Matchup: Stockton Thunder at Idaho Steelheads. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at Qwest Arena, 7 PM game time.
Thunder-struck: It’s a fitting way to draw the curtain on the 2009 portion of the regular season since it’ll be the tenth meeting of the season between Idaho and Stockton. Idaho is a perfect 9-0-0 against the Thunder so far, but Stockton’s roster has undergone a major overhaul since the teams last saw each other a month ago. Since then, Stockton has climbed out of the Pacific Division cellar and is nipping at the heels of second-place Ontario.
Wire to wire? While Stockton is climbing the Pacific Division standings, Idaho has been atop the West Division standings all season. The Steelheads opened the season with seven wins in their first eight games and has been in first place ever since. And head coach Derek Laxdal’s team has done it amid constant roster movement (which is typical as an affiliated minor-league team) – the team has had nearly 30 different players dress for a game this year, yet fewer than half a dozen have appeared in every contest.
Idaho’s newest addition is Sergei Korostin, and the Dallas Stars prospect shined in his first ECHL game as the Steelheads won 5-1 behind two goals and an assist from the Russian import. The win snaps the Steelheads’ three-game losing streak.
After a scoreless first period, Matt McKnight broke the tie with his seventh of the season at 4:53. John Swanson misfired off the high-glass behind Stockton goalie Aaron Sorochan, and off the bounce McKnight hit the puck out of the air for the goal. Mark Derlago also assisted on the goal.
On a similar bounce, Brandan Kushniruk capitalized later in the period at 17:28 for his fifth of the season to put Idaho on top 2-0. Korostin and Marty Flichel assisted on the goal.
Stockton broke Richard Bachman’s shutout when Brett Hemingway tapped home a rebound at 6:08, but it would be the only goal the Thunder would register.
At 13:52 of the third, Korostin scored his first of the season from Kevin DeVergilio and McKnight at 13:52. McKnight streaked up the right wing, threw a pass to the net, and Korostin received the pass in mid-deke, placing a backhand shot over the goal line.
Just moments later at 15:58 of the third, Korostin received a pass in front of the net from DeVergilio, and quickly snapped the puck upstairs on Sorochan for his second goal; McKnight assisted on the tally.
At 18:01, Stockton, Justin Dacosta, who had three assists in Stockton’s 5-1 win in Idaho Thursday night, turned the puck over to Flichel in the slot, and the Steelheads captain fired the puck top-shelf on Sorochan to give Idaho a 5-1 lead, which would be the eventual final score.
Bachman earned his 10th win in his 14th game; he turned away 33 of 34 saves in the win to improve to 10-3-1. Sorochan is 0-1-0; he stopped 38 of 43 Idaho shots.
The Steelheads and Thunder will conclude the season series tomorrow at Qwest Arena. The puck drops at 7PM.