Colorado Springs, Colo. – The Colorado Springs Thunder earned their second straight PIHA Championship tonight, sweeping the New Jersey Grizzlies in four games. The Thunder skated past the Grizzlies, 5-2 and 3-1, in Games 3 and 4 here at the Tour Arena. Thunder goaltender Dan Lamb, who gave up only six goals in four games, was named Playoff MVP.
The Thunder won handily, 5-2, in the first game of the night to take a 3-0 lead in the series. The Thunder took a 2-1 leading heading into half time on goals from Brian Yingling and Eric Bogenrief. The second half was also all Thunder, as Yingling and Bogenrief each again to take a 4-1 lead. Andrew Brodsky notched a short-handed tally to pull the Grizzlies to within two goals midway through the second half, but Yingling completed the hat trick at 8:02 against Grizzlies’ goaltender Nuno Costa to make the final score 5-2. The Thunder outshot the Grizzlies, 21-17.
The second game saw the Grizzlies take a 1-0 lead on their first shot of the game thanks to an Andrew Brodsky tally at 3:54. But the Thunder responded at 10:05 to tie the game heading into the second half. Skating on the power play, Eric Bogenrief took a pass in the high slot from Brian Yingling and Nick Gonnella, and ripped a low shot past Grizzlies’ goaltender Nuno Costa’s glove side. Thunder captain CJ Yoder then sealed the game at 3:50 of the second half. Skating short-handed, Jesse Tuttle head-manned the puck up the right wing to Yoder who cut in and sent a backhander past Costa for the game winner. With only 1:50 remaining in the second half, Brian Yingling added an insurance goal, ripping the puck top-shelf while on the power-play to make the final score 3-1 in favor of the 2010 PIHA Champion Thunder. The Thunder outshot the Grizzlies, 14-12.
“We are thrilled to win repeat championships,” said Thunder Head Coach Dave Needham. “It was truly a team effort, and the Grizzlies were great opponents. We’d like to thank all the teams in PIHA, our staff, and most importantly our fans for a great season!”
Colorado Springs, CO. – When the New Jersey Grizzlies take on the Colorado Springs Thunder anyone in the world will be able to watch as games 1-7 will be shown LIVE on the web. Today the league announced that ALL the weekend’s games will be showcased on 
Colorado Springs, CO – It’s only one week away and the Colorado Springs area is already hopping with anticipation for PIHA’s 2009-2010 Finals. The surprise Eastern Conference Champion, New Jersey Grizzlies, have their flights booked while the Suffolk Sting and Pennsylvania Team Blue minor franchises are also making their plans for the Rockies in hopes of calling themselves CHAMPIONS! The weekend of February 19-21 will showcase some of the best talent in the country and “is going to be a weekend these players, families, and fans will not forget,” says PIHA Finals Event Manager, Teresa Miller. “We are excited about making the weekend an event, although everyone is excited for the hockey, we are putting together youth tournaments, exhibition games, a Friday night Happy Hour, and a tribute of hair shaving for a struggling member of the Thunder to round out some of the best hockey to ever come to Colorado.”
Colorado Springs, CO – They’ve called it the “road war” for the past three years after the Pikes Peak Prowlers relocated from Colorado Springs and became the Parker Prowlers. The Battle for I-83 has turned into one of the league’s premier rivalries and this year it has gone to another level. In 2008, the Prowlers first year at the beautiful Parker Fieldhouse, the home team won only 7 games and missed the playoffs, in ’09 Parker ended up just less than .500 and lost in the first round to the Colorado Springs Thunder but now they are a team to be reckoned with. Starting this Thursday night the Parker Prowlers will roll down I-83 and back into their old barn to face the first place Colorado Springs Thunder once again.
The Colorado Springs Thunder kept their hold on top of the PIHA Rocky Mountain Division standings as they swept the Denver Blizzard, 6-2 and 7-1 in front of a packed house at the Tour Arena on Friday night. The Thunder extended their winning streak to four games, and improved their record to 7-1-0-0, while the Blizzard fell to 0-4-0-0.
It seems just a couple days ago the 2009 PIHA Colorado Thunder were named champions of PIHA. However, already the planning is underway for next season. The Thunder have announced there training camp dates. Their tryouts will be Sunday, August 16 from 11am-2pm and then again on Thursday, August 20 from 7-10pm at the Tour Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
After Saturday nights games where the Thunder proved unable to sweep the series in four straight, action on Sunday was explosive. In game five a comeback seemed possible with the Blaze winning 3-1. However, C.J. Yoder and the thunder came to win and it showed in game six with a final score of 7-4. This victory claimed the Thunder’s first Founders Cup win ever after there run for the cup was ended early last season.
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