Thunder rallies past Condors in overtime
| Friday, Apr 16 2010 11:15 PM
Last Updated Friday, Apr 16 2010 11:25 PM
Images
Condors # 22 Stephane Goulet gets a pass off as Stockton's #71 Matt Robinson concentrates on the puck as he comes down on the ice in their Friday night playoff game.
Condors #10 Mark Voakes and Stockton's #4 Steve Vanoosten battle for the puck in their Friday night game.
Condors # 9 Andrew Ianiero is chased down by Stockton's # 12 J.F. Caudron in their Friday night playoff game.
Stockton's #28 James Bates, right, uses his stick to slow down Condors #10 Mark Voakes as he tries to take a shot in their playoff game Friday night.
Stockto's Ryan Constant, left, and Condors Ryan Menei, right, lose sight of the puck as they battle in their Friday night playoff game.
Stockton's Ryan Constant slams into the wall and ice as Condors Scott Marchesi looks for the puck in their Friday night game.
Time and again, the Condors had their chances to put away the Stockton Thunder on Friday night at Rabobank Arena.
Instead, it was the Thunder getting the best of the Condors as J.F. Caudron banged in a rebound 9:42 into overtime for a 3-2 victory before 5,208 in Game 1 of the ECHL National Conference semifinal playoff series.
The game-winner was the only time the Thunder led as the Condors held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but could never get more daylight.
Bakersfield outshot Stockton 45-35 with Thunder goaltender Andrew Perugini stopping 43 shots.
"It's a tough one to take," Condors coach Marty Raymond said. "If anything, I thought we played a very good game, executed the game plan. At times we got too cute. Although we had 45 shots, at times we waited for the perfect goal.
"They were just putting pucks on net and going to rebounds and that's how they scored the winning goal."
Jean-Philippe Levasseur stopped 33 shots for the Condors, but didn't have much of a chance on the game-winner as a rebound went right to the stick of Caudron, who had lot of open net in front of him.
"We dominated the game," Raymond said. "We had our chances. We had one early in the first period when (Ryan) Menei missed a wide-open net. These are things that come back to haunt you at the end of the game."
Bakersfield took a 2-1 lead on a power play just two minutes into the third period when Mark Voakes fired in a shot from the slot off a backhanded feed from behind the net by Andrew Ianiero.
The Condors held that lead until the waning minutes of the period when the Thunder tied the game just four seconds into a power play after Kyle Calder was called for interference.
Stockton won the draw in Bakersfield's zone and Kelly Czuy hammered in a rebound off a shot from the point with 2:57 left in regulation.
"I think there was an impact made by a referee tonight," Raymond said. "I mean, you just don't call that stuff with three minutes left in the game. Kyle Calder gets leveled earlier in the game and nothing."
Still, the Condors had a golden opportunity to win in regulation when they went on their own power play with 1:13 remaining.
"We have the power play and we wait, wait, (there is an) open net, we go around and don't shoot pucks," Raymond said. "We just got too cute, I think."
The Condors took a 1-0 lead 6:12 into the second period when Menei got his first goal of the playoffs when he lifted in a rebound off a shot from Adam Naglich during a power play. The goal snapped a 0-13 streak on the man advantage.
Stockton evened the game when Jason Pitton took a centering feed and fluttered a shot past Levasseur, who had been protecting against a possible wrap-around shot.
Notes
Defenseman Stu Bickel did not play due to an undisclosed injury but will be in the lineup tonight. The Condors skated with five D-men and utilized two extra forwards with Maxime Macenauer and Erick Lizon returning to the lineup. Gino Guyer and Matt McCue sat.
David McNab, vice-president of hockey operations for the Anaheim Ducks, was at the game on Friday night.
All fans at tonight's game will receive free Cheer Stix.
