The Adirondack Thunder entered Wednesday’s game against the Reading Royals with a six game win streak after beating Worcester on Monday night, courtesy of a Brandon Kasel shutout. However, that streak would come to an end on Wednesday night at the hands of a 5-4 loss. Now, let’s take a look at what went wrong for the Thunder, and what they need to improve on for their upcoming weekend series.
Thunder Streak Snapped
In Wednesday’s game, there was plenty of scoring, and it came early and often in the opening frame. With the opponent kicking the offence into gear, Reading winger Cam Strong got the Royals on the board early, however, it wasn’t one that would last for very long. Just 23 seconds later, Robbie Payne responded for the Thunder, seamlessly netting a rebound past Hayden Hawkey to knot the game at one apiece.
Adirondack scored again at the 2:15 mark, also claiming their first lead of the contest. The Royals re-claimed the lead at the 9:01 mark, and dominated the next frame and a half, as Reading carried out the next four goals, managing to do so with ease.
The Thunder made the game interesting soon after, as they dominated the third period, alike the Royals did in the second. Robbie Payne broke out again with a vengeance, scoring his second of the night just 2:11 into the game’s final frame. That was just the start of it, as defensemen Blake Thompson banked the puck on the power play, a tally from the left-wing circle to make it a one-goal affair.
Adirondack had the contest in reach, but with just over two minutes to go, defensemen Joe Masonius threw his stick up after a missed call, actions in which he’d get tossed for, with a fine and suspension. One of the biggest factors that led to the six-game winning streak was that they got solid goaltending from Mareks Mitens and Brandon Kasel. This season, Alex Sakellaropoulos’ play has been up and down through the first half of the season.
This could be an issue for the Thunder, seeing that Sakellaropoulos is the only goaltender currently active, as Adirondack quickly approaches a three-in-three weekend. That three-game series will begin on New Year’s Eve, as the Thunder play host to the visiting Newfoundland Growlers. Puck drop on the first of three games is set for 5:00pmET.