Just as they did last weekend, the Airdrie Techmation Thunder lost two games but managed to pick up one point by virtue of one of their losses coming in a shootout.

Friday night the Thunder gave the first-place team in the North Division, the Sylvan Lake Wranglers, all they could possibly handle but just couldn't put them away, losing 5 - 4 in a shootout at the Ron Ebbesen Arena.

Two Damon Pennoyer first-period goals looked like they would put the Thunder ahead by a pair after one.  However, you should never count out the high-powered Sylvan Lake offense.  Less than a half minute after Pennoyer had made it 2 - 0 the Wranglers made things closer with their first of the night.  The public address announcer hadn't even had a chance to convey to the crowd the Sylvan Lake players that were involved in that goal before they struck again, just ten seconds after the first to tie it up after 20 minutes.

Another Sylvan Lake marker in the first half of the second frame put the Wranglers ahead before Joey Taniguchi scored his fourth goal of the year to tie the game back up.

Taniguchi would score his second of the game on a powerplay just past the halfway mark of the third to give the Airdrie fans hope but Sylvan Lake would score on their own powerplay, 29 seconds after Airdrie had taken the lead.  Neither team could net the winner in the last seven-and-a-half minutes of the third which sent it into overtime and eventually to a shootout.

The second shooter for the Wranglers, Reed Sparrow beat Airdrie netminder Austin White.  All three Airdrie shooters failed to score and the Wranglers skated away with a 5 - 4 victory.   The closeness of the game was indicated in the shots on goal with Sylvan Lake taking 26 at White with Airdrie firing 25 at the Wranglers' Kaden Toussaint.

The game against the Wranglers was an emotional one and that may have left Airdrie without much gas in the tank for Saturday's matchup with the Carstar Okotoks Bisons at the Okotoks Murray and Piper Arena.  

The Thunder were outshot 57 - 20 in the game and lost by a score of 6 - 0.  The game was much closer than the final outcome might have indicated, at least through two periods.  Airdrie goalie Josh Feddema did all he could to keep things close during that time, blocking 40 of 41 shots fired his way, only giving up a single goal in the first.  The steam came out of the Thunder after that with the Bisons firing five in the third period to take to game going away.  

The two-weekend losses dropped the Thunder out of fifth place and into sixth in the North after the Red Deer Vipers picked up a pair of wins this weekend, downing the Mountainview Colts 5 - 4 in overtime before getting past the Rocky Rams 3 - 2 last night.  Airdrie has a record of 8-20-4 while Red Deer improves to 11-21-0.  Both teams have played 32 games.

Friday night the Thunder meet the last place Ponoka Stampeders at 8:00 pm in Airdrie at the Ron Ebbesen Arena.  Saturday Airdrie travels to Three Hills to face the Thrashers.

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