Thunder takes first loss of year in Newfoundland
ST. JOHN’S, NL >> The Thunder saw hot starts to the season continue for John Edwardh and Shane Conacher but gave up seven goals on Tuesday night as they lost 7-3 to the Growlers in St. John’s.
Newfoundland got out to a fast start with a pair of goals in the game’s first six-plus minutes. Giorgio Estephan started the scoring when he lifted a wrist shot past Colton Phinney on the power play just 58 seconds into the game to give Newfoundland a 1- 0 lead. Less than five minutes later, Brady Ferguson doubled the Growlers advantage when he tapped in a rebound off a Jason Melindy shot in front.
The two teams traded the first four goals of the middle period. It was Estephan again scoring in the first minute of a period, as he
toe- dragged by the Thunder defense and potted his second score of the night at the 0:21 mark of the second period.
ECHL Player of the Week John Edwardh answered right back for Adirondack with a power-play goal. On the Thunder advantage, Shane Conacher fed James Henry in front of the net who dropped a deft pass to Edwardh on the doorstep for his third tally of the young season.
Ferguson and Conor Riley exchanged scores just two minutes apart near the middle of the period. Ferguson picked up his second score of the night at the 12:35 mark with an assist from Zach O’Brien – O’Brien’s fourth helper of the night. Riley responded with a goal off a rebound as he, Cullen Bradshaw and Mike Szmatula were all jamming at the puck in front of the Growlers net. It was Riley’s second of the year and Szmatula notched his first point of the season with the assist.
Newfoundland started to put the game away late in the second as Semyon Babintsev and Ryan Moore scored 37 seconds apart to give the Growlers a 6-2 lead heading into the break.
Conacher extended his goal streak to make it 6-3 early in the third on a rebound opportunity but it was as close as Adirondack would get.
Scott Pooley finished the game’s scoring with Newfoundland’s seventh goal en route to the 7-3 final.