Thunder 5, Lightning 1

Thunder wins hockey battle of Greece

PHOTOS

Matt Weinstein • Staff writer • December 27, 2008

Intense rivalry boils over as Athena/Odyssey keeps edge. Despite a familiar result, the rivalry between the Greece Thunder and Lightning hockey teams is more intense than ever. Sophomore Riley Bourbonnais scored three goals as the Thunder defeated the Lightning 5-1 Friday night in a scrappy contest at Lake Shore Ice Arena.

"Both teams seem to have that extra fire when we meet," said Bourbonnais, who leads the Thunder with 13 goals. "We just worked a little harder than them and it showed in the final score." Athena/Odyssey (8-0 overall, 5-0 West Division), ranked No. 1 in the Democrat and Chronicle coaches' poll, won all three meetings against the Lightning last season and is 17-3-2 against Arcadia/Olympia in the last 22 meetings. Both teams were delivering big hits throughout the game and tempers boiled over with the Thunder leading 4-1 with 3:46 remaining. Several scuffles between the teams broke out, resulting in a 10-minute delay as the referees handed out multiple penalties and ejected two players.

"A lot of the kids have been playing with each other their entire lives and it gets very competitive out there," Thunder coach Dan Webb said. "It is a heated rivalry but in a healthy way, not in an unhealthy way."
The Thunder took a 1-0 lead on a one-timer by Matt Lane from J.T. Stenglien two minutes into the game.

Pat Sofia scored a short-handed goal three minutes into the second to give the Thunder a 2-0 lead. "We work on passing the puck and getting good movement every practice," Webb said. "The puck is the fastest thing on the ice and our guys understand that." Thunder goalie Parker Bonis did not have much work in the first period but was tested often in the second. He made a beautiful glove save on a high wrist shot by Rob Cammilleri in the opening minutes and also stoned Cammilleri later in the period on a breakaway.

Cammilleri finally got the puck past Bonis in the final minute of the second period on a one-timer from Kenny Curtis to make the score to 2-1. "We weren't worried too much after that goal because we know we have the talent to put games away," said Bonis, the only unbeaten goalie in Section V with five or more starts. "If we can continue to score and get good goaltending we will be fine."

Bourbonnais scored 4:33 into the third to give the Thunder a 3-1 lead. Bourbonnais added two more goals in the period to get the natural hat trick. "He's a pure goal scorer," said Webb, whose team has outscored opponents 43-7. The Thunder will play Rush-Henrietta in the title game at 5 this afternoon at Lake Shore.

"We just need to keep putting the puck in the net," Bourbonnais said. "Being undefeated is great, but it's not about how you start a season, it's about how you finish."

Wes Vyverberg Reports

Game Report

SOTA seventh grader Jenna Bruce gave the crowd a little present, belting out the anthem honors before a packed house at Lakeshore, the day after Christmas. That was the calm before the storm as the Thunder clashed with the Lightning in the nitecap on opening night of the annual Greece Thunder Christmas Tournament - not the official storm game, but a rather spirited contest just the same! Matt Lane led off for the Thunder, sniping one under the cross bar just 2 minutes into the contest, assisted by Stenglein. Pat Sofia netted the eventual winner, a shortie that came 3 minutes into the second frame, capping off a full-ice give-go-give-go-give with "Go-Greggy" Ryan. They say a two-goal lead is the toughest to keep and sure enough "they" were right as Lightning cut the lead in half, cashing in on a 2-man advantage in the final minute of the second period, making it 2-1 Thunder going into the cut.

Thunder put the game out of reach in short order with 3 unanswered goals in the third. Bourbonnais netted all 3, one assisted by Matt Lane at even strength and the other two unassisted on the man down. Now the entire game was mired with penalties, 23 all tolled, as both teams took turns exchanging pleasantries throughout, but with less than 4 minutes to go in the game a major brew-ha-ha broke out on the ice near the Lightning goal - a sign that stripes had essentially lost control of the game. In the 5 or so minutes that it took for them to sort things out, the opposing goalies were playing catch with one another, passing the puck back and forth from opposite ends of the rink, an interesting sight to say the least. When all was said and done, 4 penalties were assessed as a a result of the fracas, including a DQ on both sides, Ryan for the Thunder and Opladen for the Lightning.

Shots were fairly even at 24-22 in Thunder's favor. Bonis made 21 saves for the win (his 6th on the year) as Thunder advanced their record to 8-0, with a 5-1 win over the Lightning.