Thunder fall short in comeback bid

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Friday evening the Bakersfield Condors welcomed their central valley rivals, the Stockton Thunder for the first of ten meetings at Rabobank Arena.   Despite losing a four point lead on the Thunder, the Condors were able to snag the win in a shootout, taking the game 5-4.   The Condors came into the game much like the way they left off last year; physical offensive puck possession. They dominated the puck in the first two periods, while the Thunder appeared to be disorganized and tired.   The Thunder came off of a five day break, while it was the Condors that played last night in Las Vegas, getting home in the wee hours of the morning.   The Condors struck the first of two unanswered goals of the first period at 6:48 into the game.   Carter Smith scored his second goal of the season on a quick wrist shot that went past Thunder net minder Tyson Sexsmith.   Capitalizing on Stockton’s unorganized defense, Adam Naglich passed the puck to Andrew Ianiero waiting in the crease, and poked the puck past Sexsmith, giving the Condors a two goal advantage.       By the last minute of the first period, tempers were increasing. Condor forward Pascal Morency and Thunder center Jordan Foreman had a few words in a little scrum behind the net.   The officials put a stop before they could drop the gloves, and both players were handed two minutes for unsportsmanlike like conduct.   The second period opened with about a minute of the last penalty remaining on the clock, but it would be only about 12 seconds following their return to the ice when Morency and Foreman would meet on the ice to finish what had begun earlier.   The battle led to a draw, but the fans were on their feet and that seemed to give the Condors more momentum.     At just under three minutes into the period, Erick Lizon blasted a shot from low in the right circle that sailed past Sexsmith on the glove side, giving the Condors a three goal lead.   In his first goal since donning the Condors Sweater earlier this week, former Everblades forward Vlady Nikiforov scored a power play goal.   Nikiforov’s shot from the opposite side, through the crease, got a solid ricochet off the pole on Sexsmith’s blocker side.     The Condors maintained heavy pressure, holding the Thunder from setting up any offense despite three separate Condor penalties.   By the end of the second, goalie Peter Hirsh blocked all 13 shots.   Bakersfield sailed into the locker room with a four to zip lead over the Thunder. The Condors looked as if they were out-playing Stockton in every way. To the few fans from Stockton, it almost seemed nothing could change the games momentum to their favor.   The third period opened with the Thunder facing a 4-0 deficit. Arguably the Thunder came out of the locker room with a mission and looked to be an entirely different team as they returned to the ice.  Following a Condor icing call, play came back to the Thunder offensive zone. Stockton’s Jim McKenzie took a pass and instantly backhanded a close shot that zipped past Hirsh to the back of the net.   The goal marked McKenzie’s second goal of the season, finally putting the Thunder on the board at 2:42 into the third period.   In the next five minutes the momentum seemed to change as the Thunder mounted their comeback.   Former All-Star Chris D’Alvise took the puck on a one-on-one breakaway, and walked it to the net beating Hirsh glove side at 7:02 into the period.   Then, about 45 seconds later, Foreman put shot past Hirsh narrowing the Condor lead to one.   During a Condor power play, D’Alvise intercepted a pass and again raced to the opposite end, but the defensive action by the Condors resulted in a penalty shot.   Hirsh was ready and D’Alvise’s shot was kicked away.   Bakersfield held the lead 4-3.   Heavy forechecking kept the puck in the neutral zone, for much of the later part of the period.   Both teams playing somewhat desperately, and increased physical body presence, with hard hits on the walls when possible.   With left than two minutes remaining in regulation, Jason Pitton centered in front of the net, poked a rebound that ricochet off of Hirsh’s skate into the net, tying the game at four apiece.   Just like that, the Thunder was back in the game, forcing sudden-death overtime. The Thunder kept the puck from Bakersfield, allowing them a single shot on goal for the entire third period.  In the overtime period, forechecking and denied shots by both goaltenders, as time ran down, both teams were unable to score, leading to a shoot-out.     The Condor’s were 4-1 in the shootout last season, and this was their first this season.   The Thunder defeated the Reign in a shootout two weeks earlier.     Condor’s goal tender Hirsh turned away three of four shooters while Sexsmith denied two of five.   Mika Suoraniemi scored the game winner, giving the Condors two points in the standings, with a final score of 5-4.   Hirsh turned away 27 shots for the win.   The Condors ended the game with 22 shots on goal.   Bakersfield was one for four on the power play.   The Condors will face the Alaska Aces Saturday evening at home, while the Thunder returns home for another full week break before hosting the Condors in Stockton for “Thunder Goes Pink V” weekend on November 5.   Contact the writer at Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at Jack.Lima@prohockeynews.com