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Reading nips Adirondack, 3-2, on Saturday
GLENSFALLS, N.Y. » The good news is the Thunder don’t have to play Reading for another couple weeks.
The bad news is they still haven’t figured out how to beat them.
Adirondack outshot the Royals, 41-22, but only managed to find the net twice in a 3-2 loss on Saturday, their fifth of the year to Reading and third in a five-day span.
“We could have easily won the game,” Thunder coach Brad Tapper said. “Grade A chances are there. We just need to capitalize. We’ve got to make sure we’re putting the puck in the net. Even a little more gritty in front of the net, making sure you’re bearing down on the puck, not worrying about someone slashing your stick or your wrist, but just bearing down.”
It was the first contest in a seven- game homestand that continues Friday, meaning the Thunder have all this week to regroup and get ready after playing 12 straight games on the road prior to Saturday.
“We looked a little sluggish,” Tapper said. “But I think that’s still ill effects from the bus trip. We have six more games at home. I told the guys we’ve got to take advantage of them. This thing can’t spiral out of control. You’ve got to stay positive. Bad things start to happen when guys start to say little things. We nipped that right in the bud in the post-game meeting.”
The Thunder went 6- 3 on a recent 4,000-mile road trip that ended last weekend. After coming home for a day’s rest, they went right back out again to Reading and dropped a 5-2 decision last Tuesday. Then, a day after Thanksgiving, they traveled to Reading again and lost, 2- 0, before playing their first home game in a month on Saturday.’
The Royals jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Adam Schmidt and Ryan Penny before Adirondack finally got on the board six seconds into a power play at 16:16 of the second period. Taking a puck off a faceoff at the left point, Pierre Luc-Mercier took two or three steps and blasted a shot past Royals netminder Mark Dekanich, to make it 2-1.
The sell- out crowd of 4,843, which had been taken out of the game to that point, erupted in a wild frenzy.
The Thunder had a golden opportunity to knot the score on another power play, when Terrence Wallin skated through a pair of defenders and dished off to Eric Neiley on the right side. But Neiley, with a wide open net in front of him, couldn’t put his stick on the puck and the score remained unchanged.
Reading pulled ahead, 3-1, on Matt Willows’ breakaway goal 5:25 into the third period.
With just over three minutes to play, the Royals’ Steven Swavely was called for goaltender interference. Tapper pulled goaltender Nick Riopel in favor of an extra attacker and the 6-on- 4 power play worked as James Henry scored to cut Reading’s lead to one goal, 3-2.
But it turned out to be all the offense Adirondack could muster as the Royals skated away with the win.
The loss dropped the Thunder to 9- 8-1-1 while Reading improved to 10-51-1.
The ECHL North Division foes have nine more games remaining in their season series. So far, travel schedules and injuries have been in Reading’s favor, Tapper said.
“When we’re playing the right way we’re a really good hockey club,” he said. “We’re missing some key ingredients. Our captain, Mike Bergin, is out of the lineup, and right now the deck is full for Reading with the goaltending, defensemen and forwards they have. Other guys have to step up for us.”