Thunder top Storm in overtime for 2nd straight night

Posted on January 14, 2017

By WJBC Staff

BLOOMINGTON — Alec Mehr scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner in overtime, as the Bloomington Thunder earned a series sweep of the Tri-City Storm with a 3-2 win at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum on Saturday night.

After a 3-2 overtime win on Friday night, the Thunder (16-12-3-0, 35 pts) never trailed on Saturday night, but Tri-City scored with 4:32 left in regulation to knot the score and send the game to overtime. In overtime, Mehr scored on a breakaway while being dragged down from behind to provide an extra time win for the third consecutive home game.

Mehr (Brown University) was the one who had propelled the Thunder ahead just 17 seconds into the third period with his first goal of the game. Bloomington nearly scored on its first shift of the third, and on the ensuing faceoff Mehr found the back of the net to make it 2-1.

Tri-City (12-14-4-2, 30 pts) eventually fought back with its second power-play goal of the game in the final five minutes of regulation, forcing a game to the overtime for the fourth straight meeting between the two teams.

In a game that featured three special teams’ goals, the Thunder took the lead on a shorthanded tally by Mitchell Mattson (University of North Dakota/Calgary Flames). Mattson jammed home a puck in the low slot for his seventh of the year, finishing off a sequence that saw Ethan Somoza get stopped moments before by Tri-City netminder Eric Dop on a one-timer at the left post.

Tri-City tied the game at one 61 seconds later on the same power play.

Bloomington goaltender Gabe Mollot-Hill (Providence College) made 26 saves to pick up the win in overtime. Mattson added an assist for his fifth multi-point game of the season.

Bloomington heads on the road to finish the three-game weekend, traveling to Youngstown, Ohio, for a Monday matinee matchup with the Phantoms. Faceoff is slated for 12 p.m. CT. After a road game against Team USA next Saturday night, the Thunder return home to host Youngstown next Sunday for Superhero Night.

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