By WJBC Staff
BLOOMINGTON – The most exciting game of the season ended in a 1-0 decision for the Bloomington Thunder who shut out the Green Bay Gamblers on Sunday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum.
Bloomington (11-8-2-1) is in a three-way tie with Green Bay (12-9-0-1) and Youngstown for third place in the Eastern Conference. Hayden Lavigne earned his second shutout of the season and third career shutout in the USHL.
Jake Slaker netted the game-winning goal for the Thunder with under 20 seconds left in the game. The Thunder captain moved down the wing, beating the defender and putting it over the shoulder of Gamblers goaltender Adam Huska. It was the San Diego, CA native’s fifth goal of the season. He is tied for third on the team with 11 points this season.
Lavigne and Huska stole the show in the game with 22 saves and 34 saves respectively in the game. Early in the second period, Lavigne made arguably the save of the year on the goal line. The Brampton, ON native then followed it up with a sprawling save on a rebound to keep it tied. The 6-foot-3 goalies traded stops in the game, as Huska came back with some huge saves for the Gamblers.
Pat Curry came down in the third after a pass from Jeremy Davies (Northeastern University) fed him a pass through the defenders. Huska made the save as Curry bowled into the Gamblers goaltender. With blocked shots and some great defensive play, the Thunder limited the Gamblers to three shots in the third period. The Thunder outshot Green Bay 13-3 in the third, as part of a 35 shot performance.
The Thunder picked up their third straight win and continue to win close games. They are now 11-1-2-1 in one goal games this season.
The Thunder hit the road for two game series with the Tri-City Storm in Kearney, NE starting on Friday at 7 p.m.
