By WJBC Staff
BLOOMINGTON – After being down twice in the game the Bloomington Thunder battled back to take a 4-3 win over the Des Moines Buccaneers on Monday afternoon. Jeremy Davies (Northeastern University) picked up three points in the game, including the game-winning goal in the third period. The win puts the Thunder (20-10-2-1) in a tie for third place in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League with the Green Bay Gamblers. Des Moines (15-17-2-0) suffers their third straight loss and rests in seventh place in the Western Conference.
Davies game winning goal came in the third period just 35 seconds after Logan Lambdin tied the game at three. Davies got the puck off the faceoff and fired it toward the front where it popped over the head of the Buccaneers goaltender, tapping the crossbar, and into the net. The Montreal, QC native earned his seventh of the season on the play and the number one star of the game.
“I’m not even sure how that went in. Good things happen when you throw pucks to the net. It’s as simple as that,” said Thunder Head Coach and General Manager Dennis Williams with a smile, referring to the goal as a rainbow shot over the goaltender.
Lambdin continued to roll for the Thunder, netting two goals on the night for the Thunder. In the process, he also has seven points in five games. In the first period with the team down 2-0, put the Thunder on the board and cut the lead in half. With 7:30 to play in the period, the recent USHL Forward of the Week, scored his 12th goal of the season on a bullet shot from the top of the circle. Davies added an assist on the play after feeding the Carleton, MI native at neutral ice.
“We don’t win tonight without a guy like Logan Lambdin. He’s playing with an injury right now and was our hardest worker out there,” commented Coach Williams on the play of his 20-year-old veteran forward. “He plays hard on forechecks and gets rewarded. Scored a big goal in the first to bounce us back. He’s what we like to call a heart and soul player.”
The biggest goal for the 5-foot-9 forward would be in the third period. After being stopped on a breakaway, Lambdin tipped a shot from Cameron Spicer and redirected it to the back of the net. This season Lambdin has the second most points on the team with 21 (13g, 8a).
Two came from the Buccaneers at the start of the game to take the advantage just one minute apart. Kenny Hausinger netted his second goal of the weekend on the Thunder and continued his point streak eight minutes in. The Alaska native scored his sixth goal toward 11 points in the last seven games. A minute later, a long pass came from James Gobetz down the ice and put Ty Pelton-Byce (University of Massachusetts) on a breakaway. His first shot was stopped by goaltender Logan Halladay, but the rebound found its way through.
The eighth goal of the season for Pelton-Byce would be the end of Halladay’s night, but the Thunder picked it up from there. In relief, Hayden Lavigne (University of Michigan) made 26 saves including a barrage of chances at the end of the game while the team was shorthanded. Lavigne’s 15th win of the season has put himself third in the USHL’s win column.
In the second Tarek Baker continued his miraculous goal streak, extending to seven straight. The Thunder’s leading scorer has now become a top-10 goal scorer in the USHL and is tied for eighth in the league. Taking it to the slot, the Verona, WI native put a shot through the five hole of Nick MacNab (Yale University) to tie the game at two.
Alec Rauhauser netted his third goal on a redirected shot in the third period to give Des Moines the lead back. He leads the defensive unit with 23 points (3g, 20a) this season after a two-point night for the Buccaneers. The final charge by Bloomington would be enough but was tested late by a penalty with under two minutes left.
“(Lavigne) was unbelievable down to the final second. When you get goaltending like that, guys can play confident,” said the Thunder’s head coach. “26 saves is a good outing especially going in there cold, not taking as many shots in warm ups in preparation of the game. This time of the year that’s what you need sometimes. Like we say, if our leaders aren’t going, we need other guys to step up and be leaders.”
With the goalie pulled, and a 6-on-4 advantage, the Thunder pulled off their second penalty kill of the game to keep the Buccaneers off the board. Lavigne was able to keep the puck out despite a final play for Patrick Grasso on the top of the crease. The game ended 4-3 for the Thunder who have won 12 of their last 14 games this season.
Bloomington is still undefeated against the Buccaneers through four meetings all-time. They return to action at the Coliseum on Friday night against the Youngstown Phantoms for a two game set. It will be the third meeting of eight on the season between the Thunder and Phantoms.
