GLENS FALLS, NY – The Adirondack Thunder bounced back on Wednesday Night with a 6-2 victory over the Worcester Railers. They did so after losing their home opener on Saturday Night to the Newfoundland Growlers. “It was a typical cliche team win,” forward Alex Carrier said following the game’s conclusion. Head Coach Alex Loh mentioned that a lot of things were working, including the power play, which looked the way it was supposed to, however, didn’t forget to mention that there is still work to be done. With the win, the Thunder improve to 1-1-0-0 on the season.
Alex Carrier Leads Thunder To First Win Of Season
Adirondack got off to a rough start, as they were handed a penalty less than a minute into the contest, which would hurt them early on, as Worcester got on the board at the 2:16 mark. Winger Jordan Smotherman would find a rebound on a Karl Boudrias shot, which broke open the scoring at Cool Insuring Arena. The Thunder would have an answer for the Railers less than ten minutes later, as Colin Long would knot the game up at one, and from that point on, Adirondack wouldn’t look back. For Long, he returns to North American hockey for the first time in 10 years, and is loving everything, including the national anthems, the three stars and the fan support. “It’s the home for hockey,” he simply stated to the media. Two of the Thunder’s first three goals came from Payne-MacArthur-Long line. “I know MacArthur from our days in San Antonio,” the 32-year-old said. “We came in the first day this year and said we have chemistry.” He mentioned that having so much experience on that line and having it this early has led to their success.
Alex Carrier would give Adirondack the lead on a very exuberant play, in which he crashed the net and managed to sneak the puck in. When asked about his play upfront, the Canadian said, “That’s where I get my cookies.” The St-Elzéar, QC native has spent the past five seasons in the ECHL, and on Saturday night, three months after losing his father, saw the first multi-goal game of his professional career. When you look at the three guys that have played on this team, Carrier won’t be a regular offensive contributor, but as Alex Loh noted, he does everything right, both on and off the ice. This was a well-deserved performance for the 30-year-old after he was named the extra forward on opening night and got the chance to play with regular line-mates on Friday.
The Thunder would strike for the third and final time in the period, as Patrick Grasso would tip one in on the power play, putting Adirondack up 3-1. The Thunder power play, which went 0-7 on Saturday, came alive on Wednesday, as they scored three straight goals with the man advantage and finished the night 3/6 while having a man up. Defenseman Joe Masonius contributed as well, tallying his second of the season on the power play, putting the puck in on a shot from the point. After the game, the New Jersey native spoke on what the first two games have meant to his growth. “It feels great,” he said. “It means that all the work I’ve put in during the last year is paying off.”
Blake Thompson had a multi-point game, as he added two assists. Mareks Mitens would secure the win in his first start since April 26, 2020, stopping 24 of the 26 shots he faced. “It was pretty good,” the netminder said. “I had a good training camp, it was good to finally get a game in and I think the team played well in front of me.”
Adirondack will finish off their three-game homestand on Saturday night, as they host the Reading Royals, a team to who they dropped two games against in preseason competition.