottlieb (Brown University) also earned the top honor as the team's top defenseman. The defenseman from Old Bridge, NJ will attend Brown University in the fall after finishing his first season with 21 points from the blue line.

4/10/15 at Des Moines - To conclude a six game road trip, the Thunder topped the Des Moines Buccaneers 4-0 in the first shutout this season and in team history. Hayden Lavigne (University of Michigan) ended the game with19 saves, while both Bednard and Pat Curry put two points each on the score sheet. Curry would earn his third game winning goal, which led the team through the final game of the season. Steven Merl scored his fifth of the year for points in back to back games and Jason Kalinowski (University of New Hampshire) netted his second goal this season for insurance. Gottlieb added one at the end of the third for his sixth goal of the year. Lavigne finished the year 10-5-0, after being acquired by Bloomington, with a 2.48 GAA and a .904 SVPT in his second full season.

4/11/15 vs. Green Bay

A 3-1 win over the Gamblers would cap off an impressive first season. Bednard earned another two points in the game as three rookie forwards previewed the potential for the Thunder in 2015-16. Van Barr (Western Michigan University), Mitchell Mattson (University of North Dakota), and Vladislav Dzhioshvili all recorded goals in the game. Barr's 13th goal of the season came 5:28 into the second to tie the hockey game, ripping a wrist shot over the shoulder of goaltender Kevin Reich. Mattson earned his second point of the night, after assisting on Barr's goal, on a power play goal. Bednard fed the Grand Rapids, MN product who hammered it past Reich at 12:12. Dzhioshvili was the next one-timer to slip by under two minutes later. Logan Halladay (University of Minnesota) finished his first season in the USHL with 26 saves in the final game. He won six of his last eight games to a 13-11-5 record with a 3.08 GAA and a .896 SVPT.

The Thunder's second USHL season will kick off in late September. Follow along to BloomingtonThunder.com and USHL.com for the official 2015-16 schedule release.

Season Tickets: 2015-16 will be here before you know it and for just $50 we can reserve your season tickets for the Bloomington Thunder at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. If you reserve before June 1st, you'll be entered to win an all-expenses paid flight to Las Vegas! Plans start at just $240 and youth season tickets are $150 for all the same benefits. Head to BloomingtonThunder.com for a full list of benefits and pricing options to go with our new seating map. Call the Thunder office at (309) 434-2980 for information and booking.



United States Hockey League Stories from April 15, 2015


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.

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