Thunder abates: Stockton eliminated

Stockton took a big lead in the second period tonight hoping to stay alive in its conference semifinal, to get the series back to Bakersfield, to force Game 6.

Didn’t happen, thanks in part to an old buddy to a bunch of them from their time here this year.

Joel Broda scored the first goal of the Condors’ rally, and he assisted on the tying goal 4:37 into the third, Ryan Watson’s goal. Watson scored again 2:09 later. Watson scored into an empty net. The Condors won 5-3 after trailing 3-0 and finished off the series in five games.

So ends the organization’s season on the ice, though because of a couple of trades and the fun of the PTO, three of the 65 remain alive. There’s Broda, obviously, and Greg Miller with Bakersfield. And there’s Mike Dalhuisen with Cincinnati, which is tied at 2 games all in a series with Fort Wayne.

The stock-up that finished off Bridgeport’s decimation got the Thunder to the second round (which got playoff sniper Marc Cantin two more goals; tonight’s was his fourth goal in 16 ECHL playoff games the past two years, though he has none in his AHL career), five more games.

Michael Fornabaio