Posted: April 28, 2009 9:23AM; Updated: April 28, 2009 9:24AM

 

"We were definitely on our game tonight," said Thunder Head Coach Dave Needham. "Although the Blizzard skated strong the whole night, we took early leads in both games and never looked back. Our fans made it loud and exciting, and everyone is now looking forward to the Western Conference Championship. There's no doubt we will be ready for whomever is the Gateway Division Champion."

 

In the first game, league-leading scorer Brian Yingling gave the Thunder an early 2-0 lead as he lit the lamp at 1:11 and again at 2:01 of the first half. Mike Ciolli rounded out the scoring in the first half as he stood at the crease and tapped in a pass from Yingling past Blizzard goalie Ryan Clemens at 11:02. Ciolli then opened the scoring in the second half as he got the puck in front of Clemens and slipped the puck through his legs at 2:25. Branden Maytum assisted on the play. Shane Hayden notched a power-play tally at 4:21 to make the score 5-0 before the Blizzard spoiled Thunder goaltender Dan Lamb's shutout bid at 6:36 with a power-play goal of their own. Hayden finished the scoring with his second power-play goal of the evening at 6:36. Lamb turned aside 13 shots to earn the victory, while Clemens faced 22 shots in the loss.

 

The second game of the night started in similar fashion as once again Brian Yingling notched goals at 1:21 and 8:28 of the first half to give the Thunder a 2-0 lead. CJ Yoder got on the scoresheet at 10:21, as he converted on a pass from Yingling, and Shane Hayden made the score 4-0 in favor of the Thunder heading to halftime as he slipped the puck under Ryan Clemens' pads with only :56 remaining in the first half. The Thunder's lone goal of the second half came at 3:21 as the puck was thrown out in front from behind the net and in a scrum found its way to the back of the next. Bob Birdno was credited with the goal, and Aaron Towns with the assist. The Blizzard's Brandon Davidson and Chris Rea scored at 4:12 and 8:15, respectively, but it wasn't enough to make a comeback. Dan Lamb again earned the victory in net for the Thunder, while Ryan Clemens suffered his second loss of the night for the Blizzard. The final shots on goals were 17 for the Thunder and 18 for the Blizzard.

 

Next up for the Thunder is the Western Conference Championship Series, set for Friday, May 15 (2 games) and Saturday, May 16 (3 games, if necessary) at the Tour Arena in Colorado Springs. The Thunder will host the Gateway Division playoff champion. Tickets for this 5-game series are still available and can be purchased at the Tour Arena.