BLOOMINGTON- The Bloomington Thunder are attempting to rewrite a fairytale. Brogan Rafferty (Quinnipiac University) was the hero in a 3-2 overtime win over the Dubuque Fighting Saints in Game 4. For the second straight series, the Thunder have defied the odds and forced a Game 5 after a late third period comeback and overtime winner. Bloomington will travel to Dubuque on Tuesday night to face the Fighting Saints at 7:05 p.m.
The overtime game-winner came from the top point producer on the Thunder blue line in the post season. Rafferty was fed across the slot from Logan Lambdin (Michigan State University) who moments before laid a big hit to force the play into the zone. The West Dundee, IL native outlasted Hunter Miska (University of Minnesota-Duluth) on a sliding pad stack, and put it in for his second overtime game-winning goal of the year.
Earlier in overtime it was Hayden Lavigne (University of Michigan) making one of the biggest stops of the night. On an odd man chance a rebound lay at his feet inside the crease out of his sight. Brett Boeing came to the front of the net and Lavigne’s pad reacted at the last second to keep the puck out. The Brampton, ON born goaltender made 39 saves in the game for his fifth win of the post season.
With his team down in the third period, Lambdin caused some trouble at center ice and fed the leading scorer from the regular season into the zone. Tarek Baker (University of Wisconsin) streaking down the wing was too much for the defense to handle and the future Badger wrapped the puck to the crease. Channeling his inner “Bobby Orr”, Baker tucked it around Miska to tie the game with 5:32 remaining on the clock. His second of the playoffs eventually forced the extra period.
In the first, the Thunder opened it up for the second straight night. Bloomington’s power play worked around the blue line and the puck came across from Jeremy Davies (Northeastern University) to Rafferty to the captain Jake Slaker. Like a shot out of a cannon, Slaker unloaded on the puck to the top corner of the net, taking his fifth goal of the playoffs. Slaker is tied for the USHL lead in goals scored in the playoffs with five and points in the post season with 12.
Bloomington wrapped up the night 1-for-2 on the power play, and 2-of-3 on the penalty kill. They were outshot by the Fighting Saints 27-41, but the play of their goaltender and keen shooting kept them alive in the Eastern Conference Final. Miska suffered just his third loss of the post season, making 24 saves.
Dubuque saw goals from Mitchell Smith (Yale University) and their captain Keegan Ford (Michigan Tech University) in the game as they held the lead at the halfway point of the third period. Ford has five goals and 12 points to identically match Slaker in the USHL’s Clark Cup scoring race.
