Friday, October 13, 2000

 

Thunder Lose to Liberty Lake 3-1 in a Good Effort

October 13, 2000

LIBERTY LAKE, WA...After a nine and a half hour bus ride, the Thunder played one of their best games this season. It was a losing effort, but it was an effort none-the-less. The Lumberjacks walked away with a 3-1 victory, but tonight the Thunder can hold their heads high. At times there were lapses in their concentration, but more often than not, they were working hard, taking the body and making smart plays.

The boys did get themselves into some penalty trouble, which allowed the Lumberjacks some room to maneuver. Liberty Lake managed to score two powerplay goals – one in the first period and one in the second. But the Thunder penalty kill stepped up and Liberty Lake’s lethal powerplay of two weekends ago didn’t look so lethal tonight. Chance Lau and Freddy Martinez were brilliant both while forechecking and whenever the Thunder were short-handed.

During even strength play, the Thunder managed to hold off the Lumberjack’s attack. Liberty Lake did not score any even strength goals. Goaltender Martin Stehl had another spectacular game, stopping 37 of 40 shots on the night. He showed no signs of the bus trip, holding the boys in the game whenever they had momentary lapses, showing some road weariness. In the second period, Eric Graftaas and Andrew Fields combined to set up Nolan Baker in the slot. Nolan sniped the puck up high and scored the Thunder’s only goal of the night. And a pretty one at that.

Jeff Knebel and Sean MacDonald emerged as leaders on the ice. They were both steady two-way forwards who executed coach Kelly Hubbard’s game plan to the letter. Spokane locals Eric Graftaas and Aaron Roberge had solid games, though at times it seemed the pressure of performing in front of the hometown crowd was getting to them. And there are some new faces on the Thunder roster since last weekend. Swedish Defenseman Andreas Kollander was acquired from the Liberty Lake Lumberjacks and forward Alan Rasmussen was recruited to bring some age and experience to the Eugene lineup. Both players fit in nicely and should prove to be exciting additions. The acquisition of Andreas happened just in time as he helped filled the void of Garrett Carter in the lineup tonight. Tommy Baker, Cory Howard and Jake Meisenheimer along with Kollander all saw a lot of ice time tonight.

Liberty Lake finished the scoring in the third period collecting an unassisted, short-handed goal on a breakaway. But the Thunder didn’t give up. They battled in this one until the end. And tomorrow a well rested Eugene team just might be able to go hard for 60 whole minutes and come out of Liberty Lake with a win.

The Thunder’s next game is Saturday, October 14^th in Liberty Lake. Their next home stand is Friday, October 20^th and Saturday, October 21^st against Puget Sound at Lane County Ice Arena.

 

Player Statistics

Friday, October 13, 2000 vs. Liberty Lake Lumberjacks

No.	Name	G	A	Pts.	PIMs	PP	SH	GWG	FG
1	Martin Stehl
2	Andreas Kollander				2
4	Cory Howard				6
7	Max Manders
8	Sean MacDonald
9	Freddy Martinez
10	Eric Graftaas	0	1	1	2
11	Chance Lau				2
12	Andrew Fields	0	1	1	2
14	Aaron Roberge
16	Nolan Baker	1	0	1	2				1
17	Mark Demmer
19	Jeff Knebel
21	Garrett Carter
23	Jake Meisenheimer
24	Tommy Baker				2
27	AlanRasmussen
30	Cory Johnson

 

 

No.	Name	Mins	W	L	T	GAA	Svs	Sv%	SO
1	Martin Stehl	60	0	1	0	3.00	37	.925
30	Cory Johnson