In this space almost two weeks ago, I asked for your answers on what your pick for top Thunder highlight of the 2008-09 season. Mine was the Game 7 win at Ontario in the first round ...

I received multiple responses via the Thunder Insider and facebook (I love this social networking concept). Without further ado, here are the highlights of your "best of" ... many of them, on the entertaining side!

Jon Armstrong: Watching Kindle go headlong into the goalie after the puck had crossed the line, and watching Hip-Check Harry ( GO Constant GO!) knock the tar outta that one guy...you all know which one I'm talking about too ;)

Kent Armstrong: My favorite time was the month of January, a complete turnaround from the month of December and the start to a great hockey year.

Carol Lee Barker: Mine would be the Friday evening I went to the game in Ontario with Matt, Cherise & Sam. It was fun.

(Blogger's note: this is a close family friend who visited the booth with family during Game 1 of the Ontario series. The aforementioned "Matt" had me serve as the best man in his wedding. He's my best friend but also a Ducks fan - so go easy on him folks. ***Shameless plug off***)

Garrett Buck: Well I like their game 7 since i made the trip down there to see them but i also like the Utah game too

Heather Buckland: Mine was the Utah game when their goalie got suspended at the end of the game and Bo Cheeseman skated the "moon skate!"

Heather Fogg: I just loved it all, but watching Parker Van Buskirk in the playoffs was definitely a highlight! Man, I hope the team admin asks him to come back, he was a great addition to the team!

Barbara Gillespie: James Bates at 2:28 of overtime in Game 4, now mind you I might be a little biased since Jamie was one of my adopted players for the season.

Ed Gillespie: This year's team was fantastic. The games, the players ... it was enjoyable throughout the season and especially the post season. Next season players and team have some big shoes to fill.

Athena Hutsell: i love it all but I'm gonna half to go with heather on this one! Watching the opposing goalie get mad... and then Bo Cheeseman was perfect at that moon walk! it was awesome! Can't wait for 09-10 season! GO THUNDER!

Amanda Patton: i know i have to agree with Athena and Heather that was the BEST GAME EVER!!!!! That was very funny... can't wait, like 5 more months for next season.... ooo yea....:) ♥

(Another blogger's note, to Amanda: how on the Good Lord's green earth did you create that heart emoticon? I guess I'm showing my emoticon savvy here ... )

Leanne Emery Rutherford: Mine would have to be the Game 7 win at Ontario...way to take the Division champs out and advance to Round 2!!! Gosh I can't wait 'til the new season starts, that alone got me pumped up for 09-10!

Cori Swanson: Mine would be round two game six in Vegas. Watt delivered a cheap shot to Surma. Damian goes down hard. Comes out after intermission and scores twice. Can I get a "Watt watt?"

Sr.2112 (via Thunder Insider): January 18, Huddy's OT goal, capping off a 7 game winning streak. Video link provided

Ice Baby (via Thunder Insider): I'LL never forget... the first game under Matt Thomas, vs. Alaska, it truly opened up a window that the Thunder could turn the season around. They came out playing like a brand new team. One of the funniest moments was seeing Utah goalie Gherson lose his cool in the 3/27 home game. On a personal note, I won Damian Surma's jersey on 3/21, the same day I went to my first Dallas Stars (vs. SJ Sharks) game. And I will admit, watching the Thunder defeat the Reign in Game 7 of the 1st round of playoffs made me very emotional and definitely even more proud. Geez, why did you have to write this blog? It's prolonging the agony of hockey withdrawal. There were a lot of memorable things from this season that we talk about over and over again. Can't wait to see what the next season brings.

We'd be remiss without mentioning Cory Urquhart's two goals in the last minute-and-a-half of play at Phoenix (early January) to win, 5-4 ... or, a 7-2 Thunder win at home on Jan. 16 - the debut of head coach Matt Thomas at home on the Thunder bench ... or two more big crowds against Victoria in November for "Thunder Goes Pink IV" during a two-game series split against a tough Salmon Kings team ... or the 3-1 win vs. Las Vegas to get into the playoffs, on Craig Valette's goal late in the third period to snap a 1-1 tie in dramatic fashion.

I think the underlying theme is how much the playoffs whet the appetite of many Thunder fans for the upcoming 2009-10 season. At the very least, a disastrous season on-the-ice, heading into December, did an about-face with the success of January to April and then - the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The Thunder wanted progress on the ice. By virtue of word of mouth and a few comments I've read here, there have been fans who wanted progress. That happened this year and the groundwork has been laid for the 5^th Anniversary season.

UPDATE: While the Kelly Cup Finals are into the bulk of competition (I still pick Alaska in six, but South Carolina is making it awfully tough based on goaltending and how well they work a rugged forecheck with the talent that is on the ice) - the Thunder are already looking forward to the 2009-10 plans, which we'll document a lot here throughout the upcoming summer months.

Once the regular season schedule is finalized (should be coming shortly after the completion of the Finals), the promotional and giveaway lineup should follow shortly.

I conversed with Thunder head coach Matt Thomas today on what players are being protected (by league rules, we can't divulge that yet) but each team's "protected list" is due by June 1.

For those who are protected, the table is set for "qualifying offers" (the Thunder have first rights to all players in lieu of free agency), while the remaining players not on the protected list are free agents (save a few players who are under two-year AHL contracts or NHL contracts).

Mike Benton has served the Thunder as radio broadcaster since the team's inception and also serves the same role for the Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league. Got a question or comment? E-mail Mike at mbenton@stocktonthunder.com

It's typical that I don't write a blog like I write a 20-page college research paper.

The latter requires extensive brainstorming, research and mounds upon mounds of drafts (one of the few things I don't miss about college, ha).

With blogs, I write whatever flows through my word document is what flows freely through my head on the subject - almost kind of like a written version of calling a three-hour broadcast on the air, unscripted!

Thus, I've had to take a week or two and cool down from the season before I could properly prepare myself to offer thoughts on what was the most thrilling season in Thunder history. Not that I'm contradicting my methods above, but the cooling off period is necessary to put things into perspective.

I hope you enjoyed the ride. It was a tale of virtually two seasons, when the Thunder went seven games below the equator by New Year's Eve, and roared back with a playoff berth and a stretch of finishing six games over .500.

Give credit where obvious credit is due for the on-ice wizardry - Matt Thomas breathed new life into a team that grew with vim, vigor and accountability.

It officially signaled a new era in Stockton Thunder hockey, where on-ice success go hand-in-hand with the game-night entertainment factor that make this organization one of the most attractive in the entire ECHL (there are colleagues I've run into who report from their GM that Stockton is "one of the best set-ups in minor league hockey).

You also significantly contributed to that - the Thunder led the league in attendance for four straight seasons. Give yourself a pat on the back and hope to see you do it again next year in the "Drive for Five."


Among the highlights I will never forget from this magical season:

• Ryan Huddy's first ECHL goal on Thunder Goes Pink III vs. Victoria (beauty of a snapper from the right circle)
• Being able to call games in front of the league's largest fan base - again - for the fourth straight year
• Seven-game unbeaten streak in January
• The two-minute puck possession power-play in Alaska in Thomas' debut (puck never left the offensive zone)
• 7-0-1 in January
• Perugini's nine-game unbeaten streak
• Van Buskirk's unbeaten attitude in the postseason
• Valette's rocket-like snapper from the right circle vs. Las Vegas (Mar. 29)
• Matt Thomas' press conference and the look on the faces of those in attendance
• Finding Matt O'Dette in the Stockton Thunder dressing room tunnel 2 hours earlier
• Wayne Gretzky watching on the sidelines (Coyotes practice facility)
• The opening night crowd
• The "Thunder Goes Pink II" crowd (9,737)
• Game 4 crowd, 2^nd round vs. Las Vegas (6,000+ die-hards going bonkers, making it sound like 17,000 from where I was sitting)
• James Bates at 2:28 of overtime in Game 4
  
  MY WINNER: (these two are tied into one) 
• Game 7 - Citizens Business Bank Arena, first round, April 22
• The last minute of regulation in the aforementioned game that the Thunder survived - marking the biggest win in Thunder history, to date

There's mine. That officially kicks off our blog dialogue for the 2009 offseason.

What's yours? Share them in the message thread below. For those who are engaged in the facebook craze, I'll also post this on my facebook page and I'll put up some of your highlights back in this space as well.


Mike Benton has served the Thunder as radio broadcaster since the team's inception and also serves the same role for the Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league. Got a question or comment? E-mail Mike at mbenton@stocktonthunder.com

Gaining some semblance of a train of thought after arriving back in Stockton during the middle of the night, I'm finally confident to offer analysis of last night's Maalox Moment of a Game 2:

-         They say a series doesn't start until the road team wins a game. Consider it "Game On."

-         It's pretty evident at how the Thunder must stay out of the penalty box. Derek Eisler and I often talk about how teams draw the line at 5-6 power-plays a game before it becomes "too much." The Thunder kept Ontario at an 0-for-4 mark last night.

-         Check out the count of even strength goals for both teams:

o       Stockton 8 - Ontario 5 (we've eliminated two Ontario goals scored on delayed penalties, i.e. 6-on-5 skating situations). I think it's pretty safe to say the Thunder have at least held their own at an even-strength environment.

-         The Thunder proved that Bryan Pitton is out of the woods after going winless in the last two months of the season. Getting a win in front of him, with Andrew Perugini out, is a testimony to overall team "heart." Let's not forget #9 of the 16 keys to playoff success - THROW STATISTICS OUT THE WINDOW (i.e. Pitton not winning since Jan. 18).

-         Craig Valette and Colten Teubert are becoming a wild undercard to the overall battle between both teams. Valette sent a message to Teubert by dropping the gloves on Saturday after the Los Angeles Kings prospect hit everything that moved in Game 1. Then, the two engaged in a loose puck battle in the waning seconds of Game 2, which Valette pushed into the Ontario zone deep enough to prevent Teubert from starting one final rush up ice. Game. Over.

-         Home ice advantage is back in the Thunder favor. It comes at a good time with the Thunder still king of the ECHL attendance board for four straight years. With Thunder head coach Matt Thomas often talking about taking advantage of the crowd and using the boisterous atmosphere in the home town favor (i.e. Sullivan Arena, the Shark Tank), this is exhibit "A."

-         There's almost no line that hasn't shown up yet in these playoffs, but through two games, the best one for either team has been Blackwater - Urquhart - Valette (an eye-popping 10 points, combined in two games).

-         If you're coming out to Games 3, 4 or 5, I hope to see you at the new "Kings Room" of Stockton Arena (it's to the left of the arena Ticket Office). Swing on by 90 minutes before faceoff - let's talk some puck before both teams, as Mills Lane would say, "Get it on!"

Mike Benton has served the Thunder as radio broadcaster since the team's inception and also serves the same role for the Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league. Got a question or comment? E-mail Mike at mbenton@stocktonthunder.com

Random thoughts on a non-game day:

1. Banding together: Cleve Kinley's five-game suspension, stemming after a cross-check wasn't the best timing. The Thunder must band together without - again - their best puck-rushing defenseman and the anchor of their puck-possessive, attacking style. They've had to do it for the last 15 games and have been 7-8-0 in that situation (I'll omit last Saturday's game for this sake because Kinley barely played).

The good news is that Sebastien Bisaillon couldn't have returned at a better time. He's the most offensively-aware d-man the Thunder have now and his rocket slap shot is what the power-play needs. In the past couple weeks, it's been Mark Adamek and Matt O'Dette on the point - two players whose bread-and-butter play come more in their own end.

2. Bakersfield's legal matters: All seemed well for our neighbors to the south, the Bakersfield Condors, who went 8-1-1 in their last 10 games to miraculously get back into the Kelly Cup Playoff race.

Yet, they're now faced with two separate legal matters when the playoff push is coming around with the arrest of center Danny LaPointe and the suspensions of Head Coach Marty Raymond (seven days) and Assistant Coach Mark Pederson (indefinitely) - per President Matt Riley through what the team was calling an "internal matter."

Former players Sean Venedam and Scott Hay are taking over the interim coaching duties for now.

More can be found here

3. Chris Cichocki sighting: We always say the "hockey world is a small world" and because relationships are made in this business, you have to give kudos to Chris Cichocki - one of the classiest coaches I've worked with in the business, who landed on his feet in the American Hockey League yesterday after it was time for the Thunder to make a coaching change on Dec. 29. He's now serving as interim assistant coach for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after the domino effect went in order for the Penguins organization which began with the firing of Pittsburgh bench boss Michel Therrien.

It's his second AHL gig (was an assistant with the Grand Rapids Griffins during the 2004-05 NHL lockout year).

As I write this, he's on the ice with Head Coach Todd Rierden for the first time, assumingly helping out Penguins prospects Alex Goligoski, Paul Bissonnette, Tommy Goebel, Jeff Taffe and more.

4. Speaking of the AHL: Look who just got re-assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Darren McCarty is next in line for the title, "ageless wonder" after Claude Lemieux and Chris Chelios hang it up for good!

5. Slow night in hockey last night: Two games on the ECHL slate, nothing in the AHL, so my attention was diverted to the Sharks/Stars game that had national TV coverage, with my XM Radio tuned into a dear colleague of mine, Dan Rusanowsky of the Sharks radio network and his partner, Jamie Baker.

Our NHL neighbors to the west didn't dominate the Stars as they have done to opponents earlier this season and they were goaded into a muscle-for-muscle battle in a 1-0 win at Dallas, whose hometown Stars forced the Sharks into a dump-and-chase fest.

Yet in a game decided by a nosehair, it proved why I believe Nabokov should still receive consideration for the Vezina Trophy (NHL's goaltender MVP award) and Rob Blake continues to make strides for his comeback as one of the league's top defensemen, making the play of the game (sorry, Setoguchi). An alternate captain, he went down in the slot - face in front of puck - and blocked Jere Lehtinen's wrist shot at the buzzer.

6. RADIO UPDATE: The Thunder are on radio at 1420 KSTN this Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Be sure to tune in on your way to the game or if you can't make it in person. We hope to see you though!

This Saturday, coverage of the Thunder/Idaho Steelheads is an exclusive presentation on www.StocktonThunder.com. If you can't tune in, get online when home from the game and check out our game highlights under the multimedia section titled "audio actualities" and relive all the excitement of that night's contest!

Mike Benton has served the Thunder as radio broadcaster since the team's inception and also serves the same role for the Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league. Got a question or comment? E-mail Mike at mbenton@stocktonthunder.com

Nothing much else you can say, but, one of the most impressive victories I have ever seen this year.

Starting out, the Thunder were tremendously shorthanded - and the lineup was whittled down to 12 after Constant was hurt in the second period (we should know more on his status later on Saturday). With the 12 that were able to play, there was tenacity, resiliency, commitment to the puck-possession style and more help from goaltending.

To say Andrew Perugini is on fire would be an understatement. Yet, he also received help from his D - everyone committed to clogging the lane in the third period to prevent quality scoring chances. The main goal in the third was to protect the 3-1 lead with a conservative chip-and-chase style, wait for scoring chances and then make the most of them (Urquhart and Huddy did).

Tonight's unsung hero might be Daryl Marcoux. He had two assists but was needed most in the defensive zone to simply get pucks out, block shots, deny passing lanes through the middle and create pressure on his opposing man. He doesn't get as much praise as he should and it's baffling - he has a +13 rating since his arrival in Stockton!

Mike Benton has served the Thunder as radio broadcaster since the team's inception and also serves the same role for the Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league. Got a question or comment? E-mail Mike at mbenton@stocktonthunder.com

We pause from the proceedings of the wild on-ice events of last week (Matt Thomas-led Thunder are 2-0-1) for a heck of a start to bring you what's up with our traveling party off the ice:


You wake up in Anchorage, Alaska.

Layover in Seattle, Washington.

More airports - Phoenix, Arizona.

No, it's not my best rendition of an Ed Norton monologue from the movie, "Fight Club." Although six days (11 in total) into this thing, I'm beginning to feel like I can relate to Tyler Durden (not to worry, I'm not starting my own clique for fisticuffs on this road trip).

Since U.S. Airways Center is still undergoing a changeover from basketball (Phoenix Suns) to hockey (game Tuesday night), we were moved to Alltel Ice Den for practice Monday morning - the practice facility of the Phoenix Coyotes, who share it with the RoadRunners.

Immediately, I take my seat in the stands to check a few emails on the wireless signal inside the facility and start to grow a curiosity if there will be a Wayne Gretzky sighting. The Coyotes had a game the previous night in Anaheim (lost 2-0) and NHL teams usually take advantage of the benefits of private charter flights to make it into their beds within 2 hours in such travel situations. They had to be practicing this morning.

It took just seven minutes for The Great One to appear in the hallway after that thought raced in my head. Cue sound of jaw hitting floor.

I won't lie - I still felt a little racing of the heart when I saw him walk past. If you've grown up in hockey during the 80's, 90's and beyond (the Gretzky-led Kings, Lemieux-led Penguins, Hull-led Blues were my childhood pinnacle), you still get a little star-struck by seeing the greatest player in hockey history in the flesh. Anyone else who's a die-hard hockey fan and experiences the same thing but won't admit it, is lying.

Sure enough, other coaches/hockey greats Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Fuhr and modern stars Olli Jokinen, Shane Doan, Ed Jovanovski, etc. make their way into the Coyotes dressing room while the Thunder are practicing, getting ready for their drill-sojourn after the Thunder vacate the ice.

I found it quite amusing and to see Gretzky, who would don a tuque (first time I've ever seen him wear one on the ice, besides the Heritage Classic) stand on the glass to observe the Thunder skate through drills, some right in front of Mark Adamek and Ryan Huddy, who had grown up in Los Angeles watching Gretzky work his magic at the Great Western Forum.

I swear I saw another player (will remain nameless) do a double-take during a drill at center ice with the look of (is that really GRETZKY?!)

The man really does command attention, even 10 years after ending his playing career with the New York Rangers.

The Thunder returned the favor and payed homage to Gretzky's desert dogs by observing a few Coyotes practice drills after the morning's work - some players in awe of the power of Jovanovski and Derek Morris, the gracefulness of Shane Doan (who can still combine size, speed and the ability to shoot the puck like a bazooka in his 30's), the raw super-skill of Martin Hanzal and Jokinen, and a lot of "hey, I used to play with/against him's!" directed to young-guns Peter Mueller, Kyle Turris and others.

Between Tuesday and Thursday, a few of us have been fortunate to score tickets for the Phoenix Suns/Indiana Pacers game (I've never seen Steve Nash play live).

Mix in two more wins against the RoadRunners and I'd call it a pretty good sports week!


Mike Benton has served the Thunder as radio broadcaster since the team's inception and also serves the same role for the Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league. Got a question or comment? E-mail Mike at mbenton@stocktonthunder.com

I'm a big fan of lists.

I love to read them, I'll make them to figure out what songs I need to download on the iPod and I'll use them to buy groceries.

Keeping along that theme, the following are the character traits that struck me about new Thunder head coach Matt Thomas when he ascended the stage for yesterday's news conference:

1. Driven
2. Focused
3. Charismatic (the guy is an interviewer's dream)
4. Ambitious
5. Flexible


In my observations the last three seasons when he was Fresno's bench boss and with the following notions reinforced by the last 48 hours, the guy simply knows how to connect with players, get his message across, implement strategy, counter the opposition and use articulate salesman-like skills (free agents are more "wooable" and the media loves people with that trait).

What I see in him, I see similar traits in first-year San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan.

There's a chance you might not see a change overnight, but you will see a change for the better. Thinking big picture here, it's a shot in the the arm the Thunder received in the biggest kind of way.Thomas wasn't even fooling around when he verbalized thoughts of a Pacific Division title rally dancing in his head.

Here's who the Thunder have in their crosshairs:

- Bakersfield (2 points ahead, 3rd place): Having problems winning at home (4-7-1). Defense gives you scoring chances at the rate Baskin Robbins gives free ice cream samples. Goaltending remains spotty.
- Las Vegas (4 points ahead, 2nd place): Have yet to get their act together - they're 5-5-0 in the last 10 games. No Kevin Lalande, Jason Krischuk, Jason Josza, Tyler Mosienko (AHL), and veteran Peter Ferraro is enduring a nightmare season (11 points in 24 games).
- Ontario (14 points ahead, 1st place): Up in the AHL - Jon Rheault, Dusty Collins, P.J. Atherton, Andrew Martens. Maxime Boisclair quit the team. All-Star goalie Jeff Zatkoff might be gone for awhile (Zatkoff is in Manchester, former Monarchs backup Jonathan Quick is with the Los Angeles Kings, and former Kings starter Jason LaBarbera was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a draft pick).

Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.



Mike Benton has served the Thunder as radio broadcaster since the team's inception and also serves the same role for the Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league. Got a question or comment? E-mail Mike at mbenton@stocktonthunder.com

3-3-0 on the six-game road trip ...

1-1-0 at home last weekend ...

Not to bore you with numbers, but this is a special "brass tacks" edition of this blog. If the Thunder could have a "mulligan" (there I go again with the golf terms) with the Oct. 22 game at Bakersfield, they'd be at the .500 mark as we speak. When you consider they've played 6 of 9 on the road to begin the season, the record they have at 4-5-0 isn't too shabby.

Again, they're 4 points out of first place in the Pacific. I get this eerie feeling that, as the month of November moves along, there will be no clear cut winner in this Pacific Division. There will be no Las Vegas-esque run for the Brabham Cup, let alone a run for the league's record for points in one season.

It'll be a "beat-each-other-up" fest and one team will be the casualty by missing postseason play. We may not know who is on the bubble until March.

That became clear to me when the Thunder and Bakersfield traded 8-3 scores, the Reign took 3 out of 4 from Las Vegas, the Condors beat Las Vegas and the Fresno Falcons are now 6-3-0 after winning their first four games of the regular season. Buckle up.

Conclusion: if the Thunder can still hang around at the .500 mark at the All-Star break, they could still be in the hunt for home-ice advantage. Let's not forget the fact that the last 26 of 36 home games will be played on home ice at Stockton Arena (loudest, biggest fan base in the ECHL) with Chris Cichocki trying to nurture a young group to play hockey that will "make opponents cringe when they see a game at Stockton on the schedule" (so he said in our pregame show last weekend).

Aside from that note, you'll be hearing a different voice this Saturday when the Thunder take on Ontario at Citizens Business Bank Arena. My good pal, Joe Babik (formerly of the Fresno Falcons) will become an honorary member of the Stockton Thunder broadcast team for one night and take the reins. I'll miss my first game behind the mic in Thunder history but it comes with valid reason:


My sister, whom I've grown up with under a loving roof for 24 years, is getting married.


Granted we work in a business where you can't opt to kill a few vacation days on the nights where you make your living, but two exceptions arise when acute illness strikes (flu almost kept me bed-ridden on a game night in March, two years ago) or immediate family events of the red-letter kind come into play (I remember when one of my broadcast role models, Bob Miller of the Los Angeles Kings, skipped a game once to attend his son's college graduation).

It didn't come without a little good-natured ribbing from the boss (Dan Chapman had a Cal Ripken joke for me) but all in all, it makes me thankful that I get to work for one of the most professionally courteous organizations in all of sports that graciously granted me the night off, acknowledging the importance of family.

I'll miss the mic dearly on Saturday, but feel overjoyed to take a groomsman role, be with family, celebrate the reception of the coolest brother-in-law ever (shout-out to "Andy" here) and my sister's transformation from Alyssa Benton to Alyssa Harland!

.... And then it's eagerly back to work Sunday at 4:00 p.m. vs. Bakersfield after an early morning plane ride to Sacramento, where I might as well be holding a pen in one hand and one of these (shameless plug) in the other. :)



Mike Benton has served the Thunder as radio broadcaster since the team's inception and also serves the same role for the Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league. He can also be heard on AM 970 ESPN Radio, contributing as a sports anchor on "SportsCenter." Got a question or comment? E-mail Mike at mbenton@stocktonthunder.com