Game Report: Brown Returns To Help Falcons Down Shock

The early-season struggles continued for the Oceanside Shock with a 4-2 loss on Tuesday night to the Stockton Thunder at Frontwave Arena. A penalty-filled game saw 95 total minutes of penalties called, including multiple fights and a match penalty against Stockton’s Ilnur Madiarov. Lester Brown, a forward waived by the Shock earlier in the week, was signed by the Thunder and had his revenge game, scoring 41 seconds into the game and later adding a second goal along with an assist.

The Shock (1-7-2, 4 points) found themselves trailing on the night’s first shift thanks to pure happenstance, as Brown found a loose puck behind the Shock net and sent it forward, where it caromed off an Oceanside skate and then the inside of goaltender Chris O’Shaughnessy’s pads at 41 seconds. The Shock took fifteen penalties in the game and twelve minors, forcing Oceanside into their best penalty-killing night of the season, as they warded off ten opposing power plays. Stockton (3-2-2, 8 points) was just as frisky and afforded Oceanside two different two-man advantages of over a minute in length in the first period, but the Shock also came up dry.

James Spaargaren netted a goal and an assist for Oceanside, but his goal at 14:45 of the second period was answered nine seconds later by Brown to return the lead to a two-goal edge at 3-1. The third period was filled with penalties, penalty kills, and scoreless hockey until Stockton’s Chris Mott jumped a puck to score an empty-net goal at 18:12. Isaiah Socha scored his second goal of the season on Spaargaren’s assist at 19:40 to set the final score. The Shock return to action on home ice Tuesday, November 17, against the first-place Fresno Falcons. Tickets for the 7:00pm game, featuring $5 tacos and Coors Lights, are available at frontwavearena.com or axs.com.

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