The Adirondack Thunder failed to start a winning streak on Thursday evening as they would tale a 4-1 loss at the hands of Jake Elmer and the visiting Maine Mariners. Adirondack would go down seven minutes early, but it wouldn’t be on the scoreboard as Robbie Payne would deliver a hit to the head of Dillan Fox before fighting Michael McNicholas who would come in to defend his teammate. The Thunder’s top producer this season would be given a five for fighting, five for an illegal check to the head, those in addition to a game misconduct. When asked if there was an explanation for Payne being tossed from the game, head coach Alex Loh said, “I never got an explanation, I gave it to him pretty good, but he just skated away.”
Defensively, Adirondack allowed only four shots in the game’s first period despite giving up a two-on-one which led to Ted Hart feeding Ty Ronning at the 19:05 mark. This would ultimately ruin a solid opening frame from the hometown Thunder. Late goals have always seemed to help teams who are struggling and gives them momentum heading into the second period. However, it would be defensemen Charlie Curti who would get the Thunder on the board as Colby Sissons would find Curti on the open side of the net as Curti wouldn’t miss on the opportunity.
Adirondack would have their chances to pull away from the visiting Maine Mariners as they had a five-minute power play due to a cross-check from Michael McNicholas. This would come halfway through the second period which would knock defensemen Blake Thompson out of the game. However, it would also give the Thunder a five-minute power play which would turn into a five-on-three for 0:20.
“It affects the rhythm a little bit, but gets guys more involved in the game and in this game, you’re used to fatigue,” said Curti when talking about playing the second half of the game with five defensemen. The Adirondack Thunder would fail to score on those opportunities. Thompson, at this time, is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Thunder entered Wednesday night’s game fifth in the league on the power play at 85.4%, but that would be their Crypton knight on Wednesday as Maine would take the lead on an Alex Kile slap-shot. Kile, from the point, would launch it and found a way past Eamon McAdam at the 14:40 mark. The Mariners would extend their lead as Ty Ronning would score his second of the game as he somehow was wide open in the slot and extended the Maine lead to two. Alex Kile would join Ronning with a two-goal night as he would hit the empty net at the 17:57 mark.
John Edwardh would make his debut in Glens Falls, New York on Wednesday night, this coming after having made the long trip out from Cincinnati to Adirondack from. Edwardh was in South Dakota with his old club, the Cyclones, when he learnt of the news. “We, Cincinnati, we were on the road in Rapid City, so then we bussed right after the game Saturday, got into Cincinnati at like nine o’clock Sunday, got 24 hours and then woke up, got called up, traded, so I’ve been driving all day long, so, yeah, I mean, just getting my legs under me will be nice and then long weekend after that.”
After playing in both a big city and with Adirondack at Cool Insuring Arena, the Calgary, Alberta native prefers Glens Falls. “The cold and the small city reminds me of Canda.” Edwardh finished the night with a -1 rating and one shot on net.
Goals:
First Period:
MNE: 19:05 Ronning (6) from Hart
Second Period:
ADK: 9:51 Curti (7) from Sissons and Szmatula (PP)
Third Period:
MNE: 6:04 Kile (9) from Culkin and Tolkinen (PP)
MNE: 14:40 Ronning (7) from Culkin and McNicholas
MNE: 17:57 Kile (10) from Hart (EN)