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Adirondack Thunder

Adirondack Thunder

Thunder Close Out 2022 With Two Big Wins

The Adirondack Thunder are playing some of their best hockey right now, and including this weekend’s games, have taken four of their last five contests.

Thunder Close Out 2022 With Two Big Wins

GLENS FALLS, NY – The Adirondack Thunder are playing some of their best hockey right now, and including this weekend’s games, have taken four of their last five contests.  After being dealt a 7-0 embarrassment in Glens Falls December 23, the Worcester Railers returned to town Friday and dropped another to the Thunder, this time much closer, with a 4-3 final score.  After splitting a pair of games in Quebec Tuesday and Thursday, the Trois-Rivières Lions visited Adirondack Saturday and were dealt a 5-2 loss.

Friday, December 30

The Thunder came out flying Friday, getting two goals from Xavier Parent in the opening period.  The first came off a feed from newcomer Ryan Orgel, earning him an assist, his first ECHL point.

The second Parent goal came from a beautiful pass from former Railer Grant Jozefek right in front of the Worcester net.

Thunder forward Ryan Smith extended his goal-scoring streak to four games when he tipped in a shot from defenseman Jeff Taylor fourteen minutes into the second period.

It took all of 22 seconds for the Railers to begin their comeback attempt.  Christian Evers skated into the Thunder zone and passed to Bobby Butler, who went top shelf on Adirondack goaltender Jake Theut.

With less than a minute remaining in the middle frame, Blake Christensen‘s wraparound attempt trickled in, and the Railers were trailing by only one headed into the third period.

Late in the third, Adirondack’s Ryan DaSilva added an empty-net goal before Anthony Repaci once again brought Worcester to within one.

The 34 seconds remaining on the clock were not enough for the Railers to finish their comeback, and the Thunder took this one 4-3.

Saturday, December 31

Adirondack got on the board first again Saturday, only 3:20 into the game, when Garrett VanWyhe‘s wraparound attempt beat Trois-Rivières goaltender Francis Marotte, who was recently acquired from the Thunder via trade.

Jozefek got his first point of the night less than two minutes into the second period when he backhanded the puck past Marotte.

Less than a minute later, Patrick Grasso and Brandon Schultz had a 2-on-0 going into the offensive zone.  The pair exchanged passes before Grasso put it home for the 3-0 lead.

A little over six minutes later, the Lions got on the board when William Leblanc skated past three Thunder players to get to the net and beat Theut.

It took less than a minute for Adirondack to regain the three-goal lead.  Travis Broughman tipped a shot from Orgel for his first ECHL goal.  Jozefek, though lying injured behind the net during the goal, was awarded an assist as well.  He had initiated the play by driving hard toward the net, but came in contact with Jonathan Joannette‘s skate as he was attempting to block and lost an edge, sliding face-first into the boards at full speed.  Play continued, resulting in the goal.

Jozefek: “I feel fine, just a couple stitches, and got right back out there.  Didn’t see the goal, but I was happy we scored.”

Trois-Rivières again cut the lead when Conner Chaulk scored his first ECHL goal.

Colin Long added an empty-netter for the Thunder to give them the 5-2 victory.

Newcomers Contributing

Adirondack has added a handful of new players recently, needing help after injuries, suspensions, and call-ups.  These players came in and indeed helped.  Those newcomers include Schultz, Broughman, and Orgel.  Broughman has a goal and three assists, while Schultz and Orgel each have three assists.

Streak Ended

Smith’s four-game goal-scoring streak ended Saturday.  Between Dec. 23-30, the forward tallied six points (five goals, one assist).  The assist and two of the goals came on the power play.

Still Going Strong

Long is currently riding a six-game point streak, with seven points (three goals, four assists) between Dec. 18-31.  One goal and four assists came on the power play.

Special Teams

During Adirondack’s current hot streak (Dec. 23-31) spanning five games, the team has scored seven power play goals, and have allowed only three.  The Thunder’s power play is currently in a seventh-place tie with the Reading Royals’ at 22.3%.  The penalty kill is at 85%, good for fourth place along with the Royals and Fort Wayne Komets.

Speaking of the Thunder penalty kill, forward Yanick Turcotte is back in action after serving his latest suspension, and he saw time on the PK Saturday.  When he is behaving himself, Turcotte is actually a decent hockey player.  In addition to killing penalties, he also laid a big hit, blocked a shot, broke up opponents’ plays, and created a couple opportunities for the Thunder, including a shot on goal.  Thunder fans can expect more of this moving forward, as MacArthur plans to utilize him on the penalty kill more often.

Head Coach Peter MacArthur: “Turcs might be our smartest forward.  People will probably laugh when I say that, but watch our video and tell me he’s not.  He’s gonna kill and he’s earned himself a nice role here.”

Next Up

The Thunder (9-15-3-1) have another 3-in-3 next weekend.  They look to continue their hot streak as they travel to Portland for a Friday night matchup against the Maine Mariners (15-11-1-0), then return home for a pair of games against the Norfolk Admirals (5-23-1-1) Saturday and Sunday.  Adirondack has taken on Maine five times and lost all five times in regulation.  The team has had little success with Norfolk as well, winning one game but dropping the other two in regulation.

Download the Field Pass Hockey app from the iTunes or Google Play stores or follow @FieldPassHockey on Twitter for the latest news on the AHL, ECHL, and SPHL throughout the 2023 season!

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    Carrie Roberts covers the Adirondack Thunder for Field Pass Hockey. Follow and interact with her on Twitter @FPHAdkThunder.

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