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12/19/06: On Tuesday 12/19, the Greece Thunder Varsity Hockey Team defeated the BK/Eastridge Kings by a score of 5-1. Eighth grader Riley Bourbonnais scored his first 2 varsity goals, Josh Salter had 3 assists, Jonathan Hostetter added a goal and an assist. Also scoring for Thunder were Phil Lane and Vincent Masters. With this win, the Thunder has improved their record to 3-1-0 in the league and 3-2-1 overall. Next game is this Saturday 12/23, 5PM @ Lakeshore vs. Gates.
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12/23/06: Greece Thunder Varsity Hockey Team dominated Gates Chili in league play on Saturday, Dec 23rd @ Lakeshore. Freshman Joe Ladd backstopped the Thunder, facing only 12 shots, although he made some brilliant ones at that to net the team's first shutout win of the season. Late in the first period, freshman Phil Lane forced a turnover in the neutral zone and then went in 1 on 0, beating the GC tender, for a short-handed tally. Lane came right back with his second goal of the nite off a nice feed by sophomore Michael Conderman. Conderman added a goal of his own and another assist, turning in a solid 3-point performance. Rounding out the evening, 8th grader JT Stenglein and freshman Brandon Cheeseman each got on the board with their first varsity goal. Final score: Thunder 5, Gates-Chili 0. Thunder is on a roll now and has improved their record to 4-1-0 in the league, 4-2-1 overall. Come on out and see them in action. Next game is Wednesday, Dec 27th, 8pm @ Lakeshore. Happy Holidays!
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12/27/06: Greece Thunder Varsity Hockey Team continued their winning ways this evening, beating Williamsville East 4-1 in their opening game of the Greece Thunder Holiday Hockey Tournament at Lakeshore. Shane Cleland broke loose and cracked the seal with a breakaway goal off a perfectly threaded headman pass from Korey Karwowski in the first period. Fast forward to the second period and it was Riley Bourbonnais going hard to the net and tipping a pass from Michael Conderman in 5-hole for the thunder's second goal of the evening. Williamsville answered back with a breakaway goal to make it 2-1. Then before the end of the second period Phil Lane blasted a slap-shot by the Williamsville keeper to regain the 2-goal lead, 3-1 Thunder. Things got chippy in the 3rd frame as Williamsville refused to roll over, but the Thunder held their composure and put it out of reach with an empty netter by Phil Lane, assisted by Michael Conderman. Captain David Russell held down the fort on D and added an assist. Joe Ladd turned away 25 of 26 shots for the win. Thunder's record improves to 5-2-1 (4-1-0 league). Thunder will face Kenmore in the finals of the Thunder Tourney, 8pm @ Lakeshore on Thursday, December 28th. Thanks to everyone who has come out to support the team. See you all there Thursday nite!
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12/28/06: Greece Thunder Varsity Hockey Team came up short in the championship game of their own Greece Thunder Holiday Hockey Tournament at Lakeshore Thursday nite, losing 7-4 to a relentless Kenmore West team. Kenmore got on the board in the first period and sniped another goal in the second for an early 2-0 lead. The second period was mired with penalties, 10 to Thunder and 8 to Kenmore, but in the middle of all that mess captain David Russell got the crowd fired up with a center ice hit that earned him the "DOAN COLLISION" of the game. Thunder managed to close the gap to 2-1 with a hail-larry pass to Michael Conderman fed by David Russell from deep in his own end. But Kenmore answered right back with another tally, and it was 3-1 Kenmore going into the 2nd intermission. Both teams took turns trading goals in the third before Kenmore finished things off with an empty netter at the end. Vince Masters had a pair of goals; Michael Conderman added an assist for a solid 2-pt performance; and last but not least, Taylor Weilert blasted one over the Kenmore keepers shoulder, top-shelf from just inside the blue-line. Kudos to David Russell and Michael Conderman who were both named to the All-Tournament team. Thunder (5-3-1 overall, 4-1-0 league) faces RH in the Thomas showcase, 1pm this Saturday, Dec 30th at the Blue Cross Arena. Happy New Year !!!
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12/30/06: The Greece Thunder Hockey Team was back in the saddle for the high school showcase at the Blue Cross Arena today (12/30) defeating Rush-Henrietta by a score of 7-5. Captain Dave Russell broke the ice for the Thunder early in the first period creeping in and finding the back of the net off a sweet pass from Vince Masters. Josh Salter recorded the secondhand assist. RH answered back, 1-1. Then it was Masters again, this time setting up Michael Conderman for the tap-in on the back door. Taylor Weilert also logged an assist on the Thunder's second goal. RH answered back yet again, 2-2.
But it was all Thunder in the second period, where Russell set up both Josh Salter for the one-timer in the high slot and Phil Lane for another tally to get Thunder a 2-goal lead, 4-2 going into the second intermission. Conderman added an assist on Lane's goal as well.
Thunder would not relinquish the lead in the 3rd as they went on to outshoot the Comets by a margin of 38-24. Scoring in the third were Conderman, assisted by Salter (no relation to John Slater, b.t.w.) and Riley Bourbonnais, unassisted. However, the highlight reel goal of the evening was Russell's saucer pass up the middle and through the woods to Phil Lane, which resulted in a 5-hole breakaway finish by Lane. Shane Cleland got the second hand assist.
Before it was over, Thunder had 5 multi-point getters: Russell (1g-3a-4pts), Salter (1g-2a-3pts), Conderman (2g-1a-3pts), Lane (2g-2pts), Masters (2a-2pts). Matti Miettinen made 19 saves for the win. Josh Salter received player-of-the-game honors. Thunder's record is now 6-3-1 (5-1-0 league). Next game is Thursday, Jan 4th, 8pm @ Lakeshore, where Thunder squares off with Pittsford. I know it's a school nite, but let's see if we can pack the stands and rock the house for this one... See ya' at the rink in the new year :)
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1/4/07: The Greece Thunder Hockey Team turned in another solid performance this evening (Thurs 1/4), shutting out Pittsford by a score of 2-0 at Lakeshore to take over first place in the red division. It was Riley Bourbonnais picking up the trash in front of the net off a blast from the point by David Russell and scoring the opening goal just 42 seconds into the game. Conderman and Russell both recorded assists on the goal. It went on to be a fairly chippy game, but Thunder was able to maintain their composure and carried their 1-0 lead deep into the third. Then with less then seven minutes to go in the final frame, Michael Conderman (1g-1a-2pts) busted loose and sniped one by the Pittsford goaltender off a nice headman pass from Bourbonnais (1g-1a-2pts) to make it 2-0 Thunder. Russell (2a-2pts) added an assist on the second goal as well. Joey Ladd kept Thunder in the game, making key saves and shutting down several goal line stands along the way. He turned away all 21 shots that he faced, earning his second shut-out win of the season. Thunder's record improves to 6-1 League (7-3-1 overall). Next game is this Saturday 1/6, 5pm @ ESL Sports Centre against Rush Henrietta.
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1/6/07: The Greece Thunder Hockey team was at ESL Sports Centre this evening (Sat 1/6/07), wrapping up a 2-game series against the not so royal Comets with a convincing 5-1 rout. Thunder went on the power play just five minutes into the first period and it was Shane Cleland at the top of the crease roofing the first goal of the nite off a feed from the point by captain David Russell, 1-0 Thunder. Shots were close in the first, 8-7 in favor of the Thunder, and RH was putting up a good fight. Then 18 seconds into the second frame, defenseman Joe Friga took advantage of the traffic/screen and found the back of the net with a blast from the point, to make it 2-0. Thunder continued to ascert their dominance, out-shooting RH by a margin of 11-5 in the second, as Tensions mounted and we all witnessed a steady parade to the box by both teams. But before the period was out, Russell (2a-2pts) was back in his office hitting Michael Conderman on the tape as he was streaking into the slot...money, and it was 3-0 Thunder going into the break. Riley Bourbonnais also logged an assist on that goal. The Comet's frustration really started to show in the third and several of their players started taking liberties, but Thunder managed to hold their own. Fast forward to the 9 minute mark of the third and this time it was Phil Lane with the PP tally, assisted by Josh Salter and Michael Conderman, advancing the Thunder's lead to 4-0. A minute later Conderman (2g-1a-3pts) would score the Thunder's fifth and final goal of the evening, assisted by Shane Cleland (1g-1a-2pts). In the waning minutes of the game, the Thunder's emotions got the best of them and they found themselves on the short-end of a 5 on 3 situation. RH managed to capitalize on the 2-man advantage to break up the shut-out, but Joey Ladd was excellent in the nets, making 17 saves all day. Thunder took 10 shots in the 3rd to RH's 6 for a 3 period total of 29-18. Thunder is now 7-1 in the league (8-3-1 overall) and will face the Lightning this coming Tuesday (1/9) 8pm @ Lakeshore for this years "STORM" game. Come on out and make some noise and watch the Thunder defend the Storm Trophy !!!
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1/9/07: The Greece Thunder Hockey Team managed to hang onto the coveted Storm Trophy for yet another year, after defefating the Lightning by a score of 3-1, before a capacity crowd at Lakeshore last nite (1/9/07) in the 7th annual "STORM" game. That marks Thunder's 3rd consecutive Storm game victory giving them the edge over Lightning with a 3-2-2 storm game record over the last seven years. Now on with the highlights of the game... despite numerous quality chances in the first period, Thunder could not get by the Lightning keeper who was stellar. Thunder kept bringing it with waves of attacks in the second that eventually led to a power play goal by Vincent Masters, assisted by Riley Bourbonnais and Eric "Gunda" Gunderson. Then a few minutes into the third Michael Conderman scored what would prove to be the eventual GWG, assisted by Riley Bourbonnais and Phil Lane. Thunder continued pounding away unable to get the 3-goal lead and as they went to the box, Lightning took advantage to make it a 1-goal game with only 2:20 to go in the contest. While Thunder outshot the Lightning by a margin of 39-7, the 1-goal lead was a little too close for comfort. At the final minute mark, Michael Conderman took it below the Lightning's goal line and played keep-away for a good 30 seconds. But Lightning was able to get their 6th attacker out and Thunder found themselves in their own end trying to clear it out as the finals seconds of the game were winding down. Phil Lane would eventually break free at the end directing a backhand clear down the ice and into the empty net with only 1 second left on the clock. Thunder's league record has improved to 8-1 (9-3-1 overall). Thunder is off for the weekend but will be back at it against Fairport, 7:30pm on Tuesday, 1/16/07 @ Thomas Creek.
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1/16/07: Most kids dream of skating for "the cup" one day, but the members of the Greece Thunder Hockey Team were skating for "the plate" Tuesday nite (1/16/07) at Thomas Creek, during their second outing of the season against Red Divison rival Fairport Red Raiders. Why "the plate" instead of "the cup" you ask? Well, it's a time honored Thunder tradition to order-up garbage plates for the ride home after a successful road trip to that building, and as coach Webb remarked, "they earned it" with their 4-3 decision over Fairport. Now on with the highlights...
Fairport took the early lead poking one in during a scrum in front of the Thunder's net one minute into the game. Thunder answered back on the power play a couple of minutes later with a goal by Shane Cleland, assisted by Michael Conderman. Fairport scored again late in the first period off a fast break to regain the lead with a score of 2-1. It seemed like Fairport had something to prove coming off a tough couple of weeks, as they outshot Thunder 13-6 in the first period.
But Thunder bounced back nicely, outshooting Fairport 15-5 in the second period. It was Jonathan Hostetter winning a draw in the Fairport end late in the second to set up Eric Gunderson's blast from the point that tied the game at 2 apiece. But Thunder would give up a shorty before the period was out, finding themselves trailing by a goal going into the second intermission.
Thunder came out of the dressing room all fired up in the third and did not waste any time netting the equalizer as Phil Lane (Conderman/Salter) converted on an early powerplay to make it 3-3. Then with less than 2 minutes to go in the game Jeremy Fitzgerald scored the eventual game winner taking a feed from Jonathan Hostetter, banking it off the Fairport goaltender's pad and into the net, 4-3 Thunder.
Thunder's record improves to 9-1 league (10-3-1 overall). Next game is Thursday (1/18), 8pm @ Webster versus Penfield.
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1/18/07: The boys of Thunder came out flat against Penfield Wednesday nite (1/18) at the Webster Ice Arena, donning their purple sweaters with yellow sleeve-socks and giving up two early goals on turnovers in their own end. Phil Lane got the first Thunder goal of the evening late in the first period, assisted by Jeremy Fitzgerald and Michael Conderman. But Penfield would answer back just a minute later to maintain their 2 goal lead at 3-1.
Next was Greg Ryan, fresh off the DL, netting his first varsity goal to open up the second period. Ryan picked up a turnover in the neutral zone, walked in on the Penfield keeper, dragged him across the crease, beating him 5-hole, and closing the gap, 3-2 Penfield. A few minutes later the Patriots scored another to regain the 2-goal lead at 4-2. But Thunder would not roll over as they came right back and converted on the power play with a sweet display of tic-tac-toe passing from Josh Salter at the point to David Russell on the half wall to Phil Lane on the back door and into the open side of the net. It was 4-3 Penfield going into the third.
Thunder controlled the play throughout the third holding Penfield to only 1 shot. At the eleven minute mark Thunder tied the game at 4's with another powerplay tally.This time it was Jeremy Fitgerald finishing, assisted by Conderman and Russell. With a little over 4 minutes to go Thunder was given a gift as a 4-minute major was assessed to Penfield and Thunder would have the man advantage for the balance of the period. But Thunder ended up in the box as well and was unable to get the go-ahead goal. Instead they found themselves shorthanded going into OT. Thunder could not muster a goal in the extra period so they ended up "kissing their sisters" with a 4-4 tie.
Thunder remains atop the Red Division with a 9-1-1 record in the league (10-3-2 overall) and will face Seton Cathloic next friday nite, 1/27, 7:30pm @ RIT in the McQuaid Tournament.
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1/26/07 & 1/27/07: Coming off a week's hiatus since last week's tie with Penfield, the Greece Thunder Hockey team was back in the ring to take another swing at Frank Ritter Memorial Arena this past weekend, where they defeated Seton Catholic on Friday nite (1/26) to advance to the championship round of the McQuaid Tournament.
While it appeared as if Thunder would run away with the contest, after lighting the lamp 3 times in the first period, Seton Catholic hung in there and made a game of it. Scoring the first goal for Thunder, just a few minutes in, was Michael Conderman, assisted by David Russell. Later in the period, Brandon Cheesman was on the attack, using the Seton defense as a screen, and he buried one under the cross-bar to make it 2-0 Thunder. Both Darius Snyder and Shane Cleland recorded assists on the Thunder's second goal. Then it was Conderman with his second tally of the evening (and eventual game winner), which came on the PP from Josh Salter and David Russell, to close out the period, 3-0 Thunder.
For much of the second period Thunder was playing to their level of competition and left the door open for Seton to get back into the game- they did just that scoring their first goal with 4 and a half to go in the period. Thunder rallied back at the 30 second mark to regain the 3-goal lead, making it 4-1 Thunder going into the second intermission. Although announced as Salter from Fitgerald, here is a recap of Thunder's 4th goal from the goal judge's perspective (sorry Josh!): Fitzy fed Salter in the high slot, then Salter's slapper ping ponged its way to the goal line and Shane Cleland came by and tapped it in for par, or was it already in... who knows, but hey, a point's a point!
Fast forward to the middle of the 3rd frame where Seton would score again to close the gap, 4-2 Thunder. Then late in the third the Seton goalie found himself a long way from home as he tried to play a puck in the corner and fell down. Conderman was first on the scene gathering up the loose puck from the boards, engaging missile lock and firing it at the empty net, but just as we were all poised to throw our hats onto the ice, Fitzy deflected the puck into the net. Both Conderman (2G-1A-3pts) and Russell (3A-3pts) logged an assist on the final goal of the game. It's all good though, as Thunder won the game 5-2 and would go on to play McQuaid in the finals.
On Saturday nite (1/27) Thunder faced off with McQuaid for the first time this season, vying for first place honors at the McQuaid Tournament. It was a slow start for the Thunder, giving up a power play goal in each of the first 2 periods. But they managed to gut it out and make it a 1-goal game late in the third. Phil Lane scored a pretty goal on the fly with a back hand roofer on the short side, off the feed by Michael Conderman. But McQuaid capitalized on a turnover in Thunder's end a minute later to restore their 2-goal lead and then went on to finish things off with a short-handed goal with a minute to go in the game. Final score was 4-1 in favor of the Knights. Good news was that Thunder hung in there and gave themselves a chance to win against a very strong team.
Named to the All-Tournament team from the Thunder were senior-captain David Russell and sophomore Michael Conderman. Way to represent boys!
Thunder's record is now 11-4-2 overall. Thunder will be back in action on the road against Pittsford, Tuesday nite (1/30), 7:30pm at Thomas Creek... I smell another garbage plate!
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1/30/07: The Greece Thunder Hockey team came up short against Pittsford at Thomas Creek on Tuesday nite, 1/30, losing a tough 2-1 decision and temporarily relinquishing their first place lead to the Panthers in the Red Division. The first period was scoreless and about as exciting as watching paint dry, with neither team able to manage much of any sustained pressure. There were countless icings and a handful of penalties called, but only 4 shots per side.
On to the second period where, alas, there was some exciting end to end action right out of the gate with Joe Ladd stoning an early Pittsford rush and Thunder storming right back with a quick transition the other way. But the Panthers quickly regained posession in their own end, bringing it back up ice and converting on a 2 on 1 break just a minute and a half into the period, 1-0 Pittsford. There were numerous scoring chances in the second, but even though the fans were shelling out for heat in the stands, Thunder could not buy a goal as they had run into a hot Pittsford goaltender. Pittsford's second tally and eventual game winner came on the PP late in the second period. But Thunder would not roll over as they had a late flurry on the PP, pounding away at the Panthers right up to the buzzer.
The Thunder PP carried over to the third period, where the flurry continued but still no goal was to be had. Thunder picked up the hitting in the third, forcing turnovers and generating scoring chances aplenty but they just couldn't break the seal... until they went on the powerplay with less than 2 minutes to go in the game. With Ladd on the bench and the extra skater out, Thunder went to work. Pittsford managed to clear the zone and started bearing down on the Thunder's empty net, but captain David Russell would deny the Panther's empty netter attempt with a diving poke check to keep Thunder alive. After regaining the zone, Thunder worked it around and got the puck to the front of the net where a mad scramble ensued and with 10.4 seconds on the clock the red light miraculously went on. It seemed as if everyone had a whack at it, but the goal was awarded to Corey Karwowski with a single assist to Jeremy Fitzgerald. Despite all their hard work and efforts, outshooting the Panthers 18-2 in the third period (33-16 overall) and repeatedly knocking on the door, Thunder could not get the equalizer.
Thunder drops back to second place in the Red Division with a record of 9-2-1 (19pts), just 1 point behind Pittsford who is in first place at 10-2-0 (20pts). But don't count Thunder out just yet as Pittsford has not clinched the division - they will face Gates and Penfield in their final 2 matches, while Thunder will face BK/Eastridge, 8pm on Thursday 2/1 @ Lakeshore and then Gates Chili, 7pm on Tuesday 2/6 @ Genesee Valley. Go Thunder!
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2/1/07: That's right, it was senior nite for the Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey Team on Thursday (2/1) at Lakeshore Hockey Arena, home of the bumper cars, where they rolled out the blue carpet for the annual rose ceremony with the Thunder anthem playing..... a-wah-wa-wah-wanna-wah-wanna........ THUN-DER, a-wah-wa-wah-wanna-wah-wanna......THUN-DER, a-wah-wa-wah-wanna-wah-wanna......THUN-DER. The following Thunder seniors were called to the carpet along with their parents/siblings for a photo-op, presentation of their future plans and an acknowledgement of their years of service with the team: Shane Cleland (Shaner), Jeremy Fitzgerald (Fitzy or Luther), Matti Miettinen (Mittens), David Russell (D-Russ), and Joshua Salter (Salt or Salts or Slater). BK Eastridge Kings were in the hizzie for senior nite and to put it plainly, they were Thunderstruck. When all was said and done the Thunder delivered a 4-0 blow to the Kings and sent them packin'.
First period action featured a pass from behind the net by Mike Conderman out to Eric Gunderson sneaking in from the point. Gunda buried it for the 1-0 lead and eventual game winner just one minute into the game. Fast forward to the second period and this time it was Condo finding the back of the net by tipping in a back door pass from the point by David Russell. Vince Masters logged on assist on the goal, 2-0 Thunder. Less than a minute later Masters took a pass from Josh Salter, teed it up from the point on net and then Phil Lane banged home the rebound to make it 3-0 Thunder. Worth noting was the fact that the MCHS announcer pronounced Josh's name correctly for the first time in 4 years as Josh was awarded the secondhand assist on the third goal - better late than never. Masters (1G-2A-3PTS) would score the final goal of the game, assisted by Conderman (1G-2A-3PTS) and Riley Bourbonnais, to make it 4-0 Thunder with only a minute to go in the second period. Matti Miettinen was solid in the nets turning them all away and earning a senior nite shut-out, as Thunder went on to outshoot the Kings with a 3-period total of 25-17. Thunder's record improves to 10-2-1 in the league (12-5-2 overall). They will face Gates on Tuesday 2/6, strike that, Wednesday 2/7, 5pm @ Genesee Valley to wrap up their regular season play.
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2/7/07: It was like a deja-vu all over again as Gates-Chili hosted Greece Athena/Odyssey for their own senior nite Wednesday (2/7) @ Genesee Valley Ice Arena. Not much doing early in the game but all of a sudden and out of nowhere Phil Lane launched one from the top of the left circle picking the upper right corner and it was game on, 1-0 Thunder. Jeremy Fitzgerald logged the only assist on the first goal of the game. Later on in the first, as Thunder went to the box, Gates would cash in on the PP with just 17 seconds to go in the period to knot it at 1-1. Shots were fairly even in the first, with Thunder gaining the slight edge, 10-8. As the second period got underway, something was clearly missing... got puck possession? got physical play? The Spartans took advantage of Thunder's uninspired play walking out of the corner to score their second goal of the evening and take the lead, 2-1 Gates. Phil Lane answered back for Thunder 30 seconds later with the equalizer and his second tally of the evening, assisted by David Russell. But Gates would rally again and capitalize on a turnover in the Thunder's end, scoring at the 3 minute mark to regain the lead. It was 3-2 Gates going into the second intermission. After being outshot 9-3 in the second period, surely the Thunder would have to come out in the third saying enough's-enough. But things went from bad to worse as Thunder "killed off" their own 5 on 3 advantage, parlayed it into a penalty shot going the other way, and took several more trips to the box. Thunder went on to give up 2 more goals in the third, getting outshot by a three-period total of 31-22, and losing by a score of 5-2. This is what I call "getting it out of your system". They wrapped up their regular season with a league record of 10-3-1 (12-6-2 overall), tied with Gates for second place in the Red Division. Fear not though, as the boys of Thunder will be back to their winning ways in the opening round of the sectional playoffs this saturday, 2/10.
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2/10/07: The basketball team brought you J-Mac, the music department brought you Kevin Greene, so what's next you ask................ how about Webby-Mac !!! That's right, rumor has it that the coach of the Greece Athena/Odyssey Hockey Team fell and hit his head on the sink over the weekend (a la Doc brown in Back to the Future), but instead of devising the flux capacitor he had a vision about putting flubber on the stick of one of his managers or 5th liners who rarely play with the preminition that they might score a natural hat-trick to lift the Thunder over Pittsford in the Section V class AA semifinal this Tuesday nite (2/13), 6pm @ ESL Sports Center.
Speaking of Hat-Tricks, rumor would also have it that our very own American Idol - Richard Snyder, J-Mac, and Kevin Greene will all be in attendance to watch this unfold. That brings me to YOU......... YOU'RE THE ONE THAT WE WANT !!! We want YOU to come on out to the game Tuesday nite, make some noise and show some support for the boys of Thunder as they pursue their second consecutive Section V title. And if that's not enough to get you outta your chair... the first 5000 Thunder fans through the door will receive a commemorative Webby-Mac bobble-head. Alright, I made that last part up, but the rest could very well be true, ya never know and you don't want to miss it! We need all hands on deck, from the faculty to the staff to the student body of both Athena and Odyssey, to fill the stands at ESL and rock the house. Who's with me? Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Go Thunder !!!
And now for the game report from this past weekend's quarterfinal game...
The Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey Team got their Mojo back on Saturday (2/10) @ Lakeshore Ice Arena, as they handed the Greece Arcadia/Olympia Lightning a 4-2 decision before a capacity crowd to advance to the semifinal round of the Section V Class AA playoffs. Leading off for the Thunder just one minute into the game was Vincent Masters with a powerplay goal, set up by Assistant Captain Joshua Salter and Captain David Russell. Four minutes later the Lightning answered back with a shot from the point that snuck by to tie it up at one apiece. Then it was around to the other side of the umbrella where Phil Lane would record Thunder's second power play goal of the game, once again from Salter and Russell. It was 2-1 Thunder at the end of the first period with shots 8-4 in their favor as well. Second frame was scoreless and nondescript but Thunder managed to outshoot their opponent 11-5. On to 3rd period action where Taylor "T" Weilert would hold the line and blast one by the Lightning tender for the eventual game winner, 3-1 Thunder. Hats off to Lightning as they would not go away, scoring again with 5 and a half minutes remaining to make it a 1-goal game. But Thunder would go on the powerplay again before it was over and this time it was Michael Conderman finding the back of the net to make it 4-2 Thunder. Shots were 7-4 in favor of Thunder in the third for a 3 period total of 26-13. Matti Miettinen got the job done in the nets for the Thunder, turning away 11 of 13. Thunder's record improves to 13-6-2.
See you all at the game tuesday nite (2/13), 6pm @ ESL Sports Center... Go Thunder !!!
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2/13/07: Every team except for one eventually loses their last game of the playoffs, but for the Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey team, the end of the season came sooner than everyone had hoped. It was such an abrubt ending, losing 3-2 in sudden death OT to Pittsford after a hard fought battle for the Section V Class AA Semifinals @ ESL Sports Centre on Tuesday Nite (2/13). It left the Thunder numb as they wandered home in the middle of the biggest snow-storm of the season, but life goes on and there are certainly many great moments shared by the members of this club all season long that are worth celebrating. Thanks to all who have come out to support the team this year !!!
And now for the final game report of the 2006-2007 season...
Thunder pounded away at the Panthers with one flurry after another, outshooting them 14-6 in the opening period, but despite Thunder's numerous scoring chances, they could not get by the Pittsford netminder. Rather the Panthers cashed in on a breakaway and a rebound attempt within the first nine minutes of the game to take an early 2-0 lead. Second period was scoreless with shots pretty even at 7-5 in favor of the Panthers, but the third period was all Thunder, as they took control of the game and held the Panthers at bay, outshooting them by a margin of 9-0. Just two minutes in, it was Jonathan Hostetter redirecting a shot from Phil Lane top shelf to make it a 1-goal game. Senior Jeremy Fitzgerald recorded the second-hand assist on the Thunder's first goal of the game, which not only raised the water bottle off the net, but also raised the Thunder fans to their feet. Nine intense minutes later Eric Gunderson would put another biscuit in the basket to tie the game for the Thunder with a blast from the point that got deflected. Thunder held on 'til the buzzer and we're goooooooooooooinng to over-time!
What an incredible shift of momentum for the Thunder as they headed into the extra period........ a few minutes in there was a scrum in front of the Panther's net and one of the Panther players covered the loose puck in the crease. The ref whistled it down and awarded a penalty shot to the Thunder, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Michael Conderman, leading scorer for the Thunder, got the nod. He skated in and took a shot, but the Panther's goalie was equal to the task and made the save. Before play could resume there was a loud clang, as a pane of glass from the Pittsford side of the rink fell to the ice, presummably from the fans leaning and banging on it. Fortunately nobody was injured, but this gaff caused a 15 minute delay, while the rink staff replaced the glass. It would prove to be the Thunder's undoing, as their momentum was sapped. With only 2 minutes remaining in the 4th period, Pittsford hit the crossbar and then put home the rebound to end the game. When it was all said and done, Matti Miettinen made 12 saves for the Thunder as they outshot the Panthers 31-15, but came up one goal short, losing 3-2. Thunder finishes the season with a respectable 13-7-2 record and, I'm sure, with some fire in their bellies to return next season to reclaim their Red Division and Section V titles.
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