03/27/2010 9:58 PM
BOURRET LASSOS IN THUNDER
Game winner stuns crowd of 8,053 with late goal, Thunder drop 3-2 loss
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FINAL STATS:
BOX SCORE
VIDEO:
Highlights and postgame locker room reaction
AUDIO:
Game highlights
STOCKTON, Calif. -
Alex Bourret bounced a loose rebound off traffic to the back of the net, snapping a 2-2 tie with 2:55 left in regulation, helping the Las Vegas Wranglers send the Stockton Thunder (31-27-9, 71 points) to a 3-2 loss before 8,053 fans at Stockton Arena on Saturday night.
The loss kept the Thunder's magic number at 5 to clinch a Kelly Cup Playoff berth and received goal-scoring support from Colin Hemingway and Matt Marquardt. Jimmy Spratt earned the win in net with 25 saves while Andrew Perugini took the loss with 26 stops.
Matt Marquardt tied the game with his first goal in a Thunder uniform in the second period.
(photo by George Steckler)
Hemingway finished off a backdoor feed by
Steve Vanoosten from the blueline just 2:15 into the game to lift the Thunder to a 1-0 lead, scoring his 24th goal of the season.
Las Vegas countered with back-to-back goals for a 2-1 edge after one period, when
Mick Lawrence buried the puck from a scramble at the front of the net with 6:27 left and
Josh Prudden followed with 3:42 remaining with his 14th goal of the year on a rebound from the slot.
Following a series of missed chances to half open nets, the Thunder finally tied the score on a power-play goal by
Matt Marquardt, his first in a Thunder uniform, with 4:05 left in the second period when he pumped a rebound into an open net at the goal mouth.
Following a series of scoring chances traded between both teams, Las Vegas delivered the stunning go-ahead goal with just 2:55 left courtesy of
Bourret, whose wrist shot from the right wing was denied by
Perugini, but the rebound rolled off traffic at the front of the crease and ricocheted to the back of the net.
The Thunder misfired on two quality scoring chances in the final seconds with an extra attacker and the Wranglers fell on the puck in the waning seconds to close the game.
NOTES: The Thunder scratched Brett Hemingway (healthy), Mark Pavli (injured reserve), Matt O'Dette (injured reserve), Justin DaCosta (healthy), Riley Emmerson (injured reserve) and Craig Valette (injured reserve) ... Marquardt's power-play goal snapped the Thunder 0-for-11 skid on the power-play ... the Thunder home record fell to 16-11-7 ... Hemingway's goal marked the 10th time in the last 11 home games that Stockton scored the game's first goal.
The Thunder finishes the seven-game homestand with its next game tomorrow at 4:00 p.m., hosting the Las Vegas Wranglers at Stockton Arena in the head-to-head series finale. The game can be heard and viewed online exclusively at www.stocktonthunder.com, courtesy of B2 Networks (audio is free of charge).
The Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew 223,854 fans to Stockton Arena in 2008-09. Season Tickets for 2009-10 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit http://www.stocktonthunder.com/ .
THREE STARS:
1. LV - 17 Alex Bourret
2. STK - 37 Matt Marquardt
3. STK - 20 Colin Hemingway
*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission from Stockton Thunder Professional Hockey Club, ECHL. The Stockton Thunder are a proud 'AA' affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL) and Springfield Falcons (AHL) *
