GLENS FALLS, NY – The Adirondack Thunder have not been playing their best hockey as of late. In November, the Thunder had a losing record (5-7-0-1) and finished the month with two consecutive losses to the Brampton Beast. December has started much better, with two wins, one against Brampton, the other against the Toledo Walleye.
The Week That Was
Friday, November 29: The Brampton Beast rolled into town for the first game of a three-in-three, and humiliated the Thunder 8-2 in front of their fans. Erik Bradford, David Vallorani, Jordan Henry, Dan Leavens, Lindsay Sparks, and Jackson Leef all scored for Brampton, with Bradford and Henry picking up two goals apiece. Vallorani also added three assists. The only scorers for Adirondack were forwards Hayden Verbeek and Robbie Payne, with defenseman Kelly Summers assisting on both goals. Goaltender Alex Dubeau picked up the win for Brampton, making 30 saves along the way. Adirondack netminder Eamon McAdam made 19 saves, though that number is not indicative of how McAdam played. The Thunder played a sloppy game, and several defensive lapses led to Beast goals.
Saturday, November 30: The two teams faced off once again the following night, with another win for the Beast. The Thunder played much better, despite being shut out 4-0. Vallorani scored twice, and Bradford and Matt Petgrave each scored once to give Brampton their fifth straight victory. Goaltender Dubeau was stellar in the win, stopping all 32 shots he faced. Chris Nell took the loss for Adirondack, allowing three goals (Petgrave’s goal was an empty-netter).
Note: There was an Adirondack goal that was disallowed due to goaltender interference at 3:52 of the second period.
Sunday, December 1: The teams headed to Brampton for the final game of the three-in-three. For the first time all weekend, fans got to see an evenly-matched game. The teams battled back and forth the entire game and needed overtime to determine the winner. Petgrave, Bradford, and Brenden Miller scored for the Beast. Nikita Popugaev, Matt Salhany, and Verbeek scored in regulation for the Thunder, with Verbeek netting the game-winner less than a minute into the extra session. McAdam made 29 saves for the win, while Evan Fitzpatrick made 18 saves in the loss.
Wednesday, December 4: The Thunder traveled to Ohio for a morning matchup with the Toledo Walleye, their only meeting this season. Salhany scored in his second consecutive game, and Mike Szmatula and Charlie Curti added goals in the 3-2 Thunder victory. Troy Loggins and Charles-Edouard D’Astous were the goal-scorers for the Walleye. McAdam picked up another win, making 28 saves. Filip Larsson took the loss for Toledo.
Quotables
thunder captain James henry after Friday’s blowout: “We have to take a good look in the mirror, that’s exactly what we need to do, and figure out how we need to play the game.”
more from henry: “we’re a hardworking team, we’re a fast team, we’re a good checking team. we were none of those things tonight.”
head coach alex loh on Adirondack’s non-goal Saturday night: “It was just as bad as the one against newfoundland, so that’s two in a row that they’ve blown. it’s really frustrating on our part, because that’s a 2-1 game.”
Notables
Verbeek had a five-point week (three goals, two assists). Salhany (two goals, one assist), Payne (one goal, two assists), and Summers (three assists) each had three points on the week. McAdam made 76 saves in his three games.
Upcoming Games
Friday, December 6: The Maine Mariners come to town for the fifth meeting of the season. The Thunder have fared pretty well against Maine, going 3-1-0-0 and outscoring the Mariners 15-9. Adirondack shut out Maine 4-0 in their last meeting, November 16, in Portland.
Saturday, December 7: The Thunder travel to Maine for a rematch with the Mariners.
Tuesday, December 10: The Thunder are once again in Portland for the third straight contest against the Mariners.
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