Thunder hold for win over Team USA

Posted on November 28, 2015

*The Thunder will play next again vs Team USA December 3rd.*

By Brian Tosti- Bloomington Thunder

BLOOMINGTON- Ethan Somoza (Bemidji State University) made it rain stuffed animals at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum during the Bloomington Thunder’s second annual Teddy Bear Toss game Friday night. The Thunder topped the United States National Team Development Program Under-17 team 3-2. The Thunder (9-8-2-1) opened a two game series with Team USA (6-7-2-1), which will pick back up Thursday from Plymouth, MI.

The first half of the game was scoreless for both sides, but Bloomington controlled the play. The best chance of the period came from Vlad Dzhioshvili (Cornell University) on a rebound. Adam Scheel (University of Notre Dame) stopped the rebound chance along with 12 other Thunder shots through the first period.

Somoza would break the scoreless tie in the second period, netting a rebound over Scheel less than 13 minutes in. Less than a minute later, the Thunder put another by the goaltender. Blake Gober scored his second goal in as many games with a shot that was redirected off a defenders stick. The Colleyville, TX native now has a point in three straight games for the Thunder.

The two goal lead became three when Jake Durflinger deflected a shot from Wyatt Kalynuk (Western Michigan University) on the power play to start the third. Just under eight minutes into the third the Thunder were on top 3-0 thanks to the insurance.

The insurance was needed by the Thunder late in the third as the U-17’s proved their skill and determination. Josh Maniscalco (University of Minnesota) netted the first goal for Team USA in the game and his first of the season at 11:18 of the period. In the final minutes with the net pulled, Michael Pastujov (University of Michigan) shot the puck off the Thunder goaltender Hayden Lavigne’s (University of Michigan) back to pull within one.

The effort was valiant but the comeback ended short. Durflinger earned the game-winning goal as the Thunder were 1-3 on the power play and shut out the highly skilled U-17’s on three power play chances.

Lavigne earned his ninth win of the season for Bloomington to rank second in the USHL among goaltenders. Scheel suffers the loss despite making 31 saves in the game.

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