Thunder get four points in an away and home series

STOCKTON, Calif. – The Stockton Thunder finished the weekend with two wins against the Bakersfield Condors in an away-home series.   After six games the Thunder are 4-1-1 (9 points), while the Condors are 3-4-1 (7 points).
In Saturday’s game in Bakersfield at Rabobank Arena, Tyler Bunz made 21 saves to give the Thunder a 4-3 victory over the Condors before 4,759 fans.  
The teams traded goals in the first period.   Bakersfield’s Parker Stanfield opened the scoring at 3:12, with an assist for Evan Trupp. The goal was answered at 5:14 with Justin Maylans first goal of the season, with assists to Teigan Zahn and Harrison Reed.  
The second period opened quickly with a power play goal from Justin Pender at the 16 second marker.   The Thunder pounded away at the Condors net, covered by Brian Stewart, firing a lopsided 16-7 shots on the net.   Zahn and Eric Hunter scored the next two goals at 2:35 and 5:12 respectively, to give the Thunder the 3-2 edge going into the third.  
During the third period Matt Reber caught a long breakaway pass and scored a short-handed goal at 4:07, with Matt Bergland getting the assist, giving the Thunder a two-point spread.
A final goal from Eric Burgdoerfer on a power play at 10:05 turned out to be the last goal allowed by Bunz.
The two teams traveled to Stockton for the second match-up between the pair on Sunday afternoon.  
At the Stockton Arena, before 5,062 fans, many of them clad in the trick-or-treat costumes, the fans were treated to a sudden-death overtime showdown.
The Thunder outshot the Condors again, this time 45-26 in the 3-2 victory over the Condors.
The Condors scored early in the first with a goal from Jacob Lagace at 4:26, and turned out to be the only goal until the last five minutes of the second period.   A nice long shot by Ryan Constant down the slot, passed Scott Greenham in the net, tied the game to lead to the break.
As Stockton continued to pound away at the Condors net into the third, a rebounded shot off the post found a waiting Tyler Brenner, who slipped the puck behind Bunz to give the Condors the 2-1 lead at 7:16 in the third period.
At 13:59, Toni Rajala beat Greenham in the net to give the Thunder the much needed equalizer.   The teams continued to battle and it even seemed that the Thunder had a chance to gain the lead on a Cornet breakaway towards the net.   Cornet was tripped up by Greenham allowing a penalty shot that was blocked.
The Thunder survived a power play with just over two minutes remaining in the five-minute sudden death overtime.   A pass from Hunter to Tony DeHart near the blue line was ripped past Greenham to score the game winner with only six seconds remaining in overtime.
Bunz stopped 24 shots and improved to 3-1-1 with the win.  
The Thunder returns to the ice on Friday, November 2, to begin a three-game series against the Condors followed by two games versus the Aces, in their “Thunder Goes Pink VII” for breast cancer awareness.
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