One thousand five hundred eighty-six long days. Fifty-two months. More than four years.
That's how long Stockton had gone without professional hockey.
So when the Stockton Thunder took the ice at Adventist Health Arena Saturday, Oct. 17, there was only one thing left to do.
Drop the puck.
And once it did, the Thunder made their return worth the wait for 5,713 fans in attendance, defeating the Oceanside Shock 3-1 for their first Federal Prospects Hockey League victory.
"I'm proud of the guys showing up and giving a hard, blue-collar effort for this town," coach Zach Pochiro said. "I feel this town really loves this team, and it's deeper than hockey. We wanted to show that we care, that we're here and we're not leaving."
Professional hockey began in
Stockton in 2005 with the ECHL's Thunder, followed by the Stockton Heat in 2015.
That run ended June 14, 2022, when the Heat played their final game before departing.
When it came time to name the new team, fans made their voices heard.
They wanted the Thunder.
"This is Stockton," Jeannie Savoie, a 68-year-old fan, said. "This is what this arena was built for. Hockey brings people together in a way nothing else can. Bringing back the Thunder wasn't just about hockey. It was about giving Stockton something it needed."
'Something to be proud of'
Fifteen shots couldn't produce a goal in the opening 15 minutes, but the lack of scoring did little to quiet the crowd.
Shots brought roars and groans. Hits drew gasps and some colorful language. The referees even got an earful whenever a call didn't sit well.
Then, with less than five minutes left, the crowd got the kind of action it had been waiting for.
Stockton's Bowie Slarks and Oceanside's Lester Brown dropped the gloves and traded blows, sending fans into a frenzy.
"I've been a fan since I was one," Emma Ward, a 20-year-old fan, said. "My mom brought me here as a baby, and I've loved it ever since. But the fights are what I come for. That's what everyone wants to see, and getting one tonight was exciting."
Three more shots came and went, but the first period ended without a goal.
"You can see how excited this town is to have us back," Pochiro said. "The guys feel it, and I feel it too. I told them we want to go out there and be great, but more than anything, we want to give these people something to be proud of."
'The love of the game'
Behind the goal, 67-year-old Don Pagala sat waiting for a moment he hadn't experienced in years.
His white hard hat was back on, complete with an emergency vehicle light on top. All he needed was a reason to press the button.
Two minutes into the second period, Petr Panacek gave him his chance, scoring his 100th career FPHL goal to put Stockton up 1-0.
The siren blared, and the light came to life.
"I was a little bummed because I thought the refs were going to take it away after the challenge," Pagala said. "But when you kept watching the replay, it was clearly a goal. The crowd was going crazy. They just had to give it to us."
The lead, however, wouldn't survive the period.
With less than a minute left, Oceanside's Nick Wagner erased Stockton's lead, leaving the teams deadlocked at 1-1 heading into the third.
"We're only going to get bigger crowds," Pochiro said. "Once people see how this team plays together and how much we care, they'll understand what we're about. We don't make millions of dollars. We do this for the love of the game."
'Whose house? Our house!'
Family filled the stands. So did friends.
For Nolan Mix, this wasn't just the second professional game of his career.
After all, the Manteca native was playing in his own backyard.
"I knew I had a lot of people coming to see me," Mix said. "I thought, man, it would be nice to score a goal tonight. That would definitely make a lot of people happy."
Little did he know, he'd give the entire arena a reason to erupt.
The puck worked its way around the boards, Matthew Garcia fired a shot, and suddenly Mix had the puck at his feet.
Four minutes into the third period, the rookie delivered the go-ahead goal.
It was a moment he never thought he'd experience so close to home.
Now that it had happened, was it everything he'd imagined?
"Yes, 1,000%," Mix said. "To be able to do that in front of my hometown, absolutely. It was everything I could have hoped for."
Next came the heckling, and Oceanside's Christopher O'Shaughnessy was on the receiving end.
"O'Shaughnessy!" one fan called out.
"What are you doing?" came the response.
Then the crowd found another chant.
"What's the problem with 31?"
"He's a bum!"
"When the crowd's here, you can feel it," Mix said. "It motivates us. That's what hockey is all about, going out there and giving the crowd something to cheer for."
One final reason to cheer came with 22 seconds remaining when Ilnur Madiarov scored an empty-net goal to seal Stockton's 3-1 victory.
"Whose house?"
"Our house!"
"I told them they have a chance to be role models, to give people someone to look up to," Pochiro said. "This is bigger than hockey, and they really showed that."
This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton welcomes back professional hockey with Thunder's first FPHL win
