The warm weather seems to be helping out the Thunder as they picked up three of a possible four points in their first two games down South. Adirondack has gained one point on Maine who lost yesterday to Newfoundland before ending the Growlers 19 game home winning streak on Saturday evening. Maine and Adirondack will play each other three more times this season, including twice in the final three games of the regular season.
Valentine’s Day
The Adirondack Thunder began their three-game road trip with a visit to the ECHL’s top team in the South Carolina Stingrays and were able to hang with them for three-plus periods. Adirondack had a great chance to get on the board first as Matt Salhany fed John Edwardh on an odd-man rush, but Edwardh would miss the net and the Stingrays would come back up the ice which would see Kristofers Bindulis beat Evan Cormier to make it a 1-0 game after 20 minutes of play.
Adirondack would get on the board in the second period as Connor Riley would pick up his first goal since returning from injury after finding his own rebound in front of the net. Ara Nazarian would give the Thunder the lead a little over a minute later as he beat Logan Thompson to give Adirondack the 2-1 lead. Sadly, it would take less than four minutes for South Carolina to respond as Andrew Cherniwchan would rip one over the shoulder of Evan Cormier to tie it up at two.
South Carolina would take the lead at the 12:40 mark of the third period as Jaynen Rissling found a rebound and snuck it past Evan Cormier to make it a 3-2 game. Adirondack, however, would finally score on their sixth power play opportunity of the night and second five-on-three opportunity as Charlie Curti ripped one home from the point with 2:40 left to ensure that the Thunder would leave with at least one point. Adirondack’s poor overtime performance would continue as Cherniwchan would be left alone in the slot to send the Stingrays home with the extra point.
Goals:
First Period:
SC: 16:01 Bindulis (5) from Weis and Troock
Second Period:
ADK: 1:37 Riley (6) from Szmatuala and Larsson
ADK: 2:39 Nazarian (9) from Pierro-Zabotel and Parran
SC: 6:53 Chemiwchan (22) unassisted
Third Period:
SC: 12:40 Rissling (3) from Troock and Lily
ADK: 17:20 Curti (11) from Summers and Szmatula (PP)
OT:
SC: 2:27 Chemiwchan (23) from Novak and Parisi
Saturday Night
The Adirondack Thunder looked a bit slow in the first few minutes of the first period, but would get on the board early on courtesy of Ara Nazarian who would put one past Adam Carlson. Adirondack wouldn’t be done as Casey Pierro-Zabotel would sneak one through the five-hole of Carlson on the power play to double Adirondack’s lead before the end of the first period.
It wouldn’t take the Thunder long to get on the board in the second period as Ryan Walker would score 1:02 in as he picked up the first of his two goals on the night. This one to start the middle frame would come with the man advantage for Adirondack. Later in the period, Casey Pierro-Zabotel would feed Matt Salhany who would fire a one-timer which would chase Carlson from the game in favour of Ben Halford who would make only his second appearance of the season.
Eamon McAdam would pick up his second shutout of the season, stopping all 34 shots he saw on Saturday night. The Thunder did have a scare as McAdam was run into in the final minute of the third period and appeared to be a little shaken up, but would stay in the game to finish out the shutout for Adirondack.
Adirondack will have two days off before facing the Atlanta Gladiators on Tuesday night before returning home for a very busy three-game weekend, including a game on Saturday night against the Maine Mariners.
Goals:
First Period:
ADK: 13:21 Nazarian (10) unassisted
ADK: 18:22 Pierro-Zabotel (23) from Nazarian and Edwardh (PP)
Second Period:
ADK: 1:02 Walker (6) from Edwardh and Nazarian (PP)
ADK: 10:08 Salhany (17) from Pierro-Zabotel and Edwardh
Third Period:
ADK: 9:07 Walker (7) from Nazarian and Salhany