Sunday, Feb. 1, 1998 | 1:02 a.m.
It's safe to say the Las Vegas Thunder let Friday night's game slip through their hands.
Entering the third period, the Thunder held a comfortable 4-2 advantage over the visiting San Antonio Dragons.
When all was said and done, the Dragons out scored the Thunder 2-0 in the final period, scoring the tying goal with 1:22 left in the game to force the contest into a shootout.
In the shootout, San Antonio prevailed 3-1 to post a 5-4 win over the Thunder in a battle of the fourth and fifth place teams in the Western Division of the International Hockey League.
"I thought we really had a consistent, sustained effort through the duration of the evening," Thunder coach Chris McSorley said. "We had some great individual efforts...They had some lucky tips and capitalized."
The third period saw the Dragons' offense come alive. After being shutout in the second period, San Antonio wasted no time in getting even.
Right winger Daniel Shank scored both of San Antonio's goals in the third, bringing his season total to 23.
Shank, who also had two assists on the evening, cut the Dragons deficit to 4-3 when he slotted at the 5:43 mark of the period. Darren Rumble and Len Barrie assisted on the goal.
The Thunder defense held strong for the rest of the game and it appeared as if they were going to hold on for the victory.
After calling a timeout, the Dragons knotted the game at four as Shank deflected a shot into the back of the net seconds after the face off. Rumble and John Purves picked up the assist on the goal.
The Dragons dominated the shootout.
After San Antonio missed on its first opportunity in the shootout, Patrice Lefebvre gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead as his shot flew into the goal.Then it was all San Antonio.
San Antonio proceeded to make its next three attempts while Jesse Belanger, Ken Quinney and Tyler Prosofsky all missed for the Thunder to give the Dragons the come from behind win.
The third quarter was fatal to the Thunder as their style of play changed from the first two periods.
"I felt we were preventing more than creating," McSorley said of the final period. "They had more production and were able to capitalize."
Both squads exchanged goals in the first period, as the score was 2-2 at the first intermission.
The Thunder got on the scoreboard first when Quinney slotted on an assist from Rodrigo Lavinish and Belanger at the 5:26 mark.
Less than two minutes later, Purves scored the equalizer on a pass from Barrie and Shank.
Las Vegas would regroup and take a one goal lead when Justin Kurtz scored his eighth goal of the year on a power play at 15:29.
But, the Dragons' Dave Archibald finished the scoring off for the first period when he found the back of the net at 17:48.
The Thunder came alive in the second period as they outscored San Antonio 2-0 in the frame.
Quinney scored his second goal of the game and 23rd goal of the season at the 8:24 to give the Thunder the lead again and Prosofsky extended the Thunder's lead to two with a goal in final minute of the period.
Defender Steve Bancroft assisted both of the Thunder's second period goals.
With the loss, the Thunder fall to 24-20-5 on the season and are currently in fourth place of the Western Division.
San Antonio only picks up its 15th win of the season with the victory.
"Their skills are better than their record," McSorley said of the last-place Dragons. "But that doesn't excuse us for dropping a lead in the last period."
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